One Chapter A Day - Re-Read Of Bared and Entwined

[sscrph]

I'm kind of on the fence on this one because on previous posts, gideon always had sexual intercourse at the f****pad hotel that is until Eva broke him of that rule. I would like to think had she not suggested they find a place nearby that he wouldn't taker her there but rather back to her place instead.      

 

 

Hi Everyone,

I asked this question earlier on in another thread, but I thought that the time may be right to ask it again:  Do you think that Tatiana is a good match for Cary?  I think that she is because she doesn’t seem judgmental about Cary’s bisexuality.  She seems to be cool with the entire thing.  What does everyone think?

Yes Gigi and I have posted this before

I think Cary and Tatiana are a good match and she does seem to care for him as evidenced by her showing up that day at the apartment all concerned for Cary due to his injuries in the naughty nurse outfit...

 

 

[GiGi]

I'm not a Tatiana fan.

After Cary was attacked we learned from Eva that Tatiana has a jealous boyfriend who was not ok with the Cary-Tatiana hook-ups. Eva suggested to Monica the police should contact Tatiana because of the way her (Tatiana) boyfriend reacted when he learned about the hook-ups.

Eventually the Cary-Tatiana relationship is going to be explosive for Cary.

Hi Peachies,

Oh boy are these characters ever complex!  I think that each person can only ever be responsible for his/herself and no one else.  So at the end of the day Tatiana couldn't be responsible for how her boyfriend may or may not have acted.  But Tatiana is responsible for cheating on her boyfriend.

 

Since we have already established good will for others, I hope that Tatiana gets her act together what ever that may be.  I hope that Cary finds someone or creates a relationship with someone who loves Cary for Cary and nothing else. What do you think?  What does everyone think? 

[AMC]

poor Cary.  I hope that doesn't end up happening to him.

 I agree! But I feel that some kind of drama is going to happen to Cary...

[GiGi]

he's already been to her house so I'm sure he probably would've took her back there until Eva suggested someplace closer and that's when he thought of his f***pad as his old standby. He also didn't think of how it would effect Eva when she found all the stuff in there and saw it for what it really was to him.  

Hi Caroline, 

I think that when Eva suggested that they find a nearby place, it changed everything.  I don't think that Gideon intentionally intended to hurt Eva, I think that everything quickly went down hill. 

 

I also know that Eva could have responded differently.  She could have said something to Gideon but she chose not to because she was reacting.  It was like watching a train wreck which is really unfortunate.  It is also really interesting to see how the dialogue between these two has been slowly improving.  What do you think?  What does everyone think?

[Peachies]

Hi Peachies,

Oh boy are these characters ever complex! I think that each person can only ever be responsible for his/herself and no one else. So at the end of the day Tatiana couldn't be responsible for how her boyfriend may or may not have acted. But Tatiana is responsible for cheating on her boyfriend.

Since we have already established good will for others, I hope that Tatiana gets her act together what ever that may be. I hope that Cary finds someone or creates a relationship with someone who loves Cary for Cary and nothing else. What do you think? What does everyone think?

Hi GiGi,

I agree Tatiana isn't responsible for her boyfriends actions. However she is responsible for her actions of cheating on him with Cary and enjoying the drama when the boyfriend found out. We didn't witness the drama first hand, we only learned if it when Eva shared a little with Monica when Cary was in the hospital after the attack.

I hope Cary ends up with a special someone (or two special someones) :-D

[GiGi]

Hi GiGi,

I agree Tatiana isn't responsible for her boyfriends actions. However she is responsible for her actions of cheating on him with Cary and enjoying the drama when the boyfriend found out. We didn't witness the drama first hand, we only learned if it when Eva shared a little with Monica when Cary was in the hospital after the attack.

I hope Cary ends up with a special someone (or two special someones) :-D

Hi Peachies,

I agree with you.  I said the same thing myself.  Tatiana is absolutely responsible for her actions (who knows, maybe she loves the drama...she wouldn't be the first woman in history to love a little drama) and how those actions affect others.  I too hope that Cary finds true happiness!

[Andie]

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.

[Andie]

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

[gayle]

I have been gone for a couple of days, so I am behind on chapters, but:

 

One quick question about Magdalene:

Do you think Gideon had already asked her to the advocacy dinner (Magdalene), then dumped her when Eva said yes. He had only known Eva for about a week/less than a week, right? Any date of Gideon's would have had to know about the dinner in advance in order to get a dress, make appointments for hair, nails etc. Could that be one of the many reasons Magdalene was so mad at Eva that night?

[gayle]

I meant to quote this in my post above:

 

Hi everyone,

I had a quick question; who escorted Magdalene to the fund raiser?  Anyone have any thoughts about this?  Comments?

[julie54]

Ciao Gabri,

I don’t think that Cary would be “renouncing†Eva as his best friend per say, I just think that Eva is growing and changing and as such Cary has to do the same.  I still think that they will be best friends.  They just won’t be living together (hopefully Eva will be living with Gideon ).

morning Gigi

I will drink to that! Cheers!

[julie54]

Cary would do much better in modeling then a 9-5 job. he's got the looks and as Eva pointed out in BTY, he didn't always look like this. He needs to see he's gorgeous and capable of being loved and in love with someone who treats him how he should be treated. Eva envisions him being famous and I think he is well on his way and he's got Stanton to help invest that hard earned money. Aside from the setback from being almost beaten to death by nathan, Cary was doing well landing modeling jobs..in agreement, cary deserves nothing but the best.  

hi Caroline.

As Eva said to Cary. Beautiful on the inside, as well as the outside.

[julie54]

 

 

Hi everyone,

I have been reading everyone’s comments about how Eva handled the f*** pad scenario.  I just wanted to throw out a quick question.  Does everyone think that Gideon would have taken Eva back to his hotel room or back to his house?

 

Sorry my post got cut off.   I just wanted to add the second part to this post:

 

If we go back and read the scenario as it played out, Eva asked Gideon not to shower because it turned her on and also asked Gideon if they could find some place close by where they could have hot sweaty s** (my  paraphrasing not Sylvia’s)?  If Eva had allowed Gideon to remain in control instead of requesting a change of plans, do you think that Gideon would have taken Eva to the hotel?  My guess is no, Gideon wouldn’t have taken Eva back to his hotel.  I think that maybe they would have had sex in the limo and hen probably gone back to Eva’s apartment.  Thus far, Gideon broke all of his rules and changed his ways for Eva.  I don’t think that he would have used his old ways to woo Eva.  What does everyone think?

 

hi Gigi

I like your thinking. So it's Eva's fault, Gideon took her to the hotel. Her insatiable wouldn't wait. If she was that special to him, his f**k pad would have been going the way of the dodo, and done the gentlemanly thing, taking her home.

[julie54]

HI Caroline,

I always thought that Cary's relationship with Trey was horrible  When someone asks someone else to be something that he's not then that's a recipe for disaster!  I am sure that Trey was a nice person in his own right, but his lack of acceptance of Cary's bisexuality is not good for Cary.  Therefore that relationship would be unhealthy for both parties.  What do you think?  What does everyone think?

morning Gigi

Is Cary bisexuality always going to be a problem in a stable relationship? I don't know of anyone bisexual that I could ask. Can anyone help?

[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?

[sscrph]

[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?

That is probably why we feel so off balance when reading the books!! We want resolution to our conflicts--33 daze and counting!!

[LN Cronan]

[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?

 

OMG, this is great!!! I'll bet Sylvia is going to love this when she reads it

 

I especially like "The Unresolved Cerebrally Humorous Arguments". Hah!!! Subtitle: Gideon's Little Head Is Doing All The Thinking - And His Big Head Is Clueless"

 

Having fun with your clever system, I've got a few to add:

 

Chapter 2: Eva Doesn't Play Hard To Get -- She IS Hard to Get

Result: Gideon's Got Blue Balls

 

Chapter 4: Gideon Can't Handle This Anymore

Result: He's Still Not Getting Any Yet - But He Gets Closer

 

Chapter 6: Gideon Finally Gets Some

Result: Gideon Can't Handle It

 

Chapter 8: Gideon Finally Gets A Girlfriend

Result: Gideon Doesn't Know How To Handle It

 

Chapter 10: Gideon Almost Loses Her

Result: Gideon's Got Issues

[LN Cronan]

Chapter Nine of Bared To You -- The Reader's Guide

 

This chapter covers Monday evening (day eight of the story).

 

Key plot developments:

• Eva and Gideon made love for the second time - and for the first time as a couple in a committed relationship. This time, the place was of Gideon's choosing - a hotel.
• But it turned out he'd been using the hotel room as a f*** pad. Eva found out, and she fled.

 

New characters:

• Daniel, personal trainer at Gideon's gym (minor)

 

Making love again - then something goes wrong again

The key scene in this chapter is the second time that Eva and Gideon make love -- and it is the first time they do so as a real couple, now that earlier that day they'd formally started their relationship. (The love scene start on page 132 and runs through 138).

Unlike the limo, where Gideon was completely out of his comfort zone, this time they have sex in the place he's most secure - the hotel he's always used. Too, they have intercourse in the way he's most secure - him on top holding his partner down.

Not that Eva (nor we readers) knew it at the time, because details would emerge in pieces much later, but Gideon had serious hang-ups, which included a control fetish. He even controlled the location where he'd have sex. The only place he's ever had sex prior to Eva was that same hotel where he'd now taken Eva.  It's where he'd taken every prior sexual partner throughout his love life/sex life, starting with his first (Corrine) approximately a decade earlier.

All Eva knew at the time was Gideon rushed her to a nearby hotel he owned because, because at that moment, they were totally hot for one another and couldn't wait any longer to go to bed.

Once inside the room, they made passionate love, and it was very good for both of them. Afterward Gideon was relaxed and happy, a far cry from the freaked out person he'd been Saturday night.

But then, while Gideon was taking a shower, things went bad again. Eva came across stuff like sex supplies and extra changes of clothing, clear evidence the room Gideon brought her to was a place previously set up to take women -- a "f*** pad" is the phrase Eva used.

Her raging insecurities made her feel cheapened, nothing more than the latest in a long line of women Gideon had brought there for sex. So once again, lovemaking was immediately followed by a head trip -- this time it was Eva who went on one.

 Immediately falling into what would turn out to be a long-standing dysfunction pattern she uses when faced with painful situations, she fled the room, pulling the first "runner" of their relationship.

 

What else happens in this chapter

Prior to going to the hotel, they worked out at Gideon's gym. There Eva she got a glimpse of Gideon's possessive nature. While Gideon was working out in another part of the gym, one of the personal trainers spotted Eva as someone new and started offering her excellent customer service. But Gideon, seeing the trainer buzzing around Eva, pulled rank on the poor guy (Gideon owned the gym chain) to make him back off. Gideon informed the guy Eva was his girlfriend. It was the very first time Gideon used the word to describe Eva.

Also significant -- outside on the sidewalk near the gym, he suddenly passionately kissed her in public. What she didn't know at the time was that Gideon had spotted a paparazzi photographer hanging out in the vicinity, and so Gideon made it easy for the guy to get "candid" shots.

[LN Cronan]

Chapter A Day Re-Read Project - Today is Chapter Ten of Bared

 

This chapter continued where Chapter Nine left off, Monday evening (day eight of the story). It goes through late moring on Tuesday (day nine).

 

Key plot developments:

• Eva pulls her first runner of the brand new relationship by fleeing the f*** pad hotel. Gideon tracks her down and they make up.
• Gideon takes her home with him, the first woman he's ever brought home.
• Eva is thrilled to hear Cary just landed a major modeling job.
• She's horrified to discover her picture and name have landed on celebrity gossip sites -- identified as Gideon's new girlfriend.

[LN Cronan]

For my favorite quote/paragraph of Chapter Ten, I nearly went with Eva waking up in the morning to Gideon making love to her, but in the end, I went with a quote where Gideon opened up a vulnerable place inside him the night before, when he'd taken Eva home with him. From page 145:

 

'I'd really like you to stay, Eva. I don't blame you for wanting to get out the hotel, but finding you gone scared the h*** out of me. I need to hang on to you for a while."

[AMC]

That is probably why we feel so off balance when reading the books!! We want resolution to our conflicts--33 daze and counting!!

OMG---that is great!  LOL!

[AMC]

OMG, this is great!!! I'll bet Sylvia is going to love this when she reads it

 

I especially like "The Unresolved Cerebrally Humorous Arguments". Hah!!! Subtitle: Gideon's Little Head Is Doing All The Thinking - And His Big Head Is Clueless"

 

Having fun with your clever system, I've got a few to add:

 

Chapter 2: Eva Doesn't Play Hard To Get -- She IS Hard to Get

Result: Gideon's Got Blue Balls

 

Chapter 4: Gideon Can't Handle This Anymore

Result: He's Still Not Getting Any Yet - But He Gets Closer

 

Chapter 6: Gideon Finally Gets Some

Result: Gideon Can't Handle It

 

Chapter 8: Gideon Finally Gets A Girlfriend

Result: Gideon Doesn't Know How To Handle It

 

Chapter 10: Gideon Almost Loses Her

Result: Gideon's Got Issues

You all are brilliant!   lol!

[jls1216]

[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?

This is GREAT!!!

[LN Cronan]

[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?

 

So if Sylvia uses a similar literary device pattern for Entwined, here's some theories I have based on some of the Entwined chapter snapshots we've already seen.

 

Chapter 1: They've just entered the biggest crisis of their relationship, the revelation Gideon killed Nathan -- and they have to talk about it.

Chapter 2: By the time it's over, they've talked, decided what to do next, and have had lots of loving make-up sex.

 

Chapter 3: not sure -- the snapshot appears to be work related, but we know that some chapters contain multiple scenes, and some end with cliff-hangers. An example is Chapter Seven of Bared - the last sentence of that chapter is the cliff-hanger of Eva telling Gideon right to his face she doesn't want to see him anymore (because of how he treated her badly on their first date.) My guess on possible cliffhanger is Brett shows up.

Chapter 4: Between the snapshot and the snippet shortly before that snapshot, we know Brett, Eva and Gideon all are at some sort of Vidal Records PR event in Times Square. Perhaps the resolution here is how Eva and Gideon are publicly going to handle their ex(es) - Brett (and possibly Corrine too) for now while still seeing one another secretly.

 

Chapters 5 & 6: The snapshots are towels (#5) and a bathtub (#6). Perhaps a bath taken together in which they talk about some of his dark childhood secrets. Gideon had been around members of his family in Times Square - maybe that's the crisis heading into Chapter 5. In Chapter 6, the newly-honest Gideon actually opens up to Eva, telling her anything she wants to know.

 

Chapters 7 & 8: Something to do probably with Eva now living her own public lie as a footloose, fancy free party girl, already over that Gideon Cross she'd dated for a few weeks earlier that summer. It's Gideon's turn to squirm now, karma for those weeks in Reflected where Eva endured agonies of jealousy from repeatedly seeing Gideon appearing to be intimate with Corrine.

 

Chapter 9 onward: haven't figured out an obvious pattern beyond what happens with Gideon and Eva getting together in the dance club, but maybe they get spotted together, despite Gideon's disguised appearance.

[LN Cronan]

When Gideon asked Eva to spend the whole night with him in his apartment, he broke one of his biggest rules of all -- the rule he would never literally sleep with a woman. By that, I mean fall asleep alongside a woman in his bed. Because of his nightmares. It makes all the more poignant that Gideon took Eva home to make up for the fact he'd taken her to that hotel for sex.

 

THE deal-breaker issue between him and Corrine had been more than just the fact he wouldn't have sex with her anywhere besides that hotel. He absolutely refused to stay an entire night with her -- not at that hotel, not anywhere. I think the whole reason he settled on hotel sex was because having sex at either one of their respective dorm rooms or apartments would entail spending the whole night together.

 

Gideon thinks Corrine broke the engagement in an attempt to force him fight for the relationship, to fight to keep her by starting to spend entire nights together. Their sleeping in one or the other's beds would move their sex life to the level of intimacy marriage would entail -- sharing a bed, a bedroom, a home itself. But when Corrine rolled the dice, she lost. Gideon was secretly relieved she ended it, because by then, he'd figured out he could never keep the nightmares of his being raped a secret from her if they shared a home.

 

Too, I see this as a sign of Gideon's dysfunction level when it came to relationships. He let that engagement drag on way too long -- a whole year -- when he never ought to have accepted her marriage proposal to begin with. I wonder how close to the altar the pair of them were by the time Corrine pulled her ultimatum. One year is a fairly common length of time between the start of an engagement and the wedding itself. If I had to guess, I would say the invitations had already gone out months ago and the wedding date itself was fast approaching. And perhaps the sticking point could have been the honeymoon plans. Usually, that's the groom's department. Formal etiquette (especially practiced in high society circles) is that the groom pays for the honeymoon -- so that part of the entire overall wedding plan was Gideon's responsibility. And the prospect of the honeymoon was making him start to pull away.