Reflected in You by Sylvia DaySeries: Crossfire #2
Published by: Berkley Trade on October 2, 2012
Genre: Contemporary, Erotica, Romance
Pages: 338
Source: Purchased
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Rating: ★★★½
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...
Reflected in You was both an amazing and difficult book for me to get through. It had many of the same elements as Bared to You—the sexiness, the intensity, and the emotional drama… But it was also ten times more frustrating!
To start with, Gideon began closing himself off. In Bared to You things were difficult for Gideon and Eva, but they communicated extremely well. Gideon’s communication completely went out the window in Reflected in You. He was hiding things from Eva for seemingly no reason. It all comes together and makes sense in the end, but it doesn’t change the fact that I was frustrated as hell for 98% of the book. That is the exact percentage by the way—I checked on my Kindle. Gideon hides a massive secret for the entire book. Eva is pissed. Eva’s friends are pissed. I’m fucking pissed… I honestly just sat there wondering, “What happened to the amazing communication I talked about in Bared to You??”
Gideon plays the entire book hot and cold. One minute he’s confessing his never-ending affections for Eva, proclaiming that she “saved him” and among other things.. and the next, he’s totally ignoring her. Cue hair pulling. It took so long for the truth to come out that I literally thought the story would just leave us hanging, and that annoyed me (though it didn’t end up happening).
Even though everything works out at the end, I feel like it wasn’t enough to rescue my enjoyment of the book. I was pissed off and frustrated for too long. I still enjoyed Reflected in You—just not to the same extent as Bared to You. At around the 70% mark, I actually started noting down all the unanswered questions in fear that they wouldn’t be resolved, and I wanted to be able to check back and remember whether or not they were. Luckily, I think all of my questions were resolved to some extent (some not satisfyingly so), but it just took too damn long.
Reflected in You was the hot, steamy sex story I hoped it would be. Emotions are high, stakes are high, and two young people are struggling to make a chaotic, broken relationship work. It’s intense, it’s hot.. and it’s frustrating as hell. Sometimes I was pissed off and wishing I’d just get some answers, and sometimes I was nearly brimming with tears. This book yanked me in a thousand different directions! The downside is that it did read like a bit of a filler book. In hindsight, not much actually happens. It’s the same problems from Bared to You but different scenarios. Different ways for Eva to doubt Gideon’s loyalty. Different ways for Gideon to feel possessive and controlling. The same way for them to reconcile again and again (sex, and more sex). On the bright side, Reflected in You was good enough to keep me hooked and I read it nearly in one sitting.
Reflected in You was still hot and sexy and emotional, but I was looking for something new. I am hoping the third book will be better and give us more new material to work with!
The Verdict
I agree I was frustrated the whole time with Gideon and even though it all came together in the end I wasn’t satisfied. There were a bit of swoon worthy moments though like in the car when Ana said she’d never leave him because she’s going to marry him a d they had that sexy make out but still. I wish answered were given earlier on in the book!
I’m glad you felt the same way! It’s a bummer, but at least I’m not alone in my frustration LOL!
Hopefully book 3 will be more satisfying for both of us. 🙂
That’s quite frustrating 🙁 but I’m glad that the hot, steamy part is not disappointing 😉
From your review, it sounds like I may be better off waiting until the third book is released before reading this one. I really enjoyed Bared to You, I’d rather wait and not get frustrated with the series.
Thanks for the review!
That sounds like a very good idea! 🙂 I do have high hopes for book #3!
I feel so left out! haha! I haven’t even read the first book! There are just so many books to read.
That kind of frustration happens in sequels, I guess. I’m sure the third book will be better.
I hope so!! *fingers crossed*