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

[gabri]

hi Gigi

Something good to look forward to.

Lady from Australia posted on fb, asking, who our two lovers were. I don't think Gideon and Eva have reached down under yet. How bad is that. No Gideon or Eva. :-(

Are you kidding??? Poor things, life must be really boring down there!

[sscrph]

 All the more so because Eva must be in a whirlwind of new faces she has to get accustomed to, what with her new job and her new life-style!

I don't think Dr.Terry was there that night maybe he specifically avoided going knowing the Gideon would be giving a speech...

[sscrph]

As for the baton-thing, who's standing behind Eva and gets her in his arms in almost a wrestling-move? Who's collecting the shawl when Eva decides to leave the dinner? Cary

He definitely is her go-to guy and a real BFF- I love their relationship!!

[gabri]

He definitely is her go-to guy and a real BFF- I love their relationship!!

I do too. They would deserve their story to be told in a book..... think about it, Sylvia, pleeeease!!!!!

[Kirsten]

It saddens me how Eva woke up Sunday morning firmly convinced every nasty thing Magdalene said was the truth.

 

In Magdalene's defense, she had every reason to believe it was true Eva already was on the reject pile. Because up to that point it was true, given how Gideon never kept around any woman he f******. The only women who got any respect were his female friends, especially the ones he took out (like Magdalene). Plus Magdalene would have watched the pair of them like a hawk that night, able to see how cold Gideon was and how miserable Eva was.

 

I actually came to like Magdalene in Reflected, because of what Magdalene did the morning after Gideon yet again made Eva miserable in front of a high society crowd (his having spent all dinner sitting between Corrine and Eva, giving all his attention to Corrine and not even looking at Eva.)

 

Magdalene eavesdropped the whole time, so she knew Gideon was trying to defuse the possibility Corrine would further upset Eva -- but poor Eva ended up walking out on Gideon, and Magdalene was shocked Gideon actually ran after Eva.

 

The next day, Magdalene called Eva at work to explain everything she witnessed. Yes, on some level Magdalene was siding with Eva purely to thwart Corrine, the person Magdalene believed was the real romantic rival. But mostly, Magdalene was defending Gideon. Doing so proved Magdalene actually is a real friend to Gideon -- she sincerely wants him to be happy, even if that means it's with someone other than her (Magdalene). Magdalene is what Corrine should be but isn't -- selfless enough to wish Gideon happiness, instead of desperately chasing Gideon down to keep him for herself.

I agree with your assessment LN. I think Magdalene is actually a friend to Gideon. Yes, she wanted to be more (don't we all. ) but in the end her telling Eva what was really happening at the dinner showed that her loyalty lies with Gideon, and wanting him happy.

[Kirsten]

Up until Eva slammed Gideon (by implying the lovemaking in the limo meant nothing) Gideon had been in snarky mood himself: bickering with Eva as they danced, getting confrontational with Cary when Cary stepped in.

 

But as soon as what Eva said hit Gideon and it dawned on him just had badly he'd hurt her, his snarkiness stopped in its tracks. He tried gently saying good-bye (by then, he had to rush off to answer yet another Corrine-in-crisis phone call.)

 

He promised to call Eva, and he displayed tenderness by touching her face and looking in her eyes.

 

He did call the next day -- almost incessantly. Too bad for him Eva had reclaimed her self-respect and avoided answering the phone or even listening to messages. Monday morning, she planned to drop the plans they'd set Friday afternoon to have lunch together on Monday. Eva set protective boundaries -- a sign that she has as much, if not more, self-respect inside as she does terrible insecurities.

Yay Eva!

[LN Cronan]

I agree with your assessment LN. I think Magdalene is actually a friend to Gideon. Yes, she wanted to be more (don't we all. ) but in the end her telling Eva what was really happening at the dinner showed that her loyalty lies with Gideon, and wanting him happy.

 

Plus, I believe Magdalene was sorry for having been such an evil witch to Eva the first time she met Eva -- assuming Eva was the latest Gideon bedroom reject and driving the final nail in Eva's coffin, probably because Magdalene was furious at the time Gideon hadn't taken her (Magdalene) as his date to the fundraiser.

 

During that phone call she made to Eva weeks later (to defend Gideon and criticize Corrine for the mess that had happened the night before) Magdalene told Eva "I owe you one, Eva, for the way I introduced myself" (Reflected, page 24.) Last, but by no means least, Magdalene explained she and Gideon had been friends for a very long time, so it was likely she (Magdalene) would be seeing Eva around -- Magdalene wanted to " .... avoid any awkwardness." (Reflected page 26.)

 

Magdalene was being honest with Eva from day one -- even that first cat fight, because Magdalene had absolutely no way of knowing Eva was not just another woman Gideon f****** and would soon forget. Magdalene was nice to Eva the night Corrine blindsided Eva and Gideon both. The next day, Magdalene was a true friend to Gideon and nice to Eva too.

 

Compare that with that two-faced Corrine, sweet to Eva's face when they met, even while passive-aggressively messing with Eva's mind -- and then ignoring Eva the rest of the night while she (Corrine) stole all of Gideon's time. Corrine acted sweet while Gideon was in the room and they all were at a very public event. But look at the stunts Corrine pulled behind Gideon's back. In fact, during their showdown at the door of Corrine's apartment, weeks later in Reflected, Corrine made a point of confirming Gideon had no clue Eva was there. Once Corrine confirmed that, she turned even nastier.

[Donnad]

Plus, I believe Magdalene was sorry for having been such an evil witch to Eva the first time she met Eva -- assuming Eva was the latest Gideon bedroom reject and driving the final nail in Eva's coffin, probably because Magdalene was furious at the time Gideon hadn't taken her (Magdalene) as his date to the fundraiser.

 

During that phone call she made to Eva weeks later (to defend Gideon and criticize Corrine for the mess that had happened the night before) Magdalene told Eva "I owe you one, Eva, for the way I introduced myself" (Reflected, page 24.) Last, but by no means least, Magdalene explained she and Gideon had been friends for a very long time, so it was likely she (Magdalene) would be seeing Eva around -- Magdalene wanted to " .... avoid any awkwardness." (Reflected page 26.)

 

Magdalene was being honest with Eva from day one -- even that first cat fight, because Magdalene had absolutely no way of knowing Eva was not just another woman Gideon f****** and would soon forget. Magdalene was nice to Eva the night Corrine blindsided Eva and Gideon both. The next day, Magdalene was a true friend to Gideon and nice to Eva too.

 

Compare that with that two-faced Corrine, sweet to Eva's face when they met, even while passive-aggressively messing with Eva's mind -- and then ignoring Eva the rest of the night while she (Corrine) stole all of Gideon's time. Corrine acted sweet while Gideon was in the room and they all were at a very public event. But look at the stunts Corrine pulled behind Gideon's back. In fact, during their showdown at the door of Corrine's apartment, weeks later in Reflected, Corrine made a point of confirming Gideon had no clue Eva was there. Once Corrine confirmed that, she turned even nastier.

 

I believe Corrinne will be kicked to the curb too but Magdalene will be staying in the picture.   Eva did Gideon about the comment she made at the dinner and you knew he was annoyed.   I'm sure he said something to her and she's trying to makeup for it to Eva

[LN Cronan]

The Monday after Magdalene tore into Eva, Eva told Gideon almost word for word what Magdalene said. His reaction was to get quiet -- and we now know that's when Gideon is at his angriest. My guess is as soon as Eva went back to work, he picked up the phone and chewed Magdalene out.

 

Yet the following night, he was nice to Magdalene when he ran into her outside a restaurant (he'd been there for a meeting, while Eva was at home keeping a promise to hang with Trey and Cary.) I take that as a sign Magdalene felt properly chastened and had apologized to Gideon for having hurt his (Gideon's) new love. Fast forward to Gideon's discovery of the secret Magdalene-Christopher Jr. sex tape. Gideon kindly invited Magdalene to lunch in the privacy of his office so he could let her know about it. She needed to know how bad Christopher was using her.

 

Yep, Gideon and Magdalene are definitely very old friends -- and she'd be capable of staying friends with him even after he marries Eva.

[Kirsten]

I believe Corrinne will be kicked to the curb too but Magdalene will be staying in the picture.   Eva did Gideon about the comment she made at the dinner and you knew he was annoyed.   I'm sure he said something to her and she's trying to makeup for it to Eva

 

 

Let us also not forget the way Magdalene was treated by CV Jr, and Gideon was a friend to her (even though it had to be uncomfortable) showing her the video and letting her know the score. No doubt as Magdalene sat in his office that day surrounded by Eva's flowers she could tell Gideon was the happiest she'd ever seen him, and she gets points in my book for acknowledging that Eva will be in Gideon's life and their paths will be crossing.

[Kirsten]

The Monday after Magdalene tore into Eva, Eva told Gideon almost word for word what Magdalene said. His reaction was to get quiet -- and we now know that's when Gideon is at his angriest. My guess is as soon as Eva went back to work, he picked up the phone and chewed Magdalene out.

 

Yet the following night, he was nice to Magdalene when he ran into her outside a restaurant (he'd been there for a meeting, while Eva was at home keeping a promise to hang with Trey and Cary.) I take that as a sign Magdalene felt properly chastened and had apologized to Gideon for having hurt his (Gideon's) new love. Fast forward to Gideon's discovery of the secret Magdalene-Christopher Jr. sex tape. Gideon kindly invited Magdalene to lunch in the privacy of his office so he could let her know about it. She needed to know how bad Christopher was using her.

 

Yep, Gideon and Magdalene are definitely very old friends -- and she'd be capable of staying friends with him even after he marries Eva.

Agreed.

[jls1216]

Oh Gideon Gideon Gideon!

Chapters 6& 7 things went from bad to worse. Poor Eva, how could it go so horribly wrong so quickly.

My favourite passage is I swallowed pass the lump in my throat. "You have a wonderful speech, Gideon. It was the highlight of my evening"

He sucked in a sharp breath at the implied insult, then shoved a hand through his hair.

Then to top it, Eva was ambushed by the delightful Magdalene.

Bet Eva wished she had stayed at home and washed her hair!!

Julie,

This is my favorite as well. Our sassy Eva gives it to him:)

[jls1216]

I hope Magdalene does not let us down in the next book because I am really starting to like her...As I said maybe Magdalene+Arnoldo TLA

I am a fan of the Magdalene and Arnoldo hook up. Plus i am rooting for her and Eva to become friends.

[julie54]

I am a fan of the Magdalene and Arnoldo hook up. Plus i am rooting for her and Eva to become friends.

i think she finally realises what Eva means to Gideon, and at last he has found his soulmate. I, along with a lot of other members have had a change of heart regarding Magdalene,

[Peachies]

But Eva did see a picture of Anne from her Internet search and did not connect the dots at that point...

Except the internet search on Lucas was not until later in Reflected.

[CAROLINE628]

LN ~ I just wanted to say thank you so much for posting your Readers' Guide for each chapter. They're a tremendous help to me when I'm re-reading each chapter.... You ROCK!!!! : )

[MrsCrossfire]

FYI Ladies, I asked some time ago if the Redhead at the advocacy dinner was Mrs Lucus and I tweeted SD about it and she said "No. Guaranted Gideon would've noticed her sitting nearby"..!!

[Andie]

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

 

Hello,

 

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

 

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

 

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

[Kirsten]

Welcome Andie, glad you could join us.

 

LN- I see there is some sort of interview with Sylvia tomorrow morning, but I can't figure out the time or any other details. I think my brain is fried for today. Have you heard anything about it? http://www.facebook.com/HenryCavillOrg?ref=stream&hc_location=timeline it was mentioned on this site and on Sylvia's fb page. Maybe it will just be posted on the fb page?

[Andie]

Chapter 1

 

 

1. My favorites

 

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

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

scene: Eva sprawled in front of Gideon.

 

 

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

 

 

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

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

 

Perhaps this will help explain my way of thinking:

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

[Andie]

Chapter 7

 

My favorites:

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

Peruse away, ladies *wink*

[julie54]

FYI Ladies, I asked some time ago if the Redhead at the advocacy dinner was Mrs Lucus and I tweeted SD about it and she said "No. Guaranted Gideon would've noticed her sitting nearby"..!!

thing was, Gideon didnt notice Dr Terry Lucas sitting next Eva at the next function they went to. He was too busy managing Corrine again!! Da*n that woman is a pain.

[GiGi]

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

 

Hello,

 

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

 

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

 

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

Hi Andie, 

Welcome to the forum!  I hope you enjoy yourself!

[GiGi]

thing was, Gideon didnt notice Dr Terry Lucas sitting next Eva at the next function they went to. He was too busy managing Corrine again!! Da*n that woman is a pain.

Hi Julie,

I agreed with someone who had suggested that the "red haired" was Anne Lucas.  It wouldn't have surprised me that she would have attended a charity function that Gideon was going to be at.  There was never any mention made as to whether Dr. Lucas's marriage survived the affair.  So Anne Lucas may also have attended the charity function to "stick it" to her husband.  What do you think?  What does everyone think?

[GiGi]

HI GIGI!! I'm not trying to find excuses for Monica's behaviour. I totally agree with you because, although I don't have children myself, I have 3 small-age nephews I would die or kill for. My line of reasoning was simply based on the scant known facts so far... I'm still not able to pinpoint chapters as you ladies do so well, but I'm trying my best. Whether Monica wasn't aware of or didn't care to know what Eva was going through seems of small consequence compared to her handling of the matter. Once she knew, she should have known better than cover everything up and flee into another marriage...no wonder flight is Eva's answer to her own issues with men!! At the very least I would have told Victor and have that lousy brat locked up. Forever.

  

 

Ciao Gabri,

No worries.  I didn’t think that you were making excuses for Monica.  I just find her character surprising.  It seems that the more time that passes, the less Monica seems to learn from her mistakes and how to properly parent a child or even how to be a proper parent to a child.  It boggles my mind! 

 

In all fairness to your posting, the assumption could have been made that Monica was doing the best that she could at the time (but we the readers know differently because we have read both of the books).

 

You make a very good point about Eva learning to flee from her mother.  I never would have connected Monica leaving one marriage to go directly into another, having an effect on Eva.   What do you think?  What does everyone think?