Fifty Shades Freed
Fifty Shades, Book #3
By E.L. James
ISBN# 9780345803504
Author’s Website: http://www.eljamesauthor.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
This book starts out with Christian and Ana on their honeymoon. However, their time in paradise all to themselves is coming to a close and they are preparing to come home and face the real world once again. Christian would be happy to keep her at home forever, but Ana insists on going back to work.
Shortly after coming back home Ana’s dad, Ray, gets in a pretty bad car wreck that sends her racing back to Portland. She sits vigil at his bedside until he finally wakes. Christian and Ana do get some nice reminders of how they began though being back in Portland and even staying at the same hotel they stayed out all those months ago.
Christian has been making it his mission to keep Hyde in jail, but somehow he manages to get out. And, not only get out but to kidnap someone close to Christian. And, if Ana can’t get him the money he wants that person will die a painful death. Ana does what she must, even though she has to crush Christian’s heart in the process instead of just telling the security detail that is right there with her. How the heck does she think Hyde would know if she told them or not? They could be extra cautious if they know he told her he’d know if she contacted anyone.
I found this book was a bit dull in places … just one sex scene to the next and the next and so on with no real storyline. But not to fear, a storyline does eventually rear its head and I ended up really enjoying this story. I think it’s my favorite of the series so far!
I do have my usual complaints, mostly with Ana. She gets mad over the stupidest of things … he won’t tell me if he came back because I went out with Kate or if he heard a psycho broke into the house. Does it really matter? He was worried about you and came home. And, all the insistence that she’ll never leave him (which I think is kind of dumb to make such a bold statement anyway), but as soon as things get a little hairy she’s thinking about leaving. Not to mention, in the first book she let him beat her with a belt before leaving and never safe worded, but in this book she safe words when he doesn’t let her orgasm. Really? Christian is by no means perfect though and gets a bit hotheaded at times, but at least he mostly seems to get upsets when he’s worried about her safety.
I also didn’t like some of the quick scene changes in this book. For instance, they go to see Ray in the hospital and it immediately goes to them getting into the car leaving the hospital … there was nothing about the actual visit and it left me wondering what the point was.
Christian had some pretty swoon-worthy moments in this book as well. All he did for her birthday was pretty awesome and I loved the charm bracelet. He put so much thought into the charms, even the vanilla ice cream cone.
And in case you were wondering what the birthday car looked like …. Seems silly he got her another car when she’s barely driven the convertible, but he’s rich so what do you really expect?
I thought the end of this book ran a little long … almost like another book in itself … but it was really sweet and really made the book for me.
I think this duo has gotten out of their toxic beginnings now that Christian has learned how to relationship, although it always seems like Ana is trying to resurrect the side of him that sent her running to begin with. By the end they seem like a normal couple, who just happens to enjoy a little kink from time to time.
This was a great end to the trilogy for me, but I got a bonus since I’m late reading this series as James has started making the books from Christian’s point of view and I have a few of those to delve into now. Although I’m a little scared that it may seem too repetitious since I just read the original books.
Don’t fear this series because of the (in Christian’s words) kinky fuckery. It’s really not as bad as the media has portrayed it to be. It has its moments for sure, but was nothing as bad as I was expecting.