This was a great contemporary romance, and a very nice surprise, especially considering the cheap $0.99 cent Kindle pric...more4 stars – Contemporary Romance
This was a great contemporary romance, and a very nice surprise, especially considering the cheap $0.99 cent Kindle price. It read like a really good Harlequin and should appeal to fans of modern royal heroes and “marriage of convenience for inheritance” plots. A solid 4 stars!(less)
This is a delightfully engaging and romantic historical holiday novella with a great story, intriguing characters,...more4 stars – Historical/Holiday Novella
This is a delightfully engaging and romantic historical holiday novella with a great story, intriguing characters, and the perfect amount of steam to warm you up on a cold winter’s night. And for only .79 cents on Kindle, it’s a cozy read indeed.(less)
I found out about this from its Goodreads Choice Award nomination and then noticed that several...more**spoiler alert** 5 stars – Contemporary Erotic Romance
I found out about this from its Goodreads Choice Award nomination and then noticed that several of my GR friends had rated it 5 stars. I didn’t read any reviews before reading (other than glimpses here and there that I couldn’t avoid) because I didn’t want any spoilers. So I’m not sure if the author intended it to be somewhat Twilight-esque or not, and/or if other readers thought there were comparisons between them like I did? I couldn’t help but feel like this read as a dark, erotic, and intriguing BDSM twist on Twilight, sans vampires. I mean, there just seemed to be so many similarities to me. Or maybe seeing The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn movie three times has influenced and/or warped my thinking? Hmmm...that’s definitely a possibility.
Anyway, here are some of my random observations/thoughts. Coincidences?
•Heroine is Anastasia “Ana” Steele (vs. Isabella “Bella” Swan). •Ana’s first person POV narrative read like a YA book, particularly for the beginning 15%-25% or so, and her insecurity and inner dialogue and the overall tone of the story reminded me of Bella in Twilight, even though Ana is 21 and turns 22 during the story. •Ana is a plain, mousy, bookish, awkward, klutzy, shy, clumsy, naïve nerd, misfit, and virtual loner and reads classic literature for fun. •She has pale skin and blushes profusely...at just about everything. •She has two left feet, trips easily, and can’t dance. •Hero Christian Grey is “heart-stoppingly beautiful” and “dazzling”, has gorgeous, messy copper colored hair that’s always in sexy, mussed disarray, and has a “crooked, dazzling smile”. •He’s remarkably handsome, rich, autocratic, domineering, enigmatic, controlling, stern, gruff, brooding, jealous, mercurial, possessive, and outright stalkerish. •She’s a brunette and he prefers brunettes, even though he’s surrounded by tall, leggy, stunning blondes. •She was never picked for team sports like volleyball...hmmm, that’s familiar. •She talks in her sleep and in doing so reveals her feelings about Christian. •It takes place in the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver and Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon) and her mom lives in sunny Georgia (vs. Florida). •Ana has a close male friend, Jose, whom she loves like a brother but he has unrequited romantic feelings for her. Their dads are also close friends. Hmmm...Jose...Jacob? •She drives a beat up Beetle (not truck) that used to belong to her friend Jose’s mom and he does the maintenance and repairs for her. •Christian saves her when she’s almost run over by a cyclist. •He saves her from unwanted advances outside a bar when she’s drunk by stalking tracking her down. •He warns her, more than once, that she should stay away from him...for her own good...and that he’s not the right man for her. •He always says he wishes he knew what she was thinking. •She has vying suitors, even though she’s an awkward, shy, and insecure girl. •She doesn’t understand or believe what Christian sees in her, even though he insists that he finds her beautiful and irresistible and it’s quite obvious that he’s totally infatuated/obsessed with her. •He buys her extravagant gifts. •He buys her a car. •He has a black Audi SUV, not silver Volvo, but its close. (Audi is apparently his motor brand of choice.) •He expertly plays the piano...melancholy classical of course. •She has a flighty, whimsical mother. •She has a serious, taciturn, yet loving father. •He’s adopted. •His adoptive father is a handsome blonde named Carrick...ahem...not Carlisle. •His adoptive brother is an easygoing hunk with curly blond hair. •His adoptive sister Mia, whom he shows fond affection for, is exuberant and enthusiastic in befriending Ana and encouraging Ana’s and Christian’s relationship.
I’m not saying the author plagiarized the Twilight series, so don’t get your panties in a twist if you disagree with me that there are similarities between them. (And notice I rated it 5 stars, so obviously I think it’s a great read.)
Overall I found Fifty Shades of Grey really intense and addictive, but I would have enjoyed the story even more had it been told from third person POV because I really, really wanted insight into Christian’s “fifty shades of f*cked-up” psyche! I immediately started reading the second book, Fifty Shades Darker, but then realized the third book, Fifty Shades Freed, isn’t out until January. Eeks! I imagine that I’ll be anxiously awaiting its release. 5 stars!
Now I’m off to read reviews to see what my GR friends think about this!
*Addendum: I’ve since learned (after reading some reviews) that this was originally written as a Twilight fanfiction story, so I guess my powers of observation are keen and my thinking is appropriately warped. LOL!*
Such a beautiful, moving, bittersweet story that brought tears to my eyes. *Sigh* A very satisfying read, especially for a short freebie. Now I want t...moreSuch a beautiful, moving, bittersweet story that brought tears to my eyes. *Sigh* A very satisfying read, especially for a short freebie. Now I want to read it's predecessor, Turn It Up, even more.(less)
Awesome read! Finally another ICE book and it delivered! With exotic locales, nonstop action, edge-of-your-seat danger, knu...more5 stars – Romantic Suspense
Awesome read! Finally another ICE book and it delivered! With exotic locales, nonstop action, edge-of-your-seat danger, knuckle-gripping suspense, uber nasty villains, an unforgettably sexy, ruthless Irish hero, a heroine who manages a minimal amount of whining for such extreme and violent situations, hot sexual tension, and steamy romance, On Thin Ice is definitely a must read for fans of Anne Stuart’s ICE series and dark romantic suspense! My only quibble is that there are quite a few editing errors, but those minor mistakes didn’t lessen my enjoyment, at all. 5 stars!(less)
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