Sandy M’s review of Bared to You (Crossfire, Book 1) by Sylvia Day
Contemporary Erotic Romance published by Berkley Trade 12 Jun 12

Sylvia Day never ceases to amaze me. Though I have not read as many of her books as some of her other fans have, I’m no less blown away by her talent. In this latest book she has thrown down the gauntlet to other authors. This is how you pour your heart into a story. This is the quintessential erotic romance in its purest form. No one does it better than Sylvia Day.

She does it so well that it’s even difficult to know where to start to review this story. So much happens to and between these two characters, Gideon and Eva. At the crux of their relationship is the fact they were both been abused as children. Thus, they’re both damaged. When they meet, it’s instant attraction. Instant everything. Eva has just started a new job with an advertising agency that’s housed in the Cross building. She figures their chance meeting will be one of very few, their paths crossing now and again. Little does she know that Gideon always gets what he wants, and he definitely wants Eva. He’s upfront, blunt, and unromantic, or so he thinks. But his bluntness does turn Eva off in the beginning. As much as she’s mesmerized by his looks and his body, his come-ons and demands leave little to be desired.

Gideon, however, has a tenacity that won’t quit. He keeps barging into Eva’s life until she can’t say no. And then everything explodes. These two burn up the pages like you wouldn’t believe. They’re hungry, needy, and each time they make love, it’s an explosion of epic proportions. The sex is terrific, but Eva wants more. She wants to know Gideon, the man. He, however, has a difficult time giving in this respect, though he craves the very same thing from Eva. When she’s fed up enough, she walks. Sometimes it’s justified, sometimes it’s just scared running. She has her issues too. But Gideon is willing to change as much as he can to keep Eva in his life. He apologizes, and then he gives. There is a point, though, where he can’t give. Nightmares wrest their way into his sleep, waking Eva and letting her know there’s something in his past.

Even when he attacks Eva in his sleep one night, Gideon can’t tell her what it is that haunts him so. That night frightens him and he’s willing to walk away to keep her safe, but Eva won’t let him. We know it has something to do with his family, the family home. When Eva accepts an invitation from Gideon’s younger brother to attend a house party, Gideon shows up only to take her away from the place. But even by the end of the book, we don’t know exactly what it is Gideon suffered in his past. He’s come a long way from the man who blurted he wanted to fuck Eva after their initial meeting, but there’s still some things he’s reluctant to reveal.

Both of these characters are very dynamic. Their personalities are huge. It makes them all the more intriguing when you learn about their issues. Such vulnerabilities only endear them to you that much more. Especially Gideon. For a man as confident and dominant as he is, when he’s ragged from those dreams or the way he realizes he’s treated Eva, your heart constricts with sympathy for him. Maybe it’s because she’s female, but despite Eva’s ghosts, she is better able to talk about certain things. Though she’s as affected as Gideon – she has her own nightmares and fears – but talking about them helps. It’s Gideon who triggers my protective instincts.

In between all of this, we get a good look at Eva’s job and her boss, along with her roommate. Cary is another one who needs loads of help and loving. He met Eva in therapy and they’ve been inseparable ever since. He’s looking for love, but, as the saying goes, in all the wrong places or he sabotages what good he does find. Eva’s mother and stepfather smother the poor girl to death every chance they get. It all stems from her abuse, but the only way for her to keep moving on is to have her independence, and mom can’t seem to understand that. Gideon’s family is quite interesting, but we don’t get much of them in this book. What we do get is not totally favorable, and I’m dying to find out what the mystery is behind the man.

So much happens in this book, it’s incredible. I’m not even close in this review to giving it the justice it deserves.You are caught up in these characters’ lives from the first word. That’s what I love about reading Ms. Day’s works. She pulls me in, makes me adore her characters and invest my time and interest in them, then blows me off the page with their passion and lust, love and romance. I am so very glad there is going to be more than one book about Gideon and Eva. If that one is as good as Bared to You, I’d love ten more. Heh. If. I should say when that one ends up as good as this one. Because how could it not be when written by Sylvia Day?

Grade: A+

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…

Read an excerpt.