Yes, Fifty Shades of Grey.

It's hard to really go anywhere or talk to anyone lately without Fifty Shades of Grey coming up.

It's been called the book of the year. Chances are almost everyone you know, including your mother or your grandmother, has read it. And wanted to discuss it with you....

Initially when I heard about this book series I was confused, concerned and didn't really know what to think. I had planned to swear off them, but when my sister decided she wasn't a fan and passed along the first book to me, I thought, what the heck?

Turns out, I got hooked. The Fifty Shades of Grey series by EL James turned out to be so much more than I had anticipated. Yeah, it's shocking. There's no question about it. But it ends up being so much more than a shocking S&M relationship and how far it can be taken.

The first book certainly hits the shock value factor. And I think it's part of the point. I would venture to guess a good majority of people don't really have any knowledge of what goes into a relationship like Christian has. And if you do, well, power to you! So sure, reading those very descriptive details was shocking. But once you get passed that and pick your jaw up off the floor, you realize how much more there is. It's an amazing love story. I am of the school that relationships that matter are difficult. Not in a bad way necessarily, but if it's that important,there will be serious obstacles to overcome. The love that Christian and Ana find is simply amazing. Not without it's many complications, obviously, but they overcome each and everyone with honesty, trust and love. It's really wonderful to read and see come to life in your mind.



With the second and third books, the story lines become more fascinating than I would have every imagined. The shock value dies away and the twists and turns of the intricate plots take over. As I read my way through the second and third books, I was enraptured. These books becomes serious page turners, with fascinating hooks and twists I never saw coming. The writing flows almost seamlessly (there were a couple of word choices that irked me but that's just personal preference) and Christian and Ana truly come to life as the stories become more in depth. It goes from an "erotic romance" to a mystery and a thriller and it sort of jumps around between genres without feeling like it's being pulled in too many directions at once. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next and how Christian and Ana would handle it.



Fifty Shades of Grey is, at it's surface, a shocking trilogy bringing to light a very taboo subject, but in it's depth, a great love story and a thrilling read.