Hey there, bookworms! I’m still alive and kicking. I hope you’re all getting tons of reading done! I know I am certainly… not.. right now. However, I know things will change. I might’ve mentioned in my last post that office life has been crazy due to an audit, and we’re just now wrapping up end of month. Pair that craziness with a bit of some social life and much-needed sleep, and you have my current life situation. That being said, I have a quick update before I jump into my latest book review.
I’ve been trying really hard to keep a fairly regular schedule as far as my posts go, but trying to keep up on my reading, book requests from upcoming authors, and actually writing and sharing the posts across all my media is a lot of work. While I genuinely enjoy running this site and discussing books with my fellow readers any day, I think it seems like I should do a weekly update rather than two, at least for now. I want to give time to myself to savor the books I’m reading while also bringing you guys a quality review as I give the author I’m talking about the spotlight for a solid week. I want to do this until I can at least get myself back into a routine. I’m sure I’ll be posting blurbs from time-to-time, but as far as full reviews go, I’ll be updating every Tuesday, so, stay tuned (and make sure you subscribe to my site so you can receive alerts whenever a new post goes up)!
Okay, NOW I’m ready to talk about tonight’s books. Yup, you read that correctly.. I said books. Tonight, I’m discussing the romance series that essentially started it all for me; The Crossfire Series by Sylvia Day. While I did technically begin my journey with another series before I was introduced to the one I’m discussing tonight, I consider the very first romance series I read as more of YA in genre. I will discuss it on here soon as well, but for now, let’s talk all things Gideon Cross.
I first read this series back in 2013 while I was finishing up one of my latest degrees and I just got sucked right in. I think it began as me looking online for recommendations after I finished my first romance (you know, one of those, “if you like this, try this”). The rest is history. Since I recently gave this a listen on Audible during my work commutes, I knew I had to give you guys (and this series) a proper review.
I know a lot, and I mean a LOT of readers compare the infamous Gideon Cross to one Christian Grey. Of course there are obvious similarities (frigid yet sexy mogul coming onto the fresh meat like an absolute caveman… but wait! He has his demons too), but for me, much of their characters were more contrasting than comparing. They’re both awesome in their own rights, But Sylvia just knows her stuff and her story was more captivating for me right from the beginning. I’ll admit, I like my Christian Grey (hello, Jamie Dornan), but Gideon Cross is the man you need to meet!
In Bared To You, Eva Tramell has recently moved to NYC from California with her best friend, Cary Taylor in order to be closer to her overbearing mother, and take up a new position as an assistant to a major advertising firm.
It’s when she’s out on a morning jog, checking out the new neighborhood, that she bumps into someone suited and booted to the nines and her life changes forever.
Gideon Cross is the epitome of dark and dangerous. He’s a brooding man of few words, who knows exactly what he wants. He also has a past, and quite a dark one, which hinders his ability to have a proper relationship. Since he owns almost everything he touches, he can’t help but want Eva, on his arm and in his bed.
She puts up a valiant fight trying to hold the man off for her own sanity, but Cross is persistent and persuasive beyond belief. Once they’ve been together, the flood gates open and all the rules they put in place go to hell. However, it seems once the two decide they want only each other, everyone else wants them apart. It made for quite the drama with every turn of the page.
Once I read this the first time, I knew I was SO glad I met the infamous Gideon Cross! To say I’m obsessed with his intensity and this whole series is a total understatement. I had times when I wanted to keep him in my own bed and other times, I was so angry with him that my heart broke…because I still loved him anyway. I could NOT get enough of this man and want one of my own!
If you want a sexy read similar to Fifty Shades but a well written story, I highly suggest giving this a go!
Book two, Reflected In You, is where we begin to see Gideon and Eva take their relationship to a serious level. Gideon’s haters and shunned women are coming out of the woodwork left and right, one of Eva’s exes is making their lives more complicated, and a significant part of Eva’s past rears its ugly head which throws a monkey wrench into their already complex lives.
Eva is learning Gideon’s ways. She’s getting him to open up about the darkness of his past, but seems to hit walls both at night, when they’re forced to sleep separately, and durning the day when they both seem to be running interference from interruptions.
Although this particular book broke me to pieces, I got more Gideon, and that balanced for me. My heart was in my throat for such a chunk of this story and although I had faith in Eva and Gideon, I still worried whenever things were less than ideal for them. What a sexy sequel, though. I couldn’t put it down, yet struggled with trying to pace myself just so I could spend more time with this awesome couple.
Ah, Entwined With You. The happily ever after, except not really. Eva needs Gideon, and I need Gideon! At the end of book two, everything began to fall into place and I thought the pair had nowhere to go but up, and just enjoy utter bliss with one another.
Alas, life is not that easy. When Eva found herself in danger, Gideon had ro save her, but at a price. While they’re working their way back to the life they want together, they know they need to get down and dirty (quite literally) to fix everything in their lives and be brutally honest about their wants and desires so that they may move forward. They’re getting to where they need and want to be, but it is still quite a road ahead.
I, for one, loved the third installment! I’m a total sucker for all loose ends tied up and this did it and I STILL crave more of this couple. I know it seems a bit excessive to keep going with this story to make two more books, but I think since this series has been bought to be adapted for television, I could see it continuing. Gideon on my tv every week.. Now that makes a girl all warm and fuzzy inside. I can’t wait!
When Captivated By You was released, I had been waiting for over a year to get more from one of my favorite couples, and Sylvia did NOT disappoint!
Gideon and Eva.. Will this couple ever catch a break? They really do get hit from all angles in this book, as usual with them, but I love how fiercely they hold onto each other to try and get through every obstacle. It’s quite a change and massive growth from where I met them in book ones and for that, I was so proud.
Gideon is a dream, as usual. I totally need one of my very own. He’s fantastic, despite how shattered he has been throughout his life. Eva is such a good match for him, so I wish people would stop trying to destroy what they’re trying to build together. I would have enjoyed some Cross babies, but with all these two have been through both together and apart, I can understand the hesitancy!
Sylvia could honestly write 20 books about Mr. Cross and I’d never tire of him. Now there’s an idea!
Okay, so I know a lot of fellow readers finally got to this one, the end, One With You, and didn’t love it. Honestly, I was torn on my feelings as well, but I’ll do my best to try to explain how my head is compartmentalizing aspects of OWY.
First, let me start off by saying that having read the book compared to having listened to it via Audible, it unfolded much more seamlessly when I had someone telling the story to me. Therefore, it wound up making more sense the second time around.
I adored this series from the moment I first met Gideon and Eva. These characters were absolute forces to be reckoned with, and I loved every tortured up and down minute. From Bared To You all the way through to One With You, I’ve enjoyed the journey and seeing how this couple was able to grow and defeat their demons in order to build a stable and happy life.
For roughly 80-85% of this installment, I loved where it was going. I was so excited for everything the pair had coming their way for once. Loose ends were being settled and all the people who tried to tear these two apart were being put in their place.
It was towards the end when that random situation with Monica (Eva’s mother) happened that everything twisted and turned, and I wound up disappointed? Perplexed? It caused the ending to feel rushed and left too much up in the air for me. Maybe because I hate endings, but if all that nonsense was going down, the book could have ended there and then could have been just one more story in the works. Having to crunch an ending into 50ish pages wasn’t the way to go for me, and I was left a bit gobsmacked that after everything I went through with these two, that was all I would get as a way of happily ever after. I’m trying to be okay with it, but for now, that ending along with the bittersweet emotion of never having more Gideon and Eva in my life just leaves me feeling sad. If that makes sense.
When it comes to the couple themselves, they were perfection as always. I just adore and admire their dynamic, and I always have. I refuse to absolutely pan one of my favorite love stories just because of a choppy ending that I didn’t picture in my head. No, I’m not happy with it, but I was beyond satisfied for so much of the overall series that I just don’t have the heart to feel entirely crushed beyond repair.
I suppose I’ll just wait and see what licensing brings to the tv series (whenever that hits the small screen).
If I can recommend anything, it would be to listen to book five on audio. It will help the pieces fall into place and help you make more sense of such a crazy ending to one hell of a story!
My Final Rating: five out of five stars
Read These Books:
