Summary:
Gideon Cross. Falling in love with him was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. It happened instantly. Completely. Irrevocably.
Marrying him was a dream come true. Staying married to him is the fight of my life. Love transforms. Ours is both a refuge from the storm and the most violent of tempests. Two damaged souls entwined as one.
We have bared our deepest, ugliest secrets to one another. Gideon is the mirror that reflects all my flaws … and all the beauty I couldn’t see. He has given me everything. Now, I must prove I can be the rock, the shelter for him that he is for me. Together, we could stand against those who work so viciously to come between us.
But our greatest battle may lie within the very vows that give us strength. Committing to love was only the beginning. Fighting for it will either set us free … or break us apart.
Review:
One With You is the 5th and final book in the Crossfire series by Sylvia Day and Boy Oh Boy have I been waiting for this. I began reading the Crossfire series a few years ago, after finishing 50 Shades of Grey by E.L James, Amazon recommend I purchase it and I owe my gratitude to Amazon for introducing me to such a wonderful series. I have loved each and every book in this series and I can’t believe it is over.
It is a bittersweet feeling…
Firstly if you are new to this series then none of these books can be read as a standalone, they each follow on from one another therefore you need to start from the beginning. But don’t let this put you off because I actually re-read the first four books before reading One With You in a matter of days, they are easy to get into and you will be hooked from the beginning.
If you are a fan of the 50 shades of Grey trilogy then you will see similarities but they are also remarkably different, the Crossfire series spans over a shorter time period therefore there is more detail packed into these books without quickly jumping from one moment to the next. The Crossfire series also incorporates a lot of heavy content, such as child abuse, rape and emotional trauma. As the story develops we get to see Eva and Gideon embark on a truly emotional journey together and as a reader I myself felt sympathy for them which Sylvia Day as an author, has to pat herself on the back for. She managed to create so many emotions from me as a reader out of this series, she did a fantastic job engaging me and no doubt so many others into the world of Gideon Cross.
When reading some series, there is usually a weak link somewhere. A book that isn’t quite up to par as the rest of the books but for me this wasn’t the case for the Crossfire Series, I have felt fully intrigued as to what would happen next as well as feeling engaged throughout. Just as you think finally things are looking up for Gideon and Eva, something crawls out of the past and things take a turn again. This is one of the many things I love about this series, its ability to keep me engaged, interested and shock me. I never knew what to expect and considering I have read the first 4 books in particular 3 times now and I still feel as intrigued and excited says a lot about the series. It doesn’t matter if you read them over and over again, you won’t get bored.
One thing I have to say about this final book was I was ever so slightly disappointed but as you notice this isn’t reflected in the rating because I gave it 5 stars. Why? Well because it isn’t anything actually to do with the book itself, its my own wishes. Like anybodies favourite series, you don’t want it to end. I wanted to carry on reading and hear about Eva and Gideon beginning to work together or starting a family. Therefore my little disappointed feeling was simply that, my hope that the ending wouldn’t really ever come.
Perhaps somewhere in the future Sylvia Day may write a little snippet of what could of happened next? That or I will scour the internet for fan-fiction to see what wonderful creative writers have come up with!
Now as previously mentioned I decided to rate One With You 5 stars, I decided this based on how easily I got into the book, how it kept me engaged throughout as well as how I felt it to have kept up with the previous 4 books. One With You is just as romance and action packed as the first 4 books, it has continuously kept its pace throughout each novel and One With You also had the ability to shock me. The ending of this book which I won’t reveal because nobody likes a spoiler sue, was something I never saw coming and the secrets that were revealed were equally just as shocking, this wasn’t something that was hinted at or you could decipher for yourself. It truly comes from nowhere, one minute everything is fine and the next your wondering what the heck just happened!
Now as I mentioned I personally wished the ending had more so I could read on and on, realistically I also have to mention how wonderful the ending is to the story itself. After 5 books of drama and hope for contentment for this couple it is absolutely wonderful to finally have a happy ending, to see them content with each other and able to move forward with their lives and embark on new journeys.
In terms of writing style, Sylvia Day embarks on a unique writing technique for One With You, she firstly uses alternative points of view from Gideon to Eva to present a well rounded story. As readers we get to see a larger picture through the eyes of both protagonists, we get to experience their feelings as well as their hopes. Additionally to this, the nightmares which are a large part to the story as they haunt both protagonists are also shown, through either Gideon or Eva’s perspectives when ever they experience a nightmare Sylvia Day incorporates there dream and nightmare into the story. Presented in italics so we can decipher that this isn’t reality, we are able to read the harrowing memories they each faced and the fears they have. This added another element to the reading experience of the book because we were able to be taken into the past and understand what happened to both Gideon and Eva, this also makes us feel sympathy for the characters on a stronger level.
Finally I just want to reference the series as a whole, I commend Sylvia Day on her incorporation of the deeper subject issues such as rape and abuse. She did not just simply graze upon these subjects either they are weaved throughout the story and they play a large part in both protagonists lives. The series does not touch upon the events happening but rather how Gideon and Eva both suffered as children and as adults the series shows how emotionally scared they still are. This is shown through the therapy moments as well as the nightmares they each experience. As well as this Cary is another character who is an abuse survivor. The series shows the long journey they face to try and gain their lives back and their attempts to take back their happiness which was stolen from them, as each book ends you see how they are able to do this in some way or other or we see moments they are knocked back.
Furthermore the reality of these books is also something that kept me so interested and ultimately why I love them, the world of Gideon Cross is of that of a billionaire but it is easy to be drawn into his world, when Chris Senior finds out about Gideon’s Abuse he handles it in a way which I would expect to be very realistic, Gideon’s exchanges with his mother are also what I expect to be realistic.There is no rush for resolution and it is not forced upon the story as it strives for a happy ending, instead not everything is resolved. Like life, not everything will be perfect and this series touches upon that perfectly.
I am so sad to see the end to this series, Sylvia Day is truly a wonderful writer therefore I definitely have to check out her other work. Its sad to have to say goodbye to Gideon and Eva knowing there won’t be another book regarding them but there story has been heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. It’s strange how emotionally attached you can get to characters in a book, Bared with you was released in 2012 so you can imagine that this series has been a part of my life for 4 years. That’s a long time!
However as you may know the rights for this book series were acquired by Lionsgate for a television series. I believe this was in 2013, I hope that one day this is used. I would love to see Gideon and Eva’s story on screen.
Have you read this series? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, I would love to discuss this with you!
Get To Know The Author:
Sylvia Day (aka S. J. Day and Livia Dare) is the #1 New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of over 20 award-winning novels sold in more than 40 countries. She is a #1 bestselling author in 28 countries, with tens of millions of copies of her books in print. Her Crossfire series has been optioned for television by Lionsgate. Visit her atwww.sylviaday.com, Facebook.com/AuthorSylviaDay and on Twitter @SylDay.
Useful Links:
Goodreads – One With You | Goodreads – Sylvia Day | Book Depository – FREE WORLDWIDE DELIVERY| Sylvia Day.com
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