Bared to You (Crossfire, Book 1) by Sylvia Day (2012-07-19) Paperback – January 1, 1800

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 has sex with her. No. She takes control. She's witty, extremely intelligent, funny, and has a controlling interest in the relationship. Heck, 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.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 YouEva 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!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!

Let me say that I did not read Fifty Shades of Grey. I think I read a twilight fanfiction that's like it, but, judging from the number of negative reviews on Amazon, I didn't want to touch that series just yet (#neg reviews almost equal to the # of positives). I heard that this series reminded people of Fifty Shades of Grey, but the rating is better for this one, so I gave in. I bought the kindle edition and finished it 2 days later (on vacation, lots of time).Both of the main characters, Eva and Gideon, have harsh pasts. Both have been in someways sexually abused, but it is curious to me that their relationship is intensely sexual in nature. And it seems that they needed it to be that way. Gideon have control issue: he needs to be in control of everything. His principle is to separate business from pleasure. Eva, in contrast, craves affection and a sincere and open relationship. That's the crux of the problem. Their chemistry is over the world. It's intense and all-consuming, but Eva doesn't want a purely sexual relationship because she would feel like she was being used (trauma). Their desire for each other brought them together despite all warnings ringing through their minds that they might not be good for each other. Explosive relationship ensures. Sex is great, but emotionally, they are fraying at the edges. The story is about them trying to overcome their past, not let it win over them and destroy what they have. The first volume ended with the emergence of a love rival. There are still a lot of things left unsolved (whatever, it's a trilogy anyways).The sex was okay-good, but repetitive. After a while, there's just *so much* sex--I think there was a point that you can't turn a page without reading about Eva moaning--that I started to skim those parts. However, I understand that this is an erotic novel and sex is pretty much a requirement as it is integral to the character development in general. It's kind of weird because I think because they spent 80% of the book having sex, they are not really talking about themselves or get to know each other. Their relationship moved super fast--over the space of a week or so and they were already pretty much living together, with their own drawers at each other's apartment and all. What little they know about each other's past or characters are from other people or from Wikipedia or from private investigation. It's strange. As I write this, I question myself if that's really a problem; probably not, it's fiction and not supposed to reflect exactly what actually happens in real life.I think some people have commented of Gideon's need for control being borderline stalkerish or just stalkerish and creepy. I agree with that assessment. It's just not normal for someone to be that much of a control freak. I would freak out if someone pursues me that aggressively and try to control who I can and can't talk to. Though, given his past (vague) I could maybe understand why he turned out that way. And if I'm as self conscious as Eva is, I would probably be flattered that someone as worldly/handsome/sexy/etc.etc. like Gideon Cross would be so interested in me. It's glossed over, but their relationship is a Dom/Sub one. At one point, Gideon admitted that he is a Dominant and tried to convince Eva that she is obviously a Submissive. It's a pretty mild Dom/Sub, though. With no BDSM. I think later books might explore that a bit more. Anyways, the whole thing about Gideon's need for control and possessiveness -- it really depends on the reader, I think. It depends on what flavor sex life the reader prefer. There are quite a few people who don't like others to control their lives in anyway and thought that Gideon's need for control as "creepy" or "stalkerish." However, there are probably others out there who like a little possessiveness in their relationship (or a lot in Gideon's case). Dominancy in a relationship *can* be sexy. But it all depends on how much people can take/define dominancy. So don't be too taken-aback by some of the comments and let those drive you away. It's about fantasy and how you connect with it as much as it is about literary stuff like grammar and character development.The writing is okay. Nothing to brag about. Though, as I said before, some descriptions are repetitive. Especially during sex. Also I can't count how many times Eva remarked on how sexy Gideon looks.If reading all these reviews didn't help you, then go read an excerpt from the book. I think there's one on Sylvia's homepage.

Gostei do livro

The media could not be loaded.  "Bared to You" by Sylvia Day is a captivating journey through passion and complexity. The characters' depth and the intense storyline make it a compelling read. Day's writing skillfully explores love's intricacies, leaving readers immersed in a gripping and emotional narrative. highly recommend!

Strong, unexpected And real. Breathtaking story that portraits real flaws with impossibly handsome people. Has you wishing for your own screwed up sex God.

Cuenta la historia de amor entre dos personas traumatizadas.Los personajes son estereotípicos y no se comprende muy bien por qué motivo se enamoran.Las escenas sexuales son de mal gusto y en la mayoría de los casos innecesarias para la evolución de la historia, aunque yo más bien diría que no hay historia.He tardado dos meses en leerlo, creo que con eso ya lo digo todo.

J'ai découvert Bared to You car Amazon le recommandait à ceux qui ont aimé les trois Fifty Shades, personnes dont je fais partie.Cette série est aussi passionnante que les Fifty Shades mais les seuls points communs sont l'intérêt que les livres provoquent chez le lecteur et les liens extrêmement forts entre les personnages.Ici, les protagonistes sont plus complexes, les livres sans doute mieux écrit. J'ai hâte de découvrir le prochain tome des Crossfire novels.Dans les deux Crossfire existants, on retrouve des scènes pour adultes très bien décrites. Comme les Fifty Shades, ces livres ne sont pas à mettre dans toutes les mains. Mais c'est l'intrigue et la complexité des personnalités, personnages principaux ou secondaires, qui en font leur point fort.Je recommande fortement les Crossfire Novels, et j'espère que la traduction française, pour ceux qui n'ont pas la chance de pouvoir les découvrir dans la langue originale, ne sera pas comme celle de Fifty Shades of Grey, qui dénature le livre à mon sens. Mais là, est un autre débat.