What I liked:
GOOD WRITING: I've read Sylvia Day in the past, and her writing flows. There are no annoying typos, actually I found one, but the novel is not typo-ridden, which seems to be a common thing with Kindle books. There was some repetition but the author's vocabulary is wide enough that you don't feel like you're reading the same thing over and over again.
FAST-PACED PLOT: The story moved along nicely. Something was always happening to move the story forward, but wasn't always sure which direction the story was heading in.
SETTING: Lots of modern references and brands mentioned, but not overdone. There's no doubt that we are in the high-flying world of upper class New York.
What I didn't like:
CHARACTERS: Everyone in this book is too perfect, at least on the outside. Can't remember how many times Gideon was referred to as the hottest, sexiest, fittest, most eligible, gorgeous [insert Adonis quality here] man in the city. And the heroine was physically attractive too, as was her roommate, and her gym instructor, her mother, the receptionist etc etc. It was a pity that everyone was model material and there were no ugly Smeagols anywhere, not even as interesting side characters.
SEX SCENES: It's hot, until it's not. There have got to be at least 20 sex scenes in the novel, double the number of orgasms, triple the number of references to Gideon's constant erections (was he on Viagra?) and an untold number of times that the characters moan each other's names. It gets a bit old. I began skipping the sex scenes, which became banal and to be honest, a bit of a turn OFF. Sometimes less really is more.
EMOTION: Or lack thereof. Gideon isn't subtle at all. He's like a two-year old who wants something and won't stop pouting until he gets it. He has a lot of pretty words and flashy gestures of love, but as he himself put it, romance isn't in his repertoire. If you're looking for a love story, Bared to You is not that. You won't find characters that come to the realisation of their feelings for each other through some intense emotional conflict. What you will find are two horny good-looking people intent on banging each other senseless who somehow, from the get go, have an urgent, desperate and unhealthy need for each other. How? Why? I'm still not sure.
OBSESSIVE POSSESSIVE STALKERISH BEHAVIOUR: As another reviewer mentioned, the cringe factor is pretty high in this book. If someone did what these characters do in real life, they would probably have restraining orders against them. For example, *** SPOILERS AHEAD - STOP READING HERE IF YOU HAVEN"T READ THE BOOK AND INTEND TO *** After Eva runs off from him the umpteenth time, he leaves Eva 21 messages in the space of about 30 minutes. 21. That's a lot of calls. Before that, he seems to have amassed all the information he can about her, from who she's living with (and his sexual orientation) through to whether or not her gym instructor is married. But Eva's no better because she signs up for Google alerts on his name. Like really? People do that? Later, Eva sends Gideon three, count them, THREE separate lots of flowers with messages in one day and then hand delivers him a gift. I mean, really? You don't think that's a tad bit much for just ONE day? I guess it isn't when your lover takes a photo of you sleeping in your own bedroom, then has your WHOLE bedroom recreated in his own home...to the detail. And that's just so when you need space, you can run off your to 'own' room without leaving his house. Eww. Eva's mother traces her cellphone, Gideon traces Eva's credit card - I mean, billionaires stalking people when they could be out yachting, travelling to exotic places, flying to the moon or whatever it is billionaires do?
Then there's the jealousy. Gideon is suspicious of any unfamiliar male that he hasn't got a file on and Eva is suspicious of every female in Gideon's life, even his mother (!!). Both characters are so insecure, their actions become laughable. ["Hello," he purred, his icy gaze on Martin. "Introduce us."] Sexy and possessive? Or just plain rude?
At the end of the day, I liked this book, but I didn't. Sylvia Day has made a good business decision to capitalise on 50 shades (which I haven't read because I didn't care for the kindle sample I received) and I still like her writing skills. She creates vivid scenes and has great command of language. But I'm not crazy about some aspects of 'Bared' so I probably won't read the rest of the series. I don't give a toss about Gideon's inner demons, and Eva seems to have it together (she's a likeable heroine). There were so many declarations of LOVE(from Eva) and NEED(from Gideon) that its already clear from this first instalment that the two will be sticking with each other through thick and thin while copulating fast and furiously. Glad I read part one, but not holding my breath for part II.
