BOOK REVIEW: Entwined with You

I truly believe that good things come to those who wait and this is definitely one of those occasions. I will admit that I was scared of reading this book – a third book in a series of five, the ‘middle child’, is often the plot filler and it leaves you even hungrier for answers than you were before reading it, but I was left with none of those feelings at the end of Entwined with You. This book was needed for the natural progression of not only the plot, but it was also essential for the growth of these characters, these damaged, complicated, obsessively in love characters who accumulated more ‘relationship miles’ in the weeks they’ve been together than an ordinary couple does in a lifetime. In Bared to You, their words collide and they struggle to reconcile their lives before that with the irresistible attraction they feel towards each other. In Reflected in You, their souls are irreversibly connected but their pasts try to pull them apart. In this third book, we get to see them after the single act that changed everything when each other’s devotion is no longer a question and the only challenge they are left with is to build the kind of relationship that would stand the test of time.

“Day One of my life was the day I met you.”

The story resumes immediately after the events in the previous book. Gideon and Eva are officially broken up but, in reality, they are together more than ever. The world must not see them as a couple in the aftermath of Nathan’s death, they are forced to maintain the appearance of separation, as well as face the demons brought up by those events on their own. However, without the public spotlight shining brightly on their young relationship, we get to watch them work on it in private, tackle issues as they arise, re-build what they have from the ground up. Trust was always their biggest obstacle – Gideon not trusting himself not to mess things up, and Eva not trusting herself to have what it takes to keep a man like Gideon – but they always, one way or another, trusted each other.

“I loved him too much. I was constantly worried that I wouldn’t be able to hold on to him. He was lightning in a bottle, a dream I tried to hold in my hands.”

In this book, that trust is palpable, touching, very satisfying to watch. We get a much more relaxed insight into this troubled relationship, we see them just being themselves around each other, do mundane things with one another, relaxed and confident in their love. They are finally letting each other in, working towards full disclosure and not allowing their pasts to affect what they’ve worked so hard to build. The events at the end of the second book have changed them both. There is no longer a question of how far they are willing to go to protect each other or safeguard their relationship. They are both troubled by the nature of what was done in the name of love, but they know it was necessary for more reasons than not and the severity of it gives their relationship a new perspective. Now emotionally fully exposed to one another, all their unspoken secrets start slowly flowing out of them, becoming vulnerable to each other in every possible way.

“I know it’s not fair to ask you to be with me … when we can’t even sleep in the same bed, but I’ll love you better than anyone else could. I’ll take care of you and make you happy. I know I can.”

The physical attraction between Gideon and Eva is still very much the focal point of the connection between them, but while those incredible sparks might have brought them together in the first place and acted as a foundation for everything that followed, it no longer solely keeps them together. They are still wild in the bedroom, their chemistry and sexual magnetism setting off Richter scales every time their bodies merely touch, but even that aspect of their relationship has evolved. They have grown as lovers, the desperation in their physical encounters no longer stemming out of insecurity, jealousy, lack of trust, but rather a genuine desire to make their relationship work at all costs.

“I was in love with a flesh-and-blood man, one who made mistakes but learned from them, a man who was trying hard to better himself for me, a man who wanted us to work as desperately as I did.”

Every touch, every glance, every word they exchange is entwined with emotion, deep, heartfelt, cannot-live-without-you type of emotion. They know that staying together is as essential to them as their next breath, but instead of focussing on everything that is attempting to pull them apart, they work on themselves and on each other, leaving no doubt in each other’s minds or hearts that they are equally committed to a future together.

“I love how much you want me,” he said hoarsely. “I couldn’t stand being in this alone.”
“I’m with you, baby,” I promised, my mouth moving feverishly beneath his. “I am so with you.”

And THAT is why this book was necessary if this series is to survive through five instalments. For two broken individuals to have a functioning relationship together, we needed to witness a change in their dynamic. We needed to see the trust being built between them, we needed to see them wanting to make it work and there needed to be a change in the air, not just plot-wise, but these characters needed to grow emotionally as individuals as well as a couple.

“I’ll do anything for you. There are no limits in our bed. No memories. Just us. You and me. And love. I love you so much.”

I will not lie to you, there are some questions left open at the end of this book but many more important ones have finally been answered and moving forward, it feels to me that it is no longer a matter of secrets trying to destroy what they’ve worked so hard to build, but rather a matter of how well they will weather the storms of what life will undoubtedly throw at them in the future. This book has finally made me confident that they can make it and that was no small task to achieve after the emotional rollercoasters of the previous two instalments. I enjoyed every single scene, every single moment, every single word of this book. The Crossfire series being a personal favourite of mine, my expectations were sky-high and I never expected to be left with such a silly grin at the end of this book. Am I hungry for more? Am I desperate to know what else is in store for Gideon and Eva? Am I as obsessed with The Gideon as I was before? Yes, yes and oh-my-God-yes! But I am a bit more at peace with the wait and not even knowing when the next book will come. What these characters achieved in this book, the level of trust they finally share, the relationship milestones they reached have all given me the peace of mind I needed to survive the anticipation of the sequel.

This book, for me, was everything I hoped it would be and truly so much more.

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