When Anastasia Steele agrees to interview millionaire Christian Grey as a favor for her friend, she has no idea what she's getting herself into. The moment she looks into the enigmatic businessman's piercing gray eyes, she's literally head over heels, accidentally stumbling to the ground when they first meet. After several sexually-charged interactions, Christian asks Ana out, and though she can't figure out how such a successful -- and hot! -- man could be interested in her, she agrees. However, after their date, Christian warns Ana to stay away from him. Talk about mixed signals!

Ana refuses to back down, though, and in return Christian propositions her with a blushing offer to explore her sexuality... together. Despite Ana's innocence, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to Christian and willing to do whatever it take to get to know him better. Soon, their relationship begins to transcend physical boundaries and Ana finds herself wanting more from the wealthy tycoon. If only Christian could get past his inner demons to open himself up to Ana's love...

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be INTENSE! From Ana and Christian's relationship to Christian's internal struggles to Ana's emotional roller-coaster, the entire 380 pages are intense. The story is told in first-person present tense, which I have to admit thew me at first, but I quickly became engrossed in Ana's thoughts and intrigued with her perception of Christian and her take on their affair. Christian is a multi-faceted hero. Yes, he's drop-dead gorgeous, but he's also troubled, overbearing and possessive. As odd as it sounds, it's his flaws that really make him alluring -- it's no wonder Ana is willing to submit to him!

The secondary characters -- Ana's roommate, Christian's family, etc. -- bring another level of depth and complexity to the plot -- which, by the way, flies by; I read this book in less than three days! All in all, I'd have to say that Fifty Shades of Grey was not at all what I expected... it was fifty times better! And, if that wasn't enough, turns out that it's part of a trilogy, which means that there will be more shades of Grey to indulge in. The only downside, however, is that the story ends on a cliff-hanger, making me more than a little anxious for the next book to be released.