GiGi

Hi LN Cronan, I just wanted to say that I made a mistake. I can't seem to find the posting where you mentioned that you thought that Nathan was a psychopath. I confused psychopath with sociopath. Sorry, this isn't my area of study...or even close to my neighbourhood...). According to the DSM IV(diagnostic and Statistical Manual used by psychiatrists, etc.)I think Nathan exhibits both sociopathic and psychopathic traits. Sociopaths are seen as disorganized and rash, making extreme responses to normal situations. They lack impulse control. Psychopaths, by contrast, are highly organized, often secretly planning out and fantasizing about their acts in great detail before actually committing them, and sometimes manipulating people around them. 1. Nathan went to Crossfire to potentially extort money from Gideon but got into a fight and wound up on the loosing end (an arguement for organized behaviour that quickly deescalated). 2. Nathan goes back to Crossfire on the day that Eva's mother saw him (potentially to see Eva...is that organized or disorganized?). 3. Nathan was raping and torturing Eva for several years before Eva couldn't take anymore. He then broke the cat's neck in an attempt to keep her in line. I argue that the rape and torture was organized and controlled but the breaking of the cat's neck was a disorganized attempt to keep control over Eva. Ultimately it didn't work. I don't know....if this keeps up, I am going to need therapy with all these analyses. Oh June please come soon!

Hi LN Cronan, In response to your questions; I do copy and paste at times from Microsoft Office Word 2007. I like to check my posting for spelling errors before posting them. I use a laptop computer. I have never used or owned a desktop. It is the same computer that I have used for several years. I am not sure what I would have to do to get the postings to appears more fluid. Any suggestions? :)

Hi everyone, I found the other snippets and have posted them here for everyone's convenience. Let's hope this works. http://www.sylviaday...l-teaser-years/ http://www.sylviaday...th-you/#excerpt http://www.sylviaday...ined-snippet-6/ http://www.sylviaday...ined-snippet-5/ http://www.sylviaday...ined-snippet-4/ http://www.sylviaday...-you-snippet-3/ http://www.sylviaday...ined-snippet-2/ http://www.sylviaday...ined-snippet-1/ Thanks to Kirsten, Valgirl, ShyCharm and all the other ladies who were kind enough to post the snippets in the spoiler thread. Goodness knows, I wouldn't know where to find them. :)

Hi everyone, I just had a quick technical question. Why do my posts come out as one big jumbled, non-spaced post? When I prepare my posts I make sure that my paragraphs are properly spaced thereby allowing the reader's eyes to follow the train of thought more easily. What am I doing wrong? Help! Thanks in advance everyone.

"Listen to yourself. Why even call it a f***? Why not be clear and call it a seminal emission in a pre-approved orifice?" I think it was a smart, strong, sassy statement that maybe many women wish they had the courage to say to men who behave badly. :)

Hi LN Cronan, You make some very interesting points. I think it is entirely possible that Nathan may well have been a psychopath. What is interesting is that most people who are psychopaths aren’t violent. They use their skills to mimic empathy, sympathy or whatever to best fit into society. They use their lack of ability to feel compassion to their advantage. So the question I have is: Where did Nathan discover or decide that it was acceptable for him to behave in a violent way without fear of repercussion? Who modeled that it was ok to behave in that way without consequences? Quick question here; do you think that Nathan used to play peeping tom with his dad when he used to get busy with Monica? Do you think that maybe Nathan was jealous and therefore started acting out or maybe started doing to Eva what his father did to Monica? Monkey see monkey do thing? As far as the killing of animal’s thing, Nathan killed Eva’s cat in an attempt to keep her quiet but was raping and torturing her a long time before that incident. This kid didn’t seem to start off with small crimes. He just jumped straight into some of the worst offenses and got off on getting away with his crimes. I would think that killing animals is a first step on the path of becoming a seriously violent offender. Nathan already escalated his crime spree and was inflicting horrible amounts of violence on his victim Eva. It appears that he was also sexually sadistic and Eva’s fear seemed to turn him on. It also spurred him on. So where else would someone like that have to go but to murder? I am not sure about the bad seed theory. I would like to believe that all babies start out inherently good and that the parents and the people that surround that child create that sociopathic child. I don’t know. Maybe those individuals have a mental defect, an actual physical abnormality on their brains which doesn’t allow them to develop fully or normally. I have seen so many people come from horrendous early childhood situations and they have developed into kind, compassionate people. Who knows? I agree with you about the wealth aspect of the book. I think, in a way, each character equates wealth with a sense of security. Gideon has all the wealth in the world, Monica is married to a man who seems to indulge her whims and so she has a sense of security (as well as divorce settlements from previous marriages that have left her financially wealthy within her own right), Eva has a settlement from her abuse (and her stepfather’s financial guidance), which whether she likes it or not has also left her financially secure. The only person who doesn’t have that type of security is Carey. He uses his looks to his advantage to earn his income (modeling). His relationship with Eva is what allows him access to financial independence. Those are just my thoughts. What does everyone else think?

Hi Mrsmajessick, Wowie Zowie!! You have some really interesting theories, but what is most interesting is that they could all potentially be true! The only reason I could think of someone hurting Gideon is if his father hurt one of his victims' children (you hurt my child and now I am going to hurt yours). Or the child of one of his swindling victims may have been around the age where he could exact his familial revenge on Gideon Cross. What Sylvia doesn't make clear is how long Gideon's father was swindling his clients? Was it a "Bernie Madoff type" affair or was it a quick and dirty swindle? I think we would be able to tighten our theories a little more if we had a little more information. 2. You could be right about Elizabeth Vidal lying. Who knows? That woman seems to be living in a world with a different reality. Due to the fact that she so grossly neglected her child, it is difficult to believe a word that comes out of her mouth. I agree, I am not so sure that she would confess her mothering flaws to the girlfriend of her estranged son. It seems she can't even accept responsibility for what she's done with her son. 3. I also agree that it was good that Eva didn't confront Christopher. There may be a reason and I can hardly wait to find out why. 4. You made a valid point about the whole controlling interest of Vidal Records issue. If ma and pa Vidal kicked the bucket, then Christopher would only be entitled to 1/3 of 1/2 of Vidal Records. Do you think that would be enough for Christopher to hold that kind of grudge? 5. As far as Nathan is concerned, that is one seriously f#*$@d situation. Do you think that maybe his father (Monica's first husband) was abusing his own son? Monica was off spending, entertaining and being the trophy wife while her husband was out earning millions. How could Nathan's father not notice his son's behaviour? Surely one of the staff members must have said something to someone? It appears that his behaviour escalated over a period of time. The book didn't mention that as soon as Monica married her first husband, Nathan began immediately raping her. So I ask; what the heck was going on during that time? 6. I don't think Monica had sex with Nathan or was sexually inappropriate with him (ie. touching or kissing him inappropriately). I do believe that she most likely presented the beautifully put together trophy wife package, thereby giving Nathan the idea that a wife is possession to be acquired (it isn't stated how many marriages Nathan's father had before Monica). I wonder how happy her first marriage must have been because from Eva's account, her mother was occupying her time by spending her husband's money. Not once was it ever mentioned Monica and her first husband doing things together or spending time as a family. It seems that the children were left to their own devices and left to raise themselves. Dangerous combination.... 7. You also make another very valid point about Monica. I think she equates her self worth with her ability to trade on the only commodity she has, her sexuality. There is no mention of Monica's education or any interest of pursuing a career. It seems (depending on her age) that she was raised with the philosophy of "good girls get married and look pretty for their husbands". If a woman has no other life skills (education, employment, etc.) it would make sense that she could play on her looks and use her to snag herself some financial security. Those are just my thoughts. What does everyone else think?

Hi LN Cronan, You make some very valid points. Is it just me or have you and everyone noticed that everyone in the book seems to be keeping secrets. 1. Gideon didn't mention it to Eva when he saw Nathan. What was his plan? 2. Monica didn't mention to Eva that she recognized Nathan in front of the Crossfire Building? Could it be that she was planning something of her own? 3. Stanton didn't mention it to Eva that Nathan was trying to extort money from him? Why? 4. I suspect that Dr. Terrance Lucas wasn't out of school yet. If kids in the U.S. graduate high school when they are 18 years old, then they would need to have four years of undergraduate studies before they can apply to medical school. Medical school is then an additional four and then any specialty is an additional 4-12years. So Dr. Lucas would have hypothetically been in his last year of medical school when the incidents with Gideon were being. Or maybe Dr. Lucas was in the process of doing his pediatric residency in school. I wonder what role Dr. Lucas played in this entire saga. Sylvia let us know that there is a lot of hatred between Gideon and Dr. Luca, but one has to wonder why? Why pick Dr. Lucas's wife to have an affair with? What Gideon did was very deliberate and I don't think that he would some random person to have a personal grudge with. Something else, more intense is going on. I suspect more might be revealed in the next book. 5. That’s what makes this forum such a great place! We have LN Cronan who has past crime reporting experience, present PR Management skills, I bring my healthcare background and experience to the table, Mrsmajessick has great mothering and life skills, Valgirl who has a great passion for the series, Crossfire who has a real no nonsense style when posting, as well as all the other ladies who have been passionately posting their thoughts/hopes/dreams and suspicions. That is what makes this such an interesting forum.

Hi Mrsmajessick, That's exactly right! Your parents swore an oath of "Non Maleficence" otherwise known as an oath to do no harm. That's why I find this entire thing just so sinister! If you have a claim of abuse you have to have a medical doctor who is completely separate from the case, to exam the child. In that way, there wouldn't be a possibility of that person being in cahoots with potential abuser, etc.. You stated that your parents are medical doctors, so if a claim of abuse came across their paths and they knew the potential victim, as a matter of potential bias, they would have to excuse themselves and the case would be referred to another person for examination. The second point is; when a child is examined for any potential physical evidence of abuse, the medical doctor can never be alone with the patient. There always has to be a nurse present! There are many reasons for establishing these protocols; it is important to establish an independent witness account of the abuse and also to prevent any further future claims of inappropriate conduct with the child. If these children were going to be physically examined, then the medical doctors would be touching their genital regions/including their rectums, etc. No doctor in his/her right mind would ever conduct that kind of exam by themselves. They could and/or should lose their license if they did. It would be considered gross malpractice. My question is; how could Elizabeth Vidal find two independent physicians and potentially their nurses (that’s 4 separate individuals) who could completely throw away their ethics and potentially their careers for money? Didn’t anyone out of this group have heart or a conscience? You also raised an interesting point about whether the doctors who examined Gideon may have been swindled by his father. What kind of sick human being would want to take out the sins of the father on the son? I would have thought that if physical evidence had been found, that these medical doctors would have contacted CPS and the police. What better way to make a human being suffer than to get CPS involved. I would think that it would be horrendously upsetting to Elizabeth Vidal if her children were taken away from her. I agree with you completely about Elizabeth's complete lack of parental concern for her child. I agree with you completely. She should have fired the entire lot of psychologists/psychiatrists/grad students, etc....whatever! The accusation alone should have terminated their services with her family. What came across from the dialogue in the book was that Elizabeth Vidal almost seemed narcissistic. She made sure that her needs were met first and foremost. Oh my goodness you are too funny! I too, have been bouncing my theories about this book (sans the naughty bits) around with a dear friend of mine. This entire situation is too hilarious!

Hi LN Cronan, Do you think that maybe Monica didn't alert Eva about seeing Nathan outside the Crossfire Building because somewhere along the line she decided that she was going to deal with the problem? Maybe Monica had been harbouring resentment over what Nathan did to her daughter and then seeing Nathan solidified that hatred. Monica was going to do the only thing that she could do...she was going to kill the man who repeatedly hurt her child. So there would be no reason for Monica to inform Eva about Nathan. She was going to eliminate the threat herself (or most likely with some help). What do you think? What does everyone think?

Hi Mrsmajessick & Everyone, Do you think that it is possible that Christopher was also abused? I get the whole sibling rivalry thing and all, but that kind of rage...hmm. It just almost seems like there may be a little more there. I really hope that the relationship between Gideon and Christopher is explained a little more. Thus far we have Gideon's perspective and then we have Christopher's obvious hatred toward his brother. I just wonder if there is something we are not seeing. Maybe delirium is finally setting in from all this waiting for the next book.

Hi LN Cronan, This is strictly speculation, but I think that maybe Christopher does know. I think it would fuel more hatred toward Gideon. It was like something you said, Gideon is clearly in love with Eva and now that Gideon knows about the whole Magdalene affair, it still hasn't changed his position other than to say...."hey brother she's all yours". I guess what they didn't count on was Gideon's feelings for Magdalene. Other than a familial friendship there was never anything more. Or should I say, that maybe Magdalene deluded herself into thinking that Gideon would have or had some strong feelings for her. It seems like that was a huge miscalculation on Christopher and Magdalene's part. I will be really interested to know why Gideon got controlling interest in Vidal Records. Maybe that will shed some light on why Christopher still holds such a grudge towards his brother.

Hi LN Cronan, You make a really interesting point about Monica "adopting" Carey as a step son. It could very well be. Something really odd struck me; could Monica be trying to acquire things/people for Eva(a multimillion dollar settlement for her daughter, status/place in the socialite community, clothing, a secured apartment, a friend with a similar background who won't judge her, etc.)? I was also wondering if Monica was acquiescing to Eva a bit. We don't seem to hear about Eva having any other friends in Bared to You and in Reflected In You, she makes it a point to try and make some good girlfriends; Shawna and Megumi perhaps. It seems like Carey is Eva's "best girlfriend/guy friend" all rolled into one. 2. I completely agree with you about the positives. Even after the orgy in the first book and after being beaten up in the second book, Carey didn't start using drugs. I would add that Carey seems to be having sex with Tatiana on a consistent basis. Maybe that is a good thing and the start of a new relationship for him. I don't think that the relationship the Carey had with Trey was healthy. Trey wanted Carey to be solely gay and not bi-sexual, which is what he is. To me, that's not allowing the other person to be who they truly are. I think that when Carey found out what Trey's hopes were, he started to self destruct. I am going to be bold here and say that maybe Carey started to self preserve. He either didn't have the courage or the emotional skills to walk away from a relationship that, although loving, would ultimately be very damaging to his psyche. Let me clear here, I think that the way in which Carey dealt with Trey's disappointment about Carey being bisexual stunk! I just think that he didn't know of how to separate himself in any other way. I am not sure that he knows how to accept love or relate to others in a non-sexual way. I think Eva seems to be his first successful attempt at this. Those are just my thoughts. What does everyone else think?

Hi LN Cronan, I agree with your position about Christopher. I also just wanted to add that; on pg. 265 of BTY..."To an observer, it was clear he knew her body well-where to pet and where to rub....", it may be possible the Magdalene and Christopher may have had sexual relations prior. Could it be that is part of what Eva found was creepy about Christopher? It seems that his guy was playing some people like a fiddle.

Hi everyone, It seems like all of the characters in the book are in desperate need of more therapy! I don't think that the therapy they had thus far seems to have stuck. I agree with you Mrsmajessick, it seems that there are many gaps in the story; orgy...Vegas...no talking...or maybe it was already dealt with but we the readers didn't get to be part of it. Who knows, maybe the next book will fill in the blanks. Who knows maybe Carey will get his own book. :)

Hi LN Cronan, I think your idea of starting another thread where people can access the snippets easily is brilliant! :)

Hi Mrsmajessick, After I stopped rolling on the floor with laughter, I agree you have a point. This is a love story first and foremost. I think we all just love the series so much that we are beside ourselves trying to figure everything out beforehand, basically swatting flies, killing time until the next book.

Hi Shycharm, I really like your theory about Monica. Here's what I think. I don't think Gideon killed Nathan. Let's all think about this for a second. Nathan already got into an altrication with Gideon and he wound up on the loosing end...Sylvia confirmed during one of the discussions that the stain on Gideon's cuff was blood. If Nathan already got into a fight with Gideon and lost, I don't think that he would open his hotel room if Gideon were on the other side of the door. Why would Nathan put himself at risk to collect a randsom. Wouldn't he have made arrangements to pick up the randsome in a public place...thereby ensuring his safety? If you think about it who would be the only nontrhreatening person that Nathan might open his hotel room door for? I say Monica. She is feminime, gentile, etc. and absolutely no one would think of her as being capable. What I don't think that Nathan was counting on was the level of anger or hatred that Monica may have had for him. I think Nathan opened his hotel room door, maybe expecting a payout or something and then boom....Monica stabbed him once in the chest and he never saw it coming. I think then maybe Gideon, Clancy, or Stanton may have helped to cover up the crime (there is no way the Gideon would ever tell Eva that her mother killed Nathan). I think Monica had the means, the motive and maybe the opportunity to kill Nathan. What is that old saying..."never come between a mother bear and her cubs..." I think she realized her daughter was in imminent danger and avenged what happened to her. What does everyone else think?

Hi everyone, Sorry just quickly, I wanted to explain. Healthcare providers are mandated to make two phone calls in suspected cases of child sexual abuse; one is to Child Protective Services and the other is to the Police. Both of those phone calls will ensure that no one can accidentally or purposely drop the ball when investigating and dealing with a claim of sexual abuse. All parties are thereby protected.

Hi LN Cronan, I read your posting about the abuse situation and I have a few points to add: 1. In Eva's case, yes you are correct that Child Protective Services were contacted, but I submit to you that they dropped the ball. It is the responsibility of the Hospital, the Physician and CPS to contact the police as well. Let's remember that a horrendous crime had been repeatedly committed here. Firstly yes the child has to be removed from the source of danger, but we are also dealing with another child and criminal that has to be dealt with as well. If Nathan could do this to Eva repeatedly, then who's to say that he wouldn't or wasn't doing this to someone else? After all surely Nathan had several opportunities to come into contact with other girls, etc... What about them? Who was going to protect them? That's why I say CPS completely dropped the ball. Quickly, I get that CPS has thousands of cases on hand and that maybe the caseworker figured that if Eva were out of the situation then maybe that was enough, but it wasn't. It was a direct dereliction of duty. Every single person who works with/for children and/or is in healthcare is legally mandated to report any incidents to the police. No one did!! As far as the hospital, physicians, etc., each healthcare professional swears an oath of Nonmaleficence...."do no harm". Each and every single person who didn't report this to the police did grave harm not only to Eva but other "potential children/victims" who may have come into contact with Nathan. It seems that in cases of wealth people have the option of criminal prosecution, which is ridiculous! What is even more upsetting is the fact that we have a society that seems to agree with these unspoken rules of conduct. 2. Gideon's case is just as sinister. Again I have to ask who were the two pediatricians? In these types of cases both practitioners have to be independent of one another. So how on earth did Elizabeth Vidal get two completely separate medical doctors to cover up the abuse? Again these doctors swore the same oath. What's up with that? Maybe the third book will shed some light on the matter. I am glad that you provided a web site for everyone in this forum or any guests that may visit this web site can have an opportunity to gain some information about sexual abuse. I only had a few quick things to add. According to the World Health Organization 1:4 female children will be sexually abused and 1:6 male children will be sexually abused. On the African continent 1:3 children will be sexually abused (regardless of gender, race, etc.). Those numbers are staggering considering that we live in a "supposed" civilized society. Just in case anyone is wondering why this is such a sticking point for me, I think it is important that people be aware of what ideally, is supposed to go on when there is suspected child abuse claim. It was part of my course curriculum in University and then again when I took my specialty degree/post grad in University. I, too, swore an oath of Non maleficence and this oath is something that I take very seriously. What I find interesting is that each of us brings our life experiences to this forum and that is why this such an incredible group of women to correspond with. Way to go Sylvia!

Hi LN Cronan, I totally get where you are coming from as far the detective is concerned, but what is missing is actual documented evidence. There is nothing....nada...zilch other than the detectives speculation. You can't haul someone in front of a grand jury for speculation. The only thing that the detective could confirm is that Eva may have been seen going into Gideon's apartment building, but there isn't any documentation that confirms Eva meeting with Gideon. That for me is the missing link. They aren't seen together. Period. The snippets for the next book are also so cleverly written. Eva calls from one of Gideon's clubs, which of course would be normal for an owner to receive a phone call from the establishment he owns. I completely agree with you about the detective having ulterior motives. OOOOOOHHHHH, this is going to get gooooddd!!! I can hardly wait for the next instalment! :)

Hi LN Cronan, I agree with you about the Corinne situation. I suspect that in her mind, she believes that she will be able to win Gideon back. After all she was engaged to him once, surely she will be able to use her feminine wiles to win him back. All she has to do is get rid of Eva...any way she can. As far as the Magdalene situation is concerned, I will have to check on the timeline, but I suspect that it is each woman for herself. After reading the books, I believe that Magdalene now has a reason to hate Eva. Eva received the video of Magdalene and Christopher having sex at the garden party, thereby totally eliminating any chance (in Magdalene's mind) of Magdalene and Gideon getting together, since Eva showed the tape to Gideon. It must also have been very humiliating for Magdalene to have heard about this situation from the man she had been pining over for decades. I think that during that humiliating conversation, maybe Magdalene realized that Gideon would never take sloppy seconds from his brother. It may also have ruined Magdalene's chaste, pure, virginal image with Gideon as well. The entire premise of Magdalene was the fact that she abstained from sex in anticipation of a relationship with someone who wouldn't ever have a relationship with her. Game over....hatred ON!! What does everyone think?

 

Darn, just checked it out at Goodreads and the cover is a letdown. But it says it is Book Two of the Tempting Seals series?

Hi Crossfire,

I agree with you. The cover of a book is very important to me too. Often times, if I am browsing in a bookstore, the cover of a book is what catches my eye first. If I haven't heard anything about a book before, the cover could make all the difference between me picking it up or passing it by.

Hi everyone, I was reading the posts and someone had mentioned that they thought Eva's dad may have questioned Carey about her reaction when the police came to question her. I am not so sure that; 1. Victor would question Carey because he had just been released from the hospital a couple of days before. I don't think Victor would go Bonne Cop/Bad Cop on Carey. 2. I am not so sure that Carey would say anything to Victor regardless. Friendship aside, is Eva not Carey's meal ticket? Carey stays in Eva's apartment, an apartment that is paid for by her parents. He receives gifts regularly compliments of Monica and Richard Stanton and then later on by Gideon (when they were in Las Vegas...Gideon wanted some alone with Eva so he arranged some credit for Carey to go shopping...). I think his love of Eva is what keeps his mouth shut and his self preservation is also what keeps him on team Eva. I was just thinking about things. What does everyone else think?

Hi Sylvia, I LOVE ME GIDEON!! I can totally see how the name fits this character....tree cutter shmee cutter...warrior it is!