Narrated by Iggy Toma
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.
Caz
Buy Daily Grind by Anna Zabo on Amazon
