ARC Review: SIDEBARRED (The Legal Briefs, #3.5) by Emma Chase

Summary

Join Jake & Chelsea, Stanton & Sofia, Brent & Kennedy as they navigate the hilarious and heartwarming hurdles of love, life and the law in this final addition to the Legal Briefs Series.


There was a time when Jake Becker had it all together. He was controlled, driven, ruthless—in and out of the courtroom.

Then, six irresistible orphans and their heartbreakingly beautiful aunt crashed into his perfectly ordered life. They changed everything. They changed him. Now he’s a husband, an upstanding member of society, a father figure—a family man.

And he’s pretty damn good at it.

Sure, he has to referee sibling smackdowns, re-learn algebra, ensure his clients stay of jail, and keep his wife happy—but it finally feels like he’s got it together again....

So, of course something has to screw it all up. It’s huge. Life-changing. Kind of terrifying.

And it will be the most amazing, perfect thing he’ll ever do.

Buy Links

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo

Connect with the Author

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Review

Rating: 4.5 stars.

Last year I read this lovely book that made me feel all warm inside. That book was Sustained. It's my favorite part of The Legal Briefs series, and my favorite book by Emma Chase. So imagine my excitement when I heard The Legal Briefs would be getting an epilogue in a novella in which the main star would be Jake Becker. JAKE BECKER!!! Also known as the main character in Sustained.

Sidebarred reminded me why I loved reading Sustained as much as I did. It was such a treat to get more of Jake, and the sweet little monsters. The others were okay, too, but Jake and the kids were my favorite. They always are.

Riley, Raymond, Rory, Ronan, Rosaleen, Regan are older now, but still adorable, and fun. And Jake is still amazing with all of them. It's sweetness overload, really. Big, stern Jake singing One Direction songs? Priceless.

We already know from the epilogue of Appealed Jake and Chelsea's big family would get a little bigger, and Sidebarred tells the story of how that came to be. It is a super cute story. I was rooting for it to happen all along.

Besides Jake's parenting skills, Sidebarred showcased his other qualities such as his possessiveness, and willingness to protect his wife from sleazy men at any cost.

The other characters were here, too. We get an update on Sofia and Stanton, Brent and Kennedy, and the novella ends quite a few years into the future when the adorable monsters are all grown up and living their own lives, making Jake proud.

All in all, a lovely series epilogue, and a must read for anyone who read and liked Sustained. If you haven't read it, well, in that case Sustained is a must read.

***ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.***

* An excerpt can be found HERE.

* My reviews of the previous books in this series: OVERRULED  |  SUSTAINED  |   APPEALED
 

XOXO,

 

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night, she toils away bringing her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. Writing has always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Overruled/Emma-Chase/The-Legal-Briefs-Series/9781501102035#sthash.7oPZtRxt.dpuf

By day, Emma Chase is a devoted wife and mother who resides in a small, rural town in New Jersey. By night, she toils away bringing her colorful characters and their endless antics to life. Writing has always been a passion and with the 2013 release of her debut romantic comedy, Tangled, the ability to now call herself an author is nothing less than a dream come true. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Overruled/Emma-Chase/The-Legal-Briefs-Series/9781501102035#sthash.7oPZtRxt.dpuf

REVIEW: Finn Again (The Finn Factor, #5) by R.G. Alexander

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance

Buy The Book: B&N AMAZON

Connect With The Author:  

Goodreads / Website / Twitter

Synopsis on GR:

Revisit the Finn Family as they prepare for Christmas Eve and the Curious Wedding of Owen Finn and Jeremy Porter. From bachelor parties with penis cakes to proposals and new revelations, the family has one heck of a holiday season. Are you Team Owen or Team Jeremy? Whatever side of the aisle you’re sitting on, you’ll finally get to see the wedding we’ve all been waiting for.
And maybe catch a glimpse of a few new members of the Finn Club…

*This is not a stand-alone as much as a revisiting of previous series characters, but it is the 5th story in the Finn Factor series.

Warning: This holiday feel good is full of nookie. m/m, m/m/f, m/m again…and some more m/m (you’ve read the series right? Then you know how they are.)

REVIEW

Woah...the members of the Finn family are definitely a group of kinky m...*ahem* people. I've read so far only the 1st book in the series Curious which is a bffs-to-lovers mm romance (a pretty good one btw.) and this one which focuses again on Owen's & Jeremy's romance from book 1, but also on romance life of the rest of the siblings whose books I have yet to read.

I loved Owen & Jeremy as a couple in Curious, but I simply adored them in this short novella. They were fun, witty, cute and dirty more than ever. Their happily-ever-after continues in this installment with a bachelor party and and wedding bells and we get a little sneak-a-peek in the lives of the rest of the family whith a couple of pretty steamy scenes.

The only flaw of the book is its shortness, other than that I have no doubt the fans of the series will be more than pleased with the outcome. If you're a mm romance fan with fetish for friends-to-lovers mm romances I definitely recommend book 1!

* My reviews of other books in The Finn Factor series:

~ Curious (The Finn Factor, #1) by R.G. Alexander  

RATING: 4/5 stars

xoxo,

Purple  

Spotlight Tour & Character Bio: KNIT TIGHT (Portland Heat Series, #4) by Annabeth Albert

Knit Tight 
(Portland Heat Series, #4)
by Annabeth Albert

Blurb:

It’s no secret that Portland, Oregon, has some of best restaurants, shops, and cafés in the country. But it’s the hard-working men who serve it all up that keep us coming back for more...

One of Portland’s hottest young baristas, Brady is famous for his java-topping flair, turning a regular cup of joe into a work of art. Every Wednesday—aka “Knit Night”—hordes of women and their needles descend on the coffeehouse, and Brady’s feeling the heat. Into the fray walks a tall, dark, and distractingly handsome stranger from New York. His name is Evren, and he’s the sexy nephew of Brady’s sweetest customer, the owner of the yarn shop down the street. He’s also got a killer smile, confident air, and masculine charm that’s tying Brady’s stomach in knots. The smitten barista can’t wait to see him at the next week’s gathering. But when he tries to ask Evren out, his plans unravel faster than an unfinished edge. If Brady hopes to warm up more than Evren’s coffee, he’ll have to find a way to untangle their feelings, get out of the friend zone, and form a close-knit bond that’s bound to last a lifetime…

Available for purchase at 

            

Excerpt

 “You’re my favorite barista,” the girl said with a self-conscious giggle. She was all of eighteen, if that, and reminded me of my sister, with her wispy hair and pale skin.

“Tonight I’m the only barista.” I took a breath, kept my tone light, and didn’t give in to the urge to sigh heavily.

I grabbed a mug to get her latte started. Wednesday nights were our busiest of the week, and I was stuck working alone because my coworker had called in sick. I hated Wednesdays, but I wasn’t in a position to turn down hours. As it was, our boss had been slashing staff for the evening shifts, citing cost-cutting measures, so he hadn’t seen fit to give me a backup.

“You’re the best barista I’ve got, Brady. You can handle it,” he’d said on the phone, in his usual offhand manner. He didn’t like to be bothered with what he deemed trivial stuff. So I was alone to face Wednesday hell, better known as Knit Night, the weekly event in which a horde of women and their baskets of fibers descended on the coffee shop. But they all bought at least one drink and that meant tips in my jar.

And I was a damn fine barista, something I reminded myself as I put a little flair into making the girl’s drink. She came here for this after all—the little bit of a show as I flipped the mug and steamed the milk, the latte-art smiley face I finished the drink with, the winning smile I dredged up as I handed it over. For an instant I made her feel like she was the sole focus of my attention instead of the line of traffic behind her. That was my skill, the one that was going to elevate me from Brady the barista to Brady the national-champion barista and alleviate a whole shitload of problems.

Buzz. From deep in my black apron pocket, my phone vibrated against my thigh. Hell. One of those problems was undoubtedly slipping into a crisis state, but I couldn’t risk fishing the phone out with a line of customers. I’d have to hope that my sister could hold down the fort at home and that whatever it was could wait for a lull in the rush.

The next order was the girl’s friend, another latte, another smiley face, but I made the mistake of glancing up at the door as I worked. The next customer to come in was the hottest guy I’d seen in a very long time. He had artfully styled black hair, the sort of purposefully messy cut that probably cost three digits and took twenty minutes in the morning to perfect. His slim-fitting jeans also looked designer—a rich color somewhere between brown and black and a subtle sheen to the fabric. A fancifully wrapped scarf over a close-fitting, long-sleeved shirt would probably get noticed by the Knit Night ladies, which was exactly what I did not want to have happen.

Our eyes met as I drew the latte art with a stirring stick, and he grinned widely at me. Gorgeous rose-pink lips and perfect white teeth straight out of a dental ad, and—

Frak me. I flubbed the smiley face, distracted by my efforts to memorize the handsome stranger. Rather than hand over a squiggly mess, I chucked the cup and started over. The girl didn’t seem to care as she was deep in conversation with her friend at the end of the bar.

“Sorry about the wait,” I said to the guy when it was finally his turn and he moved up to order. His intent gaze coupled with his polished appearance made me more conscious of my untrimmed beard and scruffy ponytail and made me wish I was wearing something a bit nicer than a faded People’s Cup T-shirt.

“It is no problem,” the guy said. He had a gorgeous voice—deep and polished, like a shiny piece of ebony. He had the fast speech and clipped consonants of an East Coast accent, but there was a lilt of something more exotic there, too. “I am happy to wait. Very peaceful in here.” 

Ha. I checked the clock as I tried to think of some flirty reply. The heavy glass door that led to Alberta Street swung open. It was 6:58 and Violet was first as usual, holding the door open for the herd of knitters. Not the steady trickle of a breakfast or lunch rush but twenty-plus women, all obsessed with punctuality and festooned with hats, scarves, and knit vests. Each ordered drinks for here with the sort of lengthy deliberation of someone who only ordered one coffee a week.

An older woman with the look and demeanor of a no-nonsense teacher, Violet made it her business to keep her fellow knitters in line. Knit Night was the brainchild of Iplik, the yarn store just down the street from us on Alberta, but Violet was the weekly event’s unofficial hostess. As usual, she started giving her comrades orders about table rearrangement.

The People’s Cup wasn’t huge by any means, and Knit Night tended to fill the joint up. The space was longer than it was wide, with couches in front of the plateglass window, the coffee bar running along one wall, tables in the middle of the room, and a long wooden farmhouse bench and table for communal seating in the back of the room. The Knit Night ladies liked to turn the couches around and group the center tables together, creating a setup conducive to conversation but a tripping hazard for the rest of the patrons. And the arrangement resulted in an unholy din really, especially on nights when their ranks swelled to thirty or more.

“Remember to keep the aisle clear,” I said to Violet and her minions. I’d warned them about creating tripping hazards with their knitting gear, but it was as futile as telling the twins and Jonas to keep their Legos in one area. Like my siblings, the ladies loved to spread out their projects.

“What’ll it be?” I swung back to the register, no closer to having the right banter for the stranger, but no longer in a position to care. However, he’d stepped aside for Violet and her herbal tea order.

“I’ll be back when the line clears,” he said with a wink. He had a leather messenger bag, the sort meant to look like something Indiana Jones would haul around, for which one paid for every crinkle in the distressed finish. He’d probably come in wanting a quiet place to work.

He had the look and accent of a displaced New Yorker—working some cushy freelance job, no doubt. I liked thinking up little stories about my customers, but I didn’t bother coming up with a lengthy one for him. He wouldn’t be back once he saw how loud Knit Night got. And the ladies were likely to pester him about his intricately knit scarf with its pattern of interwoven cables. One time, I’d made the mistake of wearing a wool beanie I’d found for a buck at the thrift store. Every single knitter needed to remark on its construction. Dude was so going to be beating feet once Knit Night got underway.

KNIT TIGHT—Brady Bio

Name: Brady

Job: Barista at People’s Cup in Portland, Oregon

Born: Portland, Oregon

Likes: Burgers, trying new foods, Salt & Straw ice cream, single-origin espresso, Harry Potter, skateboarding, kid artwork

Dislikes: Chicken nuggets, teacher conferences, rent, bi-erasure, complications, country music

Description: Slim, Brady rocks the Portland lumbersexual hipster look: beard, man bun, pierced ears, and flannel over t-shirts along with thrift store chic. Brady enjoys skateboarding to and from work.

But beneath Brady’s very Portland-esque looks lies a hard-working young man trying to provide for his family. Brady is raising his siblings, and he’s struggling to keep the family together and make a home for them while establishing himself as one of the best baristas in the country. When a handsome stranger wanders into his coffee shop, Brady isn’t sure whether he has room in his life for another complication.

Find out more about Brady in KNIT TIGHT!

The Portland Heat Series

About The Author

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter.  In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two children.

You can find Annabeth at 

            

Giveaway

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Presented By

ARC Review: A GENTLEMAN'S POSITION (Society of Gentlemen, #3) by K.J. Charles

  Summary

Power, privilege, and the rigid rules of class leave two hearts yearning for connection in the sizzling new Society of Gentlemen novel from K. J. Charles.
 
Among his eccentric though strictly principled group of friends, Lord Richard Vane is the confidant on whom everyone depends for advice, moral rectitude, and discreet assistance. Yet when Richard has a problem, he turns to his valet, a fixer of unparalleled genius—and the object of Richard’s deepest desires. If there is one rule a gentleman must follow, it is never to dally with servants. But when David is close enough to touch, the rules of class collide with the basest sort of animal instinct: overpowering lust.

For David Cyprian, burglary and blackmail are as much in a day’s work as bootblacking—anything for the man he’s devoted to. But the one thing he wants for himself is the one thing Richard refuses to give: his heart. With the tension between them growing to be unbearable, David’s seemingly incorruptible master has left him no choice. Putting his finely honed skills of seduction and manipulation to good use, he will convince Richard to forget all about his well-meaning objections and give in to sweet, sinful temptation.

Buy links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | All Romance eBooks | iBooks 

Connect with the author

 Website |  Facebook | Twitter  | Goodreads 

Review

Rating: 5 stars!

A perfect romance novel!

It only took me reading the prologue to know what I'd already assumed: I would love A Gentleman's Position. Full of love, yearning, dreaming, and heartache, it was my favorite kind of romance.

The love story of Lord Richard Vane and the great Cyprian was long awaited. Cyprian intrigued me from the beginning as the Society's redheaded problem solver, and Richard, though not my favorite person in A Seditious Affair, I still wished to see get his happy ending, for Cyprian's sake, but mostly I wanted to see him break free of that heavy burden that was his sense of responsibility and duty, and whatnot, all the things that kept him from going after what he desired most: Cyprian.

It took four years and seven months for Richard to finally get there. Or around 40% of the book, but it was so worth it. I loved every page leading up to it, during it, and after it. I'd forgotten how much I like reading love stories tinged with sadness.

Of all the books by KJ Charles (and I've read almost all of them) this is the one that made my heart ache for the main characters the most, and I adored it for it.

Getting to know Richard's, and Cyprian's families and their pasts was an excellent addition to an already amazing story.

Other characters that made me go into fangirl mode were all the men who already got their own stories: Silas & Dom, Julius & Harry, Ash & Francis, they were all here, just like the final book in this series deserved.

Their little society was threatened by the extremely unpleasant Lord Maltravers. It was time once again for Lord Richard to protect them all, and to do that Cyprian was essential. While Cyprian was busy with plotting and scheming to take down Maltravers and save their group from demise, Richard was agonizing over finding a way to make his relationship with Cyprian work...

It was quite satisfying how it was all resolved.

A perfect ending to the Society of Gentlemen series.

KJ Charles continues to impress me with her work. I cannot recommend it enough. To anyone who likes reading M/M historical romance novels, this series is a MUST read.

Now I'll just go sit in a corner and cry because it's over.

Note to self: Re-read all KJ Charles books as soon as possible.


***ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***


My review of the previous book in the series, A Seditious Affair, can be found here.

Until next time, happy reading!

XOXO,