Audiobook Review: Overruled by Emma Chase

Overruled 
by Emma Chase
Series:  The Legal Briefs #1
Pub. Date:  Apr. 28, 2015
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster Audio
Narrators:  Jason Carpenter, Charlotte Penfield
Length:  8 hrs 6 min
Format:  Audiobook
Source:  Audible


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

Emma Chase, New York Times bestselling author of the Tangled Series, returns with the first installment of the Legal Briefs Series. 

As a DC defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing – with his southern drawl, disarming smile and captivating green eyes – he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him.

Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan.

Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart and mother of his beloved ten-year old daughter. Jenny is getting married — to someone who isn’t him.

That's definitely not part of the plan.

***

Sofia Santos is a city raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions.

But when Stanton, her "friend with mind-blowing benefits" begs for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him – to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi – to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves. 

Her head tells her she's crazy...and her heart says something else entirely.

*** 

What happens when you mix a one stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage and a gun-toting Nana? 

The Bourbon flows, passions rise and even the best laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart. 

So I met Emma Chase earlier this year at RT Roundup, and got to sit in on one of her panels and listen to a little more about her and her writing style. She was super sweet and I resolved to read one of her books as soon as possible as she relayed that her niche was writing romance from the male point of view. I always like having the male POV in my books - I like to get into the heads of my heroes. So I pulled this book off Audible during my last road trip when I needed something to make the drive go faster.

I didn't read the blurb for the book before reading. I knew the series featured attorneys, which always makes me a little hesitant (occupational hazard). Whenever I am reading a book about fellow attorneys, I tend to pick them apart. However, either Ms. Chase really did her research or she has experience in the legal field because she did really well getting into the aspects of the law practice. This made me super happy b/c I more often see mistakes or unrealistic ideals in legal fiction... but this one was pretty accurate.

As for the romance - I had mixed feelings about it. Don't get me wrong - I couldn't stop listening and was totally absorbed in the story. I had a good connection to the female characters. Without reading the blurb, I actually thought Jenny was going to be my heroine so I was so disappointed when I realized that was not going to be the case. I was then set not to like Sofia because I felt like she was encroaching, but I ended up empathizing with her through the story. I did feel like she was allowing herself to be used for a good part of the book though, and I didn't like that. I wanted her to stand up for herself and tell Stanton where to stick it.

As for our hero, Stanton, I didn't like him. One thing about having so much of the guy's POV is that you realize how much guys suck. I didn't really want to hear about his womanizing and cheating - no matter how much I originally thought I wanted it. He came off as a huge douche canoe by being so self-absorbed and being a total user. He used Jenny and he used Sofia. It was so bad that he was never redeemed for me. I was hoping that both girls would ditch his ass and become besties.

That being said, I still really liked the story! The fact is that there are guys like Stanton out there, and the portrayal of his character was accurate (disheartening as it is). The one aspect that I could say is unrealistic with this story is the hotness factor for all of the male attorneys. In this profession, I have seen little to no lawyers that I would consider "hot". This was a common lament at my law school - why are there no hot guys in this profession? I can't think of a single one that I encountered at my law school. Once I started practicing, I have run into one here and there, but if I ever saw three of them together I would probably fall out in a dead faint. This factor was so lacking in my real life experience that I can't even buy into the fantasy anymore.

I am looking forward to the rest of this series to see how I feel about that prevalent male POV. Will I like it - or will it make me think that guys just plain suck?

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Bambi & Emma Chase

The Legal Briefs

Audiobook Review: A Kiss of Blood by Pamela Palmer

A Kiss of Blood 
by Pamela Palmer
Series:  Vamp City #2
Pub. Date:  July 7, 2015
Publisher:  Tantor Audio
Narrator:  Rebecca Estrella
Length:  11 hrs 30 min
Format:  Audiobook
Source:  Hoopla


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

Only one woman can save Vamp City...

One of the few humans who managed to escape the deadly twilight world of Vamp City, Quinn Lennox vows to never return. But the vampires want her back, for only she has the power to renew the magic of their crumbling world and free the vampires trapped within.

When the dangerous and all-too-seductive Arturo Mazza comes for her, Quinn knows she can never trust him after the betrayal she suffered at his hands. But with her beloved brother's fate hanging in the balance, and her own power beginning to emerge, she chooses to risk all on yet another perilous journey back to Vamp City. And though she tries to deny it, her heart begins to hold hope that even a ruthless vampire can learn the meaning of true love.

So if you read my last review, you will remember that A Blood Seduction made me ranty. While I liked the concept and the story, I hated both of the main characters. I refused to call them hero and heroine because I didn't feel like anything deserving of the name. But, I can officially say that I hate them much less now.

As much as I hated Arturo in the last book, I am kind of on Team Arturo now. He stopped being such a self-absorbed douche canoe and got some of his conscience back. Though now he is chasing Quinn, and she is running away, and it got to be tiresome. I am surprised that what finally broke her trust was him showing up to save her in the beginning of this book. Of all the things that should have turned her away, this seemed very minor in the overall scheme. Quinn is coming into some of her power... but she is still a pretty wimpy leading female. She continues to get her ass kicked, lose her weapon within 2 seconds, and run off on her own and get caught. And what finally turned me from Team Quinn to Team Arturo was the vamp delivering some brutal truths that I didn't really consider about Quinn in the first book. I won't mention them here because it was an eye opener for me and reading it before hand w/o the benefit of his speech would have lessened the impact.

The other vampires are still pretty much baddies, with a few exceptions. Cristoff and Fabian are both horrible extremes of their vice and way of feeding. Quinn has somewhat of an unnatural attachment to her brother - she is all he thinks about. Meanwhile, all Zach thinks about is Lily. And Lily is still out there alone in vamp city.

The story arc is continuing over the series, so while there is not a cliffhanger per se, the book ends before anything is resolved. I am hoping that the next book gives us a true hero and heroine to root for. 

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Vamp City

Review: Susana and the Scot by Sabrina York

Susana and the Scot 
by Sabrina York
Series:  Untamed Highlanders #2
Pub. Date:  Dec. 29, 2015
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Pages:  368
Format:  eARC
Source:  NetGalley


My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

Bestselling author Sabrina York carries readers back to the wild Scottish Highlands, where the bravest of men surrender to no one—except the boldest of women...

A SCANDALOUS TEMPTATION

Andrew Lochlannach is famous for his conquests, on and off the battlefield. When a fellow warrior challenges him to a kissing contest, he wastes no time in planting his lips on ninety-nine lovely lasses—an impressive feat of seduction that gets him banished to the farmlands. Still, Andrew has no regrets about his exploits—especially his embrace with the most beguiling woman he's ever met...

AN UNDENIABLE PASSION

With flaming red hair and a temper to match, Susana is not the kind of innocent farmgirl who gives herself over easily to a man, even one as ruggedly handsome as Andrew. The wicked Scot may have won a kiss from the headstrong beauty in a moment of mutual desire, but Susana refuses to be just another one of his conquests. Andrew must convince the fiery lass that even though he is not playing a game, losing her is not an option...

It looks like I am going to have to add Sabrina York to my auto-buy list, because I am loving this Untamed Highlanders series.  Both books were happy reads and put me in a good mood.  I made the mistake of starting Susana and the Scot in the evening, and ended up reading it straight through until almost 3am. I was despairing a little toward the end as the battery in my tablet was dying and a storm had knocked out the power in my house!  

So this is a second chance romance between our hero, Andrew Lochlannach (brother to Alexander from Hannah and the Highlander) and Susana Dounreay (sister to Hannah).  Andrew has been sent to Dounreay by Alexander to shore up the defenses against encroachers and protect Hannah's family. Unfortunately, his first foray into Dounreay involves a tumultuous and humorous run in with Susana, who is shocked to see him. Also unfortunately, Andrew does not remember Susana or that he had previously seduced her. You can imagine how this is going to cause him problems while living in such close quarters with her and her family. 

Andrew is a likable hero - he has been pining away for his lost love (Mairi) for the past six years, whom he believes passed away in a carriage accident. In an effort to find "that feeling" again, Andrew has kissed 99 women and now has vowed that he is done with females, believing that he will never have "that feeling" again. Until he encounters the firebrand, Susana. I also really liked Susana, the warrior princess.  She was atypical for the time period, a female capable with a bow, taking on the castle defenses and other jobs typically handled by men. She was a loving mother to her daughter, for all that she failed to discipline her. I was drawn into her hurt and aggravation at Andrew, thinking that he had betrayed her. It was lovely to see them find their way back to one another, though I do wish it would have been explained why she was known as Mairi when in Perth.

While Susana and Andrew were at war with one another, for reasons unknown to him, they are forced to work together to uncover the threat against Dounreay lands. I enjoyed every aspect of this story - both the romance angle and the mystery/suspense.  But my absolute favorite part of this story was Susanna's daughter, Isobel. She was a termagant!  But she was also clever, precocious and absolutely adorable and hilarious. I am not usually one for kids - but I fell in love with little Isobel.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

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Untamed Highlanders

Review: Kill Without Mercy by Alexandra Ivy

Kill Without Mercy 
by Alexandra Ivy
Series:  ARES Security #1
Pub. Date: Dec. 29, 2015
Publisher:  Zebra / Kensington
Pages:  352
Format:  eARC
Source:  NetGalley

My Rating:  
Sultry Scale:

From the hellhole of a Taliban prison to sweet freedom, five brave military heroes have made it home—and they’re ready to take on the civilian missions no one else can. Individually they’re intimidating. Together they’re invincible. They’re the men of ARES Security.

Rafe Vargas is only in Newton, Iowa, to clear out his late grandfather’s small house. As the covert ops specialist for ARES Security, he's eager to get back to his new life in Texas. But when he crosses paths with Annie White, a haunted beauty with skeletons in her closet, he can't just walk away—not when she’s clearly in danger…

There’s a mysterious serial killer on the loose with a link to Annie’s dark past. And the closer he gets, the deeper Rafe’s instinct to protect kicks in. But even with his considerable skill, Annie’s courage, and his ARES buddies behind him, the slaying won’t stop. Now it’s only a matter of time before Annie’s next—unless they can unravel a history of deadly lies that won’t be buried. 

ARES Security promises to be a great new romantic suspense series with engaging characters and top notch suspense. The series is going to follow four former military men who have become brothers through shared tragedy. Rafe, Hauk, Teagan and Max were POWs held together in a Taliban prison. Having trouble adjusting to civilian life, the four decided on this joint business venture in Houston as badass security operatives.

So Kill Without Mercy is Rafe's story.  Rafe is described as the glue that holds the group together, and he admits that he has a superman complex and wants to save everyone. Rafe was a great hero. While he was a badass, he was also also extremely caring and understanding of our heroine and his brothers.

When Rafe comes across our damsel in distress, Annie, he immediately feels that protective instinct. As the daughter of a serial killer, Annie has her own tortured past and understandably has a hard time trusting people. So when the killing starts up again, Annie knows she has to do something, particularly because she is having visions of the murders. I liked Annie - she didn't tick any of the annoying heroine boxes for me. I sympathized with her past, understood all the actions she took, and couldn't fault any of them. She listened to Rafe when he was trying to keep her safe. I felt like her character was developed more fully than his, and I didn't have trouble connecting with her as a heroine.

The suspense in the story was great. The story focuses a little less on the romance to follow the plot of tracking the serial killer, the Newton Slayer. While the culprit was a bit predictable, that did not detract from the story and there was a good plot twist thrown in to complicate things. Most of all, though, I absolutley loved the bond shared between the four men of ARES. I think I liked the brothers' bond more than the romance! I would have liked to know a little more about their backstory, but that may come out as the series progresses.  I know I will enjoy seeing each of the brothers find their HEA, but I think my favorite is going to be Teagan.  Something about him just struck a chord with me.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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