Series Review: Fifty Shades – EL James

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
Series:  Fifty Shades #1
Release Date:  May 26, 2011
Publisher:  The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House
Source:  iTunes, via my own wallet
Buy the book at: Amazon
 

When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind – until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time.

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her – but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny.

Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds?

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever  

Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James
Series:  Fifty Shades #2
Release Date:  September 15, 2011
Publisher:  The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House
Source:  iTunes, via my own wallet
Buy the book at: Amazon
 

Daunted by the singular sexual tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.

But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.

While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.  

Fifty Shades Freed
Series:  Fifty Shades #3
Release Date:  January 19, 2012
Publisher:  The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House
Source:  iTunes, via my own wallet
Buy the book at: Amazon

When unworldly student Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged young entrepreneur Christian Grey it sparked a sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and ultimately repelled by Christian’s singular sexual tastes, Ana demanded a deeper commitment; determined to keep her, Christian agreed.

Now, together, they have more – love, passion, intimacy, and a world of infinite possibilities. But Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy, and being together poses challenges neither of them ever anticipated. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity, identity or independence; Christian must somehow overcome his compulsion to control, and lay to rest the horrors that blighted his past and haunt his present.

Just when it seems that together their love can conquer any obstacle, misfortune, malice and fate combine to make Ana’s worst nightmares come true. Alone and desperate, she must face down the poisoned legacy of Christian’s past.

Seductive, shocking, sad and funny, Fifty Shades Freed is the compelling final volume in the Fifty Shades trilogy

I’d heard about this series late last year, but didn’t really pay attention to it.  But when the Dr. Drew controversy came up, I took another look at it.  I bought Fifty Shades of Grey and left it there to sit until I could get to it.  Having just finished the series, I wish I had picked it up sooner.

Told from Anastasia (Ana) Steele’s point of view, we follow Ana from her uncomfortable interview with young, hot, entrepreneur Christian Grey to her negotiations of their pending relationship onto her struggles with being what Christian needs her to be despite what she wants to be.

Ana is a naive, inexperienced woman when she meets Christian.   But Ana, despite her inexperience, she isn’t the submissive person Christian initially believed her to be. She’s strong, opinionated, caring and able to see past Christian’s bluster to who the man really is.  She struggles, a lot, with her feelings of inadequacies when it comes to Christian.  She wonders if she’s enough for him or if he’ll become bored with her.  As their relationship grows, she also struggles with his need to control everything, including her.  While she understands his needs and vows to be more understanding, she often feels suffocated by him. 

Christian Grey is a special kind of hero.  He’s extremely driven to succeed and the size and wealth of his company attest to that.  But he fights demons.  He’s scarred by what he was subjected to when he was a very small boy living with a crack addicted mother.  While he was saved from that life by his adoptive parents, those events plague him daily.   He feels he’s unlovable and/or undeserving to be loved.  He also needs to control everything that he can.  He feels as if that is the only way he can remain sane. 

As if those demons aren’t enough, he’s embarks on a sexual relationship with his mother’s friends which introduces Christian to an alternative lifestyle that helps he exude the control he needs with woman who allow him to  punish his birth mother.  While BDSM relationships can be healthy, the hows and whys Christian became involved in the lifestyle were neither and in my opinion, are a symptom of his much larger psychological issues rather than just being a man who’s into kinky sex.

This series is an emotionally raw and draining read.  The author does a great job of placing the reader smack dab in the middle of Ana and Christian.  Their emotions surround you and you feel as if you are experiencing everything they are.  Their lust, happiness, confusion, sadness, despair and hope are tangible as you sift through the pages.  It’s definitely a series that will stick with you.

I loved the series.  I ignored my family for two days while I read it.  I highly suggest this, even if you aren’t into BDSM books.  This was so much more than sex and more about two people building a healthy relationship and finding what their “normal” is.