Reviewed by Has
Where did you get the book: Bought
Publisher: Penguin
Release date: Out now
Gideon Cross. Falling in love with him was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. It happened instantly. Completely. Irrevocably.
Marrying him was a dream come true. Staying married to him is the fight of my life. Love transforms. Ours is both a refuge from the storm and the most violent of tempests. Two damaged souls entwined as one.
We have bared our deepest, ugliest secrets to one another. Gideon is the mirror that reflects all my flaws … and all the beauty I couldn’t see. He has given me everything. Now, I must prove I can be the rock, the shelter for him that he is for me. Together, we could stand against those who work so viciously to come between us.
But our greatest battle may lie within the very vows that give us strength. Committing to love was only the beginning. Fighting for it will either set us free … or break us apart.
Heartbreakingly and seductively poignant, One with You is the breathlessly awaited finale to the Crossfire® saga, the searing love story that has captivated millions of readers worldwide.
*Blurb taken from Goodreads*
The Crossfire series by Sylvia Day epitomises high octane emotional drama and sexual tension and heat, featuring the obsessive tortured billionaire and heroine who challenges him trope. I adored the earlier books because they were everything that a lot of books failed to hit with a sexually assertive heroine and a hero who was brooding but was totally obsessed and head over heels with the heroine, which is my top book crack. However, the last couple of books, which extended the series beyond the original intended trilogy, illustrated growing issues with the series and the last book for me was a lot to be desired, especially on certain scenes which left me uncomfortable and didn’t show any growth with Gideon’s character and in some ways left me disliking him.
Nonetheless, One with You actually delved head on with tackling the problems surrounding Gideon and Eva’s characters and definitely showed they were working through their issues, which was healthy and productive. I really liked that they were both starting to realise their triggers and their mistakes that had that two-steps-forward-and-one-step-back overtones in their relationship. I also liked they decided to be celibate for a bit to help combat their problems, which helped to focus more on their emotional and psychological elements of the story and I really felt that they understood and realised their issues so they could move forward.
Yet, at the halfway point of the book, the subplots which concerned the Lucas’ couple, who are linked with Gideon’s childhood abuser and a surprising plot thread about Eva’s mother’s past, felt like a left turn twist with the ongoing narrative arc which made me scratch my head. And I think that sums up one of the main issues I have with this series because over the story arc of the series the subplots took weird twists, or was dropped abruptly and others suddenly appeared which felt like last minute changes. I felt that the new plot twist took attention from the story and characterisation, which needed time and development. It really affected the pace of the book and it added to my dissatisfaction to the ending, because in some ways it was open ended.
Although I really disliked how the big event in the end happened which ties in with the abrupt plot twist, on the one hand I could see how it tied in with the ongoing arc but on the other hand this was underdeveloped in the series because of the numerous threads linked with Eva and Gideon’s past and their exes especially. I think that was another flaw in this series because too much time was spent on the emotional drama rather than building up the intrigue which really faltered around the end of book three. But what I really hated about the ending to this series was how Gideon’s character regressed with his decision at the end of the book which destroyed any kind of growth and evolution to his character has made to this point. And here be spoilers – I hate giving them, but I really hated what happened in the end and its hard to avoid.
Spoiler warning:
[spoiler]
Towards the end of the book, Monica, who is Eva’s mother, is shot dead from the stalker that was trying to kill Gideon during a charity gala. This was out of the blue, and there was no real build up to the clue that Gideon was actually stalked, although the stalker was tied to the Lucas’ couple who have a vendetta against Gideon and Eva and they may have twisted him to attack them.
Eva is accidentally knocked out during the fracas and wakes up not realising her mother is killed. Gideon doesn’t tell her for a full night and only tells her the following morning, which undermines all the progress his character and the development to protect her from any remaining danger. Eva’s reaction is downplayed; she isn’t angry or bitter towards Gideon, although this has been one of the major themes of conflict between them over the course of the series. Her grief towards her mother was glossed over so quickly. Also the resolution about the Lucas’ couple, who are behind the killing, is also quickly brushed aside and this is a BIG revelation and there should have been some time spent on that fallout.
[/spoiler]
End spoilers.
And there were also the factors of Cary’s story arc, which is left hanging with a suggestion that he may or may not end up with Trey, and another surprising plot twist with Gideon’s resentful half-brother who may or may not be linked to Gideon’s abuser in the past. I was also not really happy with the vagueness about Eva’s future career plans although she is working with Gideon as a partner and I would have loved to see more of her being the ‘fixer’ for his company other than a few breezy mentions. But all of these story arcs are neatly glossed over or underplayed, and I was very disappointed to feel hanging and I wouldn’t be surprised if this was revisited in some way in the future because this book didn’t feel like it was a conclusion–it felt like it was ending on an arc with a few plot threads planted at the last minute for future stories.
This series features flawed and likable characters who you can’t help but root for, and while the ending was a very mixed and disappointing bag for me, there were also flaws with the plot threads which detracted from my enjoyment of the series. Even though I had my issues, I have enjoyed the series because there is something palpable with these characters that draws me in because they are definition of crack, but I can’t not help feel very dissatisfied with the ending.
I give One with You a C-/D+
One with you is not a finished book. Does Eva and Gideon have the big wedding does she go work with him does Tray and Cary get together is Cary the father of the baby What happens when her dad takes over. What happens to Gideons family do they become one What happens to his mom who is crazy so many thing not explained readers need the rest.