Fifty Shades Trilogy Bundle: Fifty Shades of Grey; Fifty Shades Darker; Fifty Shades Freed

Here are reviews from all three books I love this book! I've read it before, but wanted to read it again. It was just as good the second time. Anna's roommate is sick with the flu. Kate has attempted to get an interview with Christian Grey for 9 months for the student paper she works on. She can't pass up this chance, so she begs Anna to do the interview for her, because she is sick. Anna is nervous, and literally falls into Christian's office. Anna reads the questions that Kate has prepared. One of the questions was, Christian are you gay? She was so embarrassed, and explained that she was reading the questions that her roommate wrote down. After the interview Christian wants more time with Anna. He ask if he can show her the building. Anna says no, that she needs to get home to study. Christian is torn. He knows he needs to stay away from Anna, but he is drawn to her. He goes to her work and shops. He agrees to a photo shoot to go along with the article. Before long Christian is attempting to talk Anna into being his submissive. He gave her rules, and a contract to read and go over before she makes up her mind. Anna is so innocent. She doesn't know what half of it means. I love how Anna's subconscious is almost like another character in this wonder story. The subconscious will sometimes cheer Anna on, or at times make snide comments. My favorite parts to the book are below: Sample from chapter 10:"What's vanilla sex?" I ask, if anything to distract myself from the intense, burning, sexy look he's giving me. He laughs. "Just straightforward sex, Anastasia. No toys, no add-ons," He shrugs. "You know...Well actually you don't, but that's what it means." "Oh." I thought it was chocolate fudge brownie sex that we had, with a cherry on the top. But hey, what do I know?" Sample from chapter 11: The only man I've ever been attracted to, and he comes with a bloody contract, a flogger, and a whole world of issues. Well, at least I got my way this weekend. My inner goddess stops and smiles serenely. Oh yes... She mouths, nodding at me smugly. I flush at the memory Sample from chapter 26: This is a man in need. His fear is naked and obvious, but he's lost...Somewhere in his darkness. His eyes are wide and bleak and tortured. I can soothe him, join him briefly in the darkness and bring him into the light. The sample from chapter 26, sums up the book. Anna is so full life, so innocent. Christian however is a darker soul. Has had a bad childhood before he was adopted. When he is around Anna we get to see glimpse of him laughing. Anna, and Christian share many first together in this book. I loved the book, but didn't care for the end. It does however end perfect to set up for the next book in the series. ********************************************* This is a series of three books and should be read in order starting with 50 shades of grey. This part of the review is for fifty shades darker. In this book I loved how Anna's and Christian's relationship grew. I really enjoyed their fun email, and text banter. The suspense to the story will keep you holding your breath. In this book Anna has to deal with her boss who is a pervert. Christian and Anna have to deal with Christian's crazy exes. The romance between Christian and Anna is off the charts Hot and steamy. This is an adult book for 18 and older. In the past Christian never did romance or love. He had subs to satisfy his needs. He met Anna in the first book. Anna took his breath away. He asked Anna to be his sub. Anna left him before she signed his contract. The second book starts out with both being miserable. They both want more. Christian offers Anna a relationship. This is new to both of them, so they experience a lot of first together. Anna is afraid she can't be everything Christian needs. Christian assures her, she is everything he will ever need. Sample from chapter 9 - "Do you have any idea how exquisite your scent s, Ana? It's irresistible." His words do what they always do, Flame my blood, quicken my pulse, and he trails his nose down my throat, across my breasts, kissing me reverentially as he does. "You are so beautiful," He murmurs, Sample from chapter 12 - "Anastasia, It's not like that. I don't like talking about this shit. I've lived in a bubble for years with nothing affecting me and not having to justify myself to anyone. She's always been there as a confidante. And now my past and my future are colliding in a way I never thought possible." I glance at him and he's staring at me, his eyes wide. "I never thought I had a future with anyone, Anastasia. You give me hope and have me thinking about all sorts of possibilities." He drifts off. ************************************************** This is a series of 3 books that should be read in order. Fifty shades of gray, fifty shades darker, and fifty shades free. This series is for adults 18 years and up for it is an erotic romance. The sex is red hot, and the romance is sweet. This part of the review is for the book fifty shades free. Here are some samples of my favorite parts of book three. Sample from chapter 7 - I kiss his chest, and we lie silently watching as the x-files finish and the commercials come on. "It's been a heavenly three weeks. Car chases and fires and psycho ex - bosses notwithstanding. Like being in our own private bubble," I mutter dreamily. Sample from chapter 8 - "You've got to let me make my own decisions, take my own risks, and make my own mistakes, and let me learn from them. I need to walk before I can run, Christian, don't you see? I want some independence. That's what my name means to me." There, that's what I wanted to say this afternoon. "You feel railroaded?" He whispers. I nod. He closes his eyes, agitated. "I just want to give you the world, Ana, everything and anything you want. And save you from it, too. Keep you safe. But I also want everyone to know your mine. Sample from chapter 10 "What do you need?" ask Mrs. Jones, stepping forward. She's recovered her composure. "Something to restrain him, cord or rope," Ryan replies. Cable ties. I flush as memories of the night before invade my mind. Reflexively, I rub my wrists and glance quickly down at them. No, no bruising. Good. "I have something. Cable ties. Will they do? All eyes turn to me. "Yes ma'am. Perfect." Sawyer says, serious and straight faced. I want the floor to swallow me up, but I turn and head to our bedroom. Sometimes you just have to brazen things out. Perhaps it's the combination of fear and alcohol making me audacious. Sample from chapter 13 - He tips my chin up with his finger, leans down, and kisses me tenderly. "So are you." I smile. "Though I feel like I cheated. I didn't have to wait for you at all." He grins. "Am I that much of a prize?" "Christian, you are the state lottery, the cure for cancer, and the three wishes from Aladdin's lamp all rolled into one." He raises a brow. "When will you realize this?" I scold him. Sample from chapter 23 - "Oh ana," Christian whispers, his voice anguished and pained. "I thought I'd lost you. Then I thought I'd lost you again. Seeing you lying on the ground, pale and cold and unconscious, it was all my worst fears realized. And now here you are, brave and strong...giving me hope. Loving me after all that I've done. "Yes, I do love you Christian desperately. I always will." Gently taking my head between his hands, he wipes my tears away with his thumbs. He gazes into my eyes, gray to blue, and all I see is his fear, and wonder, and love. "I love you, too," He breathes. And he kisses me sweetly, tenderly, like a man who adores his wife. ******************************************** After reading all three books I can't help but smile on thinking back to how Christian and Ana got together. Ana's roommate was sick, so Ana was volunteered to interview Christian (Mr. Gray) for Kate that worked on the student newspaper. After graduation Ana got drunk for the first time ever, and drunk dialed Christian...And this is how the story begins. Ana and Christian is a beautiful, and erotic romance.

Just finished the FSOG trilogy and it has eaten up my May... Don't get me wrong I will forever love FSOG and it is my first , yes first, book love. One thing I have come to realize is the same book from the other POV is ....not for me. The epilogue is FSOG is all I need. I don' want a CG POV of the entire trilogy or any other books I have read. I know I am in the minority but it almost feels like "filler". If the story is moving forward like The Opportunist, Dirty Red, I am all for it. Just , kind of boring..IMO. This should save me some time and money. OK I digress...but re reads not my thing either with one exception eeek Thoughtless and Effortless. Maybe because there was so much emotion and so much happening in that series but I will probably not re read a book or series again. FSOG not as exciting as the first time, probably because so many alpha male stories have been released since then. Book 1 was worth the re read, some of book two , and the epilogue of book 3 with CG POV. I still love the books and they are still my favorite but there are so many alpha male books to feed that addiction, no they are not CG but they minimally satisfy the need. The characters since Fifty just can't replicate, they fall short and do not have the depth of CG. This series is my first book love and will never be replaced, no NEVER EVER EVER. So for now I close my final chapter of FSOG with a bittersweet satisfied fulfilled heart. I will forever miss my CG and FSOG and will forever be grateful of the day I found this loving story. Thank you E.L James for writing a "different" book that made me realize my love for reading and the Alpha male. Reading bored me and besides the occasional popular book I just never enjoyed it. I am not a wayward reading fan and my life, along with many others, has forever changed because of your fan fiction story. Reading has become a passion for me and a place for me to unwind and re energize after a long day of monotonous work. Critics can say what the will but what you alone did for reading, Goodreads, and Contemporary romance will never be duplicated. Notice I use Contemporary Romance and NOT Erotica or BDSM. Since Fifty I have read some Erotica and BDSM and Fifty does not belong in either category. Yes it hints at it and yes the sex scenes are explicit (THANK GOD!) but it is a story about two consenting adults in the privacy of their own bedroom (or playroom,elevator, piano, boat, plane). There is shock and awe in book one for those of us who knew nothing about non vanilla sex. The non vanilla sex borders on erotica but BDSM...hardly. Even some of us Vanilla couples have been tied up now and again. My biggest pet peeve or biggest misconception of FSOG: this story does NOT in any way shape of form demean women. If that is what you get from this story you skimmed or did not read the entire series, heck or book 1. Anna has complete control and Fifty is fifty because he has baggage, like the rest of us. Any way, E.L. thank you for spicing up sex lives and emails around the world and for the witty banter that is now found in so many books. You have opened up my life to so many independent authors, friends, and all sorts of stories that if not for you steering me to Goodreads I would not have found. I will forever be grateful for FSOG.

I'm reposting my original reviews from my first reading. Fifty Shades: I read this story on a fiction website under a different title (same author). When the author announced she was going to be published, I had to have the book. It's a good story about a tortured soul and how he's brought out of his self-imposed solitude by an innocent young girl. He teaches her about sex and sensuality and she teaches him about how everybody deserves to be loved. Their journey is rocky at times but you root for them to succeed. Fifty Shades Darker: REVISED: I made a new acquaintance this month and we had a discussion about Fifty Shades. She said she got through Book 1 just fine but was only able to get about half way through Darker. She felt like Ana was constantly whining so she never finished it. I kept that thought in a little pocket of my mind as I was rereading Darker for the second time. I have to say that I disagree with her. Ana was an innocent young woman whose virtue was taken by the first man she was truly attracted to--Christian. Once she realized she was falling in love with Christian she wanted to know what made him tick, why was he so attracted to her. I think maybe Ana came across as whining because the story is being told from her point of view. It was obvious that she frustrated Christian with her "interest" in his past. Through a series of events these two realize just how much in love they are with each other. Ana learns to accept some of Christian's "dark side" and Christian learns to accept that "vanilla" isn't necessarily a bad thing. As an aside, I think I can see now how all three books can be made into one movie and it would work. ORIGINAL: As promised Christian and Anastasia resume their relationship after a brief interruption. The emotions between the two become more and more intense. I became so wrapped up in these characters that I felt I was that fly on the wall you always hope you could be. I watched them laugh & cry and I laughed and cried with them. I watched them be angry with one another & forgive one another and I would get angry at both of them for being so ridiculous at times. E L James took me someplace emotionally I only imagined ever existed. Her descriptions of how Christian and Ana feel for one another pulls you into the story. It was hard for me to put this book down and I can't wait to get my hands on Book 3. Fifty Shades Freed: And so E.L. James brings to a close the story of an innocent young woman and her troubled young man. She did not disappoint. We learn how Anastasia and Christian grow as a couple and like with any couple there are ups and downs but in the end they both learn how deeply their love for one another goes. You'll laugh; you'll cry; you'll get frustrated with both of them. As the story winds down you can't help but be happy for them in spite of Anastasia's bullheadedness and Christian's Fifty Shades.

I left reviews for each book separately but here are all of them combined in one review! Fifty Shades of Grey “Anastasia,” he whispers. “What are you doing to me?” “I could say the same to you,” I whisper back. This book will always hold a special place in my heart, it was the book (or trilogy rather) that about 3 years ago reignited my love of reading. In my teens I used to read quite a bit but in my 20s I sort of fell out of it and would only read occasionally. Reading this book opened up a whole new world to me and made me realize what I’d been missing all those years when I wasn’t reading. It also was the catalyst for forming one of my closest friendships, having bonded over this book and our shared love of reading, my friend and I embarked on a wonderful reading journey that’s still going strong after 3 years. Together we’ve read close to 200 books since the first time we read this book. Having so many awesome books under our belt, I was a little worried going back to re-read it that it wouldn’t live up to the memories of the magic it created for me the first time around. After only the first chapter I was happy to see that my worries were unfounded and I loved the book just as much, maybe even more, the second time around. Say what you will about the writing (which I agree is not exactly fine literature) or some of the cheesy lines, no matter how many great books I’ve read since or will read in the future, Fifty Shades of Grey will always hold the honor of being “my first” and therefore will always be up there in my top favorite books! The first time I read the book I remember not being Christian’s #1 fan, in fact I downright hated him at the end of the first book. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the BDSM lifestyle and I couldn’t understand how inflicting pain on someone is in any way an acceptable thing. I found Christian’s mood swings to be fatiguing and I thought for the most part he was a controlling jerk. As the series goes on though and more is revealed about how truly damaged he was and what his motivations were, my feelings towards him started to soften and I was firmly Team Christian by the end of the trilogy. So it was interesting reading the book again knowing all that I know now, I think the first time around I had my “this guy is a jerk” blinders on and it prevented me from seeing all the subtle things he said or did that showed just how deeply Ana was affecting him. I could also see that much of his moodiness could be attributed to these feelings and him not knowing how to process them, rather than dealing with it he would close down. Had I been able to look past my hang ups with his lifestyle the first time around I think I would have ended the first book with a different view of Christian. The second time around I just felt sad for him and I think despite his power and controlling tendencies, you could really see and feel his vulnerability and how much he actually was willing to try for Ana. Her Inner Goddess and Subconscious notwithstanding, I also found Ana to be less annoying the second time around. She was actually a pretty strong heroine. As naïve and inexperienced as she was, I give her a lot of credit for sticking herself out there and being as open minded as she was to try out the lifestyle Christian was offering her. And it takes a good deal of bravery to challenge him like she did, she was continually pushing her boundaries and didn’t often back down. I was surprised at how much I remembered as I went through the book again, there was a lot of little things I had forgotten but overall I found that I still had a pretty good recollection of the events. And I loved reliving some of my favorite parts. My very favorite things in this book, the first time and again the second time, were the emails between Ana and Christian. They are so adorable and funny, I loved the subtleties of the subject lines and when Christian would change his email signature. I loved when these moments of playful Christian would peek through. Like Ana said, it was times like these when you realize he is just a 27yr old man because so often he seems so much older that it’s easy to forget just how young he is. We decided to re-read this book to refresh our memories before the movie comes out next week, and I have to say it was a lot of fun reading it with the actors in mind and I liked matching up scenes that I’ve seen in the trailers to the events of the book. I was already excited to see the movie, but reading the book again has really kicked up my anticipation for the film! And of course I can’t stop my re-read at just the first book, I’m going to have to keep going and read the second and third books again. I’m looking forward to reliving the rest of their journey! “I’ve never wanted more, until I met you.” ~Christian Fifty Shades Darker “What have you done to me, Ana?” he murmurs. “Whatever it is, don’t stop.” I just recently re-read this book. With the FSOG movie just a few days away my friend and I decided to read that one again, but of course you can’t just stop there so we decided to keep going and re-read the entire trilogy. I remember when I originally read the series about 3 years ago Fifty Shades Darker was my favorite of the three and now reading it again I have to say that still holds true. This is the book where I really fell in love with Christian Grey and with this story. The first book really does a great job of setting things up but this is the book, for me, where things really happen and their relationship is taken to a whole other level. There are some huge breakthroughs and it’s really something to see how far both Christian and Ana come in terms of personal growth and also as a couple. In FSOG you get a sense of Christian’s depravity and his issues but this book really cracks them open and deals with his demons head on and I loved it. Seeing him so vulnerable and unsure really brought him down to a human level and it was hard not to feel for him after his horrible childhood and the long term damage that caused him. I could feel his pain and Ana’s pain as she attempted to help him see that he was a good man and worthy of love. There were so many intense moments between them as Ana was able to get through so many of his walls, healing him with her love. We really get to see what a strong woman Ana is and how much she’s come into her own since meeting Christian. She challenged him at every turn in the first book, and while that doesn’t really stop in this book, she really begins to understand Christian on a deeper level and their connection was just wonderful! In spite of all the dark issues this book explores there are a surprising number of light and fun scenes and we get to see our beloved Fifty acting carefree and playful. I love his boyish delights in the simple things, like the gifts Ana gives him. It’s so adorable and while it made me grin it also made me a little sad thinking of all he missed out on growing up because of the things that happened to him. But it was great seeing him get to experience some of those things now with Ana. “You make me look at the world differently, Anastasia. You don’t want me for my money. You give me… hope,” he says softly. “Hope for what?” “More.” There was also some suspense and drama in this book as the overall plot of the book starts to heat up. While I loved the focus on their relationship, it was nice to have a little more thrown in to up the overall ante! I do really hope that the 2nd and 3rd books are turned into films, this in in particular because I think that Jamie and Dakota would do wonders with the material in this book! In the meantime I’m off to relive the conclusion of their story in Fifty Shades Freed! “You own me,” he whispers. “My fate is in your hands, Ana.” Fifty Shaded Freed “I love philanthropic Christian,” I murmur. “Just him?” “Oh I love megalomaniac Christian, too, and control freak Christian, sexpertise Christian, kinky Christian, romantic Christian, shy Christian… the list is endless.” “That’s a whole lot of Christians.” “I’d say at least fifty.” He laughs. “Fifty Shades,” he murmurs into my hair. “My Fifty Shades.” I just recently re-read Fifty Shades of Grey in preparation for the release of the movie, and of course you can’t just stop at one so I went on to read Fifty Shades Darker (which is still my favorite of the trilogy) and then just wrapped it up by re-reading Fifty Shades Freed. Book one was really the groundwork for Christian and Ana’s relationship, book two really explored Christian’s demons and how Ana’s love transformed him and while book three continues to advance and strengthen their relationship this is the book where things really start happening in the bigger picture. The secondary characters play a bigger role and things start falling into place to explain the suspicious activities that started in the second book. It added a certain level of suspense and danger that made for an exciting end to this series. For much of this book Christian and Ana are in a good place. Christian exorcised a lot of his demons in the last book so he was much more open and freer with showing his love for Ana throughout much of this book. One of my favorite “shades of Christian”, playful Christian, made many appearances in this book so that was a lot of fun to read. Of course ever the mercurial one, he still dealt with his control issues and these extreme controlling tendencies become even more extreme in this book when Ana’s safety is at stake. This naturally results in some drama and several fights between him and Ana, who is ever the independent one. But I think for the most part they dealt with their issues well and continued to grow and learn each time. There were a lot of light and fun parts in this book, more so than the other two, it was nice seeing them happy and being young and in love. But it was not without its fair share of difficult or heartbreaking parts, some that I remembered from my first time reading and some that I didn’t remember until I got to them again. They hurt just as much the second time around, but at least this time I knew what awaited me on the other side! I loved how it all wrapped up and I think that Ana and Christian earned the ending they got after all they’d been through. The epilogue was great and again brought tears to my eyes because it was so perfect. I also loved re-reading the Shades of Christian bonus at the end, it was so awesome getting in his head during their first meeting and when he showed up at Clayton’s. You really get to see how much Ana affected him right from the start and how confused he was by this attraction and infatuation. I’m really curious to see how much of that is portrayed in the movie! Now I know these aren’t the greatest books ever written, but at its heart is a wonderful love story between a damaged man and the one woman who can bring him into the light. And as I mentioned in my review of the first book, this was the series that reignited my love for reading and send me on an incredible reading journey over the past few years. For that reason alone this will always be one of my favorite series and it will always have a special place in my heart! “You turned my world on its head. My world was ordered, calm, and controlled, then you came into my life with your smart mouth, your innocence, your beauty, and your quiet temerity… and everything before was just dull, empty, mediocre… it was nothing. I fell in love.”

It's rare that you find books so good you read each one anticipating getting to the next one. It's even rarer still that you find books you want to read again right away! From page one of the first book it sets you up for a story so mind blowing that when you finish the first book you almost cry in joy that there is another book to read. EL James Christian and Anastasia are truly everyday people leading normal lives. Or so you think! Ana, young with not so much self esteem, is a quiet young woman with her eyes on a future she has dreamed of for a long time. Christian, self made gazillionaire, thought he knew what he wanted for his life until a young woman, all awkward legs and arms, stumbles into his office and causes him to rethink all that he knows. The mystery of what Christian Grey sets his sights on has young Anastasia who, whirling with a desire she has never felt in her twenty one years of life, can't understand the pursuit an overly handsome Christian. Soon Christian's lifestyle is revealed to Ana giving her pause to rethink just what it is that is so alluring about what he is offering her. Desire soon takes Ana over and curiousity has her wondering and panting to know all of the man that is Christian Grey. For Christian, he struggles with the new emotions this young woman has stirred within him causing him to rethink the lifestyle he has lived secretly for more than ten years. Every woman's dream, Christian can no longer deny his feelings for petite Ana and soon starts to stalk the only woman that has ever sparked a desire so intense he becomes relentless to achieve his goal of capturing and keeping Ana. EL James has admittedly claimed the Twilight Saga written by Stephenie Meyer was her driving force for writing the Fifty Shades Trilogy. Originally a fanfic spinoff of the Edward and Bella characters she wrote under the pseudonym Snowqueen's Icedragon, she put a lot of thought into her original story after many people expressed she should publish her fanfiction. She took her "what if" idea, changed her character's names and Fifty Shades was born. Writing the trilogy in little more than eighteen months she could not have predicted how the books would take off and become what everyone soon began talking about. It's now common knowledge the series is being considered for the big screen. With much speculation as to who will play Christian and Ana, I truly hope the screenwriters don't try to distract from the highly steamy scenes in the books. Anticipation to see Ms James books made into movies has everyone waiting eagerly on the tips of their toes. I hope Ms James doesn't stop writing more steamy stories. She has captivated millions with her first set of books. I will admit I will be one of the first in line to pick up any new book that makes it from her mind onto paper. For now though, if you haven't read the Fifty Shades trilogy and you're looking for something to keep you interested and entertained, do yourself a favor and pick up this set of books!

Like some others have said, you are either going to love it or hate it. And I loved it! And to think that I almost didn't give it a chance. When I had turned to the first page and saw that it was written in first person, I groaned and immediately closed the book, because I normally cannot get into novels written from this perspective, but then I thought, well, I paid almost $30 bucks for this set, so I'd better read it! After I got through the first chapter, I was hooked. If you only read the first book, you will think that this is just about BDSM, especially after reading through the "Contract", but if you were to read all three, you will see the big picture. This is basically a romantic story about Christian and Ana's journey, which of course, has its ups and downs, as well as surprising twists and turns that are tied to Christian's past. There was actually more to the story than I had expected, which was evident after getting to the end of the second book. Although the main focus was on Christian's character and his baggage, what they both shared were similar inadequacy issues. Christian does not think that he is worthy of being loved due to being abused as a child, while Ana constantly questions what Christian sees in her, as she does not believe that she is capable of holding the attention of such a gorgeous and successful man, especially when he has specific needs that she felt she could not fulfill. There is more romance and less of the BDSM in the second and third books, but always LOTS of sex. I did find myself skipping over some of the sex scenes, as it did get somewhat repetitive. This however, did not take away from the story. The complex characters of Christian and Ana were developed at the perfect pace, not too slowly or quickly, which made the story believable. Although the ending was a happy one, it was not the cheesy "Hollywood" kind. The only thing that really bothered me was the overuse of the word "murmur" in the first book. However, I found this word to be virtually absent in the second and third books, but possibly replaced by the word "whisper", which did not annoy me as much. There were two scenes that stuck out in my mind in this book. Without going into too much detail, the first one was the "Submissive Christian" scene when he thought Ana was going to leave him. I found myself just as shocked as Ana. Another significant scene for me was a pretty ironic one. The one and only time that Ana had used a safeword on Christian was when he was pleasuring her and then depriving her of an orgasm out of revenge, which caused her not physical pain, but emotional pain. I also enjoyed the email exchanges between Christian and Ana. They were amusing, witty, and sometimes romantic! I felt like this was when the characters' personalities really came out, which I fell in love with. I just wished I hadn't finished the books so quickly! I can't wait until the movie comes out!

I heard bits and pieces here and there about the Fifty Shades books. One night, a friend's girlfriend asked me if I read it and I said no. I asked her what it was about. She smiled coyly and said, "Oh, just get it and read it. Trust me." Well, the next day at work, someone had book one laying in the employee lounge. I read the back, and I was intrigued. I came home and looked it up. I didn't know there were three of them, but I found the trilogy for a great price. I paid roughly $27 for the three of them, and that included shipping. That is a great deal, because I know a friend of mine purchased them at Kmart and paid $15 for each book individually. The price itself was good. I couldn't put these books down! I don't like bondage and domination involved in sex, but the parts of the book that included these were short and if you can overlook them, the books are VERY entertaining! I had a hard time putting these books down! I LOVED them, and now that I am finished reading them, I am disappointed that the series is over. I enjoyed the epilogue written from Christian's point of view. One other reader said she would have liked to have read Christian's point of view from other parts as well. I have to say, I agree! I usually read books and then pass them onto my mother, who passes them onto other friends after she reads them. However, I chose to keep the Fifty Shades Trilogy, because I know I will be reading them again. This is by far one of the most intriguing stories I have ever read! I loved it! I was moved to tears by the end of the first book, and I felt compelled to start the second book right away to see what happened next. The end of the second book was so sweet, I was again in tears. The third book kept me guessing all the way through it, which I loved. At first, you see Christian as very complex and even a bit arrogant. And Ana is just a young naive girl who, though very much in love, does put her foot down when it it's necessary. And when Christian is explored a bit deeper, and you learn about his 'damaged' side, you can't help but sympathize with him, and you find yourself rooting for him and Ana to stay together. My heart literally broke for Christian and Ana in some places, because this is a book that really does draw you in, and you find yourself intrigued to find out what happens next. If anyone says that there is no story-line, then they didn't read all three books. Book One was a bit slow compared to Book Two and Three, but still kept me intrigued. I HIGHLY recommend these books! It takes me a lot to want to read a book again, but these are three I know I will be re-reading again and again!

At first I didn't want to buy into the hype and I'm definitely not a woman who thought she would ever like the thought of another woman, let alone myselself, being "dominated" by some ego-maniacal man. I received the books first as kindle editions via a friend of a friend who said after his wife read the first book he had the best sex of his life! Then he told me to tell my boyfriend "you're welcome!" I wasn't sure about them, but my sister-in-laws both said they were well worth the read and there was a love story underneath it all. I still wasn't sure. So, one cloudy Friday evening I decided to stay in and read. I threw my kindle down on my bed three times, yelling about how I would NEVER in my life let some MAN do anything like that to me or anyone I knew if I could help it...but I still wanted to see where it would go. After all, this is a story about two consenting adults. I have never even read one of the Harlequin romance novels my Mom used to read when I was younger. My friend and I would take them and scroll threw to find the sex scenes and read them and laugh and giggle until we were blue in the face, but never really readng the story. So this was all new territory for me in more ways than one!! Wow! That's all I could say for hours...Wow! I think I began reading after dinner around 7:30pm, and the next thing I knew it was 1:45am Saturday morning!!! I thought it best to finally go to bed, hopefully dreaming of Christian Grey...I woke the next morning to use the bathroom, still quite groggy and in need of more zzz's, but I decided against going back to bed and made some coffee so I could find out what happend next! And so, at 12 o'clock noon on Saturday I finished the first book! I forgot to download the other two books, and they weren't on my cloud, so I had to go all the way to my office (in my PJ's, no less!!) and get them, for fear of being without Christian and Anastasia the rest of the weekend! Needless to say, I got absolutely nothing acomplished that weekend. I think I may have showered once, I'm still not sure. I didn't even pause to make dinner. We just ordered take out all weekend so I didn't have to leave the confines of Seatle and Mr. Grey! Once I finished all three books, I was left with such an emptiness, I thought my heart was breaking, literally! WTF? These were just some smutty books I was supposed to be reading for fun, right? I got so wrapped up in their world, I really felt like it was all ok...the contract, the punishments, the rules, the authority he had over her...all of it and I wanted it! I wanted it all and MORE! I bought the paperback set so I could proudly display them on my bookshelf. Yes, I am a fan. Yes, It made my loins ache. Yes, I purchased the soundtrack. Yes, I can't wait for the movies. And Yes, I can't wait to see if there's a book 4! Please do read them, not because I said so, but because you have come this far, and if you're this curious, you might as well read them...YOU WON'T BE SORRY!!!!

Fifty Shades is full of extraordinary characters. I enjoyed a lot the story of Anastasia and Christian. At 22 Anastasia is able to face a great challenge by going forward with her relation with Christian, she is very strong and so candide at some levels but that's what I love about her. Christian looks like THE guy you want to meet and never let go but going thru those 50 shades and his world you need more than just wanting. the author leads us in this other world of dominants and submissives with finess. I love it.thanks you for those lost moments in 50 shades

The book is so beautifully written that one can't stop reading. There's an urge to continue reading it. You fall in love with the characters. Only issue with the single trilogy book is that page numbers don't go further beyond page 515. The second part has an abrupt ending. Probably three pages are missing in the trilogy book.

This was a 2014 bundle set. Still editing issues as well as minor plot errors in Freed (same as the original edit). What a fun journey it was though to read them as one continuous story. That's the way I like to read it. Fifty Shades of Grey really needs Darker (2nd book and my favourite) to complete the story and Freed is all icing on the cake. I love the constant action in the book. It picks up in Darker and never stops. It's great to have CPOVs at the end of the trilogy. I think E.L James writes a really interesting story from his point of view. It gives great insight into his character. She has written him so well. There is no way you could confuse Christian Trevelyan Grey with anyone else. He's our Fifty Shades. I have to admit that I see a younger E.L James as our Anastasia Rose Grey ne: Steele. Especially in Freed. I love the relationship glimpses we get between Christian and his mother Grace. They ring so true ad endearing. His mothers struggle to show love and protection to the untouchable boy, powerfully moving. No, it's not the best written piece of literature out there. It was never meant to be. Yes, it's the most passion inducing, reaction creating, character driven book in our recent history. Even if you don't like it and its not the book for you, you just can't forget 50 Shades. Any author that can stir you like that without laving you wounded from the narrative is a genius in my book. What more do you want than the pleasure of turning the page, sharing a story, arguing of the action? I say, well done Miss James. Well done Icy. Well done author girl. And thank you for writing. SQ It's been a journey, this story. I'd recommend a reread before the move release in February 2015. SQ

Was soll ich sagen ... Ich habe die drei Bücher in einer Woche ausgelesen und direkt wieder vorne angefangen. Sie sind hot, sie sind etwas 'für's Herz', sie sind mitreißend und sie bieten einige sehr interessante Anregungen ;-). Ich oute mich hier jetzt mal als Fan der Reihe. Ich habe diese Bücher gelesen ohne eine Idee zu haben, wovon sie handeln. Anfangs war ich etwas erstaunt, aber dann haben sie mich in ihren Bann gezogen und nicht mehr losgelassen. Meine persönlichen Lieblingsbücher sind solche Bücher, bei denen man am Ende den Eindruck hat, sich von guten Freunden trennen zu müssen. (auf die Hauptdarsteller bezogen) Diese Bücher haben es eindeutig auf meine persönliche Bestenliste geschafft. Ich bewerte hier nicht den Sprachstil oder den Wortschatz, der immer wieder bemängelt wird. Mir geht es um den Inhalt, das Gefühl mitten drin zu sein und von einem Buch mitgerissen zu werden. Fazit: Eine tolle Lektüre - die manche Männer ruhig auch mal lesen sollten.

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of psychological abuse and the strength of the survivors.