The Crossfire Series

The Crossfire series explores the sexually charged relationship between Eva Tramell and business mogul Gideon Cross. Between them is a past marred by abuse, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and great sexual chemistry.

Sylvia Day explores this relationship in the series' first three books, letting us see it through Eva’s perspective. We see Eva’s past, struggles, and dedication to penetrating the walls Gideon Cross has built up to shield herself.

We see her navigating these walls and how they trigger her insecurities and past coping mechanisms. She’s at a point in her life where she’s trying to integrate her independence and need for control with the willful surrender she desperately seeks in her relationship with Cross.

At the same time, she’s trying to move forward from the abuse she suffered through her childhood, working towards a healthy relationship with her mother, and at the same time, trying to support her equally struggling model friend.

Sylvia Day shifts the perspective in the fourth and fifth books, allowing us to understand Gideon Cross, his thought process, and the world as he sees it. The shift to the dual perspective in the last two books reflects the progress the relationship between Eva and Gideon has made, from being driven by their lust for each other to a married couple trying to blend their personalities and deal with the ghosts from their past in a way that allows them to move forward.

The series perfectly captures the struggles and insecurities that come from childhood sexual abuse, regardless of the success the child achieves in the future. It points to the differences in how each victim interprets their place in the world based on their reaction to those around them when they were children.

For Eva, it’s a closer, albeit invasive, relationship with her mother, while Cross cuts off a relationship with his parents and siblings, keeping everyone at arm's length.

Given their forceful dynamics, it may be argued that Gideon and Eva's relationship is toxic. Gideon comes across as domineering, taking what he wants when he wants, including sex. His need for control extends beyond his business, and we can see how his desire to control his personal and love life puts him at odds with Eva.

Gideon and Eva seem to be working towards a healthy balance in their relationship, suggesting the possibility of two people with tumultuous pasts working through their demons to develop healthy relationships with themselves and their partners.

However, the underlying message that Eva was what Gideon needed and continues to need to overcome his demons perpetuates the wrongful idea that women can change men and vice versa. Stripped of the billions from Gideon and Stanton, Eva’s stepfather, their relationship reflects the modern-day toxic relationship.

Both Gideon and Eva reiterate the insignificance of money in their love and desire for each other. However, from the outside looking in, it’s the convenience and access to money that helps them navigate their toxic relationship, even shielding them from liability to criminal activity.

That said, Eva and Gideon actively work towards dealing with their traumas, both separately and together, with the helpful and professional perspective of a therapist. The presence of a therapist in this equation is a good balance, keeping the relationship from turning fully toxic and even introducing a few healthy dynamics like healthy communication, balanced compromise, and consulting between themselves when their actions could potentially harm their partner.

Sex is a major theme in the series. Sylvia Day uses it to relay the dynamics of healthy sexual relationships and the unhealthy side of sex as a coping mechanism among child sexual abuse survivors. Through the relationships of other characters, we get to see the distinct effects of sex, like how a non-consensual BDSM encounter affects Megumi or how Eva’s friend navigates the complexity his bisexuality brings into his relationship with his gay love interest.

All in all, the Crossfire Series is a different take on the billionaire relationship trope. It follows a relationship in which both parties are almost equal regarding their social status, directly or by proxy. It’s also a steamy read if that’s what you want.