Daily Grind

The Takeover #4

by Anna Zabo

Brian Keppler, owner of Ground N'At, the coffee shop beneath SR Anderson Consulting, doesn't have time for a relationship. His most recent girlfriend broke up with him because he'd become married to his shop, which is falling apart without his favourite barista, Justin.

As he struggles to stay afloat, the arrival of handsome British high-tech whiz Robert Ancroft becomes another complication. Rob quickly becomes a fixture at the shop with his sharp wit and easy charm, and Brian soon finds himself looking forward more and more to Rob's visits—to the point where his heart skips a beat when he walks in.

But will Brian be able to come to terms with his previously unexplored sexual identity and find happiness now that he has a chance?

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, LGBT, Contemporary Romance, Queer

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 21, 2017

About the author

Anna Zabo (they/them) writes contemporary and paranormal romance for all colors of the rainbow. They live and work in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which isn’t nearly as boring as most people think.

Anna is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns and prefers Mx. Zabo as an honorific.

Anna grew up in the wilds of suburban Philadelphia before returning to their ancestral homelands in Western Pennsylvania. They can be easily plied with coffee.

Anna has an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, where they fell in with a roving band of romance writers and never looked back. They also have a BA in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University.

Reviews

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read Nov. 2018 Loved it just as much!

ORIGINAL REVIEW

Well! What do we have here?

Delectable Ginger


Delicious, dirty-talking foreplay:

He stepped close and whispered into Brian’s ear, “After our next date, I’m going to find out what the rest of you tastes like.”

Delightful romance:

He met Rob’s gaze. “You walked into my shop and brought the freaking sun with you. I’ve been blinded since.”

Decadent, dirty-talking, melt-the-paint-off-the-walls sex:

He pushed in deep. “Right now, you have one job.” He leaned down as close to Brian’s head as he could manage. “Take my cock and love every single second of it.”

Throw in some light relationship angst and a few cameos from our boys from the Takeover series you've got yourself and FUCKING FANTASTIC book!

Highly recommended!

Advanced review copy of Daily Grind provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This review is also posted at Gay Book Reviews

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

~4.5~

Daily Grind, which can be read as a standalone, is one emotional, sexy ride.

Rob walks into Brian's coffee shop and ZING. It's not love at first sight, not quite, but Rob and Brian have an instant connection.

Rob is the CEO of a robotics company where Todd (one of the MCs from book 3) works. He's British (and a ginger!) but has made Pittsburgh his home. Brian owns a coffee shop, Grounds N'at. He's flirty and makes a special coffee concoction, strong and sweet with a bite of spice, just for Rob.

I love when the setting of a story comes alive, like it did here. Brian is a Pittsburgh native and knows so much about the area, its history, sights, and sounds. Both men have a passion for biking and photography, and Brian knows the best places and trails to explore.

Brian convinces Rob that he has an artist's eye and that his photographs are something special. Rob's working class parents discouraged anything they considered frivolous, so Rob still feels vaguely guilty seeing photography as anything other than a silly hobby.

Brian's coffee shop is his capricious mistress. Brian lives and breathes coffee. He doesn't trust most of his employees to open or close and feels anxious whenever he takes a day off. The immense stress of running the shop took a huge toll on his last relationship, and it threatens to destroy what he's building with Rob.

Rob wants to help (he know a thing or two about owning a business after all), but Brian is having none of that. There's a moment when Brian, overwhelmed and exhausted, takes his desperation out on Rob, and the shit that comes out of his mouth . . . wow, just NO. I have never spoken to anyone like that EVER, much less a lover. I was appalled. So was Rob.

The only angst in the story is the one Brian imposes on the relationship by working himself into the ground. Rob wants to be more than a cock to ride, a quick fuck at the end of the day; when Brian lashes out, Rob doesn't just take it. Brian has to apologize and promise to change to get his man back.

In the end, Brian and Rob talk through things like mature adults. There's no melodrama, no homophobia, no crazy family antics, no shame. Brian's parents are completely on board with Brian dating a man; they're not even surprised when he comes out as bi.

The sexy times in this book are sizzling. When Brian bottoms for the first time, mother of all that is holy, the pervy part of my brain threw a fucking fiesta. I so appreciate that Brian was willing to embrace his bisexuality and, although he'd only ever dated women, didn't want to hide Rob. He owned it, and that's awesome!

Even though this book is hot & dirty, the sex doesn't feel gratuitous. There are many tender moments between the guys too, the way they hold hands, the way Brian is obsessed with Rob's red hair and freckles, the inside coffee jokes (Rob calls Brian his "Americano," and they both tease each other about leaving room for cream. *ahem*)

My one niggle with this story is that Brian's bisexuality is like a Thing, a Big Thing. At the beginning especially, he's always comparing having sex with a woman to having sex with a man. Rob isn't threatened, not at all, which again, AWESOME, but I didn't like the many references to Brian having sex with his ex, Anita. (I would have felt the same had the ex been a man.)

During one scene, Rob tells Brian that he's his "bisexual barista who likes sucking cock as much as he likes eating pussy." WHAT? I can't even fathom my ex-girlfriend saying something like that to me. She knew I'd been with men, but it wasn't like a constant source of conversation, because at the time I was with HER.

This rubbed ME the wrong way, but that's on me. For real.

This book is pretty close to perfection. The epilogue is a lovely, but realistic, HEA. Brian's business problems aren't solved overnight, but he tries so hard to be the man Rob deserves.

One word: YET. Oh, yeah, these men have a future.

"You." Brian clutched his mug like a talisman. "Being with you. This, now. The bike rides. Hiking. Photography. The way you smile. Your hands. Your freckles. Your voice, You. All of you . . . I'd rather lose the shop than lose you."

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You walked into my shop and brought the freaking sun with you. I’ve been blinded since.”

What happens when you have always known you were bisexual, but never let yourself explore your sexuality? Brian Keppler, owner of Ground N'At, the coffee shop beneath SR Anderson Consulting, finds out when he meets, sexy ginger Robert Ancroft.

Anna Zabo has written another hot as hell story where two men are drawn to each other, and make no apologies for their desires. CEO Rob Ancroft wants to find someone he can build a life with. A workaholic by rights, he finally has his business stable and is able to focus on the next chapter in life. Love. He has been burned and is a little gunshy but when he walks into Grounds N'At and sees the sexy barista he is smitten. Wanting more than just a casual hook up he sits and talks to the barista, Brian, who he finds out is the owner of the bustlying quaint coffee shop. He is intrigued and he wants to know more.


Brian can't believe his luck. A sexy man walks in off the street and wants him. He is drawn to this fair skinned ginger, and decides no more hiding who he really is, he is bisexual and he is going to own it. If, he can ever get time away from his shop, that is...you see, he is slammed and devoted to making his shop thrive. Even if that means not having a love life or a partner. If people don't understand his priorities then they simply are not meant to be.

When these two start out Rob is understanding of Brian's commitment, why wouldn't he be...it hasn't been long since he was burning the candle at both ends. But when enough is enough and Rob fears Brian is burning out, he puts his foot down.

Is their relationship strong enough? Who will win, the coffee shop or the relationship? You have to read to find out if Brian can pull himself away from killing himself in the daily grind.

Beyond the story, I have to give the author kudos for always making me starve during her stories. There are constantly mentions of great restaraunts, cuisine, coffee, and desserts - the whole story, I am drooling!

A+ for world building as I feel like I have traveled the streets of Pittsburgh during this story. There were mentions of several places that I found myself googling, from unique restaraunts to retired steel mills. I learn more about the area with each story.

In addition to superb characters and world building, chemistry is something you never have to worry about with Anna Zabo. Her books are smokin' hot. Sometimes to the point where you may only want to read in private.

"Brian could kiss. Passionately , sweetly, as demanding as fuck. All three at once. Every time those lips met his, Rob’s world tilted."

“Right now, you have one job.” He leaned down as close to Brian’s head as he could manage. “Take my cock and love every single second of it.”

 

Overall, 5 *Vanilla Americano stars WITH cream* Stars (you will totally get it after you read it), and a great story for all lovers of romance.


Review Copy of Daily Grind provided by InterMix for an honest Review.

[Teal · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 62% due to excessive giggling.

Whatever happened to laughing? That’s what people do when they’re happy or amused, right? Not in this book. In this book they giggle. Brian and Rob are supposedly mature adults, 40-years old or thereabouts, one of whom owns his own business, the other an engineer turned CEO. And yet we’re supposed to believe that they go about giggling in public.

There’s lots of over-emoting to go along with the giggly times. Brian is in a state of near-constant stress over his business. Perfectly understandable, but lord, the over-the-top melodrama that results! For example, while on a day trip with Rob, he gets a phone call about a problem at the shop. He’ll have to call one of the several people who have a key, and get them to lock the place up for him. Overcome by the sheer horror of it all, Brian drops to his knees — in public — gasping for breath, wailing “I’m screwed!”

All I could think was, “You know, some people have REAL problems.”

I tried to grit my teeth and skim to the end, because the book had a few good moments — like the scene where Brian comes out to his family — but there were too many negatives to overcome. The painfully un-funny banter. The relentless joking about “cream” — that got yucky real fast. The florid declarations of feelings. And, of course, the giggling.

These characters were not credible to me as adult men. It’s not that I didn’t like them — it’s that I flat-out didn’t believe in them. And that’s a fundamental flaw that couldn’t be ignored, because it destroyed the suspension of disbelief necessary for enjoying fiction.

Two stars because I’ve (unfortunately) read worse.

[Jewel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daily grind might just be my favorite book in the Takeover series (who am I kidding, it is my favorite). It was spot on regarding just how owing one's own food service business can grind you up and spit you out. And having literally grown up in the food service industry, and watched my parents' marriage disintegrate when they owned a restaurant when I was a kid (though the restaurant was only one of their many problems), I could seriously relate to Brian and his dilemmas.

There are so many things I appreciated about this story. I appreciated that food service work was portrayed as being stressful and hectic, because it is. I appreciated that both MC's were older, instead of fresh out of college. And I really appreciated how Brian's bisexuality was treated. Brian didn't agonize much over it (though, like so many, he probably did when he was younger), and when he decided to go for it, he dove right in. I loved that Brian's family was just so accepting, like it was no big deal -- because it shouldn't be. And I loved how Rob was focused on Brian and not his sexuality. There were just so many things done right, that Daily Grind was a joy to read, even when the angst kicked in. Plus - and it's a big plus - Daily Grind is deliciously dirty! With coffee puns. Yum!!

Brian Keppler is 38 and has been in a long-term, committed (and kind of abusive) relationship with his coffee shop, Grounds N'at since he bought it. Everything else in his life has come second, and the cost for that has been high. He runs himself into the ground, sacrifices his own health and well-being, as well as relationships because he doesn't know how to accept help. Stubborn one, that Brian. Pride is a funny thing and sometimes it really does take something drastic to make a person stop and think about what really is important in life. Every relationship Brian has ever had has ended because he works too much, until the other person got tired of feeling like an afterthought.

Rob Ancroft is 40 and knows what it's like being a workaholic, too, being the CEO of a high-tech robotics company. And he's had his share of exhausting days and people that don't really see "him" or only want to use him. He's trying to get better, though, and not end up in an early grave, like his father. Rob has many regrets in life, and some of them, like his relationship with his parents, are too late to fix, but Rob is taking steps to ensure he has fewer regrets in the future. Rob recently moved his company from Chicago to Pittsburgh because there is more talent to acquire in Pittsburgh, and he spends his days in meeting after meeting making sure that projects run smoothly and the company stays on track. But he learned the hard way that sometimes you need to take a step back in order to go forward.

And up until now, Brian has only dated women, even though he's always known he was bisexual. He never felt free to explore his bisexuality because so many people don't accept it and assume some pretty awful things. So while he has definitely been attracted to men before, he'd never found one he wanted to take a chance on, before a tall, ginger Englishman walked into his shop. Then, like a compass pointing to magnetic north, Brian homed right in. There's so much that could have gone wrong, of course, but none of the usual plot devices were used (no homophobia or biphobia), and I love the author for that. Brian's family is accepting, his friends don't blink twice at the news and Rob never takes issue with Brian's bisexuality in the least. It was truly refreshing, all of it.

Brian and Rob are just so sexy together. They have loads in common -- both of them own their businesses, they work hard, they take pride in what they do, they both love to bike and hike and enjoy photography and old movies. They fit. And sexually, they are on fire. Brian took to man on man sex like fire to oxygen. I'm not going to say he was completely fearless, but dove in pretty quickly when he decided he wanted to go for it, and he was adventurous. And every sexy moment between these two men was gorgeous and hot.

Brian struggles with his shop, though, and Rob, well he's a fixer. He knows that Brian is having problems at his coffee shop, because Brian is increasingly more exhausted from working longer and longer hours, he's worried because prices are climbing and profits are declining and though he doesn't really know how to fix it, he's convinced himself that he has to do it all himself. Even if it kills him. And Rob is loath to watch him do it. In fact, Grounds N'at is the source of strife between Brian and Rob, just like every other relationship that Brian has had, but this time there is more of Brian's heart on the line and decisions have to be made. But worry not, the HEA is more than satisfying.

I just loved Daily Grind. Most definitely recommended.

-------------------------
ARC of Daily Grind was generously provided by the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time)]

DNF at 25%. Just can't get into this at all.

[Wendys Wycked Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very nice surprise. I haven't read the other books in this series, so I had no idea what to expect. Thankfully this book didn't dissapoint.

Brian is the owner of Ground N'At, a coffeeshop located beneath SR Anderson Consulting. He is a very hard and dedicated worker....a bit too hard one might say.

Rob is the CEO of a robotics company. And for those who are into Gingers....you lucked out with Rob. They have instant chemistry when they meet.



Brian has always known he was bi, he just never acted on it. That is until he gets to know Rob. These two men were very sweet, funny and very very HOT together.

“And yes, a taste of that cream, too, please.”



We also get quite the "dirty talk", which made me a very happy camper :)

“Right now, you have one job.” ...“Take my cock and love every single second of it.”



There is not a lot of angst in this one, except for Brian working himself to the ground.

All in all, I really like this one and I will go back and read the other books in this series :)

An ARC was kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been posted on Dirty Books Obsession

[Anna]

ETA 12/24/2016: ARC is up for request on NetGalley! Happy Holidays! https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book...

ETA 10/24/2016: The release date for Daily Grind is being pushed back to Feb 21, 2017. There was a bit of a snafu with getting edits back to me...and...well, we want to make sure the book is the best it can be, so we're not rushing it. I suspect it'll update on GR once it updates on Amazon. Sorry about the delay, but again, I want to give you the best book I can.

I've talked about my Bi-For-You book for about a year, and this is that book.

It's Brian's story. He's the owner of the coffee shop below Sam Anderson's office.

No kink, just a bi guy finally letting himself be bi rather than hiding it.

I probably should warn for coffee puns, though.

(Note that there's a special pre-order price of 1.99 until Feb 21. It'll go up to 3.99 when it goes live.)

PS: If you want a little glimpse of Brian, I wrote a 1300-word scene with him, Justin and Eli in a guest post over at the Alpha Book Club. Warning: contains pumpkin spice. http://alphabookclub.org/2016/09/06/g...

[Ele · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I want to make the world right for you."

Daily Grind is Anna Zabo's "bi-for-you" addition to the Takeover series. I absolutely loved Just Business, but this one is definitely my favorite so far, for entirely different reasons:

-Great bisexual representation. I said that in a way it's a "bi-for-you" story but it's not only that. Brian acknowledges that he has always felt an attraction towards men, but didn't do anything about it, until a hot, ginger, Britich CEO entered his coffee shop.

"He 'd had sex with a man-with Rob. No fall of rainbow glitter. No feeling that he was a new and changed man. Only the realization that he had finally stopped hiding."

-The romantic build up. It swept me off my feet. Slow but steady, Brian and Rob fall in love with each other, without any freak outs. First kisses, first dates, first times, quiet evenings watching TV, hikes and photography sessions, are all on page. And when the "I love you's" came, it felt so natural and real.

"You walked into my shop and brought the freaking sun with you. I 've been blinded since."

-The sex is out of this world! Brian "kissed a boy and he liked it!" He really, really did!

-The conflict of this story is one I understand very well, having a lot of friends or relatives that own a business. Brian will frustrate a lot of people, and he's a very stubborn man. Rob is a saint, but he can run out of patience too. The last part of the story (grovelling included) felt like redemption.

-Ginger MC y'all! You know how I feel about them. Freckles are included!



-Coffee porn! I swear, every time Brian made one of his coffee concoctions, I wanted to reach inside my kindle and make it mine.



-Cameo appearances from almost all characters from the previous books. So good to see Eli and Justin again. They still have it.

-The female characters in this book kick ass!

Bottom line, this was amazing. Highly recommended!

~Review cross-posted on Gay Book Reviews.~

[Renée · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opposite of doormat behavior! How much Rob stood up for himself with Brian's fuck up had me just as hot as the many, many, hot, hot smexy times. Loved this!

4.5 stars!

[Christelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great addition to the takeover series – can be read as a standalone.
Mature MCs, real life and daily issues I can relate to, characters great but with flaws, ….and dirty-talking, yeah !!

Brian is the owner of a coffee shop and, even though he puts a lot of time and efforts into it, struggles to make it work. He’s a workaholic to the point he forgets about his hobbies and lost his girlfriend. However, it doesn’t prevent him to notice a new customer, the sexy and British Rob and to make some time for him and opening up to his bisexuality and with gusto at that.
But even if Rob is deeply attracted to Brian, and very understanding about Brian’s dedication to his business, trying to help him in any way he can, Rob won’t settle for only being a mean to blow of steam because he does want to have a real relationship.

No big drama : only the disastrous impact stress can bring, making matters worse, the deliciousness of a new relationship and fighting for it, the need to communicate and accept help, how important a family is….and did I mention the hotness of these 2 guys ???
Only 4 stars because, to be honest, in the middle, the story dragged a bit for me. But what a sexy and hot romance is overall.

Thank you so much, Josy, for this lovely gift : **big hugs to you !!**

[*J* Too Many Books Too Little Time]

DNF @ 34%

Guess I'm going to go ahead and call it quits on this one. It wasn't holding my attention and I haven't wanted to go back to it this week.

Nothing really wrong with it but also nothing that really hooked me either. Not much seemed to happen and both MCs were in their own heads a lot.

I don't know *shrugs* I just don't have it in me to keep going.

[.Lili. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, dear. I didn't have the love affair everybody else had. Don't get me wrong- it was good- I just didn't love as much as everybody else.

The story started off fantastic with Brian and Rob meeting while Rob was getting some coffee at Brian's shop Ground N'At. They had instant chemistry and their back and forth flirting was like a breath of fresh air. It made me realize how little I see it in romance lately. They start dating each other and feelings escalate quickly. Up until around 54% of this book, I was fully invested. 5 Stars up to this point.

After that point, the story got stagnant. Their dialogue and inner monologues started to sound repetitive. The story wasn't progressing. My attention started to wane, and a little bit of skimming was done to move the story along until around 76%. This part of the story gets 2 Stars.

The conflict and conclusion did contain everything I love: heartbreak, self-growth, and a lovely HEA. 5 Stars from 76% until the end.

I'd also like to add some of my highlights:

-I loved that the main characters were 38 and 40. It was nice to read about people that were closer to my age.
-The sex was hot.
-I enjoyed that the main characters communicated with each other. There was no immature miscommunication.
-Dual POV
Final verdict.. Let us play the math game:

5 + 2 + 5 = 12/3 = 4 Stars.

It most certainly had more positives than negatives, and I know most will enjoy it. I think perhaps if the book had been a bit shorter around the middle I would've enjoyed it more. Overall very nice.

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾]

I'm putting this on an indefinite pause.

There's nothing particularly wrong, but I've picked it up and put it back down on 6 separate occasions.

The story is sweet and sexy, but something is just not clicking for me here and it's just not really grabbing my attention. Perhaps the writing style is what's taking me a while to get used to?

I guess I'll try again when I'm in the right mood but for now I'm pausing at the 40% mark.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian owns the coffee shop where all the characters from the first 3 books that work at S,A, Andreson, come every morning for coffee. Justin worked there before he went to work for Anderson and he married Eli (book #2). I thought that I was going to get from the first to the last page with everything going great for Rob and Brian. Brian's family liked Rob...the guys were learning about one another...business at the coffee shop was good...what could go wrong? Well...prices went up and Brian spent almost every waking hour in the shop because he couldn't get dependable help and things began to fray. I found that the crisis point and the resolution was balanced perfectly. A story with sexy, mature, realistic and romantic men. I'm going to miss the guys and the coffee shop, but they deserver their happy after after...and I am the Queen of Rereads:)

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars


Coffee enthusiasts will probably love this book. There’s coffee everywhere - the shop, Brian and Rob’s own love for coffee, and the numerous coffee-related puns and jokes. I thought it would get stale at a point, but I didn’t mind the coffee-mania.



I had no trouble connecting with either Brian or Rob. Though it was clear from the beginning that Brian’s business troubles would lead to problems, he’s a genuinely likeable person who cares about his friends and customers.

I really appreciated that the author didn’t bury Brian’s bisexuality, which is often too common in MM romance. There’s definitely no bi-erasure here.

Rob, a ginger-haired techie, was smooth and suave from the first time he stepped into Ground N’At, Brian’s coffee shop. But underneath the polished exterior was a lonely man looking for someone to love who would love him back.

The connection between Rob and Brian is immediate. They have similar interests and both are happy to explore where the spark between them goes. What I liked most was that they instinctively understood one another.

Plus, they were killer in the bedroom. Brian jumps right into the joys of man-on-man sex. And if you like dirty talk, you’ll be pleased.



The relationship moves along very quickly. It’s not insta-love, but it’s close. I thought the “I love yous,” which pop out in the middle of a sex scene, came way too soon. It made me wonder whether that was just the great sex talking, particularly because Brian and Rob had both been alone for so long.

Also, I didn’t really like that Brian’s coffee shop was the third party in the relationship. It was certainly realistic, as a failing business can definitely impact relationships. But it was always there. It got to the point where I started feeling the stress myself.

The drama with the coffee shop ended up distracting me from the actual romance. At a certain point, I just didn’t care what happened to the shop, so long as Brian and Rob could move on.

Even so, ‘Daily Grind’ was quite enjoyable. The business drama took up way too much of the book in my opinion, but Rob and Brian’s romance still delivered on the sweet and sexy. If you’re looking for a contemporary relationship-focused MM book, give this a try.

[Heather the Queen of (Smut)Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this! I liked that the MC's in this one were older and it was wonderful to watch them sink into love. Brian has known he's bisexual but he's never wanted to do anything about it not out of fear of liking men but because at the time he figured it out there was a lot of judgment in both the gay and straight community in regards to bisexuality. And since he never met a man he was particularly attracted enough to, he never had a reason to come out. Until Rob. And Rob has had relationships before but only ever with people who used him. They are each other's breath of fresh air. I was a bit put off by Brian's constant comparison between being with a man and his past women and how easily Rob talked about it at first but I think that was the author trying to show Rob's acceptance of Brian. Once they got together these two were absolutely wonderful. Until Brian wasn't. But, I do have to say....I love that Rob stood up for himself and that it's shown and proven that Brian is truly sorry. Brian needed that wake up call and losing Rob was what he needed to make a change in his life.

The sex isn't as dirty as previous books but what it lacks it makes up with passion. These two are seriously hot together.

Usually we see a glimpse n some way of who the next book will be about but this one wasn't clear. I'm hoping it will be about Brian's brother.....a hot airline pilot sounds amazing.

Highly recommend this series.

[BR11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
This book was deliciously hawt.
For once the characters are not in their twenties, as in too many mm books these days. The characters are 38 and 40, which is refreshing. They are and act as grown-ups. They have a past and they have real issues grown-ups have.
Brian is the owner of a coffee shop and he's bi. He never had an issue accepting his bisexuality, but never thought he would pursue a relationship with a man.
Enter Rob, hot, self-assured, ginger, British Rob.... and all bets are off for Bri.
I loved how neither of them wanted a fling. They wanted something serious, real. They had many things in common and they were also super compatible in bed. It was not just burning the sheets for these two, which they did, by the way, but there was always more.
Worth mentioning are some of the secondary characters. I loved Bri's family! They were amazing. And, for those who read the other books in the series, several of the past characters show up in this story.
I highly recommend this book. It was sweet, and hot, and sexy all in one. And it has a butt virgin, which I love in my books.

Is Bri's brother next in the series? Please and thank you, Anna!

[Chris C - A Midlife Wife · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

Holy hotness! This book!

From the very beginning of the story you just knew it was going to be a great read! The author takes two decidedly delicious men; one bi, one not, and the sparks fly right off the page.

Intense connections and plenty of steamy hot scenes, that even include a some light bdsm, make this a book where you better plan to simply pull up the covers and don't come out until you are done. Sweaty, physical, and playful, these two have it all - well, Almost!

I love everything about this story! The author did a fabulous job crafting these two characters so they work together and offer a lovely balance for each other. With some trials and tribulations to get through that left me chewing my nails, I was so pleased with the HEA. Fabulous story!

* This book is a part of a series and I had not read any of the others prior. There are many references to other characters from the past books and sections with them included that did cause a slight issue figuring out how they were connected and who they were. However, I am definitely going to grab a few of the earlier books to enjoy their connections!

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leigh's review:

Just like everything else Anna Zabo has written, this story was so full of life and truth that it is hard to imagine that these characters are not flesh and blood. Her men are so real, her relationships so honest and her worlds so clear that it is impossible to believe that I won’t run into these people walking down the street.

All of her past characters have intersected in the coffee shop below Sam’s office, and now we finally get a book on Brian, the owner of the store. As a man who has always known he was bi-sexual but never acted upon it, Brian is struck dumb by Rob, the red haired Brit that walks into his coffee shop, Grounds N’at. With innuendos and naughty jokes flying back and forth regarding ‘strong Americanos’ and ‘room for cream’, the two hit it off and begin a relationship that is as sweet and touching as it is incredibly sexy and smoking hot to read.

At first I thought that this may be a story about Brian struggling with his sexuality, but that was not the issue in his relationship with Rob at all. It was a pleasure to watch Brian embrace who he was and revel in his love for Rob. He didn’t internally question whether it was right. Instead, he knew he was being true to himself and they fell head over heels in love with each other. It really was a pleasure to watch each of them fall so deeply.

Instead of a battle with his sexuality, Brian’s struggle was a professional one: how business worries and spreading himself too thin at work wreaked havoc on his new relationship. Knowing it was the reason for the failure of his past romantic relationships, it was frustrating to watch Brian go down the same path over and over again. It was sad to watch Rob have to stand by and not be able to fight Brian’s battles for him, and my heart went out to these two people that were clearly perfect for one another.

As an added bonus and one of my favorite scenes, I loved watching Brian’s family’s reaction to his anticlimactic announcement that he was bisexual. I found his parents to be the sweetest people ever.

Anna Zabo is truly a master storyteller. Her characters leap off the page with such a life of their own that I feel as if I know them intimately. I want to go on a hike around Pittsburgh with them, I want to have them for my friends, and I want to sit in Brian’s café and have a cup of coffee with them. Her world is so real and so clear that I can’t wait until the next story is released. These are friends that I miss until I see them again in her next book, and I long to sink into her world of acceptance and love again.

Review copy provided for a voluntary review.

[Mirjana **DTR - Down to Read** · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3 Stars***

"My track record isn't good."

"Neither is mine."

"So we can fuck this up together."

"Or make it work."

"Let's try that."

This is a bit of a difficult review to write. Did I love Rob and Brian? YES! Even when Brian was frustrating the crap out of me, I understood how much his shop meant to him and how much hard work goes into being a business owner.

BUT.....about 1/3 of the way through I started getting really bored. I'm all for a quiet book....books that are relationship focused....but here, there's nothing moving the story forward. It's just sex, bike riding, photography, and Brian working. No forward momentum.

Like I said, I loved the characters....but the story left a lot to be desired. You know....like some sort of a plot? There's only so much rinse and repeat of the same scenes I can take.

What kept me going is that I really did love Rob and Brian. They so easily fell into sync with each other. So much care, warmth, love, and passion was in their relationship. The coffee-related inside jokes, how supportive Rob is of Brian finally accepting and embracing his bisexuality, the amazingness of Brian's family...so much put a smile on my face while reading.

"Brian Keppler, if you keep saying things like that - I'm going to fall in love with you."

"I'll keep working on that, then."

See? So sweet! So much of this book had me smiling.

This seems to be the last book in the Takeover series and I'm sad to see the series end, but I'm excited for the future projects that Anna Zabo has planned!

Overall, I've really enjoyed this series, and if you haven't read Just Business, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!! My favorite book in the series and one of my favorites books of 2015. Eli and Justin are just ♥ ♥

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review from 2019

I gave this a B+ for narration and an A- for content at AudioGals, so that's 4.5 stars .

Daily Grind, the fourth book in Anna Zabo’s Takeover series, is perhaps one of the more unusual romances I’ve listened to recently in that it takes a hard look at how the pressures of work – ones we often inflict upon ourselves – can make us lose sight of what’s really important, and the way such factors can affect our quality of life and relationships.

Brian Keppler owns the popular coffee shop Grounds N’at and is dedicated to providing the best tasting and best prepared coffee in Pittsburgh. Brian has owned the shop for almost a decade and he’s always been a bit of a workaholic – as can be affirmed by his small number of ex-girlfriends, all of whom cited Brian’s insistence on working all hours and putting his business before anything else as the reasons for their break-ups. Lately, however, things have been getting even more difficult; rising costs and staffing problems mean Brian is spending more time working than ever, and although he keeps telling himself it won’t always be like this, there’s no sign of a let up and things are looking bleak.

Until the day a tall, red-headed Englishman in a well-fitting suit enters the shop – and Brian’s life – like a sudden burst of colour and light. He introduces himself as Rob Ancroft – he works with a friend of Brian’s who recommended the coffee at Grounds N’at – and Brian, who has always known he’s attracted to both sexes but has not so far met a guy he’s been interested in enough to come out for, is stunned at the intensity of the attraction he feels zinging between them. The two men just click straight away and after a couple of flirtatious exchanges in the shop, followed by an exchange of numbers, they start dating, discovering common interests in biking, hiking and photography. Over the next few weeks, Brian and Rob spend as much time together as they can (which, owing to Brian’s tendency to put work before everything else, isn’t as often as Rob would like), but when they’re together, they’re simply delightful; flirty, playful, passionate and obviously perfect for one another. For the first time, Rob has someone he can confide in about his difficult relationship with his family and his guilt over his mother’s death; someone to talk to about the way his last – much younger – boyfriend treated him as nothing more than a meal-ticket… and Brian can begin to fully embrace his sexuality. But while Rob is open to talking about anything and everything, Brian draws the line when it comes to Grounds N’at and the problems the business is experiencing. He shoots down any query or comment Rob makes and makes it very clear that the shop is off limits – no matter that as the weeks pass, the problems Brian is struggling with begin to impact more and more negatively on their relationship. Things come to a head when Rob realises that he’s starting to feel as though he’s no more to Brian than a convenient source of sex; they hardly see each other and when they do, he feels as though he’s treading on eggshells around Brian, who is so stressed out and fragile as to be liable to lose it over the slightest little thing.

Among the things that work so well about this story are its simplicity and relatability. There are no life or earth-shattering events or over-egged drama; it’s just a story about two people falling in love and having to deal with all the “life stuff” that gets in the way. The relationship between Brian and Rob is extremely well done and the chemistry between them is immediate and palpable; although they spend a fair bit of time apart, I didn’t really notice it because when they are together, they gel so well. We get to hear them spending time together and getting to know each other as their feelings for each other grow and deepen; maybe the ILYs happen quickly, but they’re backed up by the strength of the connection the author creates between them and I never felt as though any aspect of their romance was rushed.

It’s true that Brian’s refusal to ask for help or even talk about his work-related issues was frustrating – especially as he had plenty of people around him who could have given excellent advice – but on the other hand, he’s exhausted and close to being burned out; each day has become a struggle and his focus has narrowed so far that he’s unable to see a bigger picture, plus, he’s so used to carrying his burdens alone, he sees even the slightest display of interest as a criticism. Anyone who’s ever suffered from severe stress or anxiety will probably be able to relate to Brian here, and in terms of the story as a whole, this felt like a real issue rather than one manufactured for the sake of injecting drama and tension.

Brian knows his workaholism is responsible for ruining his few past relationships, but he’s stuck in a rut he can’t get out of; Rob is everything he wants and needs, but letting himself have that… well, that requires changes Brian doesn’t think he can make. Rob is funny, kind and sweet, prepared to wait for Brian to figure things out and support him however he can, but he can’t help being resentful of the way the shop always seems like the third wheel in their relationship. And sadly, he’s learned the hard way about the need to achieve a decent work-life balance, so watching Brian going down the same path is tearing him apart.

At the risk of causing howls of outrage, I’m always apprehensive at the prospect of listening to an American narrator – even one as good as Iggy Toma – being required to portray British characters, as that can often herald all sorts of accent-related disasters. I won’t name names, but I’ve had more bad experiences than good ones when it comes to American narrators and English accents – so I’ll admit to breathing a sigh of relief when Rob’s first words weren’t mangled and he didn’t sound as though he’d come from the Dick van Dyke school of English accents. Iggy Toma’s accent isn’t perfect and it was a bit iffy in a few places, but it was more than decent enough to meet my exacting standards (!) and the few times it slipped, it wasn’t terrible.

With that worry quickly dispensed with, I was able to settle back and enjoy his performance, which was as good as I’ve come to expect; well-paced, well-differentiated and expressive. The warmth and affection in the gently flirtatious exchanges between Rob and Brian come through strongly, the sex scenes are perfectly judged and the emotional highs and lows are expertly conveyed throughout. I’m not sure how I missed this one when it came out back in 2017, but I’m really glad to have found it; Daily Grind is gorgeously romantic and Brian and Rob are likeable characters dealing with issues faced by many, who have to find the strength and determination to love and support each other even when the going gets really tough. I enjoyed both story and narration very much and recommend to anyone looking for a good contemporary romance with realistic conflicts and no unnecessary drama.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars – The fourth book of Anna Zabo’s Takeover series, Daily Grind, is my first exposure to the author’s writing, and it worked just fine as a standalone story. While I have one major and a handful of minor issues with the book, I loved the characters and appreciated the storyline enough to be able to rate this as a novel I can recommend, especially for those who like their romances with a lot of cozy, a good bit of heat, and without contrived drama.

Grounds N’at, the small coffee shop Brian Keppler owns, is basically his whole life. Even when times are not tough, he puts his heart and soul into trying to keep it successful, so much so that it has caused more than one of his past girlfriends to leave him. Brian has always known that he is bisexual, but until the sexy ginger Brit named Robert Ancroft walked through the shop’s doors, he had never acted on his attraction to men. But things aren’t going well at the shop these days, so getting into a relationship is probably not the smart move for Brian. In spite of this, Brian can’t resist Rob’s charms, especially since Rob understands the pressures of having a career that leaves little time for romantic endeavors. The question, though, is whether or not they can balance life’s demands or will this relationship follow the same crash-and-burn that his others have.

Probably the thing I appreciated most about Daily Grind is the positive portrayal of bisexuality it contains, not only in the character who is bisexual but in the character who falls for him. “Gay-for-you” (GFY) is a trope that I admit to enjoying when I first started reading M/M romances, but the more I have read and thought about the issue, the more I find the concept of GFY to be little more than a veiled form of homophobia, or more appropriately bi-phobia. As such, I was glad to see not only that this is not a GFY story but that, from the outset, the reader quickly learns that Brian is bisexual and has compelling reasons for having denied himself permission to explore that side of his sexuality, among them is the real concern that both straight and gay people often shun bisexuality as being something akin to a license to cheat.

Fortunately, Rob has no problem with being with Brian. The relationship that develops between them quickly moves beyond flirting and suggestion, becoming deep and serious before long. The chemistry between them isn’t only apparent, it jumps off the page. The frequent sex scenes are steamy and, like their flirting, full of dirty talk. Because Rob is the first man Brian has been with, there are plenty of “bonus firsts” to be found too, not just things like first kisses and such, but first-timer firsts. Yum! Taking a step back from the hotness, the plot and relationship development follows an uncomplicated and uncontrived, though slightly predicable, path that contains relatively little relationship angst, at least until the final dramatic arc of the story toward the end. Both men have their issues—again, nothing outside the realm of the everyday—and their issues blend together well to allow the other to provide comforting support, a fact that resulted in some very good feels.

While I felt Daily Grind was, as a result, largely an easy and comfortable read, the middle of the story dragged for me because it was a bit repetitive. Brian is overworked, so the book has plenty of scenes illustrating the work-related stresses of Brian’s life—too many hours at work, financial pressures, and the like—and how they manifest themselves in his behavior. These are usually followed by scenes with Rob after not seeing each other for a while, followed usually by a sex scene. Lather, rinse, repeat. Sure, we learned bits and pieces about Rob and Brian within these scenes, but the feelings and concerns their internal monologues shared also lent to the repetitiveness. The scenes were well written, but there simply wasn’t enough going on to justify quite so long a story. And unfortunately, I started getting the same impression about the number of sex scenes. After a while, they felt like filler instead of character/relationship development. It’s also worth noting that though the author tried to make Rob feel like a British expatriate, the impression came across as very superficial to me. Having him overuse only a few “Britishy” words and expressions—things like “lovely” and word differences like “arse” versus “ass”—simply isn’t enough. Instead, it felt a little forced and inauthentic, almost like she was trying too hard.

As a whole, though, reading Daily Grind was a good first exposure for me to Anna Zabo’s writing. I can recommend the book to anyone looking for a laid-back, low-angst, and romantic read. And it’s also good enough that though I could be perfectly content with reading it as a standalone, I am curious about the other couples who appeared in this story that I will be adding the earlier books to my to-be-read list.

The author and/or publisher generously provided me a complimentary copy of Daily Grind in exchange for this fair and honest review.

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[neverwhere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning! Contains steamy scenes, frothy fluff, two roasted until almost burnt (out) businessmen, one very hot British Ginger and all the ridiculous coffee-related puns you could possibly imagine.

Daily Grind is the fourth book in the Takeover series, which centres around businessmen and their partners and features cameos from other characters but no prior knowledge is needed to enjoy this standalone story. Instead of the tech firm featured in the previous novels the action revolves around Grounds N’at, the coffee shop on the ground floor of the building where the tech company is located, and its owner Brian Keppler. Brian is a beloved local fixture dedicated to providing the best tasting, highest quality coffee related experience in Pittsburgh. He’s also overworked, underfed, stressed beyond the breaking point and in danger of losing the business he adores. To top it off Brian is lonely, closeted, and unsure how to, or even if he should, do anything about either.

And then Rob Ancroft enters his shop like a burst of red-haired, freckled, intensely charismatic sunshine, and Brian knows exactly what he wants, and it’s making terrible coffee puns that shouldn’t make him swoon but absolutely do. Rob is patient and kind, funny and supportive, everything Brian needs – and deserves. If only he would let himself have it all.

The chemistry between Rob and Brian is immediate and tangible, and even though they spend a majority of the novel near but apart, the passion and playfulness they share when together is delightful and often exhilarating to read. Brian’s self-realisation that he was ‘allowed’ to be bisexual felt believable and, certainly to me, relatable – the stigma against bisexuality even in the LGBTQ community is real and many of the feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty were similar to what I have wrestled with as well. I also liked that despite being a romance cliché CEO Rob isn’t an alphahole dominant (thank god), nor is Brian’s less powerful status treated as inferior to his own; they are both equal in all the ways that matter, which is also demonstrated both in and out of the bedroom. Brian’s frenzied determination not to accept assistance and demonstrate his worth by doing everything for his shop alone is the main conflict between them, and while his refusal to ask for help was occasionally very frustrating as a reader (and made the middle third drag on a bit longer than it had to) at least it felt like a real-world issue, rather than drama created solely for the purpose of keeping a couple apart in a novel.

With a well-rounded cast of supporting characters, much needed emotional catharsis and a believable contemporary plot, there’s a lot to enjoy in this story, so if you’re in need of some meet-cute fluff that subverts romance novel clichés and is also hotter than a freshly made americano, I can definitely recommend Daily Grind off the MMmenu. ;-)

[Pingmg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Stars
Brian and Rob completed the series with their story of low angst bisexual awakening and finally finding the one person that fits.

Centered around Brian's coffee shop Grounds N'at he meets Rob the CEO of CirroBot and sparks fly between the two men. I liked Rob's sunny personality and Brian's dedication, there was friendship and the connection between them developed naturally because they had a lot of mutual interests.
All in all, this was a fun read with a mix of tender and hot scenes between the MCs. It was also nice seeing some of the other characters from the first three books make an appearance as it ties in well with the whole series.

[Eleeze · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75*
I really liked Rob and Brian’s family but I spent too much time wanting to hit Brian upside de head.
It was good also to see the past books characters on supporting roles, but the conflict part dragged and made me full of frustration.-

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was a fun little adventure. I'd say I'm sorry that I waited so long to enjoy this series but truthfully I'm not. I got to enjoy it in a nice little 'Takeover' marathon and Iggy Toma did an awesome job with the narration.

While I enjoyed all of these books there were some things that were favorites for me...Eli is definitely my favorite character. I really enjoyed this character and his toppy ways. As couples went I was rather partial to Sam and Michael's story but when it comes to the HEA part of the story for me it was this one that won the day. Brian and Robert...ok, maybe it was Rob's British accent or Brian's family whatever the ending of this one just made me a little more melty inside than the others.

Overall this series was a very enjoyable and sweet experience and coffee so much coffee...some with cream 😉...some without...😂🥰🤭

[El Ma · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*
https://elmaliest.de/unerfuellte-wuen...

[Jo * Smut-Dickted * · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is so much I could say about this one. I enjoyed the first two in this series and have not read the third. This one had me waffling. Clearly I'm in the minority - so ya' know...we all have our moments where a book just isn't working.

Let's do this with a plus and negative side -

PLUS: Older MC's - love that. Although they acted juvenile at times
PLUS: Location specific - I love when a book gives you a good sense of the city and how life is (as much as a fiction romance can anyway)
PLUS: Hot Sex - I love me a MM virgin and this one delivered - and the subtle powerplay type games they play (way way way vanilla) still ring true to me
PLUS: Good ending and Epilogue
NEGATIVE: The Coffee Shop. FULL.STOP - OMG I just wanted that damn shop to go out of business and be done with it. Way too much drama lama here. And it went on. and on. and on. and on. and on. and on....
NEGATIVE: Brian 80% of the time OK so I guess y'all loved him. I thought he was an ass most of the time. Perhaps I am not as forgiving of a guy who is an asshole, refuses all offers of help, and just behaves like a jerk due to his business being stressful. The thing was it was not only Rob who would help...Brian had a very loving family who would have helped. There is no indication he had a growing up where they were not a solid family - supportive and loving. So why continue to try to do it all on your own when everyone would help and support? Especially as he had already lost other relationships because of it. And his family apparently tried to talk to him. It felt contrived somehow...I couldn't find a reason for it. And, most of the time, I didn't like him. I don't care his reasoning - the way he treated others just didn't leave me in the liking him. And who the hell would refuse a CEO's help (not to mention said CEO is of a successful company that is apparently in the news and everything). Ludicrous. Stupid. Unbelievable. Who cares if he knows anything about coffee - it doesn't matter. But he continues to snap and be angry and argumentative and harsh with Rob. Ugh. Ugh. Brian is a martyr without a cause. Now he did do better in the last 20% but IDK - he's like the guy I side eye at family gatherings because I cannot forgive him.
PLUS: Rob - I LOVED HIM. I wanted so so so so much more than Brian for him. So much more. Somebody more.

PLUS: Iggy Toma as a Narratorgave it an entire star. Maybe I'm just not so much a "slice of life" reader - but this felt like it took forever.
PLUS: Brian's family who is so amazing with Rob- was awesome. The way he felt about it. So great and it feels so rewarding...maybe a bit more with the family and Rob would have mitigated things and let me feel like Rob was getting good support.

In the end I liked the last 20% and the first 20%. The middle was meh. And when the two are "on" they are good - sadly, for me, it just wasn't happening consistently so 3 stars it is.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mature men struggle
(with past pain, tough jobs, talking)
but fuck it out. Sweet.