With E.L. James' "Fifty Shades of Grey" novels dominating the top three slots of the New York Times' Bestsellers list, and pervading almost every facet of pop culture, of course the natural question now is, "Who will be next?" There are countless imitators, but one seems destined to carry on the freak baton.
"Bared to You" by Sylvia Day unashamedly strikes many of the same notes James obsessed over in her books. From the first page of Day's novel the similarities are impossible to ignore.
"Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness...
He was beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily...
Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other's most private worlds...and desires.
The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart..."
Day's book was originally self-published. However, after receiving tremendous buzz from readers, and landing on several national Bestseller lists as a self-published novel, "Bared to You" was acquired by Berkley Books. Berkley has since published its slightly revised edition with a 500,000-copy first print run. It was an instant sensation, debuting at #4 on the New York Times trade paperback fiction bestseller list directly behind the Fifty Shades trilogy, a position it has now held for five weeks. The book has also made several appearances in the top 10 of USA Today's bestseller list.
'Bared to You' has also received great reviews from many readers. Fans have spread its kink gospel like wildfire across the Internet. But while fan reviews have been generally positive, as more and more press reviews flow in, a backlash seems to be brewing.
Via The Examiner: "... If you are looking for a sweet and soulful romance then this is not the book for you. I don't want to give any spoilers but let's just say that basically within meeting, Gideon Cross tells Eva that he wants to sleep with her. Crudely. And rudely.
At least with 'Fifty Shades' you could see why they were drawn to each other and see the romance. In 'Bared to You' it seems all physical from the start and hard to really daydream about that type of relationship."
Via The Guardian: "I was offended by this book, which its publishers claim has "outstripped" Fifty Shades of Grey after selling more than 50,000 paperback copies in its first week, right from page one, long before any sexual shenanigans started.
The writing is standard Mills & Boon drivel, several levels beneath your average competent chick-lit...
The day a book about the joys of being deliriously dominated by a man on the minimum wage becomes a runaway hit, I'll believe that women really are experiencing a genuine wave of masochism. But while the heroes remain uniformly super-rich - as well as young and beautiful - I believe that this craze is driven by fiscal as much as physical yearning.
What's most offensive about these books is the neediness displayed. A heroine who desires nothing more from life than to be consumed by The One is a weedy, vanilla sap, no matter how much rough sex you edge it up with. And there's a backstory about the sexual abuse of children, which seems a singularly inappropriate handle to hang a one-handed read on (although the sex is so repetitive that I found myself skipping it, looking for the clean bits).
The new erotica is often just the same boring old romance with a lot of black on the cover. If you want a sloppy, soppy love story about two people with less substance between them than a phantom pregnancy and which, despite its fetishy cover, is actually about living The Good Life with The One You Love after overcoming Issues that stand in the way of your Relationship - more M&S than S&M, more Sade than De Sade - then this is the book for you."
Have you read "Bared to You"? Let us know what you thought in the comments.