I was slogging through my usual news feeds a few months ago when Fifty Shades of Grey blew up the Blogosphere. It was the "must read" book of the month. Controversial, sexy, and the term MommyPorn was being thrown into the mix. I immediately downloaded it to my Iphone and began reading. I didn't even preview it first.
The story felt familiar by chapter two. I did a little researching and sure enough, I'd read that same story a few years back. The original work was titled,"Master of the Universe" and was written as a FanFic piece back in the heyday of Twilight mania. There were some really fantastic stories that came from that period, but I wouldn't have ever classified this as being one of them.
Fifty Shades of Grey is nothing more than a mediocre attempt at re-writing Stephanie Meyer's Twilight as "Edward with a Riding Crop". It has all the same plot holes and character flaws. Anastasia Steele is the mostly vapid, empty- headed lead character who can't decide if she wants to be a chew toy for the sexually sadistic Christian Grey. It takes her an entire book to decide that entering into a contractual relationship with a guy who can't get off without torturing his women first is a bad idea. Anastasia then resolves to turn her little sadomasochistic hook up into a real relationship; the dreaded fixer-upper. That's book two. Book three ends with Christian and Anastasia overcoming a dangerous situation and learning how to love without nipple clamps.
Fifty Shades is explicit and probably alluring to someone who's never read anything in that genre before. I give E.L. James credit for breaking a few taboos and playing her part in introducing women to erotic fiction. But for all you Fifty fans, do yourselves a favor and read something well-written. Something with a decent plot and real imagery. And let's not forget variety! Pick up a copy of Anne Rice's,The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. Her set comes as a trilogy,too, and I guarantee it's better written than Fifty Shades of Grey.
However, if you're really just looking for some extra motivation in the bedroom, there are many FREE fanfic stories that are enjoyable and feature your favorite characters while filling in the blanks that Stephenie Meyer didn't bother with. In many of these, the characters have been written with a more defining pen. Here's my Top Ten List of best erotic or romantic Twilight Fanfic:
1. The Submissive- If Fifty Shades is your thing, read this. Then read the next two. All Human.
2. The Office- (by TBY7890) My personal favorite.You'll need permission to open this link, but it's totally worth your time. It seems harder to get a copy of this, so I included the author code for your search if my link doesn't work.). All Human
3. Wide Awake- If you like angsty, I got your angsty. All Human.
4 .Edward Wallbanger- Hot with humor! All Human.
5. Creature of Habit- Twilight for adults, but really more on the romance side. Vampire Edward.
6. The University of Edward Masen- Edward is a college professor. Need I say more? All Human.
7. La Petite Mort- My friend reminded me of this super hot, one shot. Best Quickie. Vampire Edward.
8. A Rough Start- Heartstrings and violins. Edward is a single father. All Human.
9. Breakfast at Tiffany's- Best Romance Award. All Human.
10. Alphabet Weekends- If erotic fiction makes you giggle uncomfortably, Alphabet Weekends is a nice introduction. It doesn't take itself too seriously. All Human.
