Mam2e

I hope that Elizabeth Vidal finally comes to her senses and admits what she did was wrong.  I think that then Gideon and his mother will be able to finally make peace with one another.

A almost feel sorry for Elizabeth ,imagine having to look at youseself in the mirror after you find out your son was telling the truth about being sexually abused and you didn't believe him.How do you ever get over the fact that you've failed your child in such a fundamental way ?

I really don't think that Eva will cheat.  Look at what she has with Gideon.  Here's a man who loves her unconditionally; flaws and all!  I don't think that she would risk that.  I wonder however if Brett might force himself on Eva and what would happen if Gideon walked in at the wrong moment?  What do you think?  What does everyone think?

Morning Gigi

A big part of me agrees with what you've said above.Eva has taken big leaps in growth in a lot of ways ,we see her as more assertive with the people in her life .She's managed due in part to what Gideon did for her to overcome her issues with jealousy so really big ups to her.With the whole Brett issue I have great confidence that she wouldn't fall into bed with him but I also think until she understands clearly why she gets hot and bothered around him ,why the memories of-the past resurface with such intensity that they have an impact today even though she's in love with someone and what it is about herself that seems to need the kind of attention he gives her she's not in a place where she can say she's resolved the issue and my fear which some posts from yourself and other members of the forum have helped me with is what would happen if he caught her at a weak moment and upped the ante on his seduction would she be able to say no decisively because she has struggled to put up firm boundaries with him and also struggled to say no at times .Like other folks have commented she does need to see Dr Travis to clear up some historical as well as present issues .

If Brett forced himself on Eva I think she would kick his a s s before the deed was done ,I expect Cary would help with that .I don't even want to think what Gideon would do.

I hope I didn't give anyone the wrong impression.  I don't think Sylvia will take this couple down a path where they aren't faithful to each other.  I think their story is learning to deal with the way their past is impacting their present which includes bad choices of s*xual lovers. 

 

I don't like Brett at the moment, however, if Eva is in a situation where Brett aggressively tries to recreate any part of Golden he will go down.  The same with Gideon, he will not hurt Eva again with an old paramour.

Well said Sharon and nobody wants this couple to go down such a dark path .I have more confidence in Gideon though as he was never in l u s t with an ex while with Eva.I do believe Gideon is partly responsible for the Brett factor when he didn't heed her warning about Corinne back in Bared.

So perfect !!

I agree but I really can't see Eva or Gideon giving up what they have for a roll in the hay with someone else.  I hate when I really like a character and they take that path.  It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  I recently read a book where the main character got drunk and ended up in bed, but never did anything, with a guy.  I just couldn't cheer for her anymore.

Your first statement is comforting until I go back for a re-read then I'll pick up stuff and drive myself crazy again.For instance when She told Brett she was going to SD she specified "just me and Cary"why ?Anyway ....totally understand about not being able to cheer for a character that crosses that line it sort of damages the integrity of the character.

There is no way she would cheat. However she does need to let go of Brett.

I really really hope she doesn't cheat ,I've had low grade anxiety about cheating since we came across Brett and he made her feel stuff.Its very tough to predict/relate to the actions of people who have gone through and are as damaged as Eva and Gideon ,Sylvia says she's the narrator so who knows where these two characters will take her but I hope it's not down that road.

Hiya

Before Eva's dad put her in touch with Dr Travis, Eva's self-respect and self esteem were non existent. She debased herself, throwing herself at Brett at every opportunity, she wanted and needed to be loved. She was desperately ashamed of her past, doing what she did.

She hoped Brett would fill that void, but all he wanted was the sex. Didn't care where he got it, he was an immature boy, he still is to some extent.

Eva needs to go to SD to lay her ghosts to rest. She needs to sort out her relationship with Brett once and for all.

Tx Julie .Absolutely right she needs to go to SD perhaps when she gets insight on why she has these feelings for Brett we will too.Out of the whole book it's the one thing I've been bugged about.

This was a question by someone on Facebook and I thought it was quite relevant

 

We have no background on Monicas family, I think there are reasons she never shared with Eva for her total lack of explanation, Monica and Eva are almost russian blonde in looks, even Gideon has stated sometimes Eva was like an Ice Princess...I believe that Monica kept her child against her families expectations because she wanted Victors child...but Victor already had plans to be a cop, or was in police academy.....I think Monicas family has ties to Russian Mob...Monica grew up secured with wealth, when she was disowned, she did what she could to secure safety for herself and Eva....stayed clear of Victor even tho she wanted him....she reconized Victor was a GOOD guy, knew she by association could hurt him, took great pains to keep herself clear, then there is always the possibility Monicas family threatened Victor, sooo again Monica established a safety net of wealth for herself and Eva so that she could combat them if they TRIED later to threaten herself, or her daughter. She has married wealthy men, all with protection, and made Evas protection an obession....of course the Nathan thing gave her more cause to become obessed...so she did. But this is just my speculation.

This is so possible.

Brett is still seeing Eva as a v a g I n a on legs. His comments about being inside her, and feeling her, are proof that he doesn't love her, or taking her feelings into account. He may have been holding a torch for her, but for all the wrong reasons. He is still the same Brett. He needs to grown up. I would like to think he doesn't know about the sex tape, but I won't hold my breath about it. The jury's out on that one.

Hi Julie

I think you're absolutely right .I don't much care about Brett and what he is feeling and what he feels wouldn't be relevant if I didn't feel that Eva reciprocates some of those feelings.I badly like everyone else want her and Gideon to be happy together without the exes but every time she interacts with Brett I can't help feeling she's gonna mess up in a big way .What is it do you think about Brett for Eva ?

Agree!! One note though, Corrine broke the engagement, not the other way around. She did it as an ultimatum, hoping it would finally make Gideon fight for their relationship (because all along, he hadn't been). It backfired, though -- he was secretly relieved she called off the engagement, and he let her walk.

 

She walked right to Jean-Francois, however -- someone Gideon knew too back then and thought was a nice guy. So Corrine didn't pull a kah-ray-zee back seven years ago (which is when the relationship with Gideon ended with a broken engagement). She obviously married JFG on the rebound.

 

But spent years since then still holding the Gideon torch. Her marriage started to fall apart over it. But something made her desperate, and that something was NOT Eva. Corrine hadn't even known about Eva's existence yet when she dramatically decided to move back to New York. She booked a flight and then called Gideon on a Saturday night (New York time, which actually meant pre-dawn hours in France) "in crisis" to ask him to be on hand when she arrived in New York, because she needed his help to settle in.

 

I think the "crisis" was finding out about her unplanned pregnancy -- she decided to scramble in order to use the pregnancy to trap Gideon, figuring a baby was her best desperate shot at getting him to promise to marry her the instant her divorce became final.

Yup ! I think you're spot on.

You know my opinion ladies!! Prostitution! If its not I will eat crow pie!

Laughing out loud at that Julie.

If another relative, like a grandparent, set up a trust fund, her parents couldn't take it away. That's one possibility.

 

I still think she got some rich man and powerful man to take care of her, though, and yet got "burned" by the fact he didn't marry her. So I'm thinking mistress. I don't think Monica is past breaking up a marriage. Besides, a lot of powerful men break their own first marriages on their own, looking for beautiful second (or even third) wives much younger than they are. Perhaps she thought she'd landed one, and when the guy didn't marry her, the life lesson she learned was to be very pragmatic of forcing guys to chase all the way to the altar itself. Make them work hard for it and refuse to settle for anything less than matrimony.

I can sort of see that but being a mistress is not such a big deal in relative terms and what she seemed to want to tell Eva sounded more ominous.

Hi Mam2

What I want to know is, how long was Monica married to Barker for. She divorced him when Eva's abuse came out at 14. They were married for at least four years. What did Monica do before that? How did she cope financially?

She has something bad she is hiding from Eva.

Hi Julie

I have no clue but at a wild guess she could have had a trust fund that her parents couldn't interfere with but that's just pure speculation.I agree it sounds like she's hiding something bad .

Hi Sharonm745,

You said that beautifully! I also don’t think that Monica would have been an escort either.  You made a really good point about being presented in society.  I think that if anything, Monica may have been fed a bunch of lies as a young woman who didn’t necessarily know the ways of men and of the world.  That would be a far cry from being a kept mistress or an escort. 

 

I hope we get the opportunity to see what makes Monica tick.  Something tells me that there is quite a story there.  I think that she does love Eva as well.  Monica just doesn’t know how to have a healthy with her daughter and that is sad.   Thank you. 

Hi GiGi and SharonM745

I also don't think Monica was ever an escort ,I do think that her marriages have been transactional which is a different kind of selling yourself ,I think she sold her body ,beauty and yes her soul the only assets she perceived herself as having for financial security social standing and I think that the financial security was more for Eva's sake and less about herself .I think once she got pregnant with Eva she gave up on being with the man she loved Victor which must have been a great sacrifice because given how she grew up she learned to equate financial security and social standing with happiness and she wanted that security for her daughter even if it was at great cost to herself and she knew that Victor wouldn't be able provide the future she envisioned for her daughter.I also think that most of her decisions were driven by wanting to provide for her daughter some of them misguided and gone about in the wrong way yes but coming from the best possible place.

Hi Gabri,

I agree with you.  Cary is far from perfect, but we wouldn’t love him any less.    I just wish that he would think sometimes before acting. 

Especially when it concerns someone else! I feel very bad for him though in this book because Eva is now married to Gideon and even though they'll always have each other it's not quite the same and he has all the Tatiana c .r .a.p to deal with .

I also would like to know how Gideon could bring himself to look at those videos... Just knowing the depth of his love for Eva I just can't see Gideon putting himself through that because I think it would have broken him...

It would be brutal and I think a giant trigger for him .

Not sure if I welcomed you yet GLH. Hello.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm thinking October/November for Book 4. Sylvia's new series is coming out in August with a follow-up in December so October/November makes sense to me.

 

Hi Mam2e,

You are correct.  Gideon and Eva never directly or openly discussed the murder of Nathan.  I am not sure that Eva would be able to handle all of the details and I also not sure that she would want to know about the details either.   I think that under different circumstances, Gideon might want to confess to someone, but that someone isn’t going to be Eva.  What do you think?  What does everyone think? 

 

 

Perhaps he could discuss /unburden to Angus if he knows as much as we think he does .One other thing that's just occurred to is if he doesn't discuss it with Eva how would we know how he went about it because the story is told from her POV and I must say I'm really really curious about how it went down all the way back from when he was kicking Nathan's backside in his office.I'd like to know how Nathan introduced and all the interactions right up until he killed him.

 

Hi Mam2e,

Your English is just fine lady.  You make your points clearly. I understood everything.   

 

 

Thank you GiGi ,often the difficulty is in the subtleties /nuance .

You come across really well with your English. It amazes me how there are posters here, like you, that read and write in a second language: not only read the books in the original language but actually then write about them in the original English language here.

 

About his confessions: he didn't actually need to say Nathan's actual name --  "I killed Nathan" -- for it to count as a confession. Detective Graves already told Eva that he'd killed Nathan. Gideon confirmed it was true, he had killed -- and even admitted he'd do it again. Gideon seems to try to be avoiding using that monster's name any more, but he's still using the word "kill".

 

Gideon used to be protecting Eva from ever being suspected of being an accessory. That's exactly why he pushed her away. He asked her to "wait" for him to come back, but he was never going to tell her why he'd cut her off in the first place. He was just going to "wait" himself until the police left him alone.

 

But someone else told her the truth instead -- the detective -- so now she knows. And because she's decided to protect Gideon, she now is an accessory to the cover-up. She knows that too. So they're "in it together."

Great LN Cronan thanks the "he doesn't have to say I killed Nathan to count as a confession" clears it up for me .Your posts about the American legal framework are very helpful too.

He said that he killed for her. Asked Eva if she could live with that.

Hi Michelle ,thank you for your answer but where I was going with this and I see I may be wrong is that although Gideon did in fact kill Nathan and we as the readers know it and so does Eva is that he never came out and said "I killed Nathan " and I was asking the question because if Eva were questioned or was in court about statements made by Gideon before they were married and the cops asked a yes or no answer about whether or not Gideon confessed to killing Nathan to her the answer would have to be no .They have talked about/around it but he hasn't made a definitive statement about it .He said he killed a man never who (could be metaphorically )can you live with what I've done ,even when she said you killed a man for me he never agreed clearly he had etc perhaps I'm splitting hairs but my thinking was that all of that would be her protection against being an accessory after the fact to the murder and that anything said after marriage would be protected by the sanctity of that union.English is not a first language for me and I may not be coming across very clearly .

In chapter 5 when Eva tells Gideon she is going to the video reveal and the conversation that ensues she does tell Gideon "You killed a man for me."

 

In chapter 8 Eva wakes Gideon when she thinks he is slipping into a nightmare, and he says, "I killed a man,"..."It's never been safe for you to be with me when I'm sleeping and that's even truer now."

Tx for the chapter 8 reminder .

no you are right they have never discussed it and personally (and I could be wrong) I don't think they will, I think Gideon knows if he discusses it with Eva she will not be able to cope with it especially if she is struggling with the knowledge she already knows and he will not want her in the position if anything was asked of her she could confidently say she didn't know the details and she is not lying and with her dad being a cop Gideon will want to protect her form the scrutiny from the police

Got you Sheens and thank you . I think at some point he will need to talk about it to her because Eva is the only person he can share this with safely in order to heal from the nightmares he now has because of Nathan and what he did, he will need to unburden to someone and she's the only person he can do that safely with because they are married and as i understand from previous posts cant testify against him .SD has woven such an intricate storyline it's brilliant!

Hi Gigi

Regarding the murder and when did Eva know about it.

Surely that would be up to the prosecution to prove when Eva knew. Can we go the route of plausible deniability?The Fifth Amendment, the right to remain silent?

Hi ! I don't know if I'm right but I don't think Eva and Gideon haveever talked about him doing the murder directly or him admitting to it to Eva.Theyve talked around it and about it but Gideon has never come out and said he's done it nor has he told how he did it.Three conversations come to mind where they have alluded to Gideon killing Nathan is when Gideon is telling Eva what the options were for keeping her safe that's in Chapter 1 or 2 and the second time is when she says you killed a man for me and he responds his love is not an obligation third time is when he says he left the bracelet on Nathan but he has never explicitly said .Based on this I would think that Eva has no knowledge that Gideon killed Nathan from Gideon himself but rather from Detective Graves.

I could altogether wrong ,would welcome any other view /correction.

I got it to mean that if Eva just said No or Stop she would continually think about it and digest it and regress back into a dark place about not having the control as she used to say Stop and No to Nathan and he never did but saying Crossfire she knows without a doubt that everything would be stopped and she had control of the situation.

I think so too Sheens.