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teresab78's review
5.0
4.5 stars. I really liked this even if I was totally mad at Justin for a bit. I loved Eli and the epilogue was perfect. The sex was hot!
tartine0beurre's review
5.0
Note : 4,5/5
C’était magnifique, plus que l’histoire d’amour qui fait rêver, c’est la façon dont l’auteur a inclu leurs passés dans l’histoire. Le trauma qui se guérit au fur et à mesure grâce à l’aide d’une psy et pas juste grâce au pouvoir de l’amour. Le mélange parfait de la culture juive dans le livre qui te fait découvrir sans être pesante
C’était magnifique, plus que l’histoire d’amour qui fait rêver, c’est la façon dont l’auteur a inclu leurs passés dans l’histoire. Le trauma qui se guérit au fur et à mesure grâce à l’aide d’une psy et pas juste grâce au pouvoir de l’amour. Le mélange parfait de la culture juive dans le livre qui te fait découvrir sans être pesante
cicelyblain's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
bookish_notes's review
5.0
This book is INTENSE. There's no other way to describe it. If you thought Takeover was hot, this was FIRE. We have two new characters in Just Business, Eli Ovadia and Justin White. Eli is the CFO to Sam's (one of the main characters from the first book, Takeover) new company. The company consists of Sam, Eli, and four people working in engineering. Eli was hurt in a car accident when he was 15. The accident hurt his leg and he walks with a cane (not regular ol' canes either, but he has a collection of them, including a steampunk cane). All these years later, Eli is still haunted by the night of the accident.
Justin is a barista who works in the coffee shop, Grounds N'at, located beneath Sam's offices. Sam is looking for a personal assistant, or at least an assistant for the office, and Justin is near his MBA graduation. Justin needs the money, because he's seriously in debt and feels like he should send money back to his family after all they've done to help him. He dresses in all black clothes, hair dyed black, and wears black nail polish on his fingers and his toes. Basically, Justin looks nothing like a promising MBA student should look like. I think it's mentioned that Justin's only younger than Eli by two years, which would put them both in their thirties, I think? There are some serious sparks flying between Eli and Justin the moment they're in the same room together.
So, this is the part where I get conflicted. The sexual innuendo is hot and I found myself snickering anytime Eli and Justin bantered back-and-forth, but...looking at it from a critical perspective, I will note that it is kind of uncomfortable that a company CEO (Sam's a bystander who didn't really do anything, per se) and CFO were being so suggestive over a guy they just hired to be their personal assistant? I don't know. Even though I love Eli and Justin, I thought I'd point that out as something that is a bit problematic in case anyone wanted to know.
Where Takeover had BDSM elements to it, this book is all in. And all of it is intense. Eli is just a naturally dominant man. And Justin loves being a sub in the right situations. A large chunk of this story is just Eli and Justin exploring their sexual attraction, but it also manages to have some important moments break out from that. None of the BDSM scenes made me uncomfortable to read, so I wouldn't say any of the scenes are too out there or anything.
One is rooted in the fact that Eli is wealthy. He buys $30/pound bags of coffee and pays for expensive things without batting an eye. Justin is a poor college student living in a rundown basement that smells of mildew and mold. I liked that Just Business goes into how much of a D/s relationship is built from trust. Without it, things can quickly fly out of control and can become an abusive situation instead. When one has money to pay for everything, controlling everything 24/7, and the other has only sex to give back as payment? That is a situation that can quickly spiral out. This is still something that Justin hasn't been entirely able to move on from and has never seen a therapist for. Both Eli and Justin's backstories are very different, but both manages to be utterly heartbreaking.
I think one aspect that wasn't explored as deeply is Eli's personal feelings about being a Dom. He loves being a Dom, but he also feels bad that he enjoys giving pain to others? It's a topic that came up from time to time in the story, but never fully delved into besides mentioning things his therapist has told him and he should now be okay with.
I love that we get so much interaction with Michael and Sam, the really hot couple from Takeover. But the real MVP of this book is Lavi, Eli's cat. The names Eli calls Lavi gets as the story goes on gets more and more hilarious (personal favorite is "His Royal Fuzzy Butt"). Lavi knows what he wants and knows just what to do to manipulate Eli into giving him food when he wants it. It's also so adorable that Lavi sleeps on Eli's chest when Eli needs a nap in the living room.
As much as I loved Michael and Sam, I think Eli and Justin have won me over. Let's face it, books filled with angst and that manages to make me cry will usually win out on that end. I think the epilogue seemed a little rushed compared to everything else because it takes place an entire year later. It's lovely, because I literally gasped out loud reading it, but it just seemed a little fast for me. The next book, Due Diligence, looks interesting. It seems to be an ex-lovers to lovers romance? Count me in! I would highly recommend Just Business for fans of angsty BDSM books with hot-as-sin characters. And if you like cats. Because who doesn't love sassy pets?
Justin is a barista who works in the coffee shop, Grounds N'at, located beneath Sam's offices. Sam is looking for a personal assistant, or at least an assistant for the office, and Justin is near his MBA graduation. Justin needs the money, because he's seriously in debt and feels like he should send money back to his family after all they've done to help him. He dresses in all black clothes, hair dyed black, and wears black nail polish on his fingers and his toes. Basically, Justin looks nothing like a promising MBA student should look like. I think it's mentioned that Justin's only younger than Eli by two years, which would put them both in their thirties, I think? There are some serious sparks flying between Eli and Justin the moment they're in the same room together.
So, this is the part where I get conflicted. The sexual innuendo is hot and I found myself snickering anytime Eli and Justin bantered back-and-forth, but...looking at it from a critical perspective, I will note that it is kind of uncomfortable that a company CEO (Sam's a bystander who didn't really do anything, per se) and CFO were being so suggestive over a guy they just hired to be their personal assistant? I don't know. Even though I love Eli and Justin, I thought I'd point that out as something that is a bit problematic in case anyone wanted to know.
Liking someone and wanting them - too dangerous. Too many pitfalls. He couldn't control others, not all the time, but he damn well had mastery over himself.
Where Takeover had BDSM elements to it, this book is all in. And all of it is intense. Eli is just a naturally dominant man. And Justin loves being a sub in the right situations. A large chunk of this story is just Eli and Justin exploring their sexual attraction, but it also manages to have some important moments break out from that. None of the BDSM scenes made me uncomfortable to read, so I wouldn't say any of the scenes are too out there or anything.
One is rooted in the fact that Eli is wealthy. He buys $30/pound bags of coffee and pays for expensive things without batting an eye. Justin is a poor college student living in a rundown basement that smells of mildew and mold. I liked that Just Business goes into how much of a D/s relationship is built from trust. Without it, things can quickly fly out of control and can become an abusive situation instead. When one has money to pay for everything, controlling everything 24/7, and the other has only sex to give back as payment? That is a situation that can quickly spiral out. This is still something that Justin hasn't been entirely able to move on from and has never seen a therapist for. Both Eli and Justin's backstories are very different, but both manages to be utterly heartbreaking.
I think one aspect that wasn't explored as deeply is Eli's personal feelings about being a Dom. He loves being a Dom, but he also feels bad that he enjoys giving pain to others? It's a topic that came up from time to time in the story, but never fully delved into besides mentioning things his therapist has told him and he should now be okay with.
I love that we get so much interaction with Michael and Sam, the really hot couple from Takeover. But the real MVP of this book is Lavi, Eli's cat. The names Eli calls Lavi gets as the story goes on gets more and more hilarious (personal favorite is "His Royal Fuzzy Butt"). Lavi knows what he wants and knows just what to do to manipulate Eli into giving him food when he wants it. It's also so adorable that Lavi sleeps on Eli's chest when Eli needs a nap in the living room.
As much as I loved Michael and Sam, I think Eli and Justin have won me over. Let's face it, books filled with angst and that manages to make me cry will usually win out on that end. I think the epilogue seemed a little rushed compared to everything else because it takes place an entire year later. It's lovely, because I literally gasped out loud reading it, but it just seemed a little fast for me. The next book, Due Diligence, looks interesting. It seems to be an ex-lovers to lovers romance? Count me in! I would highly recommend Just Business for fans of angsty BDSM books with hot-as-sin characters. And if you like cats. Because who doesn't love sassy pets?
iam's review
5.0
4.5 stars. Well that was nice.
Eli and Justin had incredible chemistry and I adored them together.
I liked how their respective traumas were handled and the way their relationship progressed, even through he irrational downs. It made me both laugh and cry.
The reason it's not really 5 stars for me that while their banter and flirting was natural, funny and reciprocated, it felt so horribly inappropriate to me that I couldn't fully enjoy it at the beginning. Eli might not be Justin's superior, but Justin is the new coworker in an assistant position while Eli is the CFO and good friend of the boss, and while they did see each other before over the counter of a coffee shop, they ultimately didn't even really know each other yet.
This was emphasised by while they are factually just three years apart in age, somehow Justin came across as much younger and Eli as older.
It got better for me once they became familiar with each other (plus a big part of the progressing plot is that they are equals), but it still bothered me at the time.
Eli and Justin had incredible chemistry and I adored them together.
I liked how their respective traumas were handled and the way their relationship progressed, even through he irrational downs. It made me both laugh and cry.
The reason it's not really 5 stars for me that while their banter and flirting was natural, funny and reciprocated, it felt so horribly inappropriate to me that I couldn't fully enjoy it at the beginning. Eli might not be Justin's superior, but Justin is the new coworker in an assistant position while Eli is the CFO and good friend of the boss, and while they did see each other before over the counter of a coffee shop, they ultimately didn't even really know each other yet.
This was emphasised by while they are factually just three years apart in age, somehow Justin came across as much younger and Eli as older.
It got better for me once they became familiar with each other (plus a big part of the progressing plot is that they are equals), but it still bothered me at the time.
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books.
Just Business is the second book in the Takeover series by Anna Zabo. While this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone novel with ease. However, for the best understanding of the secondary characters, I find it best to read the other book in the series.
Justin White is working on his MBA at Carnegie Mellon. He is currently working at a coffee shop attempting to find his way back into corporate America. Justin is a hard worker as well as smart. Justin seems easy going with everyone but the one man who makes his blood boil.
Eli Ovadia is the CFO for the company that just hired Justin. Eli is known for being a pain, and grumpy. He is domineering as well. An accident when Eli was young left him with an injured leg that has never gone back to normal. He walks with a cane.
The connection between Justin and Eli is intense. When the meet at of work at a BDSM party they click in a way neither seemed to expect. Each man must battle their inner demons before they can even get a relationship between them off the ground. The sex scenes were scorching.
I found this book well written with an interesting plot. The main characters and the secondary characters were distinctive. While the ending was a little predictable, the book is filled with twists and turns that kept me intrigued all the way through. I had a hard time putting this book down. Overall, this was a very magnificent book and I hope to see these characters again in the future.This book was reviewed by a member of the review staff at Cocktails and Books. The name of the reviewer can be found under the post categories.
Just Business is the second book in the Takeover series by Anna Zabo. While this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone novel with ease. However, for the best understanding of the secondary characters, I find it best to read the other book in the series.
Justin White is working on his MBA at Carnegie Mellon. He is currently working at a coffee shop attempting to find his way back into corporate America. Justin is a hard worker as well as smart. Justin seems easy going with everyone but the one man who makes his blood boil.
Eli Ovadia is the CFO for the company that just hired Justin. Eli is known for being a pain, and grumpy. He is domineering as well. An accident when Eli was young left him with an injured leg that has never gone back to normal. He walks with a cane.
The connection between Justin and Eli is intense. When the meet at of work at a BDSM party they click in a way neither seemed to expect. Each man must battle their inner demons before they can even get a relationship between them off the ground. The sex scenes were scorching.
I found this book well written with an interesting plot. The main characters and the secondary characters were distinctive. While the ending was a little predictable, the book is filled with twists and turns that kept me intrigued all the way through. I had a hard time putting this book down. Overall, this was a very magnificent book and I hope to see these characters again in the future.This book was reviewed by a member of the review staff at Cocktails and Books. The name of the reviewer can be found under the post categories.
lilyantigone's review against another edition
5.0
Both my favorite Anna Zabo book and my favorite romance novel. Seriously hot BDSM sex scenes, good hurt/comfort on both sides of the relationship, and a satisfactory ending. The book does feature characters from the first novel in the series, Takeover, and I would strongly suggest reading that first.
I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, read by Iggy Toma. He has a great voice that really adds an extra something to the story.
I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, read by Iggy Toma. He has a great voice that really adds an extra something to the story.
ezraaa's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
roryta86reads's review against another edition
5.0
Eli is one of my favorite characters. Perfectly flawed and so very good. The angst was a lot but I think there was enough love to make up for it. Their chemistry was off the charts. The writing here was way better than book 1. I’m blown away!
The separation was so hard to swallow. Eli and Justin are so perfect for each other, and it made me incredibly sad when they weren’t communicating.
The epilogue made me sob from start to finish. They deserved that ending and it pretty much ruined other books for me.
The separation was so hard to swallow. Eli and Justin are so perfect for each other, and it made me incredibly sad when they weren’t communicating.
The epilogue made me sob from start to finish. They deserved that ending and it pretty much ruined other books for me.
simplysifiso's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content