Entwined with You by
Sylvia Day picks up where Reflected in You
leaves off. A menace from Eva Tramell's past has been eliminated, but it has
torn Eva and Gideon Cross apart. In this third installment, the lovers work
their way back to one another privately and face adversaries in public eye
when someone from Gideon's past is out to get him and police are hot on
Gideon's trail. Reunited, their bond is stronger than before although Gideon's
past continues to haunt him, the lingering scars threatening to create a wedge
between them. But Eva is determined to stop that from happening, so she takes
charge--a bold, sexy decision that yields high dividends while on a weekend
getaway (if you know what I mean). Gideon and Eva believe they have started on
a path to a blissful life, working through their differences, making their way
back to each other, but old torments arise, attempting to drive the final
dagger into Eva and Gideon's relationship.So many good things about this book! Too much to really mention here, or this would be a novella on its own. Eva comes into her own a little more, although Gideon is still the dominant in their relationship. Eva asserts herself, including her overprotective, hovering mother and a reporter who is up to no good. In the previous books, I only had a slight problem with Gideon's overbearing protectiveness and secrecy, but this time, I really disliked his inability to take "not right now" for an answer to a major decision (spoiler alert!!). I always told myself that he was being romantic and loved her that much, but I think it demonstrates an aggressive dominance that I thought Gideon's character was losing. Although the other half of me is very happy about the outcome of his strategic planning and coercion; he's your run of the mill alpha male after all!
Everyone who has read this series compares it to another very similar series that gained some notoriety last summer. The first two books outdid that "series that shall not be named" in the sex scenes and relationship development. There were the same old "hot sex" scenes from the previous two books, which felt a little "yawn moment" and less exciting this time around, but still hot. Including one really interesting, erotic encounter: don't imagine anything too nuts, but... hello experimentation! But the sex took a back seat to romance and character building.
The character development in this book is really awesome. Eva and Gideon are each growing, but the role of minor characters in this book expands. We get to read about Carey's life, including a major situation that develops, and other characters like Mark and Steven and Megumi. It's nice to see new characters getting more and more page time and depth. And (!) these subplots seem to have a huge role to play in the conclusion of this series and that may be why we lost a little tension for the moment between Gideon and Eva: maybe it's all just brewing beneath the surface!
I suppose I was a little over enthusiastic for the release of this supposed final installment after reading the second book of the series. The relationship itself didn't have much in the way of tension. Sure, there were the few moments of jealousy and the very serious tensions between Eva and her parents, the reporter, and with her ex, Brett Kline, but the relationship did not have such intense moments that threatened to ruin them. The relationship was building its way back up; this is a very romantic book and something major happens to our beloved main characters! Not until the end on the book did any other major threat to their relationship emerge. When it finally did, getting juicy and intriguing, too, I thought to myself as I read it: "how can this play out in thirty pages or less when this seems like a major deal?" and then I reached the end. Turns out, Eva and Gideon's story isn't over!
I rated this as a 4/5 star read because I felt a lack of excitement at times when I really wanted a lot of tension, and the whole way Gideon took away Eva's moment to say no or slow down. That sort of bugged me, although I did like Gideon's dominance act in the other parts of the series. Also, the way Sylvia Day continued the story into at least one other book made me way. The last time Day did this to me, she wrapped up a trilogy with two short novellas that were next to impossible to find and many claim that they don't do the cliffhanger justice--I'm looking at you Eve of Chaos series!
Overall, a good, quick summer read for the pool or the beach. I did really enjoy it, and can't wait to read the rest of Gideon and Eva's story--however it plays out. I'm totally rooting for them. P.S. Major events happen in this book, so... be sure to pick up the series and read them!
June 10, 2013: Inferno by Dan Brown 4.5/5 stars
Dan Brown does it again! Inferno was a
thrill ride from the start. Brown brings back his intellectual protagonist
Robert Langdon, of Da Vinci Code notoriety, for
this adventure through Florence, Venice, and Dante's Inferno. There were so
many awesome things about this novel, I'm not sure where to even begin. This
definitely earns a high rating in my book. Those who love Dan Brown's writing
and mind-boggling twists and turns make this an easy read they'll enjoy
getting lost in.
His accomplice in all this happens to be a young woman, Sienna Brooks, who readers come to learn is a highly intelligent woman with a 200+ IQ, suffering from illness, loneliness, and perhaps social anxiety. The duo embarks on this mission to retrace Langdon's steps from the previous days and solve the mystery of his recurring nightmares. Numerous characters share the spotlight in this novel, with numerous segments featuring the good guys and bad guys, although which person belongs to which side is part of the mystery. Brown doesn't disappoint in his character development, as always.
Next, the plot points kept me on edge. Issues of population control, morality, and science all feature prominently in this book. Questions over how to handle the rising rate of the population, the increase in technology, and our own personal answers to tough moral issues weigh heavily on the characters and readers. It really got me thinking about my own denial and how I would act if I were in their shoes. Without giving away too much, a threat to the population exists somewhere in this modern day Inferno with the power to save or destroy the human race, depending on one's moral point of view. It's thought-provoking and inquisitive and I absolutely love it. Another great job by Brown.
And of course, there's the historical and literary elements of the story itself. If you're like me, you've read parts, if not all of Dante's The Divine Comedy. I always love Brown's works because they are factual, even if the sequence of events is not. The locations are always precise as are the details background. This historical fiction thriller has everything that I love and value in a good read. Plus, the plot is simple enough to follow, with all the weighty elements of history and literature.
This summer, if you have the time and are looking for a thrilling, quick read, I highly recommend this new one by Dan Brown. I, for one, can't wait to see what shenanigans Langdon can get into in the next book.
April 18, 2013: Bared to You by Sylvia Day 4/5 stars
If you have read 50 Shades, I suggest you read Day's Bared to You. Once you have, you'll realize that the erotic romance novel of the year to read is right here. The characters in this book are each flawed, they don't idealize each other to the extent that they forget about each other's problems with intimacy, and the characters grow with each other. Eva and Gideon come to life on the page. We care about their growth in the relationship, we may be worrisome that they are too absorbed in each other, we envy the hot sex they have all too frequently. In the end, it is their relationship that takes center stage.
Readers aren't overwhelmed with too many sex scenes. In other books, the man is the aggressor and the female simply cowers to the rich billionaire's demands. However, Eva comes right out and says she doesn't want sex with no respect or friendship. She is frequently the initiator as well. The only flaw that I can see is that Eva may give in a little too easily to Gideon when she's upset and he tries to solve issues with sex. Some relationships are like that, though, so it's easy to forgive that one character problem.
I also really enjoyed that there is an actual plot line these character's stories. Gideon has issues. Eva has issues. Can two individuals with so many intimacy problems have a healthy, normal relationship with each other? That question is at the center of this book series. Obstacles come and go: from roommates, to publicity, to trust, to sex, to infidelity, everything is covered in this relationship. We end the book with an expectation of what may happen (and it's not just more sex, but that happens too).
Overall, this is a great, fast read for another interested in these types of books. You want to root for the characters and their relationship. Their sex lives are healthy and intimate, as well as raw and unfettered. It's not just sex on the page every time you flip and no substance. Day has created a great world and hot chemistry between her characters and it should be celebrated.
April 11, 2013: the perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 3.5/5 stars
As you'll note, this book is only rated 3.5 out of 5 from me. If you've read it, you might gasp at that, wondering how I could do such a thing. The book was just okay for me.
The story follows a young teen "Charlie" on his first year of high school and the trials and tribulations that go along with freshman year: girls, parties, sports, school, identity crises, etc. Charlie writes letters to an unknown person chronicling the whole year and the shenanigans that he and his friends, Patrick and Sam, get into.
While I did like the story itself as a whole, I felt like the story was a bit predictable. The issues that Charlie faces in school, the adventures he has with his friends, as well as his family life are very realistic. That is helpful in creating relatable characters, but there was no surprise. Chbosky did a good job of leading readers to the end conclusion, and I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a surprise, but it did not strike me that way. I did really like the way that the story was presented. We don't know who he was talking to, but it was still raw and emotional. The structure of the story was its saving glory for this reader. Touchy material, relatable characters, but mostly traditional high school storyline. Overall, it was worth my time to read, but I don't think that I would necessarily classify it as a must-read or favorite.
What did you think?
April 4, 2012: The Paris Wife by Paula McLain 5/5 stars
From the moment I picked up The Paris Wife, I had a general idea of the story line. I happen to know a bit about the romance between Ernest Hemingway and Hadley Richardson through a college course I took on Hemingway. To be 100% fair, I have a soft spot in my heart for Hadley. She's probably my favorite wife (of the four Papa H had). I told myself to be as objective as possible about this book.
The story is narrated by Hadley Richardson, who at 28 is nearing "Old Maid" status, living with her sister and her family in St. Louis. On a trip to Chicago, she meets twenty-year-old Ernest Hemingway, a young man eager to make a name for himself as a writer, with big aspirations. Despite warnings from a mutual friend, Hadley and Ernest begin a whirlwind relationship. The two were married within a year: Hadley at 29, and Ernest, 21.
After their marriage, Ernest and Hadley Hemingway, on advice from a fellow writer, take up residence in Paris in the 1920s. Quickly, the two are wrapped up in the fast-paced world of writers and artists of the "Lost Generation," befriending Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald among others. As Ernest looks to make a name for himself as a writer, working on short stories, sketches, and a novel that would later become The Sun Also Rises, readers come to see Hadley as the great woman behind the great man--pushing him toward success and putting his career before their life and relationship. Paris does not have the allure to Hadley as it does for Ernest, but she still does her best to support him as he paves the way for his career. In order to support his family, Ernest eventually takes a reporting job, often taking him away for long periods of time. These separations bring about a rift in the romance of Hadley and Ernest, whose pressures of family and fatherhood dwell on him. These pressures take a toll on his writing, adding to many distractions and much more stress on the marriage. And when Ernest's eye begins to wander to a close friend, readers suffer with Hadley as everything she's ever hoped for begins to crumble.In The Paris Wife, readers get a first person, although fictionalized, view of the life of the Hemingways from Hadley's perspective. We fall for young, handsome Hemingway as she does. We miss Hemingway when she does. We feel sad, angry, and lost, when she does. One of the best things about this story is McLain's ability to show readers, through Hadley, the ups and downs of the relationship. Readers are consumed by the relationship and emotions. We witness, firsthand through Hadley's narration, the breakdown of their marriage and the realization of what is coming next. But Hadley isn't a woman to be pitied. In the end, Hadley was the most important woman in Ernest's life. Without her support and love, his short stories, The Sun Also Rises, and his epic memoir, A Moveable Feast, would not have been possible. In the story of Hemingway, Hadley, "the Paris wife," is the key ingredient. We grow with Hadley:"and the reason I could do it at all, the reason I was strong enough and had the legs and the heart to do it, was because Ernest had come along and changed me. He helped me see what I really was and what I could do. Now that I knew what I could bear, I would have to bear losing him."
Besides the raw emotions and rollercoaster rides in this book, the language and story, while fictional, feel real. These are true events that are documented and recorded--it's obvious that McLain did her research on Hadley and Ernest. But the language and events are just so real that readers feel like they are along for the ride. While McLain admits the dialogue is mostly invented, it feels like something that Hadley or Hemingway would say. This book is written extraordinarily well and took no time at all to read. Grab a glass (or two) of wine and sit back with this book and you will not be sorry!
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