Reflected in You Lori's Review

Title: Reflected in You: A Crossfire Novel
Author: Slyvia Day
Published: Oct. 2nd, 2012
Source: Purchased by Reviewer
Star Rating: 2 Stars

Blurb: Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest of pleasures. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to. He was my addiction... my every desire... mine.
My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broken. We’d never work. It was too hard, too painful... except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity. We were bound by our need. And our passion would take us beyond our limits to the sweetest, sharpest edge of obsession...

 Yep. Two stars. Two. Hey, be happy it got any stars it was very close to being a giant DNF. So what went wrong? The hype. It was no where near as enjoyable as Bared to You. Not even close. The sex. Same shit different day. The plot thin. Everything was perfect then, it's not. Then this fucking murder mystery gets thrown in. And everything is resolved. Really there is no reason at all for a third book. We know what happened to Cross. What's the point so we can see them get married and have a baby and continue to bang each others brains out. Oh, and the fights. The "we are so fucked up thoughts, comments and conversations". Cary being judgemental of Eva. Eva being judgemental of Cary. More boring work shit. Blah blah blippty blah.



It may just be the middle book slump that happens a lot.
Plus, this is the deal breaker. Cross does nothing for me. Nothing. At. All. (Yes I know. I am insane.) In order for me to really feel the erotic scenes and love scenes I really need to feel something for the male MC. A hint, a flicker. Nothing. I don't even find him annoying or repulsive. Nada. This is me. I've already got myself a book boyfriend who is a dom, fucked up, sexy as hell, and kind of an asshole. And Cross doesn't even come in a close second. Once again personal opinion. I can see where he would drive most women crazy. I would read the scenes and thing. Ohh that's hot. But I didn't FEEL it. Who knows, maybe I double dosed on my celexa? I am reading the next book.

What I liked: Slyvia day can write. Proof. I finished. If her writing hadn't managed to keep me reading I would have not finished it. Yes, her plot was thin but girl worked it. Really, I want to read her less mainstream work. I think it might be more my style. At the end of the day I think it was MY expectations of what this book should be that let ME down. Doesn't change a thing about my rating. I won't give it pity points because it wasn't the book for me.

So what did I want: More steamy sex. Seriously dude had a hotel room full of toys what the hell is with all this vanilla shit. You can't tell me that a man with tastes like that can just go to nada kink in a New York minute. Less of this back and forth we are going to work, we aren't going to work bullshit. I would have liked it if the murder/suspense element was would have been worked in throughout. Heavily. I knew it was Nathan that her mother saw. Just because Eva forgot about it doesn't mean that there shouldn't have been more hints worked in. At the end of the day this book is what it is. My review won't stop it from rocking best sellers lists and I am glad about that, because at the end of the day I'm just one girl with an opinion and we all know everybody has one.

Books with hype: Do they ever live up to expectations or do we just build them up to high?