Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Newly graduated Eva Tramell and her BFF/roommate Cary Taylor moved from San Diego to the Upper West Side of Manhattan for Eva’s first job as an assistant at an advertising agency.

Planning to check out her new office building over the weekend, Eva arrives at the beautifully gleaming skyscraper known as the Crossfire Building and ends up kneeling at the expensively shod feet of its owner and top-floor occupant, Gideon Cross, after dropping her keycard.

Cross’ stunning physical appearance leaves Eva speechless, though she manages to get her badge back.

Monday morning brings the start to her new career. Entering the elevator she sees the gorgeous stranger once again and gets an even more intimate introduction later in the week when she and her boss are called upstairs to present an advertising campaign for one of Cross’s companies. Shocked that he knows her by name, Eva gets an even bigger surprise when Cross detains her after the meeting to make her an offer of a sexually-mind-blowing nature.

Though she plays hard to get, it’s during a negotiation in Gideon’s office regarding a no-strings-attached sexual affair that Eva is given a preview of his talents on the couch. After a bit of hot-and-heavy pursuit, she finally agrees.

With both Eva and Gideon harboring a dark secret from their past, time will tell if their searing passion and desperate need for each other will be enough to hold them together.

Although the storyline is fairly solid, it does contain a few weak spots, such as the storyline moving a little too quickly in the sense that it lacks build up—but, then again, when it comes to soft porn, nobody really cares why the hot plumber/pool/pizza guy is at the door, we just need him to come in and get the party started.

Gideon Cross is one hot leading man, tall, dark and gorgeous with an air of danger and a body that could stop bullets. Not yet 30, he isn’t so much a playboy, but rather desired by every woman with a pulse, and worth $12 billion and counting.

By contrast, Eva is described like an everyday woman. However, her self-esteem issues and her tendency to cut and run without listening first, gets a bit annoying.

Despite it’s flaws Bared To You is fairly well executed. Ms. Day has taken the time to develop her characters, give them a face, a strong personality and in some cases, abs you can bounce a quarter off of.

Whereas previously read “erotica” filled 400+ pages with a non-story, and barely any heat, Bared To You is the first of a trilogy that creates a solid foundation in need of slightly deeper development, and a very large fire extinguisher.
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Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 7, 2012)
ISBN-13: 978-0425263907