AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Appealed (The Legal Briefs #3)

Appealed (The Legal Briefs #3), by Emma Chase
Publish Date: January 19, 2016
Publisher: Gallery Books
Format: audiobook, purchased
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(Synopsis) When Brent Mason looks at Kennedy Randolph, he doesn’t see the awkward, sweet girl who grew up next door. He sees a self-assured, stunning woman…who wants to crush the most intimate - and prized - parts of his anatomy beneath the heels of her Christian Louboutins.

Brent has never let the loss of his leg in a childhood accident affect his ability to lead a fulfilling life. He sets high goals–and then he reaches them.

And now he has his sights set on Kennedy.

When Kennedy looks at Brent Mason, all she sees is the selfish, Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue-worthy teenager who humiliated her in high school to join the popular crowd. A crowd that made those years a living hell.

She’s not a lovesick social outcast anymore - she’s a DC prosecutor with a long winning streak behind her. Brent is the opposing attorney in her next case and she thinks it’s time to put him through a little hell of his own.

But things aren’t exactly working out that way.

Because every fiery exchange has her wondering if he’s as passionate in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom. Each argument and objection only makes him want her more. In the end, Brent and Kennedy may just find themselves in love…or in contempt of court.

I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this entire series. It's just so much fun! And the audio versions have all been so well done. Deacon Lee is the narrator for Appealed, and I just loved his performance. He's always been one of my favorite narrators. Appealed is the final book in the series, and it follows fun-loving Brent Mason as he succumbs to the love bug that has now afflicted his partners Stanton, Sophia and Jake. 

The second chance love trope is one of my favorites, so right off the bat, I knew Appealed would be a winner. In a move that took me back to Tangled by the same authors, Appealed begins a few weeks in the future at a pivotal moment in Brent and Kennedy's relationship, before it rewinds and starts at the beginning. I love this plot device, because it sucks you in from the very first word. Immediately I wanted to know how they got to the place where they were fighting so passionately that Brent had to throw Kennedy's clothes out the window. 

Brent and Kennedy were wonderfully matched. Both are head strong, driven and fiercely dedicated to the people and causes that they believe in. Their shared past is sad and disappointing and full of misunderstandings and bad decisions. The pacing in this book was so well thought out, as we return to the past and what happened between them at just the right moments. It explained so much about why Kennedy treated Brent with such disdain. And why neither of them could stay away from each other. 

One thing I can always count on in a book by Emma Chase is that I will laugh. A lot. And I SO did. Brent is hilarious, and I loved his interactions with his friends, his family and with Kennedy. Appealed was a pretty light-hearted book, despite what happened in Kennedy's and Brent's past. The angst and drama quotient is low, due mostly to the fact that both Brent and Kennedy were straight shooters. They didn't play games with each other. There was no hiding things and no lack of communications - if anything, their brutal honesty with one another was what caused the problems that did come up. But, that is such a refreshing change. 

I'm really sad to see this series come to an end. I've fallen in love with all the characters and would love nothing more than to revisit them someday. In the meantime, I'll be waiting anxiously to see what gem Emma Chase comes up with next.