Oh, Christian, you make MY inner goddess swoon!

There is so much to love about Fifty Shades Darker. Fifty Shades Darker is a much more comfortable read than the first book, Fifty Shades of Grey. This book focuses more upon the evolution of Christian’s and Ana’s relationship.

And boy, does it evolve. After a short but miserable separation, Christian and Ana realize that they need each other. In the previous book, Christian was very much in control of the relationship. In this book, the tables are turned and Ana is now in control. Christian senses that Ana needs a more conventional relationship and attempts to provide it for her in his own special way.

What makes this book different from others in this genre is that there is an actual story surrounding the main characters. The characters are multi-layered. Christian’s difficult childhood is slowly revealed to the reader, resulting in an understanding of his problems. Ana becomes more self-assured in this book, perhaps due to maturity and experience, yet she still has niggling thoughts as to whether she will be able to fulfill all of Christian’s needs. Ana also becomes more daring and assertive and she stands up to threats to her relationship with Christian.

I loved the dialogue and banter between these two characters, especially the emails where they used SHOUTY CAPITALS. It is interesting to note that Ana’s email communications with Christian were uninhibited. The emails allowed her to say exactly what was on her mind. Ana’s inner dialogues with her inner goddess and her conscious were entertaining as well. I found that Ana and Christian were much more playful in this book.

I don’t know how she does it, but E.L. James can make the most ordinary scenes sizzle off the page. Imagine what she does with the sexy scenes…so hot! I’ll never look at a pool table the same way again without imagining Fifty….and elevators, pianos, and, well, you get it, right?

I’ve been a fan for quite a while and I am so happy that there will be one more book in this series. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for E.L. James.

Note – This is a series and should be read in order. The first book is Fifty Shades of Grey.

Thank you to the author and The Writer’s Coffee Shop for a review copy of this book.

Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.