"'Apparently he got into a fight.'
A smile slides onto my lips. 'Did he win?'
'What kind of question is that?'
'Ah...the only one that matters?'"
A smile slides onto my lips. 'Did he win?'
'What kind of question is that?'
'Ah...the only one that matters?'"
--Emma Chase, Sustained
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 272
Publication Date: August 26th, 2015
Source: ARC provided by publisher
Previous Books in Series: Overruled (Note: This book is the second in the series of companion standalones)
Goodreads Description
A knight in tarnished armor is still a knight.
When you’re a defense attorney in Washington, DC, you see firsthand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.
Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know” type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will turn you on. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.
Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I'm going to Mommy & Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and arguing cases in the principal's office.
Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.
And that — that, I know how to do.
A knight in tarnished armor is still a knight.
When you’re a defense attorney in Washington, DC, you see firsthand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.
Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know” type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will turn you on. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.
Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I'm going to Mommy & Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and arguing cases in the principal's office.
Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.
And that — that, I know how to do.
Wow. There is seriously so much I have for this book I cannot break it apart into individual components. This book is what adult contemporary is all about. It is fun and sexy, snarky and tender, beautiful and real. Jake Becker is a defense attorney in DC and is all about himself. He is career-oriented, a total hardass, and more often than not a complete asshole. After a failed attempt by a 9 year old to steal his wallet, he returns the kid home to meet his aunt who has recently taken over guardianship of her 6--yes, you read correctly SIX--nieces and nephews. Her brother and sister-in-law recently died in a car accident and now she is the sole guardian. Jake is adorably speechless when he meets her which is completely unlike him and from there we have our story.
This story is so much more than just a sexy and fun romance between two compatible adults. This story is about love in so many different facets. Have I mentioned how much I love kids in stories? Because I LOVE KIDS IN STORIES! They bring not only adorably tender moments but obnoxiously ridiculous ones as well. The McQuaid Monsters, as I have liked to call them, are another level of beast. Riley-14, Raymond and Rory-9, Rosaleen-7, Regan-2, and Ronan-6 months are all things amazing. You want to squeeze them with love at the same time you want to strangle them. Jake keeps coming into the picture due to *ahem* legal issues the kids find themselves in and it is too fucking funny watching his internal struggle to care. It's too hilarious for words, I was dog-earring all over the place because he's so funny.
Back to the kids, they each bring their own unique personality--obviously--to the table and watching Jake wade through them all is sheer perfection. He tells it like it is, he is honest and kind without even trying to be. He thinks he's clueless about how to be what they need and he is everything they not only need but want they want. And while the adorable moments are frequent, we cannot forget that Chelsea and the kids are going through one of the worst kinds of grief. The way Emma Chase handles this is on point. There is sadness but there is also healing and accepting and I could probably come close to crying thinking about this family because I fell so hard in love with them. Move over, Jake I might quit my job and offer private nursing care, they could totally afford me. But give me Brent's number and I'll give you a discount. I could talk about how much I love these kids all day but I will move on.
The romance between Jake and Chelsea is snarky and sarcastic--just the way I like it. Their banter is too good and I love that Jake reigns in his man whore ways and sees Chelsea more than just for her great tits. The road to romance is paved with multiple child cockblocks and teasing because duh, 6 kids are around. I loved every blue balled second of Jake's suffering because, c'mon, he totally deserved it. When they do get together though, hotachacha, it is hot! And beautiful. And tender. While Jake doesn't get cured from his asshole qualities and being a bonehead overnight, the conflict to get there is perfectly placed in the story. If you love adult contemporary and romance, you NEED to read this book!! What are you waiting for?!
This story is so much more than just a sexy and fun romance between two compatible adults. This story is about love in so many different facets. Have I mentioned how much I love kids in stories? Because I LOVE KIDS IN STORIES! They bring not only adorably tender moments but obnoxiously ridiculous ones as well. The McQuaid Monsters, as I have liked to call them, are another level of beast. Riley-14, Raymond and Rory-9, Rosaleen-7, Regan-2, and Ronan-6 months are all things amazing. You want to squeeze them with love at the same time you want to strangle them. Jake keeps coming into the picture due to *ahem* legal issues the kids find themselves in and it is too fucking funny watching his internal struggle to care. It's too hilarious for words, I was dog-earring all over the place because he's so funny.
Back to the kids, they each bring their own unique personality--obviously--to the table and watching Jake wade through them all is sheer perfection. He tells it like it is, he is honest and kind without even trying to be. He thinks he's clueless about how to be what they need and he is everything they not only need but want they want. And while the adorable moments are frequent, we cannot forget that Chelsea and the kids are going through one of the worst kinds of grief. The way Emma Chase handles this is on point. There is sadness but there is also healing and accepting and I could probably come close to crying thinking about this family because I fell so hard in love with them. Move over, Jake I might quit my job and offer private nursing care, they could totally afford me. But give me Brent's number and I'll give you a discount. I could talk about how much I love these kids all day but I will move on.
The romance between Jake and Chelsea is snarky and sarcastic--just the way I like it. Their banter is too good and I love that Jake reigns in his man whore ways and sees Chelsea more than just for her great tits. The road to romance is paved with multiple child cockblocks and teasing because duh, 6 kids are around. I loved every blue balled second of Jake's suffering because, c'mon, he totally deserved it. When they do get together though, hotachacha, it is hot! And beautiful. And tender. While Jake doesn't get cured from his asshole qualities and being a bonehead overnight, the conflict to get there is perfectly placed in the story. If you love adult contemporary and romance, you NEED to read this book!! What are you waiting for?!
VIP
If you love kids, hilarious banter, and heroes with just the right amount of asshole-quality...this book's for you.
If you love kids, hilarious banter, and heroes with just the right amount of asshole-quality...this book's for you.
This sounds like such an amazing book - i have a soft spot for a good romance novel. Love stories give me all the feels! Awesome review!
ReplyDelete*ducks* I'm usually apprehensive about kids in books, but it sounds like this one does it right. I'm reading this book soon! Great review, Kelly!
ReplyDeleteSnark and sarcasm? SIGN. ME. UP. But seriously, I love that kind of witty banter in the romances I read. It's always a fun experience, particularly if I end up falling in love with the individuals and rooting for them as a couple, which sounds like a possibility with this one. I'll have to check it out!
ReplyDelete