Saturday 26 September 2015

Review ~ Just Business (Takeover 2) by Anna Zabo


Book Description:

From the thrilling new author of Takeover, a steamy new novel about having all the control—and losing it…

Note from the author: This is the followup to Takeover and features Justin and Eli. Sam and Michael are fairly important characters in this book as well.
Justin White may not look like an up and coming corporate superstar, but his new boss knows he has the smarts, grit, and determination to succeed. Now he just has to convince his company’s CFO, Eli Ovadia. Unfortunately, Justin can’t seem to keep his cool around the domineering Eli—and soon he finds himself taking their heat from the boardroom into the bedroom….

Still haunted by a tragic accident that left him with a wounded leg and broken heart, Eli has a need to be in control. But his desire for Justin makes him want to lose that control—and push them both far beyond their limits. But will his need to dominate Justin drive him away—or will Eli find a way to be the man he needs for both of them?

Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23213982-just-business
 
Buy Links:
99c


Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4 stars

“Fortitudo e dolore…Strength from pain.”


This was another one of those MM reads that really pulled at my heart strings. We have two men with enough psychological baggage to fill a 747, but something connected them from the moment they met. Both men are extremely guarded when it comes to their emotions and heart so for any flicker of interest to register means an awful lot to both of them. Is this just intrigue though or could it be something else?

Justin is a man hiding behind nail polish, eye liner and the grunge/Goth look that he has got going, but it suits him and his attitude. Justin has had a previous relationship but it was more an ownership and Justin is determined to never fall into that situation again. He is fiercely independent and trying his hardest to succeed. He is extremely intelligent and as he is finishing his studies he is top of his class. Justin works at a coffee shop to make ends meet, but they are far from meeting. He supports his family back home as much and as often as he can and this puts him under even more pressure leaving him to live in virtual squalor and eat virtually nothing. But it is in the coffee shop that Justin meets Eli.

Eli is a CFO, extremely motivated and a work-a-holic but he seems to have no sense of humour whatsoever. He is extremely serious, aloof, cold and distant. Eli walks with a limp and a cane and uses them as a line of defence. Once again we have a fiercely independent man who is as much emotionally scarred as he is physically. He is incredibly domineering, dominating and intimidating; he is a man that knows what he wants and knows when and how to get it. But really…is this the real Eli? Or is this just a front to mask the pain of his past and the fear of his future.


“This - was what the opposite of heartache felt like. So much joy Eli thought he might crack apart from the lightness and fullness of it, or burst into flames, or…live.”



When Eli and Justin’s paths cross in the coffee shop both their interests are piqued but both keep it close to their chests, however when Justin aces his interview at the company that Eli works at, it seems fate has a way of throwing these two together. Even though these two are total opposites and both seem to rub each other up the wrong way we all know that there is a fine line between love and hate…which way will these two go?


“…this is richer, more expansive. I can’t even describe…I can’t get him out of my mind. He’s infuriating. Brilliant. Amusing.”



There are some extremely emotional and tender scenes in this book and there really is something for everyone. We have the humour, we have the angst, the will they won’t they push and pull that I love, but at the end of the day we have two extremely hurt and guarded individuals that are so well suited for each other it is uncanny, yet will their pasts determine their futures or will they be strong enough to fight for what they both desperately want and undoubtedly need.

The chemistry between these two was palpable and Anna Zabo did an amazing job bringing these two characters to life. I felt their emotional pain, their insecurities, their fears, and their reticence to put themselves out there. This was a leap of faith for both men and for the type of relationship that they both crave this was a huge deal for both of them.


“…because of you, I came here tonight to tie a man up, flog him and fuck him. If you want to be that man, you better get on your knees right fucking now.”



This book does contain BDSM and it was these scenes that brought some of the tenderest moments and also the most heart breaking. I shed many tears while reading this book and it is this emotional intensity that really hammered home this couple’s story. I loved it and I cannot wait to read more in this series. While book one, which was Sam’s story wasn’t a hit for me, this one really was.


“The whole Dom/Sub thing is easier when there are no complications. And I’m…a bit complicated.”

No comments:

Post a Comment