LN Cronan

 My own lists:  Can't stand: Corrine -- she started manipulating Gideon even before she stepped foot in New York, and she was ruthless from day one. Yes, I feel bad that she got "help" being pushed over the edge, but all along she bore some responsibility for her actions up to and including the suicide attempt. Eva's right to hate her now. Dr. Anne Lucas -- another ruthless ex and I'm suspecting a real danger to Eva. Dr. Anne Lucas, M.D., Psychiatrist. Where did Corrine get the psychiatric medication that escalated her (Corrine). Monica -- I'm really angry at Monica for sleeping with Victor and for continuing to act like she (Monica) is some sort of victim of the past. I think Monica f***** her way out of trouble with Victor -- defused his anger by taking him to bed.  LOVE LOVE LOVE (besides Eva and Gideon, of course): Angus: not only for calling Eva "Mrs. Cross" but also for actually calling her "Eva" during the times when Eva is in need of a friend. I'll bet he calls his employer Gideon, rather than Mr. Cross, when Gideon is hurting. Victor: for the way he handled the truth about Nathan (aside from going to bed with Monica, that is.) Cary: for continuing to be the best friend Eva could ever have.

I have an Elizabeth Vidal related question, which ties into Elizabeth confronting Eva near the very end of Entwined and which stretches back into Reflected.  Timeline: Final weekend of Reflected (Saturday night) - Eva confronted Elizabeth for her (Elizabeth) further damaging the sexually traumatized child Gideon by failing to believe Gideon had been abused. Elizabeth's reaction was to still insist the abuse didn't happen and to defend herself for having had Gideon examined by pediatricians. Final Tuesday of Reflected - Gideon had chased Eva to Dr. Lucas' office, and from GPS tracking had known that Eva also had gone to Corrine's address earlier that morning. But Gideon also knew Eva had caused some sort of problem with Elizabeth.  Question: How did Gideon know something happened between Eva and Elizabeth over the weekend?  Possibilities: Did Elizabeth in fact call Gideon soon after that fight Eva picked with her and say something about it (maybe not the truth but possibly to claim his "ex" was a some sort of nutjob)? Or was Eva right at the end of Entwined to accuse Elizabeth of having not dared to say a thing about that first fight. If Elizabeth had in fact kept her mouth shut, then how did Gideon find out very soon after Eva had gone after his mother? Had  Christopher Jr. been the one who told Gideon that Eva somehow upset their mother the Saturday night Eva ran into the Vidals?

   Yep, Gideon already had a couch in that corner office -- ready made to nail Eva on. He really does like getting Eva underneath himself on an office couch, he does.Â

 Kudos to Gideon for providing full-disclosure when pressed. He knew that his sexual past did bug Eva enough to bring up the subject -- so he decided (wisely) to get it over with.  He was rewarded with the fact Eva did not freak out nor pick a fight -- she didn't go all Old-Eva-Insecure-and-Jealous on him. "You're different," he recognized (page 22). Duh, ya think. What he'd done to Eva ended up making her stronger, not breaking her in two.  I did want to give Gideon a proverbial smack off the side of his head for his reaction to Eva at first accusing him of having lied to her in the past about his sexual history (page 20). He thought that just because every word he did say technically had been true, that he'd never lied to Eva. Malarkey. His truths were only half-truths - he kept things from her. He even deliberately mislead Eva. That's lying by omission -- lying by not being 100% honest.  Ultimately, he'd figured out (later in the novel) that saying one thing while deliberately doing another thing constitutes very serious dishonesty. It was a lesson he'd learn the hard way.  He earned a second proverbial smack off the side of the head for calling Eva "catty" when snarked about the "Dumped by Gideon Sisterhood". Um, hello, just because he'd already made mad, passionate love to Eva, she no longer was entitled to be angry?  Not after all the agony he put Eva through -- including only two evenings earlier, he'd been caught red-handed (literally) touching Corrine in a tender way, hand at the small of her back, walking Corrine out of the Crossfire lobby, the place where Eva had first met him. That Eva had to see with her own eyes (not just some online photos) Gideon touching Corrine?  H.e.l.l. yes she'd been angry that Monday evening, and showed it by giving him the middle finger. Eva was even more entitled to be angry by the fact Gideon mistreated her (Eva) by deliberately being a cold S. of a B. to her weeks earlier.  I think he got it, though, when Eva responded to being called "catty" there in bed with him by pointing out "I wasn't trying to be a total b***. Just a little one. I think I'm entitled, all things considered." (page 21)  Most definitely -- especially because Eva is getting that anger out of her system -- doing it by feeling it. To respond by simply "letting everything go" or by denying her right to be angry would only drive the anger underground, where it would eat at her and eat away at the new foundation she and Gideon are trying to build.

Well, I was wrong about an important part of my biggest pet theory about what was going to happen with the murder case -- wrong about the part concerning key evidence immediately becoming  inadmissible within the two-week timeframe of Entwined (inadmissible because Detective Graves illegally questioned Eva about the actual break-up.)  I never saw coming the fact that someone would try to frame a gangster, a now conveniently-dead gangster. Well played, Sylvia -- well played indeed.  I was right about the fact Graves and her partner have NOT dropped the case. And I also was right about the fact the cops do have Eva under some sort of surveillance. Graves knew Gideon took Eva out of the country for a weekend (boy, that must have freaked out Graves if she is, in fact, still trying to build a case against Gideon.) And Eva was smart enough to figure Graves and her partner had been watching for her (Eva) to arrive home from work that day they approached her about the dead gangster.  So the huge question now is -- who did frame the gangster? My thought is Clancy. We know now he had Nathan under surveillance. Clancy likely knew the history of that bracelet Nathan always wore and which turned up on the gangster's corpse.) And Clancy has possible access to insider information about international crime gangs, because Clancy does have a brother in the FBI, an agency that handles organized crime.  For our international regulars, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the U.S.'s national police agency, and it handles only very specific types of crimes that cross state lines, including national and international "organized crime" like the Russia Mafia. The vast majority of criminal cases, included murders, are investigated not by the "Feds" but rather by the states in which the crimes are committed, where local and/or state police departments will handle the investigation. Gideon's murder case is a matter for the state of New York, and because the killing happened in New York City, the city's police department (NYPD) is investigating.  Because I don't buy for an instant there was any sort of actual connection between Nathan and a supposed sex trafficker. That sicko considered Eva to be his own sexual property and never would have stood for other men being allowed to use her body.  As things now stand, the murder case has gone "cold" -- which is NOT the same thing as closed. It's still "unsolved." To close it, the police would need to "solve" it by definitively pinning the crime on someone -- even if that person is dead. Solving a case means arresting someone, but it's not possible to arrest a dead murder. It is, possible, however to rule "the dead guy definitely did it" and that is the equivalent of an arrest. Graves still (correctly) views the dead gangster as some sort of loose end -- not THE end. Not yet.  Someone has inside knowledge about what Gideon did that night. Someone entered that room after Gideon left and removed the bracelet from the corpse. Until Gideon finds out who did -- and more importantly whether that person is friend or foe -- he's still in some sort of danger. Because a foe with inside knowledge is capable of turning state's evidence against Gideon, and if that foe could provide concrete evidence against Gideon (like eyewitness testimony) it might still be possible to attempt to get a conviction against Gideon at a trial.  If the person is "friend" and will keep quiet, then as things now stand, there's no way a prosecutor could get a conviction. The fact that it's clearly possible someone else committed the killing (the gangster) sheds doubt on the fact Gideon had done it. Solid "reasonable doubt" is all the defense needs for a slam-dunk acquittal. And under the U.S. Constitution, if Gideon were acquitted, never, ever again could he be charged with the murder. If the prosecution loses a trial, the case if over forever. The government isn't allowed to keep going after a defendant in order to try to win a trial a second time. So if there is a very real possibility the prosecution would lose, they won't dare go to trial. They'd rather sit tight and wait for new evidence that could turn the tide and make it possible for them to win. There's no expiration on a murder investigation.  Is Graves still trying to nail Gideon? That I'm not so sure of anymore. All I do feel certain of is that Graves hasn't yet let the matter drop. So just like we hopefully will find out whoever tampered with evidence (the bracelet) is friend or foe, we'll find out whether Graves too is friend or foe.

 Anne Lucas makes me really uneasy as a very real threat to Eva. I think it was Anne who pushed Corrine over the edge -- someone had been prescribing psychiatric drugs to Corrine, drugs she was having a bad reaction to -- drugs that were making the already bad situation with Corrine a lot worse. Anne is a psychiatrist -- a medical doctor, not simply a therapist. A doctor who can prescribe drugs. A specialist who prescribes psychiatric drugs.  Dr. Terry Lucas saw Corrine with Gideon the night Corrine crashed back into his (Gideon's) life. Corrine already was in crisis by then  -- had left her husband, moved to New York, was desperately chasing Gideon. The Lucases moved in the same social circles as Gideon's family, Corrine's family -- what if Anne Lucas immediately latched on to Corrine to "help" Corrine deal with the fact Corrine's life was in crisis, all along with the agenda to destroy Corrine in order to hurt Gideon.  Not that I'm letting Corrine off the hook by any means. She already was manipulating Gideon even while she still lived in Europe -- so she bears responsibility for trying to "use" him as a "friend" in order to get access to him. And she opened herself up to being used by Gideon. The bad drugs didn't create the situation -- the drugs simply escalated stuff that already had been wrong to begin with, including things that Corrine clearly was at fault about.  Yes, Corrine was desperate -- but she wasn't psychotic. She would have been clear-minded enough to know what suicide would have done to Gideon. A part of me wonders whether the suicide attempt was simply an "attempt"  -- a desperate last ditch effort to get Gideon back, not an actual plan to end her life.

Hi Paulatim! Â I think the reason Brett is still in the picture is subconsciously, Eva is punishing Gideon for Corrine. Â When Corrine had come back, she clearly was in love with Gideon and had an agenda -- getting back together with him. But Gideon thought (idiot!) is was possible for him to simply stay friends. Eva told Gideon, the night she met Corrine, that Gideon needed to nip Corrine's hopes in the bud and start weaning Corrine off, because it wasn't appropriate for Corrine to be involved with Gideon under the circumstances. Â So what's Eva doing now -- idiot herself right now? Trying to prove she can be "just friends" with an ex (Brett) who clearly is in love with her and clearly has an agenda to get her back. Simply having contact with Brett is sending the poor guy mixed messages -- the exact same thing Gideon was guilty of with Corrine. Â And what's the deal with taking Brett to Tableau One for dinner? That part of the story infuriated me, because it clearly was "payback time" for Gideon's first "date" with the Corrine weeks before. Â I say "infuriate" in a good way -- I thought it was an excellent plot twist. The characters are supposed to make me feel different emotions, including anger. And there were so many different psychological levels going on. Sylvia did an outstanding job, I think, by keeping Brett in the story.

Thoughts on Chapter 2: Â As hot as the make-up sex was, it was the let's-talk-about-Gideon's-sex-life that I especially enjoyed. Because even with her clothes off, New Eva was in charge -- and she wanted some answers about Gideon's sexual history. Â Old Eva would have let Gideon get away with his not-gonna-go-attempt to deflect her questions. Can't say that I blame him, because of what Old Eva would have immediately done with anything he did confess to her -- she'd pitch an insecurity-fueled fit, they'd end up fighting, and the ever-present danger she'd pulled a runner was there. Old Eva was partly responsible for Gideon avoiding the painful subjext of other women -- her acting out would trigger him to shut down. Â New Eva demanded straight answers about Gideon's past sex life: in general, exactly how often had he been getting laid, and specifically had he f***** Deanna. I find it interesting too, that New Eva's gut instinct -- not her raging insecurities - was right about the fact Deanna was one of his past sexual rejects. Â Old Eva would have simply assumed the worst: Deanna was brunette and beautiful and so Gideon had to have nailed her. New Eva had immediately recognized Deanna wants to hurt Gideon personally, and so Deanna's motive must be getting even for Gideon having hurt her (Deanna). The motive had to have been the proverbial "one he stuck his d*** in her (Deanna), he was done with her."Â

 WE ARE!!! GO FOR IT!!!!

YAY!!! 9:00 A.M. HAS PASSED, AND THE FUN STARTS NOW!!!

YAY!!! 9:00 A.M. HAS PASSED, AND THE FUN STARTS NOW!!!

Per the post in the other thread .... you can post her safely knowing that you won't accidentally "spoil the surprise" for someone not yet finished reading the book. Someone won't simply wander in here and "bam" find out about the stuff that happens. They're given fair warning we'll talk about details, so it gives those people a chance to avoid coming into the discussion YET. Gives them a chance to choose whether or not to find out stuff ahead of time.

 A "spoiler" is any sort of detail about some sort of fiction (novel, movie, TV series) that could "spoil the surprise" for someone who hasn't yet read the book, seen the film or show, etc. The ultimate form of spoiler is to "give away the ending." But a lesser form of spoiling is to reveal some sort of plot twist.  It's very much OK to write (or talk about) spoiler information IF clear warning is given beforehand that what someone is about to read (or hear) is a spoiler. It gives someone who hasn't yet read the book and wants to find out for himself/herself what happens to avoid reading (or listening) any further. It gives them a choice to walk away rather than --bam -- get blindsided by some important plot twists.  Labeling the two new threads this morning as "spoilers" gives people still reading the book -- or even have not yet been able to start the book -- fair warning that if they start reading the thread, certain surprises could get "spoiled" for them. It's a way to try to guarantee that posters dive in when they're READY to do so.  As an example, last week before the official release date, some people who managed to get copies early posted stuff on the Internet (like reviews on Goodreads) that talked about some things that happened in the book. People who didn't want to know yet -- wanted to read the actual book instead -- tried to avoid seeing spoilers. On this forum, some people did manage to get early copies too -- but there was a group consensus that (YAY!!!) people were absolutely excellent about -- we'd hold off on discussing any details about what happened until an agreed upon date -- the day after the U.K. June 6 release.  Some ladies out there are still going through their first reading of the book. So they know to avoid diving into these two threads marked "spoiler" until after they're all done. Meanwhile, people who have finished are safe to start posting here, knowing they're not going to inadvertently blindside someone.

 Professional reviewers have been positive -- and the best indicator of all is book sales. A book has to be good to sell millions upon millions of copies.  For some of the reviewers, I think they may have tried "chick lit" for the first time and didn't like the genre after all. OK, fine. I don't especially like science fiction as a genre. BUT .... I think some of those bad reviewers simply are frustrated would-be writers who trash real authors' work because the "reviewers" aren't capable of being professional writers themselves (the definition of professional is someone who is paid to write -- all forms of writing, not just novels.) Some of them feed their desire for others to read what they write by posting their writings to the Internet -- and seek attention by being negative. Taken to an extreme, some like this become "trolls" -- writing bad stuff purely to stir things up then sit back and watch with glee.  Not that I'm knocking Internet writing -- I think it's one of the best thing since sliced bread, because every single person has some spark of creativity and the Internet -- from social media to forums to blogs -- is the perfect place to be able to tap into the creativity of putting thoughts into words. And social media has revolutionized how we connect with the larger world.  But the majority of these people snarking on sites like Amazon are armatures with axes to grind. As Cary quipped about Magdalene the morning after the catfight she'd picked with Eva, "the b**** is jealous."  Many of the millions upon millions of readers who love the novel will give the best review of all -- positive word-of-mouth to people they know personally, family, friends and acquaintances who like to read too and who are interested in hearing about books actual people they know enjoyed. The next best thing, in my opinion, is the word of professional reviewers. Stuff like this -- word of mouth plus well-respected professional reviewers I trust -- is what intrigues me to choose books to read and films to see.

57 minutes to go before the flood gates open!!!

 T-minus 58 minutes and counting. It is 8:02 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time.  SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Already excited -- but the hottie picture is cranking me up into a frenzy  Good morning from the U.S. !!

Got the two new threads all set up to start going for tomorrow morning: 1. 2. Â

Per group consensus, we're going to kick off the in-depth discussion of Entwined with You starting Friday, June 7 - now the U.S. and U.K releases have happened and everyone's had a shot at reading. Â We're going to get going at 9 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time, which is the time slot the chapter snapshots were released each week. This is one of the two first threads, for fun going over the story as a whole. Getting this thread set ahead of tomorrow. Â The other new thread is called "Entwined - A Chapter A Day Discussion (contains spoilers)" for a group project to dive deep into one chapter per day, starting with Chapter 2, using the chapter snapshots as the springboard.

Per group consensus, we're going to kick off the in-depth discussion of Entwined with You starting Friday, June 7 - now the U.S. and U.K releases have happened and everyone's had a shot at reading. We're going to start at 9 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time, which is the time slot the chapter snapshots were released each week. Â This one of the two first threads: a group project to dive deep into one chapter per day. Because Chapter 1 was released (bless you, Sylvia) in May, we're starting with Chapter 2. Â Getting this thread set ahead of tomorrow. Â The other main thread to kick off Friday's festivities is called "SPOLIERS: Entwined with You Discussion" -- for fun going over the story as a whole. Â Snapshot for Friday, June 7 (Chapter 2): Â Â

 We're going to start with Chapter 2. We got the entire Chapter 1 about a month ago, along with part of Chapter 2. But we didn't get all of Chapter 2 until each of us got our copies of the whole novel.

Oh my. Â Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Hung is a very good thing, too.

I think we're all hot and bothered having just read such erotic love scenes this week .... again and again and again

 Nice and slow and long ..... and, um .....  (that sizzling sound is my brain frying!!!)