Bared to You: A Crossfire Novel (edition 2012)

Well I don't know where to begin. ItĀ“s clearly a plagiary of Fifty Shades for sure, we can clearly tell that Day copied an insanely amount of things from James. Cross is a clear image of Grey, although I can say without a doubt Grey kicks is ass without an effort :) The book is good, it ended in a good way, leaving us wanting more, but somethings in the story arenĀ“t plausible.
Like Grey, Cross is possessive and in need of control over everything, but sorry Day, not dominant at all. Cross is complex but raw, the sex scenes are good, erotic and we see is making love not f***ing her without emotion, but that's all we see. This first book revolve around them, their relationship and the demons the both have. But I think the author needed to give us as bit more about the story itself. If the other two books revolve around the back and forward of their relationship, the demons in her and the ones in him I don't fully know I had a glance or two but nothing concrete, the book won`t be anything more than an erotic story.
If otherwise Day decides to tell us more about Cary and the mysterious Dr. Lucas and the story behind him and Cross,things would be a lot more interesting. Even so, being an almost identical copy of Fifty and not having that direct to the point approach on is problem and always deflecting and not completing the thoughts and always hid something from Eva, Bared to You was a great book. I might not like the non direct approach to things and not disclosing even a little bit so we are pulled to the story in a more intense way, like James done with Grey, but I will definitely wait for the other ones to come out. Lol if one of Days points was to, leave us wanting more, and wanting us to find out who hurt him and made him the way he is now, she definitely accomplished her objective :P ( )

Written better than 50 Shades, but not as shocking. Just two people having a lot of sex as a bandage for their messed up childhoods. I probably will keep reading the next books though, just to find out what happens to them.
( )

The story, the characters, the way this is writtenā€”everything is so cool! Ɯ ( )

The story, the characters, the way this is writtenā€”everything is so cool! Ɯ ( )

I haven't read 50 SHADES, so I can't compare, but I really enjoyed this edgy contemporary romance. A rich heroine who has her act together, I felt like the romance between Eva and Gideon was all the more powerful because they meet on equal footing. ( )

Borrowed from a friend. I am definitely getting my own copy in PB. It's that good. ( )

I'm very bad in reviewing romance genre but my New Years resolution was to write review for every book I read - so here it goes.

Eva just moved to New York and started working. First day on job she collides with the most beautiful man alive (at least in her opinion) and the sparks fly. By his look, it's obvious he's interested too but Eva does not expect his line to be: "Are you sleeping with anyone?". That's Gideon Cross to you: direct, possessive, stalkerish...
As romance between Eva and Gideon develops we get to know a great deal about them, their issues, past, friends and families. There are ups and downs and although you could not say book ends in cliffhanger, since this is a series, there are still unresolved issues that may spoil their happy ending. We just have to read the next book, [b:Reflected in You|13596809|Reflected in You (Crossfire, #2)|Sylvia Day|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350504890s/13596809.jpg|19186128], to find out what will happen next.

A lot of people talk about similarity between [b:Bared to You|13572249|Bared to You (Crossfire, #1)|Sylvia Day|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350506156s/13572249.jpg|18973111] and [b:Fifty Shades of Grey|10818853|Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1)|E.L. James|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1300842729s/10818853.jpg|15732562]. There are some similar elements, but [b:Bared to You|13572249|Bared to You (Crossfire, #1)|Sylvia Day|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350506156s/13572249.jpg|18973111] managed to be original and IMHO much better written romance novel. Although Eva stumbles and blushes sometime in the beginning - she is not shrinking violet. And her narration was not annoying or irritating. There is no inner goddess here (thank God!).
Sex scenes here are even more explicit in description than in Fifty Shades, but without bdsm elements.

Sadly, romance story between Eva and Gideon did not manage to get me moved. It was interesting and I will read the next book in the series to find out what happens next, but I was missing the butterflies and that sweet expectation & smile you get when you are really connected to characters and are enjoying a good romance novel.

I recommend this book to fans of: erotica, possessive tycoon heroes, characters with childhood abuse issues, a lot of drama between the hero and heroine. ( )

Well written, and very enjoyable. Hot billionaire falls for pretty millionaire and both have sexual abuse in their background. Sound familiar? The book unfolds with very real scenarios, characters and settings.
Eva has just moved to a new advertising job in New York City. Her first presentation assisting her boss Mark, is for the big wig CEO on the top floor. Guess who. Gideon falls for her at first sight and persues until she is caught. Loved the tenacity through out the story. She is very skittish. Run is a habit from the past and a hard one to overcome.

Eva's roomate Carry is handsome, bi and been to the wars of emotional and sexual abuse with her. They are like brother and sister. He stands by her through most of the book until his own demons appear as the book ends. Worry for Carry is left to the wind and waiting for the conclusion in the future books.

With excellent communication, professional help and intelligance on the part of both H/H it seems to be working. That is until the Fiance shows up at the door. More running more talking more hope. The book ends here and i can't wait for the next book in the series. ( )

Why I Read this Book: I was curious. I was also a bit apprehensive to read Bared to You because I was afraid it was going to be too similar to Fifty Shades of Grey. I didnā€™t want to read a book that mirrored FSoG but I did want to read something that would remove any (all) remnants of FSoG from my memory. And for the most part, Bared to You did just that. Though, there is that infamous tampon scene from FSoG that will probably forever engrained in my memory.

What I Liked: The major advantage Bared to You has over FSoG is the quality of the writing; Bared to You is much, much more polished. Itā€™s clearly the better written novel and you can tell by the first chapter. (read more) ( )

Who Wet that Pussy??? :- Gideon Cross, A Pimp and Sexual Parasomnia.


Gideon Cross :- Uh, who the hell are you?

A Pimp Formely Called Slickback (aPFCS) :- Mr. Cross this is ā€˜A Pimp Formerly Called Slickbackā€™ and I have come for an intervention.

Gideon :- What are you called now?

aPFCS :- Are you an imbecile, boy! Itā€™s ā€˜A Pimp Formerly Called Slickbackā€™ like ā€œArtist Formerly Called Prince".

Gideon : - Is this some kind of a joke?

aPFCS :- Are you a Michael Bolton fan? Say with me now ā€˜ A Pimp Formerly Called Slickbackā€™.

Gideon : - Youā€™re a pimp then?

aPFCS:- Are you deaf? This is an intervention. Word is that you have a Chronic Pussy dependency.

Gideon : - A Pimp Formerly Called Slickback , I do not need any help from you.

aPFCS :- Sir, let me tell you that chronic pussy dependency is a serious matter. A hungry pussy fucks with your money, your health and may give you an erectile dysfunction in the long run.

Gideon :- I do not need your help. I simply do not approve what you do to women.

aPFCS :- Oh well, do you see me running around searching for a pussy, pretending to be a Master Dom.

Gideon :- But, you hit women.

aPFCS :- No way sir! I do not hit women. I do them hos hard.

Gideon :- Eva is neither a ho nor a bitch!! I love her!

aPFCS :- You love nobody, boy! You and that Christian Grey, you like them wet pussies.

Gideon :- You gotta trust me. I really like Eva and she ravenously craves my dark side.

aPFCS :- Now, look you crying over some pussy, again. Let me help you.

Gideon :- No way!! I just canā€™t!!

aPFCS :- Itā€™s okay Mr. Cross to be a ā€˜pussy-holicā€™. Some, boneheads canā€™t get it inside , you canā€™t get outside a bitchā€™s pussy. We can beat this!

Gideon :- For the last time Evaā€™s not a bitch and I really like her. You have to trust me. Even take pills for my sex parasomnia.

aPFCS :- You sleep sex? Mr. Cross Iā€™m unhappy to say, but you my boy are sleeping in them pussies.

(A Pimp Formerly Called Slickback recites a prayer asking for a divine intervention.)

aPFCS :- Lord, please pray for the soul of the pussy. And guide my pimp hand and make it strong, Lord. So, the one who wet the pussy might learn his place. Amen.

Gideon :- You are not going to hit any women!!

aPFCS :- What woman , Sir? This here is a wet pussy.













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Definitely a knock-off of Fifty Shades (which, of course, was a knock-off of Twilight), but this is actually well-written. I cared about the characters and didn't spend the whole book rolling my eyes.

Though, as an aside, I have to mention that I'm having a hard time imagining a 28 year old billionaire. With both this and Fifty Shades, I had to force myself to forget his age, otherwise I was unable to suspend my disbelief. ( )

Joint review done with Has

*Review contains minor spoilers*

Lou: For the past month, Iā€™ve been trying to ignore the book that I shall not name because I was so sick to death of hearing about it. But when Has told me about this book, and told me that itā€™s very similar to the book I shall not name, but better written with more fleshed out characters, I instantly became a sucker and read it.

Has: I first heard of this book on twitter with KatiD, and then Janeā€™s review on Dear Author made me check it out because I was curious ā€” and also I did like the premise of Fifty Shades, although its execution and plot was a lot to be desired. I have to say that despite the similarities and there was definitely quite a few that raised my eyebrows, I really enjoyed the book because it what Fifty Shades should have been with better well drawn out characters.

Lou: Iā€™ve never felt this way after reading a book before, but after finishing Bared to You, I felt jaded. There was nothing wrong with the writing ā€” in fact, I would tell people to read this instead of 50 (ok, I said it). Yet all I could think of was oh, another fucked up hero in a dom/sub situation. Gideon is domineering, has major control issues, has family issues, and looks to have been abused in the past. Eva, the heroine, also has an abusive past and she worked hard to get where she is now. Yet I couldnā€™t enjoy Evaā€™s and Gideonā€™s romance ā€” and I donā€™t think I could call it a romance. There is raw lust and fucking until they both grew to love one another, but the issues they experienced and had to deal with was way too heavy for me. Yetā€¦youā€™re all going to kill me for saying this, but I think I got suckered in. Itā€™s the familiar feeling of book crack!

Has: I totally agree with you about recommending this book instead of Fifty Shades trilogy because it was tightly plotted and better written, although I was slightly disconcerted with the similarities. However, both Gideon and Eva were totally different characters and I think Sylvia Day created a different approach and premise. And this also had the same CRACK factor. I disagree with you that this isnā€™t a romance. I think it is the beginning of one and it had a grittier and realistic edge to other erotic contemporaries, and I liked that aspect! But I did get tired with the pushing and pulling with Eva when issues arose and she would run away from it, it got a bit too forced angsty for me but the strength of the writing and characters really sucked me in.

Nonetheless it ended way too abruptly for me but I suspect that we will find out more about Gideonā€™s past and probably issues with Evaā€™s too. I think how this was incorporated into the main plot was seamless and I loved the subplot with Evaā€™s best friend and flatmate Cary and his own emotional issues and relationship with his boyfriend and how he kept messing that up. It added a real emotional connection and I could see early signs of the characters learning from their mistakes.

Lou: It would have been awesome to have a hero who was perhaps a cheerful dom! One who doesnā€™t have issues that would make you run far and fast away. And this is where I feel jaded because I sure hope that this sort of trope doesnā€™t become prevalent in the erotic romance genre. Nothing wrong with fucked up heroes, but donā€™t make them fucked up because itā€™s the ā€˜in thingā€™ to do at the moment.

Has: I think this formula is cracktastic with fucked-up heroes and heroines. They have always appealed to the reader, and itā€™s definitely one element that I enjoy. If you look at scarred or emotionally damaged characters who fall in love, they learn to live with their issues. I think thatā€™s a good thing although I am a bit leery on the formula of the rich powerful hero and the naive heroine who falls under his spell, but thatā€™s the whole Harlequin Presents trope, and I think combining this with hawt smexy action, itā€™s a powerful draw to romance readers. It helps to reignite tired tropes, and this is why books like Bared to You, and Fifty Shades trilogy is garnering a following.

But I would love to have an intense erotic romance without the scarred or emotionally damaged hero or heroine. I think using that as a focus and a basis to explain why the characters are into their kinks is getting way too cliched and I think it will be a good thing to just have a fun character who loves to get down and dirty in the bedroom but will make you laugh outside it.

Lou: There wasnā€™t a HEA at the end; more of a HFN. Gideonā€™s issues from his past were never revealed and Eva still has to deal with what happened in her past, and deal with her mother who suffers with neuroticism ā€” and sadly aims it all towards her daughter by tracking her on her mobile phone. The secondary characters were well developed but they also had major issues, especially Cary her room mate. Despite my issues with this book, Iā€™m going to give it a B because despite what I think of the trope of fucked up heroes, this book had great writing and compelling characters.

Has: I see this as a first part of the story/romance and agree its HFN. Iā€™m not really keen on waiting for sequels, especially if the ending leaves you hanging ā€” and I felt I was really getting into the story until it ended so abruptly. But this was a well written and sexually charged romance with characters who have real depth, although there was certain issues and like Lou said, I felt it was definitely similar to Fifty Shades Trilogy. If you are planning to read a book with this premise then I would highly recommend Bared to You, because itā€™s what Fifty Shades should have been.

I also give Bared to You a B. ( )

This probably isn't fair of me, but I debated even writing this review. The cover (and description) of this book make it pretty clear this is not the next Great American Novel, and anyway, do I really want all of Goodreads knowing I just read a book that's 90% porn, and the remaining 10% consists of undiluted angst?

There have been days (ahem) where I come home and feel no drive whatsoever to make dinner. Half an hour and one entire Fritos bag later, I'm suddenly left with an empty bag and a nagging feeling that I probably could've found a better (and healthier) alternative use of my time. But it's not like everybody can survive off of vegetables and To Kill a Mockingbird.

That's pretty much this book in a nutshell. Surprisingly, Sylvia Day's writing is actually pretty decent, making her 350-page sex-fest much more palatable than that OTHER book we're all comparing it to in our heads. Day takes a stab at actually rehabilitating her fairly screwed-up characters by getting them into therapy, a detail I was actually kind of impressed by. And even though the plot is basically an excuse for them to have sex as often as possible, our female protagonist, Eva, does have interests and hobbies outside of Gideon Cross, though I can't say the same thing about Gideon himself. What he does all day to actually earn his billions is a mystery, and apparently beside the point.

I can honestly say this book was better than I expected, and I encourage anyone looking for a 50 Shades-type novel with far better writing to give it a shot. Not unlike the Fritos solution, though, it's not really something I can picture myself returning to on a regular basis. ( )

Pretty good but I didn't like it as much as fifty shades. Gideon cross is the guy and the girl is rich too. They are both messed up ( )

OMG, this is so wrong...

'Of course he did. Jeez.'

That! That right there is the line that made me hate this book. Why, one might ask? Well, because this is Fifty shades of Grey all over again! That stupid line made me forget the name of the female protagonist, so I just started calling her Anastacia in my head instead.

I do appreciate the fact that this book is not as poorly written as the Fifty shades trilogy. In a way, that's pretty normal, as E.L.James' books are in the top 10 books when it comes to poor usage of the English language. So, compared to that, the language style in Bared to you is....sophisticated.

I also think that the author actually TRIED to develop the characters for us. Or at least developing the protagonist character. Come to think of it, the author never revealed what the hell happened with the sex god (even though we are not that stupid and can quite figure it out). But then again, I lost at least 100K brain cells reading this book, so there's nothing I'm certain about anymore...Anyway, Gideon and Ana Eva are two pretty messed up people, trying to fuck their way out of misery. Wait, what? NO, you're doing it wrong. That never happens, friend. If you wanna help these people, just send them to therapy already. Both of them, now! Or at least make them TALK to each other not screw all the time...

There's one thought in my mind after reading this book: do I really need to read the next book, and skim through tons of groaning and hissing and milking and sucking just for the sake of reading the series? No, I don't think so... I'm guessing something majorly bad is going to happen in the next book, which would totally rip these two apart and bring them together stronger after all. At least that's what happened in the Fifty Shades trilogy... ( )

I don't see a big difference between this series and the Fifty Shades series. Almost the same story, only this book doesn't have the rough bedroom scenes. I would have preferred something a little different... Characters got me more upset in this book than in the Fifty Shades! I did read to the end, though... ( )

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

After my positive experience with Fifty Shades of Grey, I decided to give this book a try seeing how so many comparisons haven been made between the two. The story is definitely similar as is the rich, alpha male stereotype but its Sylvia Dayā€™s writing that is the clear winner here. The narrative flows well, the vocabulary is diverse and thereā€™s minimal repetition which is a feat in itself considering the number of sex scenes in this novel. Bared to You is clearly the superior read amongst the two contemporary erotica seriesā€™.

I found that both of the main characters were reasonably well-developed but that Eva was significantly more defined than Gideon which is not surprising seeing how Day probably wanted him to maintain a certain degree of mystery. Tramell is just as messed up as her counterpart which surprised me a little because Iā€™d expected there to be only one broken person in this book so thereā€™s another un-Fifty like characteristic for you. Evaā€™s past is a troubled one and her tell-all session with Gideon took real courage and made my opinion of her skyrocket.

One of the things that irked me about this novel is that every single character, even the secondary ones, are beautiful. I expected as much of Eva and Gideon seeing how their initial attraction was purely physical but was it really necessary that Tramellā€™s roommate and Crossā€™ receptionist be equally as stunning? It felt like overkill to me. Also, as I mentioned, Day probably purposefully didnā€™t explore Gideonā€™s character in detail but by the end of the book I didnā€™t know much more about him than I did when heā€™s first introduced; other than the fact that heā€™s gorgeous of course. Iā€™m thinking that this first installment was more about Eva and am hoping that the next book will focus more on Cross. You can only push the ā€œmysteryā€ so far in my opinion until it morphs into shallowness and this novel was close to falling into the latter category.

Jill Redfield is an enthusiastic narrator to say the least and listening to Bared to You while at work wasā€¦ interesting. I will definitely be adding more erotica audiobooks to my library in the future! Redfield does every scene justice by adding just the right amount of emphasis to suit the storyline. She does a great job of alternating between a sassy tone and a dramatic one. More than once I found myself looking around my office to see if any of my coworkers were finding it as hot in the room as I was. Needless to say, it was just me!

I read the entire Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy so I think that itā€™s only fair that I give Sylvia Dayā€™s next installment a chance as well. Hopefully Crossfire will improve with each book unlike its sister-series. But one thing is for sure, Bared to You will make your blood boil with either lust or anger and sometimes both! ( )

Man talk about frustrating, I dont think ive ever wanted to smack an inanimate object as much as I want to smack these characters. There up and down, hot cold, happy mad. Can you say bi-freakin-polar. I know, I know they went through a lot and its understandable but damn. Eva bares the most horrific experience to Gideon and he cant tell her whats up with him, if I were her i wouldnt wake him up from his dreams Id listen to him for a while, she would find out more that way. Gideon is hot, tall, dark, handsome, broading, rich and sought after but I really wanted to punch him in the nut sack. That boy needs to look up double standard in the dictionary. At first it was like oh hes so indifferent and hot and straight forward then he was winny and all please dont leave me, come on grow a pair. I want my man to a least make me put up a fight. Can these two make it with all the crap between them I hope so. Do they honestly think sex is going to make everything better cause their in for a rude awakening and all they do is talk in circles never really discussing or solving anything. eva lets things go way to fast. damn this book is giving me a headache but a good one cause I love drama in my books. Definately a good read. now on to the next one.... ( )

Similar to Fifty Shades of Grey in its story-line and sexual content. This is the first book in a trilogy. The novel held my interest. It is a love story, but one where both main characters have major issues of abuse that they are trying to overcome. ( )

Review on The Reader's Commute:

What can be determined from this synopsis? Too many ellipses, for one thing...
(See what I did there?)
Also, Gideon is handsome and sexy in an unbelievable way, and he has lots of inner demons to battle.

While I could certainly make this entire review a comparison between Bared to You and Fifty Shades of Grey, I want to just examine Day's book as a separate story.

(Although, I have to say: I like the name Christian Grey better than Gideon Cross. Also, it just hit me as I saw the cover for the second book, Reflected in You - GC = Gideon Cross. CG = Christian Grey. Coincidence?)

Eva, as a narrator, is pretty likable. Of course, it was easy to be jealous of her pretty hair, gym body, great wardrobe, nice apartment, cool job, and handsome, wealthy boy-toy...
All joking and ellipses aside, I found Eva to be a very interesting and well-written protagonist. Her inner-monologue is funny and insightful. A description of New York City on page 3 was charming and familiar:

"Real New Yorkers cruised right through it all, their love for the city as comfortable and familiar as a favorite pair of shoes. They didn't view the steam billowing from potholes and vents in the sidewalks with romantic delight, and they didn't blink an eye when the ground vibrated beneath their feet as the subway roared by below, while I grinned like an idiot and flexed my toes. New York was a brand-new love affair for me. I was starry-eyed and it showed."

Eva is young and determined, if very privileged. It was hard for me to not root for her. When she meets and begins a flirtation with the wealthy and handsome Gideon Cross, I bought the attraction (unlike the Fifty Shades pairing. Okay, comparisons are done).

As a reader, my heartbeat actually quickened at the first description of Gideon - his dark hair, blue eyes, and expensive dress suit are right up my alley. I know the plot is pretty hard to believe in general, but one thing that irked me was definitely the fact that every man in Eva's life is impossibly good-looking. Aside from Gideon, her roommate Cary is an up-and-coming model with a face that can "make angels weep." Cary's lover, Trey, is good-looking. Eva's boss, Mark, is also good-looking, as is his partner. Gideon's brother is good-looking. Eva's step-brother is good-looking. Eva's Krav Maga instructor is pretty smokin', too.

Is there not a normal-looking man in the bunch?

As Gideon begins to pursue Eva, maybe some of his tactics set off warning bells in my head. He has most of her personal information filed away. He researches her favorite drink. He knows her clothing sizes as well as the shades of cosmetics she uses. Creepy and obsessive? Sure. But heck, reading about their flirtation and eventual relationship is so fun.

The sex scenes are well-written and certainly entertaining, although they got repetitive as the book progressed. I found myself skimming over them in favor of following along with the actual plot and character development. What I found most interesting about Eva and Gideon's story was this: they are both survivors. They're both struggling to make it along, and they want to make it together. In real life, could they work out as a couple? Should they work out? I'm not sure, but I'm willing to read along and find out. ( )

Flagged, tagged & bagged as the new Fifty Shades of Grey- Bared to You is supposed to be bigger, better & sexier. Soā€¦ Fifty Shades without Twilight drama. Truth be told I still have yet to even make it to halfway through Fifty Shades Darker.

Seriously, when I kept seeing this book plastered all over Amazon and Goodreads and such, I pretty much ignored it. With the cover being SO visually similar to Fifty Shades, I assumed it was a knock off or a spoof and I wasnā€™t much interestedā€¦ But then Tabby from Insightful Minds said I absolutely had to read it- so thatā€™s pretty much all it took!

Eva moved across country, from San Diego to the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her male, super model sexy roommate, Cary to start working as an Ad Exec.

The day BEFORE her first day, she was scouting the territory and sees the most perfect man sheā€™s ever laid eyes on,

She sees him again ON HER first day, and SERIOUSLY I love the amount of M/M romance, love in this book! Evaā€™s boss is a gay man, and he and his partner are so in love and I just ate it up!!!! AND I was THRILLED to death bc I honestly thought it would end up being a freaking LOVE TRIANGLE OF DEATH.. Between her, the new boss and the super sexy guy she met on the elevator! No worries thoughā€¦ The boss plays for the other team, so weā€™re SAFE from the love triangle CRAP for now.

And suddenly Dark & Dangerous (this is what Eva has dubbed the elevator man sheā€™s been fantasizing about) is showing up everywhereā€¦ Coincidently. Meetingsā€¦ More elevatorsā€¦

After a very productive meeting, he pulls her to the side and asks if sheā€™s currently seeing anyoneā€¦

ā€œBecause I want to fuck you, Eva. I need to know whatā€™s standing in my way, if anything.ā€

Right? Seriously, WHY is this so hot? Because literally in real lifeā€¦ Well, I suppose itā€™d still be pretty hot if hubby said it right outside an elevator ā€“ out of the blueā€¦ Off topic!

Anyway so sheā€™s thinking,

ā€œIā€™d never been so aroused. Never been so scortchingly attracted to another human being. Never been so offended by a person I lusted after.ā€

That about sums it up though? Itā€™s hot. Butā€¦ How DARE you ASSUME and presume its OKAY to talk to me this wayā€¦ Even if I like it? Lol!

This is what I loved most about Evaā€™s character. She didnā€™t take any shit, she wasnā€™t a push over and she DID NOT waverā€¦ Oh I donā€™t knowā€¦ I doā€¦ I donā€™tā€¦ *sigh* She was just her. Eva owned it, she wasnā€™t perfect, and she is the first to admit it- but she also wonā€™t settle for less than what she thinks she deserves.

And as it turns out, the company Eva works for, Cross Industries or Crossfire, is OWNED by none other than Mr. Dark and Dangerous, also known as Gideon CROSS. Ha. I love it.

ANYWAY, turns out Mr. Tall, Dark and Super Sexy Cross has a lot of deep, dark secretsā€¦ What?! A tortured man, with a penchant for kinky, hot sex? Win. Yeah, Iā€™m a sucker for a head case who needs to be be ā€œsavedā€.

Except of course he ends up, MESSING UP because heā€™s never been in a real relationship before, and Evaā€™s flight instinct takes over.

I ran when the going got tough, because I was so sure it was all going to end badly. The only control I had was to be the one who left,

But, Cross isnā€™t willing to live without her. He wants her- no matter what it costs him. And I LOVED it.

ā€œWhat you make me feel, Eva . . . it hurts.ā€

ā€œIā€™ve always seen you, angel. From the moment you found me, Iā€™ve seen nothing but you.ā€

Evaā€™s roommate, Carey- I LOVED him. I felt so bad for himā€¦ And his super self-destructive ways. He was an amazing supporting character! ( )

Thinly veiled pornography. I realize the narrative is not primary in this type of endeavor, embedded between strikingly similar sex scenes, but there was no feeling of completion, no tying up of the loose ends. It is not a book to read for insight nor growth; it's all about titillation. ( )

The Good Stuff

Writing is far superior to that of 50 Shades of Grey (which this book is always compared to)
Love the relationship between Eva and her best friend Cary - very supportive and honest
Erotic and hot without all of the S&M stuff usually thrown in for Erotica
Interesting character study - perfect for a book club discussion
Eva is a strong character - she knows there is some serious unhealthy aspects to their relationship and talks about it with Gideon, Cary and her therapist
Love, love, love that the couple go into therapy
I can see the fascination for Gideon (see the not so good stuff section for more on this) Day's descriptions really makes him sound hot
Did I mention how hot this book is - I was blushing on many occasions
Fabulous use of dark humour
Looking forward to reading the sequel now to see how things are going to work out for these two seriously damaged souls
Brings up rape and the lasting damages & discusses it openly and honestly which I find to be very important

The Not So Good Stuff

Gideon - I am not completely in love with the guy - he is far too controlling for my tastes - don't get me wrong I like a masculine type of man - but hello any man that has you followed or tells you what you can or cannot do - I consider to be in serious need of therapy (Yes good thing about book is that this is addressed)
Do both characters have to be beautiful and rich -- us plain poor girls deserve hot sex too ya know ; )
ok and I was slightly irritated by the obsessive exercising in my opinion - but than again that could be why I am not as hot as Eva LOL! - off to the treadmill now
Again I more a romantic type of girl so some of the sexual descriptions were a little too base for me -- but again not a bad thing -- just personal preference

Favorite Quotes/Passages



"That sexy length was the crowing touch of bad-boy allure over the successful businessman, like whipped cream topping on a hot fudge brownie sundae. As my mother would say, only rogues and raiders had hair like that."

"I want there to be happily-ever-afters for the fucked-up crowd. Show me the way, Eva honey. Make me believe."

"New York was a brand-new love affair for me. I was starry-eyed and it showed."

Who Should/Shouldn't Read

Good book club read - no really - the discussions about their relationship would be fascinating
For those looking for something erotic but not all S&M
Definitely for readers who thought 50 Shades of Grey was awesome -- this is so much better

3.75/5 Dewey's

I purchased a copy at Chapters Shawnessy as I am receiving the sequel for review ( )

Book Nook ā€” 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 Gideonā€”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, sexyā€”NOT disturbingā€”, 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 naĆÆve 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.
ā€”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."
ā€”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.
ā€”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 bookā€”Reflected in Youā€”immediately! ( )

Why I Read this Book: I was curious. I was also a bit apprehensive to read Bared to You because I was afraid it was going to be too similar to Fifty Shades of Grey. I didnā€™t want to read a book that mirrored FSoG but I did want to read something that would remove any (all) remnants of FSoG from my memory. And for the most part, Bared to You did just that. Though, there is that infamous tampon scene from FSoG that will probably forever engrained in my memory.

What I Liked: The major advantage Bared to You has over FSoG is the quality of the writing; Bared to You is much, much more polished. Itā€™s clearly the better written novel and you can tell by the first chapter. (read more) ( )