Bared to You by Sylvia Day

4 Stars ~Kami's Review

So many people have said that this is a knock of of Fifty Shades of Grey (which we all know was a knock off of Twilight), but I wonder if you can still call it a knock off if it was better than FSOG? You would be blind not to see the similarities between these books, but this book for me was a hell of a lot better than FSOG! The writing itself far outweighs that which you find in FSOG. I would like to suggest to Sylvia Day that she give E.L. James some writing lessons. I have read several reviews where people are bashing the hell out of Sylvia Day for writing 'garbage' like this. How they loved her other novels so they gave this one a chance and they hate it. How could she stoop so low to write something like this. How dare she copy E.L. James... Seriously??? FSOG was written as a Twilight fanfic!  And sometimes authors like to branch out and write something that is not the norm for them, this should be acceptable.

We start off with Eva who just moved to New York with her best friend and roommate Cary. She meets Gideon Cross who owns not only the building she is working in, but also the building she is living in. There is that insta lust thing going on. Eva knows she should resist him, and in her defense she does try, but in the end we all know they are going to hook up and do the funky chicken. I like Eva more than Ana and even more than Bella, she is spunky, witty, and does a good job of standing up for herself. She doesnt just let Cross boss her around, she gives as good as he does.

After a game of 'Stalk your Lover' Eva and Cross finally hook up in the limo on Eva's terms, not Cross's terms. This creates an inbalance in Cross's head and he gets distant real fast upsetting Eva. Eva ends up alone at the party they were at since she wouldnt leave with Cross when he did. After trying to break things off with Cross, she is persuaded to try and make this, whatever it is, work between the two of them.

I admit half the time I am turned off by Cross's bluntness and vulgar language, the other half of the time I am turned on by it. I think as society we spend so much time side stepping, and spouting off vague comments in hopes that others will realize what we want so we dont have to actually come out and say it, that we have lost something. I mean if you want to fuck someone, no strings attatched, why not just ask. Why play games all the while pretending to be someone you are not. I like both Eva and Cross for this, they dont pretend to be someone they are not, they are in your face honest.

After some amazing sex consisting of four orgasms for Eva later, Cross goes to shower, while Eva scopes out the hotel room they are in. Upon finding boxes of condoms, lube, and sex toys she realizes that he brought her to his fuck pad treating her just like the women he fucks then throws away. She dumps all these things on the bed then leaves the hotel, with him still in the shower none the wiser. Walking blindly she has no idea where she is when she stops at a restaurant to eat. Her phone vibrates and of course it is Cross, she tells him where she is and he meets her there. He apologizes, and she apologizes for running again. He takes her to his home, which no other woman (other than his mom) has ever been.

Gideon has a nightmare that night and Eva realizes that something must have happened to him as well. Both MC's in this book has suffered from sexual abuse as children. While we find out what happend to Eva in this book, we have to wait for the next book to find out exactly what happend to Gideon. Sound familiar??

There is a lot of cat and mouse in this book. Some reviewers have bashed Eva for always running. But honestly I understand why she runs. Both Eva and Cross have some serious issues that they still deal with. This is not a perfect relationship, in fact there is a huge chance that they wont work out at all. Eva has boundaries that she cannot let people cross, such as the invading of her privacy by both her mother and Cross. This is a huge issue for her. Everyone needs boundaries, and with their pasts, Eva and Cross just need more than others.

Eva decides it is time to share with Cross what happened to her as a child. After seeing his anger over what happened to her, which she misconstrues as him not wanting her anymore, she tries yet again to leave him. Some very rough sex later, both of them are happy and content that they both still want each other. She knows he still has his secrets and she is trying to find a way to get past that for now. She suggests that they both go to couples therapy, and he agress. However they never actually end up going in this book.

After waking Gideon up from a very disturbing dream she begs him to tell her what it was about and he refuses. This is another deal breaker for Eva, so yet again she leaves him. I think they were separated for 4 days before they run into each other at Gideon's parents house. He wasnt supposed to be there, his brother invited Eva and Cary to come. The house aparently holds some horrible memories for Gideon and he hates being there. If not for finding out that Eva was there he never would have went. After some exhibitionist sex in the library of his parents house they two make up and leave together.

Some very serious things happen in the next couple chapters which I am going to skip over here as I dont think I can form the words needed to describe it.

The couple are attending another public dinner where Eva meets Corinne, who just so happens to be Gideon's ex fiance that he never told her about. Corinne called off the engagement and married a Frenchman, only now they are getting divorced and she is moving back to New York. Corinne tells Eva that she still loves Gideon and how they still talk every day. Eva freaks out tells him that she is leaving and gives him the option to go with her. He cant leave so he takes her out to his limo, fucks her brains out, and they return to the party satisfied. This would have been a good night if he hadnt then decided to ignore her completely during dinner so he could talk to Corinne the whole time. She leaves the party and takes a cab home.

Upon her arrival home she finds her roommate Cary in a very compromising position with several people. After telling everyone to leave and an arrival from Gideon she goes to her room alone to shower. He comes after her of course, and they hash out everything. They decide to stay at Gideon's house away from Cary who is under the influence of something. And here is wher the story ends folks. Until the next book that is...