Appealed by Emma Chase takes on the classic tale of best friends turned lovers and gives it a twist that makes it impossible to put down!

Once upon a time, Brent Mason and Kennedy Randolph were best friends. They grew up together, were even each other’s first kiss, but then grew apart in high school. When a chance encounter brings them back together, and they become opponents in the courtroom, they come to realize that they remember their history much differently.

Kennedy may be a strong, confident, prosecutor now, but that definitely wasn’t the case in high school when bullies were making her life hell. Brent just remembers all of the good times and can’t figure out why Kennedy seems to hate his guts so much.

However, he’s willing to put in the work to find out what went wrong all those years ago and try to make it up to her now.

We’ve been fans of The Legal Briefs series since the start, and we have to say that Appealed is shaping up to be our favorite yet. It starts by throwing the reader right into the middle of the situation between Kennedy and Brent, then backtracking, which is not only refreshing but had us invested from the start.

We quickly find out that Kennedy and Brent have a history, even though Brent doesn’t recognize her at first at a party. What Brent doesn’t know is why Kennedy seems so different from the girl he once knew or why she’s so pissed off at him. Kennedy and Brent can’t seem to stop arguing, and they also can’t seem to stop their eyes or hands from each other, which makes for an interesting day in the courtroom where Kennedy is trying to get Brent’s client the maximum punishment.

Chase does a brilliant job of writing a female character that has both strengths and flaws without making her seem like a damsel in distress. Kennedy does have painful memories of the past, and even though she doesn’t necessarily need someone to help here we were rooting for her to let Brent in.

With the explosive arguments, off the charts chemistry, and plenty of sweetness, it seems like Appealed has it all. It’s the kind of novel that demands to be read in one sitting no matter how late that may keep the reader up.

As an added bonus, Kennedy and Brent are subjected to their mothers, who also happen to be best friends. Though Kennedy and Brent are just trying to take things one step at a time, their mothers are already planning the wedding they fully expect to be coming.

Stanton, Sofia, Chelsea, and Jake aren’t super involved in Appealed, but they make enough appearances to satisfy us. Fans will get to see how a super pregnant Sofia deals with her overprotective husband Stanton, and Chelsea and Jake continue to raise the McQuaid clan together. The extended epilogue at the very end might be the cutest thing we ever read.

Appealed by Emma Chase goes on sale January 19! Add it to your Goodreads list, or pre-order it on Amazon or IndieBound.