Book Review
Title: Bared to You (Crossfire Book 1) by Sylvia Day
Genre: Romance, Erotic
Rating: 4.5 Stars
The opening to Bared to You was interesting as we are introduced to Eva Tramell and her best friend and roommate, Cary Taylor. Eva has just moved to New York to work for Waters Field & Leaman which is located in the Crossfire Building. She isn’t the most relatable of characters because she does come from a wealthy background thanks to her stepfather, Stanton but she is relatable in the sense we’ve all gone through things like the first day on a new job and embarrassing yourself in public. Eva does this when she tries to help a woman and ends up flat on her ass when confronted with the most handsome man she has ever met. Eva is instantly attracted to the man but holds herself in check as he meets her new boss, Mark. Mark is instantly loveable and we get to see his relationship with his partner, Steve and I loved them both from the very beginning. After a work meeting she learns that Dark and Dangerous as she calls him, is Gideon Cross, the owner of the Crossfire building. Their interactions are great but this is ramped up when Gideon approaches Eva and plainly asks her if she is seeing anyone because he wants to sleep with her and wants to know if anything is going to get in his way. While she turns him down, we know that Gideon is going to give up in pursuing Eva but we know there is more to her as Cary mentions their pasts. We know before modelling that Cary had issues with drug addiction thanks to his childhood but he is a great friend for Eva. While Eva’s background hasn’t been gone into much yet she does have something hiding in her past.
We learn pretty soon that Eva was most likely sexual assaulted by her step-brother which is the reason her mother divorced her previous husband and it might also explain her mother’s obsessive-compulsive behaviours. Eva’s mother is taking her and Cary out for a spa day in preparation for a charity event for one of the many charities that Monica supports because of Eva primarily those that work with abused children and she soon learns Gideon is attending the same event and wants to go with her even though it isn’t discreet. Cary has also printed off a lot of information about Gideon for Eva and she learns that his father committed suicide when he was a child which might be responsible for some of Gideon’s unusual behaviours. She also learns he has a specific type in women that she doesn’t conform to at all but she doesn’t think on it too much right now. We also get the first truly sexual scene between Gideon and Eva and it was amazing and highlights how strong the sexual tension between them is but they both seem to be very damaged people.
On the way to the charity event, things really heat up between Gideon and Eva and it leads to them having sex in the limo which was an absolutely amazing scene. Afterwards, Eva notices how Gideon closes himself off to her which hurts her feelings despite knowing the arrangement was only meant to be sex with some friendship between them. Things at the event don’t go well especially since Gideon seems to be angry with Eva and his friend, Magdalene Perez doesn’t make things any better when she corners Eva. Magdalene essentially tells Eva that since she’s already had sex with Gideon she is worthless to him now and she is just waiting for him to be ready to settle down. Monday they are supposed to meet for lunch but Eva isn’t sure where they stand now and wants to ends things with him. When he manages to convince her to have lunch with him, he explains that he is used to having control and Eva took that away in the limo which he didn’t handle well and he’s sorry for it. He also explains that he wants more than just sex with her and wants to give a relationship a go even though it is going to be very hard work for them both because of their personal issues but they agree it is worth trying because they feel strongly towards each other.
Their start in their relationship seems to be good but it is too good to last. As they spend their first night together as a couple, Gideon quickly fucks up when he takes Eva to a hotel room he reserves for his quick flings seriously hurting her feelings. He realises this though and makes it up to her but bringing her to his home and the only woman that has been there is his mother. They spend the night in each other’s arms just comforting each other but Gideon wakes Eva in the early hours having a nightmare. From what I gathered it seems that Gideon might have been sexual assaulted as a child and Eva quickly bring him out of it and is there for him. They go to work together and their potential as a couple is beginning to show but this is a huge learning curve for the both of them. These issues begin to show themselves as they have more bumps in the road especially when they are caught kissing by a reporter and Eva knows she has to tell Gideon about her past. When she eventually sits him down and explains that her step-brother, Nathan raped her for years and it only ended when she had a miscarriage and evidence of the abuse was found, Gideon is plainly furious but he is also really guarded which isn’t what Eva needs right now but it also firms up the idea he is guarded because he has personal experience with this kind of abuse. It also seems from Eva’s story that Nathan was never punished for his actions and he is still out there and Eva doesn’t want him to find her which is why she is scared about their relationship being public but this can’t be avoided given Gideon’s status.
Things get worse for the couple when Eva wakes Gideon from another nightmare that seemed to be sexual in nature and she questions him about it. Rather than responding with something like they would talk about it later or saying he wasn't ready to talk about it Gideon lies to Eva which is something she can't stand so she leaves. The next day he doesn't contact her and returns her keys so she thinks he's ending things. For the next four days Eva lives in a depression not caring what's going on around her until Cary drags her out of bed for the Vidal garden party she'd been invited to by Gideon's brother, Christopher. Eva only attends the party because she knows Gideon isn't going to be there so she is stunned when he turns up and wants her to leave the estate. They end up having an argument but she learns that Gideon thought she left because she was disgusted with him which isn't the case at all. He wants her back and had even made an appointment for couples therapy as she suggested because they need help getting through their trauma and Eva agrees to take him back but she is now vulnerable than ever right now and Gideon has the potential to do a lot of damage to Eva. Them getting back together was amazing and we witness a vulnerability to Gideon we haven’t seen before which made him a lot more relatable as a character. He and Eva navigate their way through their relationship again but Gideon’s trauma once more causes problems when he attacks Eva during a nightmare. Cary steps in and helps Eva as it triggered her own trauma about being raped and Gideon is devastated with himself and wants to leave but Eva convinces him to stay but both are scared. Eva is frightened of the violence Gideon is capable of even when he isn’t conscious and Gideon is terrified of hurting Eva as he knows her past.
This is made worse then Cary shows Eva a video of Magdalene and Christopher together, it is clear he is taking advantage of her to get at Gideon because he believe Gideon’s life should be his and Eva is upset by this as she saw Christopher as a nice guy when he clearly isn’t and she heeds his advice of staying away from his brother. They try to get used to the new distance between them but it doesn’t help at another function Eva meets Corinne, the woman Gideon would have married if she hadn’t have left him. Combined with Magdalene being at the event, Eva soon leaves, informing Gideon in advance but he isn’t happy with her since he can’t leave with her. After some back and forth between the pair they manage to work through the issues Eva has with Corinne and Gideon’s relationship with her but Cary seems to be going off the rails again now his career has picked up. I hope to see more of Eva’s friendship with Cary in the rest of the series and how she supports him as well as how she and Gideon work out the issues in their relationship. Overall, Bared to You was an interesting read that was miles better than Fifty Shades of Grey. The relationship is still problematic because of their shared trauma but both recognise this as an issue and are seeking help both professionally and with it each other which differs from Fifty Shades and I can’t wait to read more as I love Sylvia Day’s books.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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