If you got an email that read (I’m paraphrasing for brevity) We’ve got the book that’s going to take you beyond 50 Shades of Grey, and right over to 50 Shades Hotter what would you say?

 

Well, if you were me, you’d say Send it Over!  out loud, and What, am I the resident lady porn expert?… out loud also. (Well known that I have no filter.)

 

And that was my introduction to Bared to You, the New York Times bestselling erotic romance novel written by Sylvia Day.  Did you catch that?  New York Times, Besteller, romance and erotic. All in one sentence.  Hope for all of us romance lovers everywhere.  We’re going mainstream (but we’re not selling out.)

 

I can tell you that while, E.L. James opened up the floodgates and mainstreamed lady porn women’s erotica into Costco, Day has taken the genre one step farther with this novel, the first in her new Crossfire series (Who doesn’t like a series?  I mean, that way, you get to know the characters intimately.  Pun intended.)

 

What it’s about:  In Bared to You we’re introduced to new college graduate Eva Tramell. Determined to make it without her wealthy step-father’s help, Eva takes a job as an assistant at an ad agency in New York City.  She decides to test the route to her office the day before she starts, and once she’s arrived, fatefully enters the Crossfire building, rushing to help a woman recover the contents of her purse after it catches on a turnstile (I mean, who hasn’t that happened to?  Oh, just me?).  Kneeling to pick up a dropped nickel her life changes on a dime.  Because the moment she looks up from the ground to see a pair of black leather oxfords immovable next to her, she knows something incredible is about to happen.  When she sees the face that matches the elegantly tailored suit, she melts, and when Gideon cross kneels down to help her, she is caught up in an unavoidable electric current.  Shaken and dry mouthed from the encounter, and instantly attracted to the incredibly handsome young man, she hightails it out of the office building, hoping against hope that she’ll never see him again.

 

Boy, is she ever wrong.  The two do meet again, and the attraction is unavoidable and palpable.  Eva and Gideon immediately embark on an emotionally, sexually charged, and incredibly intense roller coaster ride of a relationship.

 

With Bared to You, Sylvia Day evokes deep-seated questions such as whether love at first sight really exists, and how much a person can truly overcome a troubled past.  Her two characters move so quickly in and out of their relationship, bringing to mind the intense feelings of young lust and love, and the hazards of jumping in too quickly.

 

What I loved:  We’ll start with the technical stuff.  Sylvia Day can write.  Quite well, actually.   I hate that her book is being compared to 50 Shades of Grey, because while EL James created a tension-filled, must read story, she can’t string the words together coherently, plain and simple.  Day also seems to know a lot about sex.  But, also unlike 50 Shades, it’s approachable and honest sex.  It’s tricks and activities us regular folk might try. There are undertones of sub/dom play, but generally, you don’t need to go to a special store to act the erotic scenes out (not that I tried to, of course).

I’m intrigued by Gideon and Eva.  Day has created two characters who are are immensely complicated, frustrating, and completely engrossing.  Gideon is strong, controlling, extremely wealthy, and wise beyond his 28 years.  Eva is beautiful, rich, smart, but ultimately confused and emotionally damaged.  They are surrounded by friends and family who are equally troubled as the main characters.  I was left wanting more, which is essential in a series.

What I didn’t like:  I still struggle with characters that are so young and who have achieved so much. Sometimes I found that Gideon’s voice was too old or mature for a 28-year old.  Also, I was left wanting more, and I hate waiting.

 

Unputdownable Factor:  11/10 (I would have read it in one day, but I didn’t start until 10 pm on the first night)

Recommend Factor:  10/10 (So much better than 50 Shades.)

 

Words to describe this book:  sexy, frustrating, steamy, intriguing, romantic, intelligent

 

WIN A COPY OF BARED TO YOU!

How would you like to get your dirty girl on? Comment below and tell me why you want to read Bared to You.  I’ll choose a random winner on July 1, so you can read your hot romance in the heat of the summer. 

Thanks to Penguin Canada for providing this book for me to give away.