I’ll admit that after about 100 pages of Fifty Shades of Grey, I put it down and decided that adult romance was probably not for me. Granted, it was my first foray into what my grandmother calls “spicy” fiction. After reluctantly picking up Bared to You following the effusive praise of some trusted friends, I can see that I was wrong to judge the genre by one book. Bared to You has all the depth of character and passionate twists and turns that make the spicy pages believable and (dare I say?) fun.
Twenty-four year old Eva Trammell is moving to New York City for a new job and a fresh start. With her best friend Cary, she’s managed to eke out a sense of stability and happiness in a life that was once marred by abuse and assault. But all of that stability is washed away in an instant when she (literally) runs into Gideon Cross, the owner of the skyscraper containing her office and multimillion-dollar businessman besides. Cross has inky black hair, icy blue eyes, piles of money—and an insatiable desire to possess Eva.
This was the point in Fifty Shades where I was rolling my eyes; it’s not enough for the handsome, wealthy, broody man to like the protagonist, he also has to own her body? But Eva is no Anastasia Steele, and, since she’s just as physically attracted to Cross as he is to her, she agrees to date him, but on her own terms. And that is where the story truly takes off, with their passion for each other revealing the darkest secrets and impulses inside them.
It would be disingenuous to claim that the sexual relationship is not part of the appeal of this book, but I’d like to make the case that it’s not the only appeal. Sylvia Day, a veteran of romance writing, creates a protagonist who is damaged, but strong and sensible and fiercely protective of herself and her needs. And Cross? He is at turns attentive and distant, tender and cruel, and cares for Eva in an irresistibly savage way. Cross—and Day—managed to cajole my twenty-first century, modern self into temporarily embracing the fantasy of being possessed by and obsessed with an assertive and hot-blooded man like Cross. And for that reason, it is my number one pick for seasoned adult romance readers and readers who are just exploring the genre.
The best part? The sequel Reflected in You is already available here at the library, and the third book in the series is set to be released next May.