As president of her own distribution company, Julie Dawson has all she ever wanted — money, power, and respect. But her carefully crafted façade conceals a torment of abuse and helplessness. After years remaining emotionally aloof, she is finally independent, but alone. Because she refuses to rely on anyone but herself ever again.

Evan Adams is no stranger to success, or personal demons. The horrific trauma that destroyed his twin sister, and tore his family apart, forced him to craft a new life from the ashes of the old. He’s content enough, focusing ahead and not dwelling on his murky past. But something important is missing. He knows what that thing is but refuses to acknowledge it.

When a chance encounter brings these two strong-willed but damaged people together , what seems like a long, erotic journey through hell could lead them to a match made in heaven.

MUTUAL RELEASE
A coming of age novel about trust…on the long road to love

My Thoughts:

When a book series goes as long as the Stewart Realty series by Liz Crowe, it can sometimes start to feel a bit formulaic. One thing I love about Mutual Release is that it’s so completely different from the earlier books in the series. I’ve said time and again that this is a community of characters you get to know and love book after book. That’s not so much the case with Evan and Julie’s story.

Sure, we met Jack fairly early on, but other than that, most of the characters were off in the shadows giving Evan and Julie their moment in the spotlight. I did like that, through Evan, we learned a bit about what makes Jack the man that he is. Some of us needed that because Jack is the ultimate man-whore carrying around a set of Samsonite at times.

Before this book, Evan seemed a bit like a knick knack. He was there, I enjoyed him, but I really didn’t pay a ton of attention to him. And Ms. Julie was busy with her own life and had been little more than a passing mention.

The thing I love about Liz’s writing, and will say over and over as long as she keeps doing it well, is that she doesn’t throw two people into a setting where they magically fall in love and live happily-ever-after. There’s pain. There’s history. There are obstacles to be overcome together and on their own. Then and only then can they live content with the ups and downs for a hell of a long time. I will admit that with most of the books in this series, I’m not sure if they get a happily-ever-after. I think Liz is far too much of a realist to write the fairy tale endings.

What Worked For Me

Nicknames. I’m not normally a fan of nicknames. Why? Because they’re corny and stupid. If I have to read one more woman getting called sweetie or baby, I’m going to scream. On the other hand, when the nicknames are “Daredevil” and “Country Club” I’m 200% on board with nicknames. I even found myself referring to Evan as Country Club because it’s such a fun name. I wish I had an Evan in my life because “Dive Bar” just doesn’t have the same effect and that’s where most of my friends hang out.

A Strong sub. If you’re sick of subs in books with any sort of BDSM theme being written as weak and in need of fixing, raise your hand. Yeah, me too. Don’t get me wrong, Julie is broke as all hell, but she’s anything but weak! She struggles with the concept of submission at first, thinking it will make her weak to give up the control. In the end, she realizes how much she needs a good Dom in her life and how fulfilling that can be.

James Dawson. Liz couldn’t have known this, but I laughed every time I read or thought his name because I have a very significant part of my past with this name. Now, if only he had been as FABULOUS as Julie’s husband through much of the book, I’d have been a happy woman!

Seriously though, this was a risky subplot. It’s been done before and can go really, really well or really, really flat. From the light bulb moment on, I loved James and hope he’s sitting on the beach right now with his happily ever after!

Damian Slate. You just knew that punk was going to be trouble and he lived up to every evil expectation I had for him. I’m not sure I got the resolution I wanted for his subplot, but there were more important things to take care of at that time.

What Didn’t Work

There wasn’t much that didn’t work for me. If I had to choose something, I would admit that during the first part, there were times I started to get restless, wanting to get on with the story already. And then it did.

If this is your first experience with Liz Crowe, know that everything she writes is for a reason. You won’t be disappointed!

I’m looking forward to the conclusion to the Stewart Realty series later this year. I have this icky feeling Liz is going to do that to me again!

Today, I’m the lucky one getting to spend some time with Liz Crowe. I was introduced to her through another blogger and quickly formed an author crush. Mutual Release, the seventh book in the Stewart Realty series continues the saga of the Ann Arbor gang we’ve come to love with Evan and Julie’s story.

Blurb:

Can two dark souls ever make a light?

As president of her own distribution company, Julie Dawson has all she ever wanted — money, power, and respect. But her carefully crafted façade conceals a torment of abuse and helplessness. After years remaining emotionally aloof, she is finally independent, but alone. Because she refuses to rely on anyone but herself ever again.

Evan Adams is no stranger to success, or personal demons. The horrific trauma that destroyed his twin sister, and tore his family apart, forced him to craft a new life from the ashes of the old. He’s content enough, focusing ahead and not dwelling on his murky past. But something important is missing. He knows what that thing is but refuses to acknowledge it.

When a chance encounter brings these two strong-willed but damaged people together , what seems like a long, erotic journey through hell could lead them to a match made in heaven.

MUTUAL RELEASE
A coming of age novel about trust…on the long road to love

If you had to pick one character from Mutual Release to go away with for the weekend, who would it be? Where would you go and what would you do?

Well, the obvious answer is Evan Adams, the long-awaited among Stewart Realty fans, male protagonist in this book. He is a “Dom” but has a caretaker personality that I fully develop for readers because I take him all the way back to his teenage years—those super frustrating ones for young men seeking their true personalities amidst all the noise and pressures of society.

I am the sort of woman not really used to being “taken care of.” It’s not that I am neglected. I’m just one of those take-charge types, and because I’ve spent so many years proving I can buy my own flowers and jewelry, make my own vacation plans and dinner reservations or whatever I suppose those around me just think “well, she’s fine,” even if I’m not. So…I think I would really enjoy a weekend being completely and utterly pampered by a guy like Evan.

And he would take me to the South of France. The rest of it is between me and him….

Conversely I would LOVE to grab James Dawson, Julie’s husband and go on a wild drinking and shopping spree in Chicago together….

With seven books in the series, has anything happened that surprised you? We all know characters aren’t always well behaved, especially over so many overlapping stories.

Yes, the ending of book 4, once it was revealed to me, was a total shock as it was to many readers. And because I am an avowed “pantser” (although I am trying my hand at a completely organizational approach to a new book right now) I tend to have characters go off on tangents that usually end up back where I wanted them, somehow. A great example of this is the whole Rob Freitag storyline. Rob is the boyfriend/business partner of Blake Thornton—and Blake was “just” the brother to Sara Thornton the female protagonist in the original Stewart Realty trilogy (Floor Time/Sweat Equity/Closing Costs). I knew Blake would feature fairly prominently as a bit of a crutch for Sara, a bit to both of their detriment. But honestly, “Rob” was “just Blake’s boyfriend” in my head until…..I realized he had an amazing story all his own. (if you haven’t read Essence of Time, just know I was VERY happy to hear the ending of the book shocked Liz as well)

I went on a bit of an impromptu spring break trip last year, due to some unforeseen personal drama and opened up my laptop on the plane to Galveston, Texas to tell Rob and Blake’s story and man oh man did he just leap off the page from the start—as a very (very) naughty college boy with his partner in female defilement, the main hero of the entire series: Jack Gordon. Rob’s whole story just came pouring out, as if it were pre-written and that was a TOTAL surprise—pretty much every word of it.

How many of the places in the Stewart Realty series are based on “real life” Ann Arbor?

Nearly all of them in a round about way. The “Big House Brewery and Tap Room” is modeled after my own Wolverine State Brewing Company. The only complete fabrication is “The Local” the brew pub downtown (there are a few of those but NONE of them feature a French trained chef in the kitchen, trust me!). Also, “Stewart Realty” is loosely based on the company that still holds my real estate license: Reinhart Realtors. That “downtown” office was a pipe dream of mine when I was with that company and something I saw down in Charleston, South Carolina. But Reinhart is THE biggest in the county and still independently owned, just like Stewarts. But the restaurants and other places (The Chop House, Vineology, Café Zola, and some of the “unnamed” places) are very, very real!

~*~*~*Excerpt*~*~*~

Warning: This is NOT a G-rated excerpt. This is what I love about Liz Crowe!

A leather chair appeared from the gloom. Evan looked around, then took the seat, disappointed but intrigued. He could hear Jack’s voice, his laughter low and inviting. What the fuck? Was Gordon getting in on action while he had to watch? Then he heard Jenna’s annoying giggle and realized the club must be making her watch too, only she got to do it with her date. He sighed, leaned back, and prepared himself to be underwhelmed.

“No,” a sexy, rough female voice broke through the clamor in his head. It must have surprised everyone because all the people on the couches glanced up. “I want him. Out here.” Evan looked straight at her and saw the hot-as-shit Domme point her bullwhip right at him. He gulped, actually looked around like a dork, thinking there must be someone behind him. He was no sub.

She crooked her finger, her ruby-red moist lips drawing his gaze and making him feel positively hypnotized. His cock kept up its painful pressure along the inside of his zipper. A drop of sweat formed on his temple but he couldn’t move his arms to brush it away. All he knew… was her.

“Mr. Adams,” the disembodied voice said. “Your presence has been requested by our Mistress. Please. Do not make her wait.” The sheer curtain separating him from the crowd parted as he stood. Shoving his hands in his pockets and no longer aware of anything at all but what he wanted right now, he took the few steps down to the main floor.

“Stop!” She held up a hand. “Do not come any closer until I tell you.” She snapped her fingers. A tall man dressed only in leather pants emerged from somewhere to her left. A woman approached him, smiling and holding out a tray filled with… He stared, then shook his head, backing away, his brain on fire and his body in flight mode. “Where are you going, slave?” The woman cracked her whip. Evan sensed its bite near his cheek.

“I am no one’s slave,” he croaked out, sounding like a whiney kid.

“Perhaps. But I am not just anyone.” Before he could catch a breath, the woman was in his space. He kept his hands at his sides, knowing if he touched her he would be punished. Her full lips were inches from his. She leaned in, placed a tender kiss on his cheek, then stepped back.

“The Mistress has chosen!” the voice boomed and the room heaved a collective sigh. Evan whipped his head around, suddenly terrified and hornier than he had been in his entire existence. He closed his eyes as a loud whooshing sound started echoing around in his head in perfect time with his heartbeat. He held his ground, biting the inside of his cheek raw to keep from falling to his knees and kissing his way up her shiny patent leather shoe. The woman stood, the cape-like cloak draped around her tall, perfect body. He couldn’t move and had no idea what to do now anyway.

She took two long steps and was back in his space, tugging his tie, lifting it free of his collar and letting her lips linger over his, tempting, teasing, and bringing his body to full attention from his scalp to his toes. What in the hell was going on here? He was a sub? But the whooshing sound would not stop; it deafened him and he started to shake. The woman put her hands on his shoulders and kept kissing him just enough to make him insane. Disembodied hands removed his suit coat. Then, with a powerful jerk, She ripped his dress shirt into two scraps of expensive cotton that hung from his wrists.

His nipples hardened, his skin broke out in goose bumps. More bodiless hands unfastened his cuffs and took what remained of his shirt away. The woman kept smiling, trailing her fingertip down his chest. Evan’s lungs hurt he was breathing so hard.

“You are very…” She leaned in and touched her tongue to a nipple, making him gasp. “In need of…” She licked her way across his chest to the other hardened nub of flesh and bit, hard, making him yelp and grunt to distract himself from coming in his trousers. “A lesson in what it means to wield control.”

She unfurled the whip, keeping her lips on his skin, licking and nibbling her way up his neck as he stood, fists clenched and teeth grinding. Then she bit down on his lower lip, bringing tears to his eyes and yet more urgency to fuck. What was happening to him?

“Sit.” She shoved him down. Evan dropped, hoping someone had put a chair there. His ass hit leather and wood. Watching mesmerized as she dug a sharp heel into his still-covered thigh. The pulsing behind his zipper had reached a level he’d never experienced. It was as if he were already coming, in his head, trying to relieve the pressure without actually ejaculating. This was a total goddamn trip. He sighed, looked up at the ceiling.

“Don’t look away from me, slave.” Her rough voice made the whooshing sound return between his ears. She snapped her fingers. Two nearly naked women scuttled to his side, undid his belt, unzipped his pants, and pulled off his shoes while removing his trousers, leaving only his tie and boxers.

“Holy fucking mother of… ah!” he cried out, unable to stop when the woman stood over him, her warm, inviting sex right at his eye level. Other hands rubbed, teased him through his underwear. But he kept his eyes trained up as he sucked in a lungful of her heady scent.

“You think this is all there is, don’t you, boy?” The woman’s voice filled his head. “Your giant cock and what you can do with it.” She stepped away from him, flicking her whip at his inner thighs, breaking up the pleasure with a bite of pain that made him curse and lean forward. The lovely, soft hands that had been on his aching shaft disappeared. “Oh no you don’t. You sit; you take, and you do not come. For any reason. If you do, I will make you very,” she slid the handle of the whip along his reddened inner leg, “very sorry. Are we clear? Dear?”

About Liz:

Microbrewery owner, best-selling author, beer blogger and journalist, mom of three teenagers, and soccer fan, Liz lives in the great Midwest, in a major college town. Years of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as an ex-pat trailing spouse, plus making her way in a world of men (i.e. the beer industry), has prepped her for life as erotic romance author.

When she isn’t sweating inventory and sales figures for the brewery, she can be found writing, editing or sweating promotional efforts for her latest publications.

Her groundbreaking romance subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” has gained thousands of fans and followers who are interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”)

Her beer blog a2beerwench.com is nationally recognized for its insider yet outsider views on the craft beer industry. Her books are set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch and in high-powered real estate offices. Don’t ask her for anything “like” a Budweiser or risk painful injury.

www.lizcrowe.com
www.brewingpasssion.com
www.a2beerwench.com
www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor
www.twitter.com/beerwencha2
www.facebook.com/groups/romanceforreallife
www.facebook.com/jackgordonrealtor

Have we established that Liz Crowe is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors? Yes? Good, because I’m not doing a good job of going all fangirl gaga over her if you don’t know this by now. There really, truly is a cult out there. Once they suck you in, there’s no way to get out. The good news is you won’t want to get out of this band of hot and sexy craziness! And to give you an idea of my overall feelings regarding the Stewart Realty series; I have dreamed about living in Ann Arbor and being part of the group. #truestory

Sweat Equity by Liz Crowe is the second book in the Stewart Realty series and is definitely one that should be read following Floor Time. The reason I say that is many books in the series could very easily be read out of order. Books one through three are not that way. (and in my not so humble opinion, I wouldn’t want to read them out of order, with the exception of five and six, but I had my reasons for that)

Jack Gordon thought he’d finally made it. He had a wildly successful career, money in the bank and had returned to his life as Dom, putting an end to a string of unfulfilling sexual encounters. Now that he’s made the ultimate commitment to Sara Thornton, he believes all is right in the world. But a series of misunderstandings and a dose of self-fulfilling prophesy bring his perfectly crafted house of cards tumbling down around him, forcing him to confront lingering misgivings about marriage and trust. Could those be the only two things he can never achieve?

Sara struggles with her intense need for Jack and her desire for less volatility in her busy life, which appear to be mutually exclusive goals. Although willing to put in the time and emotional effort to make their relationship work, she finds it futile and frustrating, littered with clashes thanks to near-identical personalities and temperaments. Given Sara’s history, easing back into the comfortable status quo becomes easier than fighting a war with the one person who should be her safe haven. But will the easier choice satisfy her the way only Jack can? Is her “war” one that comes from without or within?

Buffeted by circumstance, temptation and distraction, Jack and Sara’s tenuous relationship crumbles, sparking a continuous quest for the ever-elusive: trust, love and acceptance. By the time they rebuild a foundation for renewal, fate has other plans. Which leaves them both reeling, once again questioning their destiny.

What Worked

Like the first book, just about everything worked. The biggest thing you’re going to hear me say time and again regarding this series is I love getting to know the community. It’s not a book where you have two characters falling in love and then some other people back there in the distance. No, you get to know Blake, Rob, Evan, Suzanne and the rest of the gang. You learn how crazily tangled their relationships are. You come to love and hate them.

Just when you think Jack and Sara have it all figured out, things start to come un-done. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail here, but let’s say I’d be pulling my hair out if I was anywhere around these two. Seriously, I don’t want to give away what happens in the book, but it’s frustrating, it flat out pissed me off at times and I loved every minute of it.

What Didn’t Work

I have to say, there were times when I wanted to throw my Kindle because I was so mad at Jack and Sara. I also had times I wanted to kick Craig for decisions he made. At the same time, the story wouldn’t have worked without these things, so can you really say it didn’t work? Nope, but that’s all I could think of to put here.

Said it before and I’ll say it a million more times… go check out Liz Crowe! You’ll be glad you did!

I don’t think there’s any doubt that I loved Honey Red by Liz Crowe at this point. If you’re in doubt, check out my review! What I didn’t know from that one read was I was actually being indoctrinated into some sort of cult and I’m now powerless to resist.

I started hearing about Jack Gordon and knew I had to check out the Stewart Realty series as soon as possible. I was proud of myself that morning. I bought Floor Time for 99 cents and managed to get off Amazon without going 1-click crazy. Do you know how major that is for someone like me? Seriously, I only bought one book! HUGE!!

Jack Gordon is Ann Arbor’s most delectable bachelor. At age thirty-five, he’s made millions as a top-selling Ann Arbor real estate broker and has the right connections to close a deal by any means necessary. With his rugged good looks and compelling personality, he has a virtual black book most men would kill for and he uses it often, never settling for one woman for very long.
While his D/s past remains buried, exactly where he wants it, an undercurrent of boredom and dissatisfaction runs through his life now. A disastrous experience years earlier made him swear off the whole scene, but the more Jack suppresses his natural Dom, the more his frustration grows.

Sara Thornton, a rookie in the real estate game, has fast-tracked herself to the top of the Ann Arbor market. Her life reflects a disciplined and focused routine, exactly the way she wants it. However, as her career takes off, the fulfillment she seeks remains inexplicably out of reach. The one thing she knows for sure, she will not join the Jack Gordon groupies in her company, no matter how tempting that might seem.

A chance encounter, then a difficult transaction, throw Jack and Sara together and the sparks fly high and hot and often. Forced to confront the compulsions that gain momentum with each sizzling encounter, their relationship seems to spiral out of control until Jack finally admits what he needs, and shows Sara what she’s been missing

What Worked

Just. About. Everything. That’s not to say life was beautiful all the time, but there wasn’t a single moment where I was upset with this read.

The biggest thing that worked was also the closest thing to something not working. This book takes place over a LONG period of time. There was minor frustration at the time jumps but they were necessary. In the end, they are what made the story believable.

The power struggle. This, to me, is a key element in the first three books of the series. Jack and Sara are both very strong, very driven professionals. This issue brought a sense of realism to the book. It makes sense that someone driven to succeed and used to being in charge would be attracted to someone who feels the same. It also makes sense that this would create issues in the relationship.

Rob. I love Rob. No, he’s not a love interest, he’s Sara’s brother’s boyfriend. He is a voice of reason. He keeps Blake grounded (and possibly keeps Jack alive, or at least unscathed from big brother’s protection).

The tangled web of life. I’ll admit, there are times it’s hard to remember who knows who from where and whether this person slept with that person or not, but I enjoyed the web of connections.

What Didn’t Work

That’s a hard question for me to answer. Like I said, just about everything did work for me.

I guess, if pressed, I’d have to say that it was hard to watch Jack and Sara not getting together. I wanted to slap them and tell them to get their shit straight so they could be happy. But again, it happens.

The Stewart Realty series has become a prime example of why I like reading e-books. I can’t imagine not having the next book ready to go if I wasn’t home when I finished one or worse yet, not owning the next book when I finish one at one in the morning. Not that that’s a problem for me. I wound up heading back to Amazon to buy the rest of the series about the time I hit 80% on Floor Time!