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Book Review of Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, Bk 1)

Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, Bk 1)
ladybird avatar reviewed on + 44 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


Funny how I agree with most of the reviews I've read about this book: the good and the bad! Like everyone, I wondered what all the fuss was about. I've read Ellora's Cave and Aphrodesia books, so I wondered what make this book such a big deal. Not the BDSM because that actually plays a small role in actuality. On the bad side, the writing was very middle-school level and there were times (esp in the first book) when Ana was a little annoying. But I couldn't put it down! Yes, the sex was hot, but not overly explicit like you find in the books by EC and Aphrod. Also, in the EC and Aphrod books, you mostly have 50 pages of sex followed by a couple of pages of loose plot, then more sex. Not so here. Yes, there is lots of sex, but it actually has the emotions, feelings, and plot to carry it. And Christian is the ultimate 'hero' that we romance readers love to read about. He's hot, sexy, flawed, alpha, masterful, and did I mention HOT! On that level, he would fit right in with Ward's BDB. However this was brought down to a more realistic (if you can believe that someone so young can amass such an empire) level, and it's the evolution of Christian that takes center stage throughout the three books. Why he is like he is and how Ana gently helps him heal is beautifully woven into the story. By the end of the third book, I didn't even notice the writing style that had annoyed me earlier (most of which probably has to do with the author's journalistic background), and I was very sorry for the books to end. In my opinion, the first book sets up the story, but it's the weakest of the three. I really liked these books, and for a totally different reason than I thought I would when I picked them up!