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A review by kp_khera
Just Business by Anna Zabo
3.0
So, this was cute. Kind of cheesy by the time I was done with it.
I guess you don't expect that kind of reaction when you've read a BDSM book, and truthfully this is only the third such book (that I remember) reading of said variety. I'm not familiar with "the Scene", not particularly enthusiastic about it either but Ms. Zabo did have a way of describing in her book that even those unfamiliar (such as myself) with the ongoings could see that: okay. To each his own, and I guess I can understand why they have this particular one.
Did i love this book?
No. Not really. But then again it takes quite a lot more to blow me out of my mind, and since this book has been read in the wake of another book that was able to achieve such state within me... Well, that's that.
Would i recommend it? If so, who?
Depends. To open-minded people; to those into BDSM; to those yet unfamiliar with BDSM. To those who go in thinking "wtf am i doing" and are pleasantly surprised, don't mind being so due to sugar overload.
Why use the words "cute" and "cheesy" to describe a book that should be anything but?
Don't let my feelings put you down the wrong path. Some very serious issues are dealt with in this book.
A sub traumatised by their last dom. A subject that is addressed, though at the point of resolution it felt a bit too easy.
Survivor's guilt. Eli lives with this every day of his life, ever since the accident, his leg a reminder he can't ignore. 1) He lost his first boyfriend - Noah - in said accident. 2) As well as two of his friends, he was the only survivor. 3) Said accident subsequently lead to him being outed to his parents, who might as well have disowned him for all the bs he had to go through. 4) Blood money
So, yes. Very serious issues.
Yet, when I started writing this review I thought of the words "cute" and "cheesy".
Perhaps, sentimental would have been a better word than the latter?
What I'm trying to convey is that regardless of these very serious issues, for the majority of the book I wasn't exactly truly aware of them. All I was seeing for the most part was two people falling in love, rather quickly. The L-word being put into circulation within one of the MCs made me wonder. The lack of a proper foundation of the relationship, because it was moving too fast, made me frown. And the MCs, thus having to suffer the consequences of said quickness when the inevitable "hitting-rock-bottom" happened was just the cherry on top.
Fairly predictable. Very easy to figure out.
And then the rather idyllic end.
Don't get me wrong, if it wasn't very clear so far, I liked this book. I truly did. It just didn't blow me away. It was cute in its "person-haunted-by-their-past" meets another "person-haunted-by-their-past" and together they work on being "haunted-by-their-past" but not before one of the MC's past causes a huge rift in their relationship, but their the other MC's past brings them both together and sets them on the path to their HEA.
So, yes. That's basically it. A formula that's out there already. Nothing new. But, one that works.
It's a quick read, even an enjoyable one, though it might bring you down because of its attempted angst. Oh! And there's lots of sex. Can't forget about that. So, yes. There's that. Oh! Very important - it's all consensual. I also appreciate. So, yay :)
Okay, hope that helped. Don't know. Wrote this immediately after finishing it.
Bye bye.
I guess you don't expect that kind of reaction when you've read a BDSM book, and truthfully this is only the third such book (that I remember) reading of said variety. I'm not familiar with "the Scene", not particularly enthusiastic about it either but Ms. Zabo did have a way of describing in her book that even those unfamiliar (such as myself) with the ongoings could see that: okay. To each his own, and I guess I can understand why they have this particular one.
Did i love this book?
No. Not really. But then again it takes quite a lot more to blow me out of my mind, and since this book has been read in the wake of another book that was able to achieve such state within me... Well, that's that.
Would i recommend it? If so, who?
Depends. To open-minded people; to those into BDSM; to those yet unfamiliar with BDSM. To those who go in thinking "wtf am i doing" and are pleasantly surprised, don't mind being so due to sugar overload.
Why use the words "cute" and "cheesy" to describe a book that should be anything but?
Don't let my feelings put you down the wrong path. Some very serious issues are dealt with in this book.
A sub traumatised by their last dom. A subject that is addressed, though at the point of resolution it felt a bit too easy.
Survivor's guilt. Eli lives with this every day of his life, ever since the accident, his leg a reminder he can't ignore. 1) He lost his first boyfriend - Noah - in said accident. 2) As well as two of his friends, he was the only survivor. 3) Said accident subsequently lead to him being outed to his parents, who might as well have disowned him for all the bs he had to go through. 4) Blood money
Spoiler
his parents sued Noah's parents because Noah had just turned 18, and Eli had been 15 (for a few more days) making this into something it wasn't. Noah hadn't even been buried yetSo, yes. Very serious issues.
Yet, when I started writing this review I thought of the words "cute" and "cheesy".
Perhaps, sentimental would have been a better word than the latter?
What I'm trying to convey is that regardless of these very serious issues, for the majority of the book I wasn't exactly truly aware of them. All I was seeing for the most part was two people falling in love, rather quickly. The L-word being put into circulation within one of the MCs made me wonder. The lack of a proper foundation of the relationship, because it was moving too fast, made me frown. And the MCs, thus having to suffer the consequences of said quickness when the inevitable "hitting-rock-bottom" happened was just the cherry on top.
Fairly predictable. Very easy to figure out.
And then the rather idyllic end.
Don't get me wrong, if it wasn't very clear so far, I liked this book. I truly did. It just didn't blow me away. It was cute in its "person-haunted-by-their-past" meets another "person-haunted-by-their-past" and together they work on being "haunted-by-their-past" but not before one of the MC's past causes a huge rift in their relationship, but their the other MC's past brings them both together and sets them on the path to their HEA.
So, yes. That's basically it. A formula that's out there already. Nothing new. But, one that works.
It's a quick read, even an enjoyable one, though it might bring you down because of its attempted angst. Oh! And there's lots of sex. Can't forget about that. So, yes. There's that. Oh! Very important - it's all consensual. I also appreciate
Spoiler
Ms. Zabo not getting Francis to physically appear. That would have been way too melodramatic. I was expecting it, by not delivering Ms. Zabo chose well, because it would have just made me roll my eyes and bang my head against whatever surface within my vicinity.Okay, hope that helped. Don't know. Wrote this immediately after finishing it.
Bye bye.