Review: Mina’s Heart by Michele Zurlo

“This entry in Michele Zurlo’s Oasis series is sweet and emotional , without losing the dripping hotness factor. ” ~Under the Covers

After graduating from college, Mina moves back to her hometown in Vermont with big plans.  Her mother has finally divorced her abusive father and she’d love nothing more than to start a new life with her in California.  She’s got to find a job first and her mother will need more than a little convincing to pull up her roots.  When Mina runs into an old high school classmate, Everett Burke, her plans are thrown awry.  Ever has wanted Mina for years and jumps at the opportunity to make her his.  Mina is attracted to Ever from the get go…but she’s a virgin with little sexual experience.  Her teenage years were filled with strict rules and harsh words from her father.   Her mother suffered physical consequences as well.   She’s just starting to come out of her shell.  Ever knows she’s inexperienced and that he needs to tread lightly, but he’s a Dom who can only suppress his true nature for so long.  He believes Mina is a submissive at heart.  When he introduces her to the world of D/s, he’s not completely truthful about his intentions.  Mina is appalled when she finds out what Ever plans for her.  She walks away with barely time to reflect on her actions.  Six years later, an unfulfilled Mina is back in Vermont.  An accident lands Mina and Ever in each other’s space again and Mina realizes that Ever is all she’s wanted.  She approaches Oasis for a wish fulfillment: the chance to be Ever’s submissive, to see if she can reclaim what she’s lost and be everything he needs.

This entry in Michele Zurlo’s Oasis series is sweet and emotional , without losing the dripping hotness factor.  Mina is such a believable and real character.  Her inner conflicts regarding her relationship with Ever are easy to sympathize with.  She’s grown up in an abusive, repressed household and has come through it remarkably well adjusted.   Although I was cursing under my breath for poor Ever when she leaves him…it was a believable move.   It takes her years to reconcile her needs as a submissive with her fear brought on as a child of abuse.  It’s a thought provoking topic to address and is handled beautifully.  I also loved the flashback style of the book.  It begins in the present time, with a very hot scene between Mina and Ever, she serving as his submissive.  We’re then taken back six years in time, to see their initial relationship blossom and how it fell apart.  The initiation scenes are hot and sweet.  Ever is a patient Dom with Mina’s best interests at heart.  When we come back to the present, we’re treated to appearances by some of the Oasis family as well.  Ever’s friends are the protective sort and not so quick to forgive her for leaving him all those years ago.  I loved seeing Mina grow as a character.  She doesn’t back down.  Kudos for showing that submissive doesn’t mean doormat. The BDSM here is physically on the milder side, but emotionally intense.  I think this series is getting better and better, with more and more depth as time goes by.   It’s a must read for me and I can only hope that there are more coming!

*ARC provided by publisher

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[about-author author=”Michele Zurlo”]