Andie

[Hi, sscrph! Perhaps I wasn't being clear about it. I revisit and revise, then *wink*]

 

Ladies,

 

Do you realize there's a yoyo pattern in every other chapter throughout the book?

 

From the whole 22 chapters, there'll be 11 conflicts and resolutions for the characters, especially the main characters.

 

 

When we reach chapter 10, it's the 8th day of the story and we already got 5 conflicts and resolutions:

Chapter 1: The mystery of the Dark and Dangerous' Identity

Resolution: Identity Revealed

 

Chapter 3: The Unresolved Cerebrally Humorous Arguments

Resolution: The Circumvent

 

Chapter 5: The Soon-To-Be-Fulfilled Intimately Dark Promise

Resolution: Dark, Indeed: Postcoitus Funk

 

Chapter 7: The Cut Off

Resolution: The Deal: Exclusivity

 

Chapter 9: Excruciatingly Devalued

Resolution: Letting You In

 

 

What do you think?

Chapter 9

 

My favorites

 

1. line: What flavor smoothie did you go for? (p. 130)

 

2. paragraph: That did the trick, although I could tell he was unhappy about it. He'd just have to get over it (p. 127)

 

3. scene: Gideon calling Eva "the owner's girlfriend" in front of Daniel

 

 

Peruse away, ladies

Hello, ladies

 

 

Chapter 3

 

 

1. My favorites

line: Seeing him from behind was a revelation (p. 39)

 

paragraph: The strength and demand of his will exuded in almost tangible force field. When he stepped close enough, it surrounded me, closing me in with him. Everything outside that bubble ceased to exist, while inside it my entire body strained towards his. That he had such a profound, visceral effect on me while being so **** irritating had my mind spinning. How could I be so turned on by a man whose words should've turned me completely off? (p. 43)

 

scene: Gideon abruptly yanked himself away

 

And, of course, I really enjoy the cerebrally humorous arguments in Gideon's office. *LOL*

 

 

2. On their fourth encounter, Gideon could already read Eva almost like an open book. Simply by examining her facial expression and body language, he instantly made a conclusion that something's wrong and demanded her to inform him. This elevator scene convinced me even more that he's very observant when it came to Eva. And honestly, it brought a major shift in his character. As a reader, I was introduced to a professional, authoritative, impassive, straightforward mega mogul Gideon until his concluding statement and fully alert inquiry revealed his protective side. I kept thinking that it was his first time to ever express interest in someone else's well-being. In this context, that particular someone's from the opposite sex and non-blood related he'd just met five days ago. It must've been a quantum leap for him to give that kind of response.

*ooops.. typo, supposed to be: crossfired sigh*

 

Chapter 8

 

My favorites

1. line: There's a learning curve (p. 115)

 

2. paragraph: He caught my hand when we cleared the turnstiles, linking his fingers with mine. The simple, intimate gesture meant so much to me in that moment that my grip tightened on his. And I'd really have to watch out for that. The moment I became grateful he was spending time with me would be the beginning of the end. Neither of us would respect me if that happened (p. 124). By holding Eva's hand publicly, Gideon once again showed me there's something profound in his way of touching Eva. He started to communicate with Eva in a whole different level. Unfortunately, I don't think that at this moment Eva could fully grasp the meaning of his message.

 

3. scene: Gideon and Eva brushed their teeth side by side.

 

 

Btw, do you realize there's a yoyo pattern in every other chapter? (conflict/UP--resolution/DOWN)

 

 

Peruse away, ladies.

It's said in Chapter 7 that Gideon left "a couple of messages" (p. 109) in Eva's voice mail. I've been wondering about the quantity, the content, the duration, and the interval between them. I hope someday in the near future Sylvia would allow me to hear, eerrr... read those messages *puppy eyes*

 

[imagining the short sentences.... the long pauses... the various intonations in saying "Eva"... the escalating frustating tone as the messages ignored... *crossfired sgh*]

*starting the posting with the chapter I missed*

 

Chapter 2

 

1. My favorites

line: I'm sure that's a universal effect (p. 20)

paragraph: Steven shrugged. "I don't want to say it's overrated, 'cause clearly I'm the worng demographic and I had a very limited sampling, but I can do without." (p. 23)

scene: Gideon's arm brushed against Eva's as he adjusted his perfectly knotted tie.

 

 

2. From his many encounters and interactions with Eva in this chapter, I realized how tactile Gideon was as a person. He would deliberately do any physical contact, no matter how light and slight it was, with Eva. And to his advantage, Eva's clumsiness has resulted in pleasurable physical contact. However, his intentional touch wasn't a mere intimacy-seeking stunt. There's something profound in his being a tactile person whenever Eva's around. Up to this point, I got the impression that it's important for him to feel Eva's whole existence and it's even crucial for him that Eva could notice only him. I'm sure as the story develops it's going to be his own special way of communicating (in its broadest sense) with Eva.

Chapter 7

 

My favorites:

line: I'm here for Eva (p. 111) The "I' gave a strong impression that HE was the one who had the initiative and Eva's the (only) one that drived him. Would've been different if he said "Eva's promised me a luch date"

 

paragraph: I'd bared my emotions in the limo and still felt horribly vulnarable-a state I'd spent countless theraphy hours learning to avoid. I wanted nothing more than to be home and hidden, freed from the pressure of acting like I was completely pulled together when I was anything but (p. 104)

 

scene: Eva crossed her arms in Gideon's office.

 

 

GTG now. Hopefully I can come back later with more thoughts about Eva's being on an autopilot mode and the personal note Gideon wrote along with the roses.

 

Peruse away, ladies *wink*

Chapter 1

 

 

1. My favorites

 

line: Coffee is one of my major food groups (p. 15)

paragraph: As he stared back, he altered... as if a shield slid away from his eyes, revealing a scorching force of will that sucked the air from my lungs. The intense  magnetism he exuded grew in strength, becoming a near-tangible impression of vibrant and unrelenting power (p. 5)

scene: Eva sprawled in front of Gideon.

 

 

2. The main thing that captured my attention was the invisible magnetic pull and the tangibly electric chemistry between GidEva (Gideon and Eva). It's irrational, but well acknowledged by the two of them.

 

 

3. Despite the fact that Eva's a sexy stunning woman, I believe it's her emotions and gestures that struck Gideon the most. She's pleased when she reached the

Crossfire building then she made that very move: tilting her head back and looking up at the building. I'm guessing here, but I think it had something to do with Gideon's childhood. To some extent, the way she felt and did the ordinary deeds subconsciously triggered a long-time-suppressed memory of Gideon's. It's similar with the way he used to feel and do towards his late father. He kinda had a flashback, as if he saw himself as a child in Eva without her even knowing that she's mirroring little Gideon. *Can you imagine a scene of a young dark-haired Gideon's pleased face followed by the tipping-his-tiny-head-back movement in order to look up at his towering father?*

 

Perhaps this will help explain my way of thinking:

Eva (pleased+tilting her head back) looking up at the Crossfire Building (Gideon's words: with excitement, a little awe, and a little intimidation): from her point of view, the building is impressive.

 

little Gideon (pleased+tilting his head back) looking up at Geoffrey Cross (my guess: with excitement, a little awe, and a little intimidation): from his point of view, his father is incredible (if not the best).

 

I assumed it took only a split second for Gideon to consciously shove the dim memory back to its hidden place and let his current imagination preoccupy his head. The latter's shown in RIY p. 13.

 

It does seem like a wild speculation, but that's how I try to rationalize the Gideon-saw-Eva moment.

*finally got my account rectified. thanks to Sylvia and the admin team*

 

Hello,

 

I'm a newbie. I must say that the RIY thread has persuaded me to buy and read both SD's books. Thank you, LN Cronan and GiGi. Your postings were the highlights for me. It feels like attending lectures about various subjects and leaving the room being completely enlightened.  And the Crossfire series is, indeed, an enigmatic love story.

 

Now I know I'm soo behind with this Read-A-Chapter-A-Day project, but I'd like to share my thoughts. Thank you, LN Cronan for clearly stating that "there's no set schedule for which chapters to discuss." To keep up with all of you, I'll try to post 2 chapters every day: one chapter that I missed and one that you're all currently reading. Hope you don't mind.

 

Oh, one more thing. Eva's 24 (BTY, p. 306)

Hello, Sylvia

 

I'm Andie. I finally got my account rectified. Thanks to you and the admin team.

 

I must say that the RIY thread has persuaded me to read and buy the Crossfire series. It's, indeed, an enigmatic love story. IMO, it has a lot to offer than a titillating romance. It's Gideon and Eva's enigmatic journey to claim their true selves back with a touch of cerebrally humorous arguments between the characters.

 

Really hope you'd entertain me more with the arguments between GidEva (Gideon and Eva).

 

[Edit: 04/05/13]

 

I think I need to be specific about the thread. It's the RIY spoiler thread that I meant to address. And I have to add that A couple of questions thread is really interesting.

 

You're so lucky to have many dedicated members in this forum.