Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars
“Sex with Stanton is exhilarating; working beside him is a privilege. But loving him…that just hurts.”
I love a legal book and this one was a great one, not only did I have the courtroom scenes that I crave but this book was also full of Emma Chase’s amazing sense of humour and of course some smoking hot sex scenes. Emma Chase never fails to deliver a fantastic male of POV and she certainly mastered Stanton and brought our cocky lawyer to life.
This story starts out in the past with Stanton Shaw and his childhood sweetheart Jenny. They are both approaching graduation and have made plans, but sometimes even the best laid plans go awry. Stanton Shaw was getting out of Mississippi to go to law school; he was going to become a hot shot lawyer so that he could give Jenny and himself the life they deserved. They had planned it down to the last detail however, Jenny falls pregnant and Stanton is caught in a catch 22 situation. Jenny wants him to continue with their plans but Stanton has trouble ruling between his heart and his head. Jenny however is adamant and packs him off to law school, Stanton goes begrudgingly.
Long distance relationships hardly ever work and I must admit I was shocked about Jenny’s stipulations with Stanton. She wanted the open relationship, she knew that it was going to be difficult for both of them but despite Stanton’s reluctance she was adamant. However, fast forward ten years later and Stanton and Jenny are still in the same situation, miles and miles apart but Stanton still sees Jenny as his. I have to admit that this was one bizarre situation and I did have trouble getting my head around it, but when you are reading about it, it kind of made sense for them.
“Of course I’m right. Now dry your eyes, take some Midol and stop with the premenstrual pity party.”
Stanton Shaw is one man that you are going to fawn over, it just cannot be helped, he has this cocky demeanour, a prerequisite for any successful lawyer, but inside he had a heart of gold. Stanton was a fantastic dad, despite the distance and his relationship with his daughter just melts your heart. Despite everything his daughter always came first, he always made time for her whether it be in Mississippi or for her visits to him.
Stanton has his fair share of women but most recently he has been friends with benefits with a lawyer who also works at the same firm, Sofia Santos. They both know the situation, Stanton making it perfectly clear that he belongs to Jenny and his daughter, so when a bolt from the blue comes pertaining to Jenny, Stanton is thrown off kilter and heads to Mississippi to sort it out, taking Sofia with him for guidance and the female point of view.
“There are no minivans or white picket fences in her future, just corner offices and billable hours. She’s frank, direct but also fun. A woman I consider a friend - someone I enjoy going out with as much as I enjoy going down on.”
I loved Stanton with a passion; he was adorable, but somewhat blinkered when it came to Jenny. I personally felt that he was constantly living in the past, remembering him and Jenny as they were as teenagers without actually looking at what was happening in the present. As far as he was concerned, he loved her and she was it for him, but really was it love? After ten years apart, with infrequent visits could he really expect Jenny to be living all those years just waiting for him and his sporadic visits? It was only matter of time before Jenny wanted more.
I loved Sofia too, she was a feisty Latino in both the courtroom and the bedroom and she too had a heart of gold and I felt was the perfect match for Stanton. Not only did they have their careers in common but their chemistry between the sheets was off the charts. Sofia always knew where she stood as far as Stanton was concerned and had done really well keeping an emotional attachment away from the physical, but Stanton was just so lovable it was only a matter of time before the lines started to get blurred.
“I know it now. I can’t stand by and pretend to help him fight for her. Because I want him to fight for me. More than anything. For him to want me - not just as a friend or lover. But as his forever.”
I am a fan of the slow burn and this was just that, as I said above, Stanton was blinkered as far as his heart was concerned but will the feisty Brazilian be able to show him what we the reader have seen unfurling between the pages? Stanton has to do a lot of soul searching and he definitely has to wake up and smell the coffee. I loved the relationships in this story whether it be family or friends and it was great to see a totally different side to Stanton too.
“Yes, Stanton! I want him to push me, pull me - fucking use me - as long as it’s only me he’s thinking of. Me he wants.”
This was a really enjoyable read, with plenty of laugh out loud moments. My only niggle was that I wished that Stanton had his eureka moment a lot sooner, as I would have liked to have seen a lot more of him and Sofia together. I know some will say that the situation is rather unbelievable but for me it worked on the pages. Personally I felt that Jenny had already had that emotional detachment and she was just waiting for Stanton to catch up. Perhaps she underestimated just how Stanton had been leading his life due to their relationship, but none the less, I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
“Young love is strong. First love is powerful. But what you don’t know when you’re young - what you can’t know - is how long life actually is. And the only dependable thing about it, besides death and taxes, is change.”
I cannot wait to read the rest of this series, there are some great characters throughout this book whose stories will be told in the coming books. I can see plenty of shenanigans to come.
Buy Links:
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1P1Ef9O
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1GrTGmU
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