Review of Bared to You (Crossfire #1) by Sylvia Day
Bared to You is the first book in the series Crossfire.
Eva Tramell is obsessed with Gideon Cross from the first time they meet. She soon discovers he's one of the richest men in the country and an eligible bachelor that often has beautiful women on his arm in the gossip columns.
She is surprised to be pursued by Gideon, especially with so much bluntness and persuasion. She doesn't want commitment, and neither does he, but the more time they spend together, the deeper the relationship goes.
Both of them are damaged by their pasts, and things come boiling to the surface that both wish to keep under wraps. Their only hope is the past doesn't tear them apart.
Trigger warning: This book contains intense themes of childhood rape and sexual abuse and a scene of attempted assault.
This series was promoted as being perfect for fans of the Fifty Shades novels. Some people believe Sylvia Day copied E. L. James's work, but with publishing dates and how long it takes to write and edit books I highly doubt that was the case. It was just a coincidence.
That said, there were a lot of similarities early in the book, and it was a bit distracting. For me, the stories split considerably about a third of the way in. Gideon was more considerate and less dominating than Christian Grey, and far more likable. While I very much enjoyed the Fifty Shades novels, this book was better. The writing, story structure, character development, settings, and editing were far better. It was more polished and professional than E. L. James's work by far.
Both characters were victims of childhood sexual assault, and the results came through strongly. Eva told Gideon all the details, but he didn't reciprocate, though there were enough details to figure out what may have occurred. The only mystery is who committed those terrible acts on a child.
Gideon was fairly likable. He had drawbacks, like his tendency to use his power to get what he wants without shame. He was sweet and gentle with Eva, extremely protective of her, and very attentive. He doesn't like to be far from her and loves to show his affection openly. However, he mucks things up a lot, having never been in a serious relationship before, and has to beg for forgiveness frequently. The good thing for his character is he realizes when he's screwed up and knows what went wrong so he can fix it.
Eva is highly damaged, and it translates deeply into how she relates to Gideon and how she reacts to his behavior. Her tendency to cut and run when she encounters difficulty causes a lot of problems and exacerbates Gideon's mistakes. He not only has to fight his inexperience but also Eva's insecurities. It makes her both frustrating and strangely relatable, and I found myself wanting to shake some sense into her.
They both have depth and layers that make them interesting and give the book more meaning and drive.
The plot mostly followed their early relationship and how they navigated their pitfalls and mistakes. The biggest hurdle for them was how to relate to each other through the film of their traumas and how they cope with what happened to them. Eva knows she's reacting badly just like Gideon does, and both do their best to make the relationship work. Mostly. The suggestions they have as to how to move forward when they're both so damaged had me cheering with their maturity and the insight to know what would be best for them. It was a satisfying ending, both to wrap up the book and leave it open for the second one.
Descriptions were excellent as they have been in what I've read of Sylvia Day before. Action sequences, including the steamy sex, were well mapped and detailed. People were also well described and vibrant as were the locations. I always knew what I was looking at and how things were unfolding.
Dialog was also great. Well written, smooth, and realistic. There was some cheese, but it fit smoothly into the rest of the dialog. It comes with the territory in romance and just needs to blend in, which it does. I found the dialog brought more depth to the characters and revealed even more about them, especially Gideon.
This was an excellent romance with great writing. However, considering my past trauma and how I react to themes of sexual assault, I have to consider whether it would be a good idea for me to continue. I have yet to decide.
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