Book Review - Fifty Shades Darker

I recently wrote a book review about Fifty Shades of Grey which can be found here.

I liked it so much that I immediately picked up the second book and blew right through it! So I figured I may as well write a review for this one, too.

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Plot:

Our story begins only a few days after the first book ends. I think this is great, as it allows you to see each and every moment of their relationship as it unfolds. It really creates a connection, as if you were in a relationship yourself - seeing it from every angle. I don't want to get into specifics about the plot because I don't believe in revealing spoilers during book reviews, but I will say that this book is much more action-packed and suspenseful than the first. It keeps you entertained from start to finish. As far as Fifty Shades erotic reputation is concerned, it definitely gets a little more risque in this book - but still probably not as bad as you might imagine. Even with the "S&M" stereotype that this book holds, all the sexual interactions in the book revolve around love first and foremost.

Characters:

The sequel involves many of the characters that were included in the first, as it revolves around the same people. Christian and Ana are still the main characters, and they are joined by all of Christian's family in this book... as well as a few shady antagonists. This is a breath of fresh air, since the first book mainly revolves around Christian's lifestyle taking center stage as the "antagonist". As for this one, it seems he has made the jump successfully to a full-fledged protagonist, which leaves room for plenty of colorful characters to test Christian & Ana.

Scenery:

Like the first book, this one revolves mainly in Seattle. Although I would have to say that it doesn't give you quite the same in-depth feel as the first one does, it doesn't take away from the book any. There is plenty of other stuff going on - you really don't miss it much.

Writing:

If you read my book review for the original Fifty Shades, you know I gave E.L. James a pretty hard time about her writing style. It seemed amateurish, jumped around a lot, and could be confusing at times. This book was much better. She improved a lot, I have to be honest. There were still moments where it could get repetitive - particular in the love-making scenes - but all-in-all it was better.

Rating:

I give this book a 5 out of 5, which is amazing because in my last review I only gave the original book 4 out of 5. I could not put this book down. Upon finishing it, I definitely felt like the first book was only a stepping stone to get to this one. It was that good. I definitely recommend putting this book on your reading list if you haven't already.

Having finished the 2nd book, I will admit that I have begun reading the third book in the trilogy: Fifty Shades Freed. To be honest, I am not loving it so far. I am only a hundred pages in, but so far it has been torture to even force myself to read that much without giving up on it so I'm not optimistic about the outcome. I have made a promise to myself to finish reading it, though, even if only in the interest of being thorough. I sincerely hope that my opinion changes by the time I can write the review for it, but for now it may be hard for me to even find time to read it with school being back in session. (I don't attend school, but my son is in Kindergarten now so I must read to him longer every night for his homework, plus I have extra family responsibilities now that my love is busy with his 2nd year of college.)

Although I am reading my son the first Harry Potter book, so that's fun. =)

Until next time, thanks for reading!

Made of Money Monday #2 - Button Bouquets

Hello again!! I have to say, I am really enjoying this blog. I really look forward to writing, you know? Even though I don't have many followers/readers yet, it makes me feel good, and so it's worth the time and effort. =)


Ok, enough of the mushy stuff. Let's go ahead with our Made of Money Monday!! So, if I were made of money today, I would probably be buying some of these....

Button bouquets!!! These are made by Angela D. and are sold in her shop, angel9. They vary in price range - some of the smaller flower girl ones are only about $18 - $23 (which is actually incredible when you think about how much buttons normally cost, and how much time it probably takes to make these), but some of the nicer wedding bouquets can get up to $150. But if I were made of money (or getting married again haha) then I would definitely shell it out for these. They are adorable, and it's such a cool and creative take on the traditional wedding bouquet. Here's some of the nicer bridal-style button bouquets:

I mean, it seems to me that whenever brides are planning a wedding, they are always looking for a way to stand out. Things that their guests are going to remember. And to me, this seems like something that may go unnoticed at the ceremony (just because they are smaller, and actually LOOK like real bouquets from far away) but when the reception rolls around, as guests approach the wedding line or just go to congratulate the bride in general, they would see it and go "OH MY GOD ARE THOSE BUTTONS?? Look how cute they are!!" I know that's what I would be doing anyway if I had never seen one before and saw my friend sporting one in her wedding apparel. It's something that is both traditional and unique at the same time, and also fits under the categories of "classy" and "adorable", and that is so rare a find. These bouquets are also made in less traditional colors, and I think could have an alternate use as some of the CUTEST CENTERPIECES EVER. I mean, picture one of these in a cute little transparent vase sitting in the center of your table at an event:

In fact, that last one is even pictured in a glass jar, and it looks so elegant in and of itself - just imagine if you were to adorn the jar with little gems and fill it about half-way with some of those transparent stones you can find at the dollar store, etc etc. So many possibilities wrapped up in such a cute little piece. I'm telling you, if you are planning a special event or know someone who is - keep angel9 at the top of your list. Her stuff is so cute and perfect for almost any occasion you can think of. As usual, click any of the above photos to be taken directly to that listing, or click here to be taken directly to her shop.

And just so everyone knows (because I didn't specify last week) I am not compensated for any of this. This includes Made of Money Mondays as well as Feature Friday. I do it because I appreciate the work that these shops do, and enjoy bringing great products to the eyes of my readers. They don't sponsor me in any way, and I don't even tell them ahead of time what I am doing. But who is going to argue with some free exposure and a bump in traffic, am I right? So show their shop some love.

If I don't have something fun and exciting happen between now and Wednesday, then I will see you then for another What You Made Wednesday!! Remember I will have LINKY up on that day so you can share your stuff with me (and other readers), and I will also be giving a shout out to the listing that has the most likes from last week. So if you haven't posted your stuff yet, the Linky from last week is still OPEN, so go post your products and get people to like your stuff! Thanks again for reading, everyone~ <3 See you then!

~*~Gela~*~