Book Review: Just Business (Takeover #2) by Anna Zabo

Barista and MBA student, Justin White, takes advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work for well-known businessman, Sam Anderson, when he overhears him and his CFO, Eli Ovadia, talking about the lack of good candidates for a new assistant position. He takes a chance and is granted an interview. The only thing in his way is Eli, who is gruff, cold and aloof.

Eli, a brilliant businessman in his own right, is trying to come to terms with the demons from his past: being disowned by his religious parents when he came out, and losing his boyfriend, Noah, and two friends in a tragic car accident many years before. The arrival of Justin stirs emotions that he hadn't felt since Noah. He sees traits in Justin that set his blood ablaze with desire, but will Justin accept his proclivities or be completely turned off by them?

Overall, this was a solid book. The characters are complex and well-developed, and there is a strong BDSM theme throughout. I split the book into three acts:

1. Introductions and set up
2. Honeymoon phase
3. Drama, revelations and explanations

Acts one and three were great in my opinion, but act two fell flat. There was nothing particularly wrong with the writing, but the story seemed to slow down with several chapters being dedicated to one night and several exchanges between Eli and Justin. I'm not afraid to admit that BDSM is not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate it in a good story. Unfortunately, those scenes seemed to drag on longer than I thought necessary. They were scorching, but just a little too long.

I really enjoyed Eli and Sam as characters. Eli was such a complex person and I reveled in learning more about him. The dichotomy between Sam's personal and business lives was a surprise, but one I liked (I did not read book one in the series, Takeover). Justin, on the other hand, was a character I found very difficult to like. His character could easily be described as sassy and/or rebellious, but I thought he was oftentimes bratty, juvenile and downright cruel. The things he said and did to Eli made my heart ache, which further increased my dislike for him.

If you're interested in a tense, emotionally-charged love story with a heavy dose of BDSM, this is the book for you.

An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Release date: June 16, 2015

Buy links
All Romance Books | Amazon

~ M