Customer Reviews

Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades Trilogy)

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

An undercurrent, by definition, is the hidden movement of water beneath the surface; its tug and motion are only perceptible upon submersion. Fifty Shades is exactly like an undercurrent. You dive into the story thinking you know what to expect, only to find out once you're in it that it's something else completely. And Fifty Shades Freed is the riptide of currents. You'll be swept away with a force that is impossible to escape, not that you'd want to escape. You'll savor every moment, every word, and when it's over you'll want to pick it up and start again from the beginning. The only thing I'd like to caution readers about with the Fifty Shades Trilogy--it will literally ruin other books for you.

So many readers glance at the back cover this book and expect an erotic novel about BDSM. Yes there are some BDSM elements to the story, but that's not what this novel is about. Fifty Shades is probably the best romance I've ever read. It's impossible to put into words in a review what this book will make you feel. It's so emotional. It is authentic, open, honest, and at times both heartwarming and heartbreaking. I've recommended this series to so many people who told me that it was out of their comfort zone because of the BDSM. However, after practically browbeating them into reading it, every one of them came to me raving about how wonderful and unexpected it was. Still, I'm not going to lie, the erotic scenes are hot as hell--but they are tasteful, and nothing to shy away from in my opinion.

Christian Grey is the hero, and he defines the word contradiction. He is THE Alpha male. Strong, unbelievably sexy, and dominating, but just like other parts of this story, there are things unseen below the surface. There's a reason Ana refers to him as her "lost boy". Yes he is extremely successful, sensual and dominating (he doesn't apologize for his predilections), but he is misunderstood. He uses control as a mechanism to guard his feelings, and despite his behavior, Ana sees past the surface to the man beneath.

It's ironic that Christian spends most of his time trying to protect Ana. Initially, he views her as fragile, but as he quickly learns, appearances can be misleading. He discovers through Ana that strength is not only about brawn and toughness. Strength is displayed in bravery, fortitude, and the ability to cope with everything life throws at you, and Ana epitomizes inner strength. Not only is Ana the first woman to see Christian for who he really is, she is the first woman to stand up to Christian, and because of that she earns his respect, devotion, and unwavering love.

I've decided to rebel. There is no way I can justify classifying this novel as a 5 star read, so here it is: I've hijacked another star and I'm giving 6 stars to Fifty Shades Freed. I'm just hoping this blatant infraction of the rules is enough to warrant a run in with Christian's twitchy palm. I RECOMMEND (in shouty caps) this book to everyone who loves an amazing love story, because that's really what this book is.

There are so many times when the "Fairytale" ends with "happily ever after"... and of course as an audience, we are left to dream that things are wonderful between our enchanted couple. "Fifty Shades Freed", took us beyond the wedding and the "Honeymoon" period and into the life of our beloved Christian and Ana. I found myself anxious going into "Freed", fearing something bad would happen to Christian and/or Ana. What I found inside the pages of this book (Kindle..whatever) was an incredible story of fear, strength and ultimately love of these two people for not only each other but for those who share their world. James found a way to create a story (three actually) where the reader is able fall in love simultaneously with Ana (without thinking that she is allowing herself to be abused by Christian) and with Christian (without thinking he is an abusive a*s). James created charecters that were each flawed, however, they were aware of their flaws which, to this reader, made them human. Ana, while young, showed amazing strength in trying to keep true to herself while still trying to reach out to Christian to give him the unconditional love that she knows he needs. Christian, while insecure to a fault, does try to give Ana some degree of space even though it causes him physical pain.

I loved each and every word written to all three books. I will be re-reading them again and again. I look forward to reading more from E.L James in the future.

The evolution of Ana and Christian (as well as the other characters) in this book will leave a resounding effect on you. Fifty Shades Freed was a more than suitable name for this third installment in the trilogy as Christian is "Freed" from his tormented past and Ana is "Freed" from a potentially tormented future with him.

Tears rolled and fists slammed as I languidly flipped the virtual pages of my Kindle to continue the read.

Christian's esoteric life finally comes to light in front of Ana and his own family, all of whom truly love him but really knew so little about him and his "Fifty Shades".

I sat completely attentive to 'Freed' as if I were trying to unravel Christian's history and mystery myself, reveling in each chapter I read.

The Fifty Shades trilogy will make you blush, palpitate and leave you hanging on every word.

Again, kudos and two thumbs up...and only because I only have two to raise.

Oh Fifty, Fifty, Fifty! This is the book that I had been "patiently" waiting for!! I had stayed up until midnight the day of release so that I could purchase it and start reading right away!

The book starts out with Christian and Ana on their honeymoon. Ana keeps flashing back to give us a glimpse of the planning and the wedding day itself. I don't want to give too much away to those that still would like to read the series, so, just know that Christian is struggling in this book to keep a tight rein on his temper. Ana is testing her boundaries to see what she can get away with and what she can't. And can I tell you that she REALLY tests them!! There were some parts where even I was like "Are you crazy?"

The ending was in my opinion..perfect. After all that the two had been through, they deserve a perfect ending! The series was very neatly wrapped up and I was left content and sighing. There is also some bonus material such as...my favorite, a scene from Mr. Grey's POV when Ms. Steele "fell into his office". I loved reading Christian's thoughts!

I am very saddened to see this series come to an end! But, I have fallen so head over heels for these characters that I will be on the lookout for more from EL James! Thank you to Ms. James for creating the handsome Mr. Grey!

This book was enjoyable, but not as powerful as book 2. There were definite highs and lows, but I felt that the author was trying to wrap everything up in a tidy little box with a cute little bow on top. Basically after 2 books of sneak peaks into the psyche of an emotionally unbalanced guy, we are to believe that Christian is just so much better now. This book had the fewest mention of Dr. Flynn. While he has clearly grown from Book 1, he still has a long way to go. He has given Anna more of himself, but he still does manipulative things i.e., making sure she kept her bathing suit on. Stuff like that made me shake my head and mumble "here we go again".

What I loved about the book: I saw the breaking down of just about all the walls that Christian had erected around himself. Especially the last couple of chapters. The epilogue clearly showed that Anna was still helping Christian to address and deal with his past. Yeeeaa Ana! And Kudos to Christian for being willing to listen.

I loved a particular phrase Christian used to describe their sexual relationship. He said to Anna, "You know, you're topping from the bottom". I think this was realization of the nature of their emotional relationship. Even though Anna was younger, she was emotionally more mature in some ways, than Christian. Before Ana, all Christian knew about sex was the whole Dom/Sub hierarchy. There was never a sharing or mutual pleasure until Ana. With Ana, Christian was able to begin truly experiencing life, whether it was painful or pleasurable. He just learned to feel. He even allowed his mom to comfort him. This must be why the author called it "Fifty Shades Freed." Ana freed him to feel again.

I would have liked more scenes where they talked about her high school, or her favorite songs or her favorite sport. I wanted more focus on her tending to her own needs, but Everyone's attention was always on pleasing Christian. Even in the epilogue, Ana is still apologizing to Christian. Ana's whole goal in life was to "save" Christian. But there was a lot of progress considering it has been just 3 months since Ana got to know him. In the end, they were still standing. I saw a happy couple, who accepted each other faults and all. It wasn't easy, but they were learning to fight and work it out.

With that said, this was a happy ending for a series filled with such angst. The story ended on a high note, with even the siblings in a relationship. Heck, even Taylor is in love. I have to applaud the author, Ms. E.L James for writing such a poignant book. Whether you loved it or not, it evoked strong emotions in the reader. Book 2 will always be my favorite though.

The final installment in this trilogy did not disappoint, even if it tended to meander at times. Ana and Christian continue to work their way through his damaged past to create a healthy relationship for the two of them, despite threats to their safety and relationship. Christian is still haunted by aspects of his past and Ana is having to mature quickly to help him and herself through her own discoveries.

I continued to be amazed at Ana's self awareness and her ability to rise above her own insecurities to explore Christian's truths and demons. She's an enigma that sometimes gets overwhelmed by the force that is Christian but Ana holds her own and is the key to his freedom from his past. We are also treated to more of their email interactions, which is a brilliant device in this story to help us understand the dynamics of their relationship as they use them to really communicate their feelings. Even when there is silence on one end, that in itself communicates loudly. The writing is also sophisticated, with some phrasings that tell you the author is British, but that just made it more interesting.

I worried about whether I would become bored or tire of this couple and that didn't happen. Ana and Christian continue to evolve in unpredictable ways, even in the midst of heartbreak and tragedy in this story. Another reviewer characterized the end of this trilogy as bittersweet and I think that's an apt description of my feelings. I'm reluctant to let these two go as I became invested in their outcome. While there is sort of a bow tied to the end of their journey, it's a messy one, which is so befitting to them. I'm glad I read this series and am satisfied with the final story.

We no longer have the "chase" in this book since Fifty and Ana are now married. Their love is still very HOT and they are adjusting to married life. Their funny funny emails are still in this book. Fifty still makes me want to kill him and hug him all at the same time. I get the impression that Ana has come onto her own it seems all the men she meets think she is beautiful which is great because next to Fifty she needs to have something of her own! I wish the bank scene would have been a little longer to really make us fidget and worry I felt it all happened way to fast. The things he does for Ana in such detail just shows how much he loves her. He has come a LONG way and it is wonderful to see him finally open up to her. As much as I love them I hope this is the end because James gives such a nice closure to the story that I would be nervous that another book would take us in a different direction.(well maybe a WHOLE book in his POV) All in all I felt it was a fantastic read, thank you for giving us Fifty Ms. James!!

Well I have to say that I'm sad to see this series end, but it was it was a fantastic final installment to this incredibly addicting series.

WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS:

In this third installment, we find Christian and Ana married. Ana is still struggling with her Fifty Shades and what it means to be married to a completely loving, but completely controlling, frustrating beautiful man. They love each other unconditionally, there is no doubt about that, but Ana is still struggling with obeying her husband and Christian is still struggling with being less controlling. Things get dangerous for both of them when Christian's past catches up with him and puts his wife and family in danger. Besides the danger, Christian and Ana, get some unwelcome news that puts a strain on their marriage. Christian does something heartbreaking and extremely stupid and Ana has to face her lingering doubts about their future together. I loved this beautiful and incredibly addicting story of true love and redemption. It was nice to see Christian finally accept that Ana truly loves him, that he is not as awful as he thinks he is and that he is worthy of her unconditional love. I was thrilled to see that Christian still kept some of his edge and that things had not gone completely "vanilla" in their relationship. I was glad to see a happy ending for them both and really enjoyed the extras at the end from Christian's POV.

I can't wait to read what EL James comes up with next.

EL James -- it can not end here!! The walls could have collapsed around me during the reading of these books and I would not have noticed. In my mind... Christian Grey looks like Christian Bale and Anna Steele like Emmy Rossum (with blue eyes). You captured the chemistry of these two characters in ways that baffle me. It was real, it was carnal - and it was delicious to read. I wanna see this trilogy made into movie!!! Yum!

I have never felt the need to review a book, but this series captivated me. After greatly enjoying A Beautiful Disaster, Amazon recommended the Fifty trilogy. I can't thank them enough. As a Twilight fan, I could see the underlying similarities in the series, but Fifty held it's own. James has a way with words, and though I found a few parts of the story frustrating, I couldn't put it down, and found myself desperate to see what happened next. Well Done.

Give this one a try. It's worth the time.