Category Archives: Berkely USA

Bared to You by Sylvia Day

Title: Bared to You by Sylvia Day
Crossfire Book One
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Imprint: Berkley USA
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance
Length: 362 pages
Book Rating: C

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness…

He was beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I’d never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily…

Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other’s most private wounds… and desires.

The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn’t tear us apart…

The Review:

Bared to You by Silvia Day is an intensely emotional and highly sensual romance. Eva Tramell and Gideon Cross are two incredibly damaged people who cannot resist their sizzling hot attraction for one another. Will their tenuous relationship withstand the various unresolved issues from their respective pasts?

While I initially liked both Eva Tramell and Gideon Cross, immaturity from both characters and lack of character development soon took its toll. In the beginning, Eva is a self-assured young woman who knows what she wants and does not hesitate to stand up for herself. The daughter of a working class cop father and a wealthy mother, Eva eschews the family money, opting instead find a job on her own and without assistance from her wealthy stepfather. But it quickly becomes apparent Eva is not as self-sufficient as we are initially led to believe. She is living in an apartment her mother and stepfather purchased for her. Her mother also pays for very expensive clothing for her, treats her to exclusive and luxurious spa treatments and Eva takes full advantage of the family chauffeur. She quickly gives into Gideon’s advances and then dissolves into a dithering mess. Eva certainly appears to be self-aware and fully cognizant of her knee-jerk reactions to certain situations, but it seems she is powerless when it comes to changing how she deals with her insecurities.

Gideon takes the strong, silent persona to a whole new level. An alpha male, he is domineering and demanding while giving nothing (except sexual satisfaction) in return. He is obsessive, controlling and much of his behavior toward Eva borders on stalking. While we know he has suffered some horribly traumatic event in his past, Gideon gives up so little about himself that he comes across as superficial with very little substance.

The relationship between Eva and Gideon develops in a short amount of time with most of the emphasis on sex. In every conceivable position and place. Make no mistake, the sex is exquisitely erotic and occurs with amazing frequency. But the emotional distance and misunderstandings between them make it difficult to believe they can actually fall in love in a matter of weeks.

There were a few supporting characters that I fell in love with. Eva’s best friend and roommate Cary Taylor is just as damaged as Eva and Gideon and he too is on a self-destructive path. But he always there to catch Eva when she falters and his honesty with her is quite refreshing. Eva’s boss Mark and his partner Steven are remarkably normal and I enjoyed their scenes immensely.

Bared to You is full of drama, dysfunction and troubled characters. Silvia Day is a gifted storyteller and she certainly weaves a fascinating and compelling story. I am fully invested in Gideon and Eva’s relationship, and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in the mesmerizing Crossfire series.

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