Sustained by Emma Chase

Sustained by Emma Chase

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ms. Chase is one of my favorite romantic comedy authors and I jump at the chance to review her books. Having read and loved Overruled, I could not wait to begin Sustained, but I had to because I had to insure that I had the proper reading environment. You know the one – a place where you can read uninterrupted and not be bothered while laughing like a loon. Oh yes, Ms. Chase did not disappoint and there were a few times I was laughing so hard I suspect my upstairs neighbor was questioning my sanity. Why? Because being inside Jake Becker’s head is a riot. Add to that his prowess in the bedroom (or bathroom, or pantry, or door … you get the idea), and Sustained was everything I had hoped for and more.

While not a great day for Jake, I absolutely loved the wake-up call he got regarding his revolving bedroom door. The manwhore is a popular character in current contemporary romance, especially the reformed manwhore, but few authors write scenes that include the consequences of being one. Not only did Ms. Chase give Jake a huge dose of reality, she still manages to infuse the related scenes with humor (for the reader) while still conveying the seriousness of the issue. Doing so makes his first “real date” hilarious and his encounters with the McQuaids extremely entertaining. Considering what we learn about how the Judge helped Jake turn his life around, I wasn’t surprised by his reaction to Rory and the subsequent encounters with the McQuaid children. Even though Jake convinced himself that he was “helping out” for a chance at Chelsea, it became clear quickly that there was more to the situation than that. That it had the side benefit of getting him into Chelsea’s good graces (and pants) that much quicker was just a bonus. And man what a bonus that was! While there is plenty of drama to go around, the relationship angst is kept to a minimum and is understandable when Jake tells Chelsea about his father. Fortunately for Jake, he has an awesome group of friends that have no problem give him the metaphorical kick in the arse he needs to keep him from throwing away his chance at happiness.

Watching the romance between Jake and Chelsea build was great, but it’s the interactions of the “family” as a whole that made the book truly entertaining for me. I will admit that kids in a romance are an iffy subject matter for me. Some authors focus too much on the children and they take over the book and while that’s fine for a family drama, it’s not so good for a romance. But knowing Ms. Chase’s style of writing I wasn’t too concerned about that happening and, again, she proved me correct. The six, yes SIX, McQuaid children are a hoot. They are a delightful group of endearing, frustrating, c**kblocking (Jake’s word) kids that enrich Jake’s life and the book. I fell in love with the kids just as much as I did with Jake and Chelsea. I cannot believe I’m going to say this, but I’m not sure what I enjoyed more – the hot as heck sex scenes or the heartwarming interactions between Jake and the children. While I loved that we got to see Jake in action in the courtroom, the circumstances surrounding it were heartbreaking. But the ultimate ending of Sustained made it all worth it. I was so glad that Jake was able to rectify the professional dilemma he found himself in and I cannot wait to see how that venture unfolds in Appealed. Ms. Chase has another hit on her hands with Sustained and I have another book to add to my reread pile.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Check out the Sustained by Emma Chase is Now Available & Reviewed post on Wicked Reads.


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