The Fifty Shades trilogyReview

The Fifty Shades trilogy has been an ongoing controversy for months now. I wasn't planning on reading them, not because of the controversy whether it is negative or positive, but because normally first person POV isn't my cup of tea. It wasn’t until one of my friends encouraged me to read them that I decided to give the trilogy a try. She raved about this couple, their story and especially the hero, Christian. So with that in mind I picked up the first book, The Fifty Shades of Grey, not knowing what to expect but hopeful. The first two chapters in I was unsure, because Ana is 21 years old and I found her voice somewhat annoying, but I kept reading and as the story progressed I started to become pulled in the story and intrigued with this couple.

Christine is a billionaire, a wealthy man who owned a big company. He wanted to introduce Ana to his world of Sub/DOM lifestyle to give her sexually submissive feel, which both excites and frighten her. Although there are aspects that Ana does not feel comfortable with, they are both willing to compromise. Ana soon discovered his dark secret and understood why he needed to be in this lifestyle. Ana continued to see him even though it scared her.

As I read, I wanted to know more about Christian's dark history, his childhood and how he became the man he is now. Had this been a real life situation, his need to control and full blown stalker behavior would have me running in the opposite direction. Being that this is fiction and anything is possible I was willing to go along for the ride. While Christian is by any definition an alpha hero, he is also a tortured soul who can be sweet, charming and romantic with a vulnerability that makes you want to wrap your arms around him and and make it all better. You can see how much he loves Ana the way she is, how willing he is to compromise and how shocked he is that he has fallen in love for the very first time. He worry that his dark secret could scare Ana away, so he kept it to himself and try to avoid telling her.

On the other hand, Ana came across as naive and annoying at a times because as she is somewhat immature, although she is funny as well. I would say she is an adventurous heroine because she always considers what Christian wants and is brave enough to step outside her comfort zone and to stand up to Christian. She comes to loves Christian in a way that no other has ever made him feel loved before. She is a courageous soul, feisty and stands behind Christian despite his many flaws.

As I continued on with the last two books, Darker and Freed, I watched as their relationship developed and it was enjoyable to see both Ana and Christian learning about each other and meeting each other half way when it came to what would make them both happy. Of course there will be some up and down issues between them but at the end of the day, their loves for each other is never lost. I thought there something special about them and their relationship that had me rooting for their HEA. I felt emotionally invested in this trilogy, in this amazing couple and came to really love and enjoy them.

I have read BDSM erotic books before, so there isn't anything that is done in books that I haven't seen that would surprise me. For me personally, the BDSM in Fifty Shades trilogy, is almost a minor part of the story even though sex is seen throughout the course of the books. The graphic details were tame than the ones that are out there. The languages were not too crude. To me the main focus of the story is all about Ana and Christian, their story and their relationship development and growth. That’s what made me love the Fifty Shades trilogy. It wasn’t the BDSM part, even though it is sourcing hot! It was about learning to change and be what you want to be. Something about Christian just grabbed hold of me and has not let me go. It is why I want more of him, even though I know I should be running away from him. Maybe it is because I find myself a lot like him when I was younger, being too hard on myself and learning to love and accept who I am and make changes for the better. And yes, there is a plot in the story! I weren't have enjoyed the book if there was no plot.

There were some parts where the moments are intense and very moving, I felt emotionally connected to this couple. There also some moments where I laughed, smiled and got angry. Sometime I wanted to shake some sense into Ana and and tell her to think before she does something. I did enjoy their email correspondence and found her inner goddess funny.

I honestly have to say I am surprised that I enjoy the Fifty Shades trilogy. The Shades books must have said something big to me because I really enjoyed it, even though first person POV is not my cup of tea! Although Ana’s voice and action are sometime childish, these books are definitely for the grown-up. I personally do not think this is YA book, at all.

There wasn't anything I dislike about these books, except that sometime Ana drove me nuts. I felt the writing could have been improved with editing, thought I hear it has been corrected in the print copies. I enjoyed this trilogy enough that I went ahead and bought them individual in print and looking forward to seeing what changes were made. I love The Fifty Shades trilogy! I have to thank my friend, Linda for recommend me the Fifty Shades trilogy; otherwise I would have missed these great books and this wonderful couple! Thank YOU!

Book #2; Fifty Shades Darker is my favorite out of the trilogy. Freed is my second favorite. However I enjoyed them all! I'm excited that Fifty Shades will be made into a movie soon!

Fifty Shades of Grey - 4 stars
Fifty Shades Darker - 4.5 stars
Fifty Shades Freed - 4.5 stars