Bared to You (Crossfire, #1)

by Sylvia Day

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sylvia Day comes the first novel in the Crossfire series—a provocative masterstroke of abandon and obsession that redefined the meaning of desire, and became a global phenomenon.

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...

• ISBN10: 0425276767
• ISBN13: 9780425276761
• Publish Date: 4 February 2014 (first published 1 April 2012)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Berkley
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425276761

Reviews

[anastasia]

Full Review on my blog!

Re-read this since I finally bought the last book in the series. I really forgot how much I loved this one. It has everything one could want in a book. A great plot, great writing, great setting and great characters. Not only are both of the main characters awesome, but so are all the side characters. But don't be fooled. This is not an entirely light read. At times it can be pretty dark.


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[Berls]

#COYER - 3.5 stars - definitely can see why it's been compared to 50 shades (or why 50 shades has been compare to it technically) but this is a stronger version I think. Definitely sexy. Strong characters, but frustrating ups and downs in the relationship.

[nitzan_schwarz]

I'm honestly surprised I enjoyed it - but I did! The writing was good and captivating, and my only problem was that everything happened very fast, and they had so many fights and problems sometimes I wondered if it was really worth it, but I still enjoyed it - and will read the next book! :)

[stacey_is_sassy]

Well, my tastes have certainly changed...

The sex scenes made me cringe listening to them. It wasn't just the narrator, it was the corny lines, insta-love and moaning and groaning, oohing and aahing, that did me in.

I'm not going to drop my ratings to the 3 stars that I think it deserves because when I first read this book IT REALLY DID IT FOR ME!! So, the 5 star is being dropped down to a very generous 4 stars.

Oh, how the times have changed. He was a stalker, demanding and way too dangerous to be around. And, talk about double standards!! How on earth did I find this sexy?

Not sure I'll go back to listen to the rest of this series. I think my time of lusting after psycho billionaires is OVER.

Onwards....

[boghunden]

I was being quite sceptical about this book, because it's been compared to [b:Fifty Shades of Grey|10818853|Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)|E.L. James|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385207843s/10818853.jpg|15732562] so many times, and I for one didn't like that book. But still, I had to at least give this book a chance. To my surprise, the writing in this book was okay, and the sexual chemistry between Gideon and Eva was so good!

Still, however, Eva annoyed me. She was so naïv! I really don't get why she didn't stand up for herself.
Cary, her fried, he was amazing, I really liked him. He reminded me of Nolan from Revenge, the tv show.

[Ashley]

Book Nook — Young Adult book reviews



The first thing I noticed about Bared to You was that the writing is phenomenal! This is one of those books where I feel like I need to quote every other line because they're all loaded with power, meaning, and intensity! And on top of that, the dialogue was hilarious! The main character Eva is brilliantly witty and her lines in particular had me cracking up!

Since the synopsis doesn't really tell you much about the plot of the book, I'll go over it briefly. The story is about 24-year-old Eva. She moves to New York City to be closer to her wealthy mother and stepfather. She starts a new job and that's where she meets Gideon—an extremely wealthy, young bachelor. At first, he's only interested in sex, but he becomes so captivated by Eva that he wanders into the unknown: an exclusive relationship. But both Eva and Gideon have demons and traumatic pasts that threaten to tear them apart.

So it sounds very Fifty Shades of Grey, right? Well, it's about a million times better. I feel like Bared to You is what Fifty Shades of Grey should have been. It has the same plot elements: controlling billionaire changes his playboy ways and falls in love with girl. But Bared to You is hot, passionate, sexy—NOT disturbing—, emotionally devouring, beautifully written, and all kinds of incredible... everything Fifty Shades wasn't (for me).

You know what my favourite part is about Bared to You? Eva isn't a blubbering idiot. She's not some silly naïve girl who says two words and just lays back while some controlling guy fucks her. No. She takes control. She's witty, extremely intelligent, funny, and has a controlling interest in the relationship. Hell, the first time they had sex, she was on top. She initiated it. And even from the way Eva speaks, you can tell she's intelligent. She certainly knows how to hold her own amidst some playful banter.

"I'll be sure to clear my schedule by five." He resumed eating, completely at ease with the fact that we'd both just penciled mind-blowing sex into our mental day calendars.
—Page 121, Bared to You

Eva and Gideon had both the most dysfunctional and most functional relationship I've ever read. Both these people are broken. They have dark, hidden pasts that haunt them day and night. For Eva, it means her self esteem is broken and shattered. For Gideon, it means he craves control and power. Put these two broken beings together and you get an intense, passionate chaos. But on the other hand, this is one of the few relationships I've read about where the couple actually communicates. Imagine that! They don't play games with each other. If one of them is pissed off, they'll say, "I don't like seeing you with another girl. It makes me jealous and uncomfortable." If Eva gets frustrated and leaves, Gideon gets upset and says, "I don't like it when you run away. It makes me feel broken and alone." PEOPLE, THEY'RE COMMUNICATING!!

"We don't fight, angel. We just have to learn not to scare the hell out of each other."
—Page 248, Bared to You

Eva and Gideon voice their opinions, fears, hopes, dreams, frustrations, and anything else on their mind! If they're feeling it, they say it. They talk about going to couples therapy to work through their issues together. They sit down and have heart-to-heart talks. They work out the kinks in their relationship. So sure, Gideon may be a bit of a crazy, power-hungry control freak and Eva may have severe jealousy and self-esteem problems, but they know they have those issues and they work them out like a proper couple. Most of the time in books, the couple just plays mind games with each other and expects the other person to be a mind reader. This is not the case in Bared to You! Talk about refreshing.

And if it wasn't obvious, this book was HOT. Freaking hot. Unbelievably hot. One of the most intensely hot books I've read in a while.. and that's saying something!

Romance isn't in my repertoire, Eva. But a thousand ways to make you come are. Let me show you.
—Page 42, Bared to You

Despite my intense enjoyment of this book, I do have two issues, both centered around the fact that Bared to You felt more like a "part one" of one book rather than the first book in a series. There were a few things that were introduced in the book that never really got resolved. We meet Gideon's family, but nothing develops with them. We learn that Gideon clearly has some abuse or trauma in his past, but he never comes forward about it. It would have been okay if at least Eva made some sort of official declaration of acceptance of the fact that Gideon wasn't ready to talk about it, but I felt like the whole issue was just ignored. And finally, I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending. It wasn't bad, but I feel like it literally just got cut off mid-book. There wasn't an epic showdown or a huge resolution of some kind.

I'm sure all my issues will be addressed in the second book, but I feel like there still should have been more of a wrap-up in Bared to You.

Even so, this book was absolutely phenomenal. It was hot, sexy, emotional, intense, gritty, dark, and absolutely mind-blowing! It's safe to say I'm running out to buy the next book—Reflected in You—immediately!

[Cocktails and Books]

I've had this one in my TBR pile for awhile. After reading 50 Shades, I decided to give myself a bit of time before delving into this one because of all the talk of the similarities between the two. I'm glad I waited because I think that distance enabled me to appreciate the similarities and differences between the two.

Gideon Cross is an uber wealthy 28 year old who happens to run into Eva Trammel as she times her commute from her apartment to her new job at the Crossfire building. She has no idea who the god-like man with dark hair and blue eyes is, but her stirs two emotions in her (even if she didn't quite realize what those were at the time): fear and hope.

As I read the first half of the book, I could see how Eva's reluctance to bend to Gideon's will would have others saying this was similar to 50 Shades. He does have stalker tendencies. She, in no uncertain terms, tells Gideon she doesn't want anything to do with him. But for me, once you get past that and follow them as their embark on their relationship the similarities ended.

Eva and Gideon both have a very key and vital parts of them that is broken. They have trust issues related to the events that caused them to be the way they are. They both struggle for control over their relationship because that is what they need to make sure the past does't repeat itself.

While Gideon tends to alienate himself to ensure complete control, Eva has surrounded herself with people that have just as many issues as she has (which can't be good for her recovery either). Her best friend, Cary, is a recovering something (addict maybe) who she met in therapy in San Diego and hasn't been separated from since. We, along with Eva, get to watch him self-destruct and it makes you wonder what kind of effect that will have on Eva. Then there is Eva's mother. She's a whole lot of "out there" and definitely someone who blurs and crosses lines for her "piece of mind" regardless of the affect that will have on her daughter. While Gideon does fit into that same role with Eva, you can also see a hint of them wanting to break out of the molds they have both put themselves in and work together towards something healthy.

The one thing you'd think these two would have it together on was the sex, considering how combustible they were from their very first kiss. But even with sex they had issues, granted not quite as large as everything else in their relationship, but it was still there. I did scratch my head when Gideon declared that Eva was a submissive, because everything we'd seen in their sex life up to that point showed them pretty evenly matched. I mean, who wouldn't melt if you had a god-like man that turned you on giving you multiple orgasms. But after thinking about it, I could see where Eva was a submissive, reluctantly.

Clearly it's not going to be a clean and easy process. The last half of the book was messy and emotional, leaving me wondering "what next" as I flipped the page to see what would happen.

Sylvia Day has created two very complex characters who's emotional scars are laid bare for us to read. Both of them are hard to connect with, because of those emotional scars, but as the story progresses and they share more of themselves with each other you can start to understand them better. I look forward to reading Deeper In You and learning more about Gideon and Eva.

[Melanie]

DNF

I just couldn't get into this book. I tried really, really hard to like it and just couldn't finish it. The story seems like it was forced. The billionaire guy keeps making relationship mistakes. Girl gets mad and storms off. He then apologizes and she caves. I was okay at first, but how many times can this happen? Either realize he needs a lot of hel with relationships and deal with it. Or, leave him. I just couldn't deal with anymore.

[leelu92]

Ok. Where to start.... this was a quick read. Like less than 24 hour read and I wasn't really expecting that. I really liked Eva- she wasn't some unexperienced virgin...she knew what she wanted and didn't shy away from it. I'm kind of tired of the poor little unexperienced woman who needs a big strong man to show her the ropes(FSofGrey). It was hot hot hot...for sure and that was good. ButI can't put my finger on what I didn't like about it exactly... I think I will read the proceeding books in the series just to see how it turns out and if Gideon will truly let Eva in.
So, in conclusion... it was a good, quick read. It was hot. I liked Eva, I liked Gideon. But something was missing...just not sure what.