Book Review - Grey By EL James

Right, let me start by saying that I love the Fifty Shades trilogy. These were one of the first books of this genre that I read. After E.L James, I have also moved on to writers like Sylvia Day (Bared To You - Crossfire Series) and Sylvain Reynard (Gabriel's Inferno). However, those books were never as good as Fifty Shades or my Christian Grey!

After reading Fifty Shades in all its glory, E.L James announced that she was working on a book purely based on Christian Grey's point of view. As a fan, I was more than excited, I was ecstatic. I couldn't wait for the book's release. Once the book was released, I got it before it was banned here in Malaysia. Yes, the book was released after the movie was released, it created a huge mess in Malaysia which resulted in both the book and the movie being banned. 

Nonetheless, that did not stop me from reading or watching the movie. While I love the way Jamie Dornan played Christian Grey, the movie was average and disappointing (rant for another day!). This is a review for the book Grey, so I'm just going to stick to that. 

The Book Cover:-

The Synopsis:-

Christian Grey exercises control in all things; his world is neat, disciplined, and utterly empty—until the day that Anastasia Steele falls into his office, in a tangle of shapely limbs and tumbling brown hair. He tries to forget her, but instead is swept up in a storm of emotion he cannot comprehend and cannot resist. Unlike any woman he has known before, shy, unworldly Ana seems to see right through him—past the business prodigy and the penthouse lifestyle to Christian’s cold, wounded heart.  

Will being with Ana dispel the horrors of his childhood that haunt Christian every night? Or will his dark sexual desires, his compulsion to control, and the self-loathing that fills his soul drive this girl away and destroy the fragile hope she offers him?

My Review:-

Seriously, the book was so disappointing. I expected so much more from the book. The way Christian Grey was portrayed in the previous three books was totally spoiled by this book!

My perception of Christian Grey was totally crushed and it seems like I have been living a lie. Grey's inner monologue was written terribly which butchered his character and had me eye-rolling at the absurdity of the way he talks in his head.

Just an example from the a few pages itself:

Absentmindedly, she wipes a crumb from the corner of her lips and into her mouth and sucks on her finger. My cock twitches in response.

What am I, fourteen?

My body's reaction is irritating. Maybe this will stop if I fetter, fuck and flog her...and not necessarily in that order.

Yeah. That's what I need.

I'm sorry EL James but this trilogy was much better off without this book. By 2 chapters alone, it has obliterated all the supposedly controlling, confident and dominant appeal for the Christian Grey that I've come to known. Now he sounds like an annoying pompous piece of a man with the most irritating inner monologue that sounds like a clingy woman. 

Travesty!

Book Review : The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell (A Kay Scarpetta Novel)

Hey Peeps!

So, this is my first Patricia Cornwell book that I have read. She has a pretty remarkable bio as you can see on the book covers. This book, The Bone Bed, is the 20th book in the Kay Scarpetta series. I didn't know that until I started reading the book.

The cover looks like this:

The Synopsis:-

"A woman has vanished while digging a dinosaur bone bed in the remote wilderness of Canada. Somehow, the only evidence has made its way to the inbox of Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, over two thousand miles away in Boston. She has no idea why. But as events unfold with alarming speed, Scarpetta begins to suspect that the paleontologist’s disappearance is connected to a series of crimes much closer to home: a gruesome murder, inexplicable tortures, and trace evidence from the last living creatures of the dinosaur age.

When she turns to those around her, Scarpetta finds that the danger and suspicion have penetrated even her closest circles. Her niece Lucy speaks in riddles. Her lead investigator, Pete Marino, and FBI forensic psychologist and husband, Benton Wesley, have secrets of their own. Feeling alone and betrayed, Scarpetta is tempted by someone from her past as she tracks a killer both cunning and cruel."

My Review:-

At the beginning, when I read the synopsis, it was pretty exciting to know that this will  be a CSI type of a book. I suppose it would involve investigation and all those Gil Grissom or Horatio Crane type of revelations and/or moments but instead I found it to be more personal to the main character. No offence to the writer and I mean no disrespect to the main character but I found the book revolved more around the people around Kay Scarpetta. It revolved too much around petty disagreements with her husband, niece and chief investigator. The supporting characters were highly annoying and redundant. Marino and Benton are still stuck in a downward spiral of regret and resentment. And the plot, I felt, was almost predictable, Scarpetta and her team discover links between several different homicides and find themselves chasing a deranged serial killer. As they close in, the lunatic loses control. Sound familiar? Yes, like any other CSI crime fighting investigative novels. 

I have heard a lot about the writer, but this is really disappointing. I was expecting more from an expert of crime scene investigator. I generally do not like giving bad reviews to books but this really sunk me to a new low!

1 1/2 stars.

  

Book Review: Promised to the Crusader by Anne Herries

So, you know at one point in any woman's life where you feel like you need a Knight in shining armor to come rescue you and you ride off to a beautiful sunset with your Knight, so yeah, I was going through that period and needed something to satisfy my screaming heart for a knight in shining armor, and this book was that... believe me, this book was that. It involved a damsel in distress, an evil Earl and a Knight in Shining armor! (I think I need to stop saying knight in shining armor!) 

The Synopsis:-

The scarred knight's return

Haunted by war, Sir Zander de Bricasse is no longer the idealistic youth who left his sweetheart to join the Crusades. Years have passed and he now fully expects to find Elaine married to another. Instead, he discovers she is in grave danger....

Fleeing from a murderous earl, Lady Elaine is rescued by a mysterious knight--her beloved Zander! She's never forgotten his promise to wed her, but to restore their lost love she must help this brooding, tormented stranger heal the wounds of his troubled past.

My Review:-

Well, this is going to be a relatively short review cause this is a relatively short book and I really dont want to spoil the story for you'll!

Elaine was fourteen when she realized her one true love was Zander. Zander on the other hand, was more interested in being a crusader, well this is a Regency Novel, it was set during King Richard the Lionheart's era, so he went to war with the King's Army to conquer Jerusalem. With a heavy heart, Zander, a mere boy, left Elaine behind to serve his King, and believe it or not Elaine's father and then uncle allowed this medieval miss to hang on the shelf waiting for said landless knight. 

Years later, he returns from Jerusalem, scarred by the war and the horror of the killings (in our day and age, we just call it post traumatic stress disorder) and meets Elaine, who he recognizes instantly but stays away, Knights honor and all that. Elaine was clearly distressed and was running from the EVIL EARL who wanted her for the riches.

There's deadly plots and danger everywhere for our intrepid pair of lovers to solve, whether they solve and find each other again (there will be a lot of instances where you will throw the book on the floor and yell "God!! just kiss already!!") is the rest of the story. 

In my opinion, this was more like a Disney Medieval Princess saved by her prince charming kind of story. I liked it, even though it was a little predictable, I needed a regency setting story, this didn't fail to deliver. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

HAPPY READING PEEPS!! 

Book Review : The Duke Is Mine by Eloisa James

Hello everyone!! It's been quite a while since I reviewed a book, well that's because I was a little busy and didn't have the time to read. However, I did manage to find time and slot in some reading time. So, I just finished this regency/historical romance by Eloisa James. For all of you who love Eloisa James, you must know just how good of a romance writer she actually is, there's no doubt in that and for those who haven't read her writing, its time to begin and discover those beautiful and adventurous Victorian era romance that we could only imagine!  


The Book Cover -

The Synopsis:-

He is a duke in search of a perfect bride. She is a lady—but a long way from perfect.

Tarquin, the powerful Duke of Sconce, knows perfectly well that the decorous and fashionably slender Georgiana Lytton will make him a proper duchess. So why can’t he stop thinking about her twin sister, the curvy, headstrong, and altogether unconventional Olivia? Not only is Olivia betrothed to another man, but their improper, albeit intoxicating, flirtation makes her unsuitability all the more clear. 

Determined to make a perfect match, he methodically cuts Olivia from his thoughts, allowing logic and duty to triumph over passion…Until, in his darkest hour, Tarquin begins to question whether perfection has anything to do with love. 

To win Olivia's hand he would have to give up all the beliefs he holds most dear, and surrender heart, body and soul…

Unless it’s already too late

This sexy, witty version of The Princess and the Pea turns the classic fairy tale into an enticing, funny, and moving romance 


The Characters:-

Tarquin - The Duke of Sconce

After his disastrous and heartbreaking first marriage, Quin knows it is his duty to remarry and he is more than willing to turn the process of choosing a wife over to his mother. His mother proceeds to invite Olivia and her sister Georgiana and puts them through a series of tests to determine who would be the best bride for her son, the Duke of Sconce. 

Olivia Lytton 

Olivia has been betrothed since before she was born to the also yet unborn son of a duke, Rupert, thanks to her father's friendship and promise he made to the Duke. Olivia knows all the proper rules and etiquette since she was raised by her mother to be a duchess but that is just not her personality. Olivia is bawdy, sarcastic, and far too witty to truly be contained in a perfect duchess box.

My Review:-

From the summary of the characters, im sure you already know where the story is headed. But it's not as simple as that, Quin is attracted to Olivia but the obvious choice for him was Georgiana and Olivia is already been spoken for and despises Quin. This is where all the fun begins. I have to say in my opinion, Eloisa James handled the delicate situation well and the resulting actions are something that one could believe happening. I don't want to give away too much of the story line, but I believe fans will be happy with this book. 

This book was a fun read, laugh out loud hilarious and at times very poignant. It's a must read for every Eloisa James fan!!

HAPPY READING PEEPS!!