Fifty Shades Darker [DVD] [2017]

If you read my review of Fifty Shades of Grey then you'll know that I had a bit of a weird love / hate relationship going on with it. There are a lot of things about these books that I don't like but I find them strangely compulsive reading and have definitely been obsessed with these characters since I started reading the books. I'm actually a bit scared to start the third book because I don't know what I'll do with myself when I've finished reading the series. Please be aware that this review will contain spoilers for the first book so please don't read any further if you haven't read Fifty Shades of Grey, this is a series that I have to recommend though so make sure you check it out!Fifty Shades Darker picks up the story a couple of days after the ending of the first book, Ana has walked away from Christian because she can't handle his lifestyle choices and it has left her devastated. She misses him like crazy but doesn't think she can give him what he needs. Christian on the other hand isn't prepared to let her walk away, coming so close to losing her has scared him and he is determined to do whatever it takes to have her in his life - even face his inner demons.I fell for Christian almost against my will when I was reading the first book, despite the fact that he is fifty shades of effed-up he still has a vulnerable side that I think most women would find very hard to resist. This instalment sees some big changes in him and it just made me love him even more. The more you learn about his past the easier it is to see how Christian ended up the way he did, he had a horrific upbringing with his mother and even after being adopted into a loving family he never felt worthy. Then add in the abuse he suffered at the hands of the evil Mrs Robinson (if ever there was a character I wanted to slap into next week it would be her!) so the only really surprising thing is that Christian has managed to make such a success of his business life. Despite his past you can tell that Christian really cares for Ana though, we really see him start to open his heart to her and I loved seeing the changes in him as he starts to overcome his background and become the fun loving man he should have always been.I liked Ana much more in this book (although I still want to scream every time she mentions her inner goddess or subconscious!), she has started to grow up and I was impressed with how determined she was to have a relationship with Christian on equal terms. She couldn't deal with being a complete submissive and forced him to change his behaviour if he wanted to be with her. I liked the fact that there was so much give and take between them though and that they are both prepared to compromise. They don't know each other well so it takes time for them to set new boundaries but they are taking steps towards a relationship that will satisfy both of them.Although there are a lot of erotic scenes in the story (lets just hope one of the companies Christian has invested in is Durex or he'll be bankrupt pretty quickly!) I think the main focus is definitely on the relationship and developing the characters. I missed the flirty email banter between them at the beginning of the book so was pleased when it made a reappearance later on - I did want to shout at Ana every time she emailed from her work computer though, stupid girl! I felt that the author had reached what would have been a pretty perfect stopping point for the series until she added the epilogue on at the end but I'm not going to complain about another instalment to a series that I have a new found addiction to! I can't wait to find out how things progress for the couple in Fifty Shades Freed - in fact I'm going to stop writing this review so I can go and read it now!

*Contains Spoilers - please don't read if you haven't read the book*After Fifty Shades of Grey, we pick up Ana Steele's journey as she recovers from the emotional turmoil of having left brilliant, hot, young but very flawed Christian Grey, after recovering from a S&M 'punishment' session which went wrong (albeit one carried out at her insistence). Ana has told this man with a horrific past that she needs distance and he needs to sort his stuff out. As a result, she starts her new job at SIP publishing under a bitter cloud. After she meets Christian again to attend friend Jose's photo exhibition, Ana realises, once more, how much he really means to her and her to him. The 2 of them get back together and the usual hot, steamy sex continues, albeit with Ana occasionally questioning him whether she's 'enough for him'. All this and 2 extra dramatic episodes occur as 2 of Christian's ex-subs turn up: Leila, who is mentally unstable, and Elena, who was Christian's older woman affair and the one who Ana grows to hate, quite strongly. In all of this, Ana discovers more about Christian's extremely troubled past - the abuse he suffered at the hands of his birth mother's pimp, which gives explanation as to why he loathes being touched and his scars, his mother's eventual death from an overdose, his inability to speak in his infant years, his incredible anger and desire to fight throughout his teenage years and his exploitation at the hands of Elena who apparently teaches him about domination and loveless sex. Its clear from all of this and Grey's therapist, Dr Flynn that this 'angry, frightened, brilliant young man really needs a good woman to love him for what he is and accept his occasional adventures into quite intense sexual territory. Ana grows to love Christian quite intensely, especially after an episode in which he 'disapears' and instead of his usual jokey emails, goes missing. Can Ana eventually reconcile her feelings for Grey and join him on his journey 'towards the light' or will it end in bitter tears?One aspect of other reviews I found annoying was this argument that Ana Steele's character is dragging the cause of Feminism back almost 30 years. Oh really? Can a trilogy of novels about S&M sex and a flawed relationship really be that damaging to the feminist cause? I doubt it very much. Ana is portrayed as a much stronger character in this novel from her appearance in the first one, simpering over Grey. In this one, she asserts her limits far more, hoping that Grey can abandon some aspects of his lifestyle to join her as a lover rather than a dominant partner. Isn't this what feminism is about? Women knowing what they want from a relationship and getting it? Far from setting the cause back 30 years, maybe it sets the tone for the next 30 years.Fifty Shades of Darker is indeed darker. It draws on heavy imagery. We find out more about Grey's past which gives us a clue as to why he has behaved in the way he does. His anger, intense control freakishness, desire to enjoy Ana for all she is, stems from abuse, neglect and exploitation. His attempts to climb out of his situation and pursue a healthier mental lifestyle are greeted with enthusiasm. I'm looking forward to the next book already and finding out how Ana and Christian's story pans out.

It was o k

So book 2, I know I said on my review of Fifty Shades of Grey that I wasn't sure I'd read the other two books in the trilogy let alone go and buy them, well that lasted all of about three days. I couldn't resist this new addiction I appear to have.In Darker, we rejoin Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele within just a few days from where book 1 ended. (don't read on if you haven't read book 1 - whilst I won't give any spoilers to this book, I don't want to spoil book 1 for you!) All the troubles they have experienced together just can't stop them for needing each other. Whether it is her need to try to help him recover from his past or just the raw physical attraction/needs she has , she can't stay away. This is lust taken to the extreme.I found in this book there is much more of a story and less sex (unless I am now immune to it!!) It still is a very erotic read in places and will make you blush if you are reading it on the train (that was me!) but you learn a bit more about Christian and why he is like he is. Whilst I can see he is extremely damaged and a Jekyll and Hyde character, we see a venerable side to him that makes Ana's decision and actions a little bit more understandable.There is repetition in the book and I am starting to dislike the saying "my inner goddess" more than I should but for a book that everyone is talking about (and you know my views on 'IT' books), I can understand it and I'm not ashamed to say, I am already on book 3!They may not be the greatest written books but they has something that makes me want to pick them up at every spare opportunity I have and as a reviewer, I can't ask for more.