GLH

I haven't been here in ages.  I think I have said all I can say about CBY.  so, I see we still have no release date for OWY.  Annoying.

But I loved that we knew nothing about GREY  and it appeared out of nowhere and fast.  Loved it and read it.But I was annoyed that it really was just book 1.  Problem here is that we know a book is coming.  I really had no idea GREY was really coming out.  Sigh.  I really thought the release was soon when SD started putting dream castings on fb.  Oh well.

Read the Fixed Trilogy also. It was ok. Liked the follow-up Hudson. Book from the man's POV. Thought it was better written.

Ava in This Man is very annoying in the beginning of book 1. She is also very funny. Laugh out loud funny. She and Jesse are. The writing is so good. The subject different. Again, a 24 year old.

As I said about Eva, we have to remember what it's like to be that young. Reacting on emotion instead of sense. I find a lot of the female lead characters in romance novels are like that. Honestly, the only time I felt Eva was acting ridiculous was running out on G at the end of CBY. Losing her temper is part of who Eva is.

Haven't posted in a while, but have a few comments.

Welcome to new people first. Love different opinions.

I stopped reading reviews. To give a book 1 star cause we waited long is silly. Some authors write faster than others. I wasn't happy we waited so long, but that doesn't mean the book is bad. This is a good book. My only complaint was Eva running at the end for a reason I didn't think was worthy of her running. She had moved past that stuff I thought.

Mrs. X--I adored the This Man series. Love it. Jesse is too much. Have you read the new series? Very good. Not as good as TM but very good.

Getting info about anyone is no biggie for a PI.  Gideon didn't  need to use Crossfire info.  Eva should have known that.

 

If that ring was as big as I envision, Monica would have had to be blind not to see it.  For God sake, what else could it have been? Should Eva have called her?  Sure, but there was drama and she didn't get around to it.  Lizzie figured it out.  Geez.

 

Love Arash.  

 

And I totally agree with you about Mark.  Again, he is a lower level guy.  Gideon is a big deal and could request anyone.  That agency would have loved to have his business under any circumstance.  

 

As I always say, I constantly forget Eva is only 24.  I knew nothing when I was 24 so she is way ahead of me.  LOL

I have always thought it curious that Brett decided to write Golden at that point. All of a sudden he decides he loves. her? Could it be possible he heard about the connection with G and Vidal records ? What great PR! Any name could be worked into the song. Could it be Brett approached Chris Jr. about it? I never trusted Brett at all. With the Internet you can find almost anyone. If you love someone you don't wait 4 years. Fishy to me.

Hi GLH,

You are right about the cost of rent NY City.  Let's hope Cary is able to find a really good therapist as well.  Quick question; in the US, does a person have to pay to see a psychiatrist or is it covered by health insurance?  A person in Canada would not have to pay to see a psychiatrist/a psychologist yes but not a psychiatrist.

Hi Gigi--

To answer your question. In the United States there are options. Most psychiatrists do not take health insurance. There are some that do but most who are known to be at the top of their profession, do not. My husband goes to a top psychiatrist and he made it clear that he does not take insurance. The reason is that insurance companies pay very little to the doctors. Something like $50 an hour. Top psychiatrists charge at least $150-$400 an hour. My daughter is a licensed marriage and family therapist. She charges $80 an hour which is really not bad. Insurance companies only want to pay her $40 an hour. That is not worth her time.I hope this answers your question.

I'm not sure why Cary's living arrangement is a problem.  He moved from California to New York for Eva and they are trying to start new careers.  It would be totally inconsiderate of Eva to leave Cary stranded at this point. 

 

Cary is just starting out in the modeling business and only has one major campaign so he isn't making a lot of money.  Gideon is offering him an apartment.  He isn't actually living with them.  They can both come and go as they please but they can also visit and support each other if necessary.  There is no way Cary or even Cary and Eva together, can afford an apartment in the building that Stanton is paying for.  Eva said they would have to move out of Manhattan if they didn't have Stanton footing the bill.

Yep. Totally agree.

God forbid Anne was his therapist. Assuming that was sarcasm. Ugh.

I have no idea if G used a swing before. Fantasies are usually what you haven't done and want to do. For G, se* with Eva is a whole new experience since he loves her. I want to think he's being creative. I can envision using the swing for kinky stuff involving toys. Don't think intercourse was involved based on what G has said.

I think Cary and Eva came to NY together to support each other emotionally. This series doesn't cover a long span of time. Honestly, the way real estate is right now in that city, no one can live without a roommate unless they make a ton of money. Neither Eva or Cary could live alone without Stanton's help. Certainly not on the upper west side. (My brother lives right near where their apartment is supposed to be and a 2 bedroom rents for well over $7000 a month.). Cary living in the adjoining apartment isn't a problem for me. What is a problem is I see Cary sliding backwards emotionally. He needs a therapist in NY and fast.

G and se*---I think he was so angry with Lizzie that he chose women who looked like her and did all kinds of kinky stuff to them.  Hence all the se* toys Eva found in the f*ck pad.  It was never about getting off for him.  He did that for himself in the shower cause he saw it as dirty.  We all know why.  I can see him accepting oral se*, which I am certain he did, but I absolutely do not think he did a whole lot of giving in that department.  That's pretty intimate and he was not about intimacy at all.  It was about rough and punishment.  I think this all started after he broke up with Corrine.  I agree their life was pretty vanilla.  It was a relationship.  He didn't ever envision another relationship after her.  So, into the kink.  As for the book, I do not think Corrine has any kinky stuff that she would talk about.  She wants G back.. That sure would never happen if he was totally embarrassed by that book.  The purpose, according to her, was to get Eva out of G's life by reminding him about how great and calm and easy their life was together and contrast it with how chaotic G and E's life is now.

 

Release date--I am never going to speculate.  I was so sure CBY was going to be out by the summer and we see how wrong I was.  This time, I have no clue.  Timing it with the FSOG movie?  Not a bad idea since Sylvia is often said to be the next most popular author after EL James.  I just want it.  Now.  

 

I don't see LIzzie as a threat at all.  I hope that the theories about Graves are true cause I like her and I want to continue to like her.  It would be interesting if she and Eva shared the abuse survival.  Invited to the wedding has always surprised me.  Why would she be?  That sentence made me suspect of her.  It would be cool if these 2 became friends.  There is enough reasonable doubt with Nathan that I find it impossible for G to be indicted let alone convicted of anything unless Nathan had a camera in his room which I doubt.  Graves being an abuse surviver makes a whole lot of sense.  I hope that is the way it will go.

 

Deanna is sleezy.  I was so surprised in AFTERSHOCK when she was not like she was in Crossfire.  I want her handled and end of.

 

As for the redheads--could it be that Hugh was a red head?  I cannot remember.  

 

Chris Jr being a voyeur? He is so creepy on so many levels that it wouldn't surprise me.  I.do.not.like,or trust. him at all.

 

I still think Anne is the scariest person in this whole mess.

 

Here is something else that I wonder about.  Sylvia never said that the TV thing was on hold in the interview we saw.  It sounded to me like it was being worked on.  God, I hope so.  Anyone else?  She still mentioned Henry and Scarlett.  I think the chances of Henry are slim to none.  That man is busy.  He will always be G to me.

Lighthouse--thanks for the NYTimes info. And Goodreads. CBY is a wonderful book.

I said before that I don't think Tat is pregnant. She is just too selfish. If she is, she won't have it. She loves her body too much. I have no doubt she's promiscuous. She's a b****. Plain and simple.

The whole Vidal family situation is weird. Ireland is a sweetheart so Lizzie did a good job with her. Chris Jr. is so consumed with jealousy that it is an acid eating him away. Lizzie doesn't scare me anymore.

The 3 people who I think are the scariest are Anne, Deanna, and Graves. Different reasons. Anne is the scariest because she is a psychopathic mess. I wish I knew the story of Graves. There is one. If the case is shelved and G is safe, why does Sylvia keep Graves in the story? As for Deanna, I don't for 1 second think she is handled.

I am sure Cary knows all about Anne simply because he did do the research that Eva asked him to do. One of the first things that you read is about someone's personal life and he would have to know that Lucas was married to Anne and what she did for a living. I think she wore the wig to try to be in disguise.

As for the tape I would not be surprised if there was another one somewhere.

I had a student whose dad was black and she had dirty blond hair and blue eyes. It happens. Just like my husbands good friend is 6'2" and his dad was 5'3" and his mom was 4'10".

Ann--very impressed with your English.  

I think negative reviews are just what some people love to do. When people like a book, they often don't bother to review it. A simple click of stars and that's it. My husband has never written a review. I usually do but not always. I made it a point to with this book. Some people thrive on bashing. You can tell from bad reviews that they never read other Crossfire books or don't get Sylvia's style. Or just love to bash. Not just book reviews. These books are amazing.

I have to keep reminding myself that Eva is 24 and Gideon is 28. He seems 10 years older. She has gone through a lot but she is still young and trying to balance this love/marriage to G and not losing herself. She will get it in book 5. She's just so young. It's hard to remember what it's like to be so new in a relationship. I don't "dislike" her at all. Sometimes she forgets and reacts emotionally. I think that's why her running all the time gets old already. You can't fix something if you are lost in your own head somewhere. And running stuff by Cary is not gonna help. Poor guy has his own mess to deal with.

Gotta remind myself also this is fiction. We love these characters so much, we forget that. Lol

I urge anyone who hasnt tried the Audible version of the series to at least give CBY a try. The scene with Chris Vidal and Gideon in the penthouse was the most dramatic of all the scenes so far IMO. The dialogue was riveting and the narrator does a fine job of conveying all the emotion from both men. It was really hard to listen to but at the same time you didnt want to miss a word.

Haven't heard audio but I have to agree that is the most memorable and intense scene in the book. One of the best in the series.

Happy Thanksgiving. Turkey in oven so I thought I'd stop in.

First-- there is a big difference between being a trophy wife and what I think Eva can be. You don't have to be Monica but Eva can run a foundation, work with Gideon, and be a wife to a mogul. What she cannot do is forget that she is Eva Cross. She is never going to be treated like everyone else. She isn't LIKE everyone else. Already the ad firm was offered that contract because of who she is, not Mark. People's motives will be questioned. I think of Ivana Trump back in the day. She ran businesses. She was respected for her skills. Could she have worked for someone else? Maybe. But being in competition with your spouse is not a good thing. Another not needed stressor. G has a reputation as a stellar businessman and he wouldn't want Eva to work with him cause he loves her. He knows she's talented. What's so terrible about using that talent with your spouse? Other business people would see right through it, lose respect for G if she wasn't good. G is no fool. He'd never want that.

Anne is scary. Was so sure Deanna was also until I read Afterburn/Aftershock. Not sure now. Not sure about Graves either. We need book 5.

Anne is never going to soften. She's nuts. I don't know how Sylvia is gonna get rid of her but she is scary.

Kristen-- agree 100%. Eva has tons of options, but independence is not one of them. It would be like Kate thinking she could get a regular job instead of being a princess. Yeah, right. G is described as one of the richest men in the world with his wealth only growing. She has to get it together or she will constantly be a target. Enough already.

I am not gonna pick on Cary. He has enough on his plate. I think he is doing the best he can.

We have not seen the end of Corrine. Although the sooner Sylvia disposes of her the better. Sick of her. Groveling is not attractive.

I don't know how G keeps all this stuff straight in his head and runs a huge business. I can't seem to remember all the stuff I need to run my life. Lol

I loved in Chapter 7 when Corinne ran to Gideon saying "what do I have to live for if I don't have you" to which he replied ; I'm not responsible for your happiness Corinne, I'm not responsible for you...Go home to your husband."She just doesn't get it . I was so proud of Gideon in that scene ; he doesnt owe her a GD thing!!

AMEN!!!!!  And she is batsh** crazy.  A lot of these women are.  Anne?  Deanna?  Lizzie?  Gideon lived in a world of crazy.

Sharon-- when you said this

I'm honestly upset with Eva in this book.

I nodded. There were times I felt that way.

I think Corrine does not like to lose. She cannot stand that G is in love so passionately with someone NOT her. Did it not occur to her that she and G never spent a night together in 2 years? Never? That's just not normal today. This woman wants what she wants and is totally delusional. Spoiled brat to me.

Loved the interview.

We don't know a lot about the Vidal marriage. It could be that this revelation about the abuse was the straw that broke the camel's back. Lizzie is all about appearances. Maybe Chris just had enough.

I understand Eva being upset that Gideon hired Mark, but I am hoping in OWY we finally see her come to terms with why G did what he did. G cannot run to Eva with every problem. She already realized she couldn't work on that campaign. Maybe she is just too young to really get how much crap G has to deal with in one day and how he has to make snap decisions and doesn't have time to discuss everything. She has to cut him some slack here. Geez, he killed for her. Dealt with the tape for her. Even Cary living with them is something most men would never do. G isn't perfect by any means but the guy is trying. If, however, his fear of losing Eva was the catalyst to him opening up to Dr. P then it was all worth it. That scene plus Chris opening up to G are the 2 most powerful in the book to me.

I absolutely never liked Brett.  Never.  I think he knew about the video and the video reminded him of Eva and that is why he wrote GOLDEN.  Eva was all over the tabloids via Gideon.  Great PR for a song from a new group.  If he supposedly loved her, it wouldn't have taken him so long to find her.  

 

Still think Corrine's decision to come back was linked to Eva appearing in Gideon's life.  The passion in the viral tape probably made her see what C and G never had.  

 

I was surprised Chris left Lizzie also.  One didn't seem to follow the other.  Unless he felt like she had been lying to him.  That could be it.

 

I have been married for 38 years.  I tell my husband most things, but not everything.  Sometimes I try to work things out in my head before I bring up the topic.  Gideon should have told Eva about Landon as soon as she mentioned the possible ad thing but I forget whether she told him before or after they got it.  Time sensitive stuff for Gideon's business.  The poor guy had so much on his plate.  He was supposed to be running this huge conglomerate and it seemed that his time was spent keeping Eva safe.  Give the guy a break.  Yeah, I can see her being annoyed and a fight ensuing but I do not see why she left.  I'm glad they will work things out.  ;-)

I do not see this as filler at all. So much answered. These characters are multifaceted and quite frankly, could go on forever. Loved this way more than EWY.

I reviewed it on iBooks and Goodreads. Some people obviously didn't read the whole series on Goodreads which I don't get. Sometimes I think people who really like a book don't bother to write a review and people who don't can't wait to bash.

As for it being too sexual? Really-- as I said in the spoiler thread, did they read the other books? Pppffffttt

To me the two most evil characters are Corrine and Anne. Anne is a sicko. Psychotic and it wouldn't surprise me if she is Corrine's therapist. My daughter is a therapist and I know that anyone worth anything in that field would know immediately if meds were wrong. It wouldn't surprise me if Anne misprescribed on purpose to cause Corrine to go nuts. That said, I think Corrine is evil and does not want anyone to have Gideon if she can't. If she was 4 months pregnant when she miscarried, she and Giroux were still together before she came back to the U.S. Could it be possible she was here to see her parents and when she heard about Eva decided to go after Gideon again? As long as he was seeing one nighters who looked like her, she was happy. Eva was another story. (How creepy why he dated brunettes!)

Cary is protective and needy. He is not a bad guy.

Still want to know about Monica. She definitely has a story.

Morning--

 

Half finished second read.  I always like the second read because things seem clearer.  Some more thoughts.

 

First--LOVE ARASH!!!!!!  He is smart, snarky, and not intimidated by Gideon.  It would be kind of cool if he and Megumi got together.  Gotta agree on that.

 

Loving the POV from Gideon.  I feel like I "know" him so much more.  Kind of cool that such a hugely powerful man can have this vulnerability to Eva.  Love him so much more.

 

I think a lot of the long term issues will be solved in an epilogue. They have to be since there just is not enough time in the current way Sylvia is writing.  I don't think G will ever forgive his mother.  He may learn to tolerate her for Ireland's sake, but I am not sure there is a way to forgive her.  She is one of those women who want everything in a neat and tidy box.  G is not that.

 

I like Cary.  He has issues but he is always there for Eva.  Always.  I don't see him as selfish.  I see him as human.

 

Eva can be a pain in the Arse.  Some of her rants come off to me as a spoiled brat.  She has to realize that G is not a normal guy.  I don't mean his issues.  I mean he is an extraordinarily rich and powerful man.  He has to keep her safe because she is forever gonna be a target.  No way that she can be totally independent of G IN ANY WAY INCLUDING WORK.  She could be a genius in anything and she will always be thought of as G's wife.  That is why Mark got that account.  That is why the firm doesn't want to lose her.  She has to accept that and grow up about it.  When she married G she signed on for the whole package.  Doesn't mean she can't be successful in her own right, but she will never shake being Eva Cross.  Her hissy fits are getting old.

 

Of course Corrine's book would sell and sell big.  People love gossip.  This stuff would be majorly juicy.  My feeling--G will never allow it to be published and he would have no problem buying the company after she signs an exclusive contract and tabling the whole thing.  Enter Arash.  G keeps him busy.  lol

 

sscrph--I love your idea of Graves and abuse.  I think you are on to something very big and important here.  Explains a whole lot of Graves to me.  

 

This is why I love this series.  There is so much to talk about.  So many layers to every character.