This past Memorial Day weekend was brutally hot and humid for May. It felt more like 4th of July weather. I was able to finally finish the last bits of gardening I had to do rewarded myself with some shopping and reading.
I read the two remaining books in the Fifty Shades trilogy. Neither was quite as intense as the first and that’s a very good thing. Unfortunately, neither were quite the character studies that the first book was, either.
Fifty Shades Darker is at least still somewhat in the same genre as Fifty Shades of Grey. With an ex-sub threatening the life of the girlfriend and a run-in with the former dom cum friend, the second book has essentially the same feel as the first.
Fifty Shades Freed takes a sharp turn and rides the trilogy right off the rails. Destination: Fanficdom. Dream extended honeymoon, sabotage of the corporate helicopter, attempted kidnapping, arson, car chase, car accident and successful kidnapping — it’s all there. FSF is not exactly erotica/romance/character study. That’s ok, I guess, but I felt a bit let down. The plot “twists” are messy and unnecessary. The psychology is pure Psyc 101 textbook. I think the three books could safely be pared down into two. Not being a “Twilight” fan is a definite disadvantage when reading Fifty Shades Freed. I did a lot of skimming instead of reading.
J.R. Ward wrote about Vishous (my Kindle’s eponym) and his “alternate lifestyle” but never employed the cheesy plot tricks E.L. James uses. Ward writes about vampires who are a different species, not undead, and Lessers, who have had their hearts taken out, put in jars, and they a bleed black oily substance. Um … hello! If the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s plot comes out a winner over a more reality-based plot, how far has James strayed from the pack?
Still and all, the first two in the series were worth the read.
It's My World 
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