Review: Intensely Written, Heartbreaking Story With A Satisfying HEA
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 23, 2013
The Stewart Realty series continues in the emotionally intense read featuring BDSM elements, Mutual Release, that brings together two damaged souls as they struggle towards a HEA.  Evan has been a fixture of the last few books, and Julie too made an appearance, and I'm happy his story is finally being told as there's something about him that's always caught my attention.This book starts telling the story of Evan during his high school years and how early hurts last a lifetime.  Evan's parents are never there for him and his sister and to make matters worse they've invited the very creepy and cruel Damien into their family.  Damien is the one to introduce Evan into the BDSM lifestyle but their reasons for joining are dramatically different.  Evan enjoys having control in a way that his real life doesn't allow him, whereas Damien does it to abuse women. The connection between these men never truly goes away as Damien revisits Evan through the years to bring old hurts back to the surface and my hatred for Damien grew every time I saw him for continually hurting Evan through his mere presence.  I was sympathetic to Evan from the beginning and found him immensely sexy and compelling throughout the story.Julie's teen years were just as awful as Evan's with a mother who cared more about her next date than her daughter.  The events of these years greatly affected her journey into adulthood as she now distrusts men immensely.  She keeps her heart hidden by an outwardly cold facade where work gives the only satisfaction.  She's a tough woman to like but I felt great sympathy for the girl she once was but didn't always like how she treated Evan.Evan never gave up on her though.  And through BDSM he sought to prove to her just how far he was willing to go to have her.  If you found his Dom side sexy, you'll be just as drawn to his sub side where he works to prove to Julie that he's willing to let her have all the control. He loves her enough to give her all the power so she can believe he'll never hurt her. Seeing BDSM used this way gave real insight into this erotic world and gave a newfound respect to those who participate.  It also made me fall further in love with Evan!The road to a HEA doesn't go smoothly though and the reader is in for one hard won journey full of emotional twists and turns that left this reader exhausted and drained.  Ms. Crowe dug deeply into these character's lives and showed them at their best and worst, which pulled me in completely.  Their sexual journey was hot and kept the story moving at a scorching pace.  And just when you think you have everything figured out Ms. Crowe leaves you with an epilogue that changes everything and has me on edge waiting for the next book in this series.  So those looking for an intense story that doesn't scrimp on character development or sexiness will find themselves drawn to the Stewart Realty series.