Fifty Shades Freed | by E.L. James

Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
(Vintage, 2012, 592 pages)

The final book in the Fifty Shades trilogy took a little longer to get into than the previous two, but it still has the steaminess James has become known for. Christian and Ana are on their honeymoon, traveling all over Europe. Ana is still having a hard time adjusting to Christian’s wealth and neither of them seems too keen about the idea of going back to the “real world.” Despite having a whirlwind romance and still technically being in the honeymoon phase, there are definitely bumps in the life of these newlyweds. Someone is out to get Christian by any means and the Greys have had to beef up security considerably. Christian still feels the need to control EVERYTHING and Ana is having a hard time with that since she still very much values her independence. Will these two make it to their happily ever after?

Fifty Shades Darker | by E.L. James

Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James
(Viking, 2012, 544 pages)

Alright, so I obviously got sucked into the series. Fifty Shades Darker is book 2 in the series by E.L. James. The relationship between Anastasia and Christian Grey has progressed beyond Grey’s original intention. Ana wanted more from a relationship and Christian is making it a point to give that to her. The twist in this book comes when one of Christian’s former “lovers” comes back into his life with some clear psychological issues. Christian is concerned for Ana’s safety and he beefs up security until he can get control of the situation. Ana’s boss also comes into play because he has his eye on Ana to fulfill a role that goes above and beyond simply acting as his assistant.

At this point Ana and Christian have moved in together and Ana is gaining a little more insight into what has made Christian the way he is. She’s still concerned that she won’t be able to keep him interested because she can’t give him all the things he used to “need” from the relationships he participated in before her. Is there a future for these two without one of them getting hurt…?

I would argue that book 2 is a little steamier than Fifty Shades of Grey. Like I mentioned in the previous review, if books of this nature aren’t your cup of tea, you won’t enjoy this series but if you DO enjoy a little “spice” with your romance, once you finish book 1 you’ll be hard-pressed not to want to go immediately to book 2 😉

Fifty Shades of Grey | by E.L. James

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
(Vintage, 2012, 528 pages)

It had to be read… Let’s see what I can say about it 😉 Obviously everyone has heard of this book and most people have read it, whether they choose to admit it or not. I started this book with very low expectations and I have to say that this book was nowhere near as awful as I thought it would be. It far exceeded my expectations in that regard.

The story revolves around the relationship that forms between Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. The two meet while Ana is a senior in college – she is sent to interview Christian for her school paper when her best friend (who also happens to be the paper’s editor) falls ill. To say Christian becomes smitten with her is an understatement. There is chemistry between them from the very beginning, but despite Christian’s obvious interest, he seems wary about pursuing Anastasia. The reason for the wariness is because Christian wants Ana on his terms, and these are of a darkly sexual nature that Ana has never before been exposed to. Ana is as innocent as a person can be and Christian wants her to enter into a very “unique” relationship with him – one that requires non-disclosure agreements, rules, and punishments… Christian’s preference for this type of relationship stems from a very dark past he tries to keep hidden from Ana.

There’s no question that Fifty Shades of Grey more or less revolves around sex. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll certainly enjoy this book. If you’re reading this expecting literary greatness, you’re not going to be happy. If you read the book for what it is, I think you’ll appreciate it. There’s no question that it’s a unique text and premise – it certainly has a plot, which is more than you can say about a lot of other books in this vein of writing. Read it for yourself and see what you think – if you can’t handle explicit sexual content, this will not be the book for you.