DOMS DUNGEON: Christian Grey

Last but definitely not least, we have Mr. Grey himself!

CHRISTIAN GREY

When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time.

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny.

Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds?

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

READ OUR REVIEW

Christian Grey... Fifty Shades of Kinky Fuckery

Although I am the least knowledgeable person about Doms here at Under the Covers, I do know one thing; Christian Grey makes me, an innocent suburban housewife *snickers* hot, horny and searching the internet for floggers. In fact, Christian Grey is dominating the world, he has women all over the globe shifting in their seats and fantasizing about a spanking in the infamous Red Room of Pain.
 
But what is it about Mr Grey that has us begging him for more? I think it is his gorgeous good looks *swoon* and the aura of power and control he carries around him; he is master not only in the bedroom but in the world as well. He can make his subs trust themselves to him, and know that he will take care of them and give them what they need.

Christian Grey, is the perfect Dom, he puts the FUCK in Kinkery Fuckery and has dominated my attention from the moment I picked up the book. It is his demeanor, looks, arrogance, but mostly it is how he made me feel, totally willing to submit.

~ Angela

Under the Covers

Dominate Christian Grey is every girls dream man and every mans nightmare. He's the brooding dark sexy man who is ridiculously wealthy, and can make you swoon with just one look from his beautiful searing eyes. Christian doesn't take no from anyone- his family, his employees- or in the bedroom. It's his way or the highway. Even with Christian's authoritative bossy hard attitude on the exterior, he was a soft dom with Ana on the interior. He didn't have that hard bite most dom males have, thus making him more attractive.

When Christian tells Ana he is fifty shades of fucked up, he truly is. I think that is one of the reasons we find him so appealing. He has this hard shell that no one can penetrate because he won't let anyone in. He is secretive and yet Ana mysteriously works her way into his heart when no one else was able to. A heart he thinks turned black and died long ago from his traumatic childhood.

Ana is not his normal woman, yet he wants her with a vengeance. He wanted to show Ana the world and make her feel special. He took her places he took no one else. He showed her sides no one else got to see of him. He played games and joked with her. He gave Ana the flowers and chocolates she wanted and more, pushing the boundaries ever so slightly. It scared Christian how much he pushed and Ana took. He didn't want Ana to end up fucked up like him. I think all of this showed a very vulnerable side of him which made us fall in love even more. Even though he tried to be hard, Christian was very endearing.

One thing I loved about Fifty was the way he wore his opened ripped jeans low on his hips with his bare feet and his just fucked hair. Baby's got swagger! I LOVED the email exchange! It was a favorite part and I looked forward to them.

~Taryn

My Secret Romance Book Reviews

What readers had to say:

He exudes power and control.

He's hot, need I say more? He knows how to take charge, how to please a woman and how to love his woman with all his heart.

I just love my Fifty!

I think the fact that He's a bit broken makes Him more attractive and a bit vulnerable Himself, and after a while He's not afraid to show that vulnerability.

He never gives up! He lets go of some of what He needs in order to give Anastasia what she needs.

AND VOTING CAN FINALLY BEGIN!!!!

You've heard what we all had to say.  We would like to thank all the readers who nominated their favorite Doms.  There were a lot of other great Doms that didn't make the list, but there's always next year!  We would also like to thank Kallypso Masters, Cherise Sinclair and Shayla Black for working with us on this and taking some time to get their Doms involved in this contest.  And a special thanks goes out to Kelly from Books-n-Kisses and Taryn from My Secret Romance Book Reviews, our blogger friends who came to bat for some of our nominees.  NOW CAST YOUR VOTES!  Voting closes July 31, 2012 at midnight EST.

Still don't know who to vote for?  Here are the links to the other four contestants: 

Adam Montague | Master Marcus | Logan Edgington

E.L. James Virtual Blog Tour - Fifty Shades Freed

Fifty Shades Freed

by E.L. James

When unworldly student Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged young entrepreneur Christian Grey it sparked a sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and ultimately repelled by Christian’s singular sexual tastes, Ana demanded a deeper commitment; determined to keep her, Christian agreed.

Now, together, they have more – love, passion, intimacy, and a world of infinite possibilities. But Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy, and being together poses challenges neither of them ever anticipated. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity, identity or independence; Christian must somehow overcome his compulsion to control, and lay to rest the horrors that blighted his past and haunt his present.

Just when it seems that together their love can conquer any obstacle, misfortune, malice and fate combine to make Ana’s worst nightmares come true. Alone and desperate, she must face down the poisoned legacy of Christian’s past.

Seductive, shocking, sad and funny, Fifty Shades Freed is the compelling final volume in the Fifty Shades trilogy.

 READ OUR REVIEW

Excerpt From Fifty Shades Freed

“I thought we’d spend our wedding night at thirty-five-thousand feet. It’s something I’ve never done before.”

Holy cow . . . another first. I gape at him, my heart pounding . . . the mile high club. I’ve heard about this.

“But first I have to get you out of this fabulous dress.” His eyes glow with love and something darker, something I love . . . something that calls to my inner goddess. He takes my breath away.

“Turn around.” His voice is low, authoritative, and sexy as hell. How can he infuse so much promise into those two words? Willingly I comply and his hands move to my hair. Gently he pulls out each hairpin one at a time, his expert fingers making short work of the task. My hair falls in swathes over my shoulders, one lock at a time, covering my back and down to my breasts. I try to stand still and not squirm, but I’m aching for his touch. After our long, tiring but exciting day, I want him—all of him.

“You have such beautiful hair, Ana.” His mouth is close to my ear and I feel his breath, though his lips don’t touch me. When my hair is free of pins, he runs his fingers through it, gently massaging my scalp . . . oh my . . . I close my eyes and savor the sensation. His fingers travel on down, and he tugs, tilting my head back to expose my throat.

“You’re mine,” he breathes and his teeth tug my ear lobe.

I groan.

“Hush now,” he admonishes. He sweeps my hair over my shoulder and trails a finger across the top of my back from shoulder to shoulder following the lace edge of my dress. I shiver in anticipation. He plants a tender kiss on my back above the first button on my dress.

“So beautiful,” he says as he deftly undoes the first button. “You have made me the happiest man alive today.” With infinite slowness, he unfastens each one, all the way down my back. “I love you so much.” Trailing kisses from the nape of my neck to the edge of my shoulder. Between each kiss he murmurs, “I. Want. You. So. Much. I. Want. To. Be. Inside. You. You. Are. Mine.”

Each word is intoxicating. I close my eyes and tilt my head, giving him easier access to my neck, and I fall further under the spell that is Christian Grey, my husband.

“Mine,” he whispers once more.

(c) E L James 2012

1/23: PA Lupton
1/24: Fiction Vixen
1/25: Bookish Temptations 

         Ja čitam, a ti?
1/26: My Secret Romance 

1/27: Claire’s Book Corner 

1/28: Under The Covers 

1/29: The Book Pushers
1/30: Reading Lark
1/31: My Life One Story At A Time
         ALPHA reader

2/1:   SER’s Awesomeness 

2/2:   Bonafide Reflections
2/3:   Endlessly Bookish

To be entered to win an ebook of Fifty Shades Freed (epub or mobi format), or if you are new to the series, you can chose Fifty Shades of Grey:

1. Be a follower
2. Fill out the form below

ARC Review: Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James

Fifty Shades Freed

by E.L. James

(Fifty Shades # 3)



E. L. James wrote an outstanding story to end the Fifty Shades Trilogy.  In this 3^rd and last installment of Fifty Shades, Ms. James has gone deeper, letting us know who Christian Grey is and who Anastasia Steele is in his life.  We see them mature from the beginning of their marriage and get to know each other as man and wife. An amazing transformation for both our hero and heroine.

Let me start with our hero.  Christian Grey is a complicated man through and through.  Right from the first page, my heart sank for him, as the last memory of his mother played out for us to see.   The why of it all, what started all the Shades of Grey, now out in the open.

With his tragic past replaying in his thoughts, his only reprieve is a sense of control hence the Dom and an Alpha trait.  We see him grow, get past his issues and become a better man for his wife.  It is fascinating to see him as a husband. As extraordinary as he is, he is as typical as any man is in his first year of marriage.  When the going gets tough, there will be issues with drinking, walking out, shouting and boy this really pissed me off…infidelity.  Well, not so much infidelity but an ex-girlfriend will always come up one way or the other.  Oh yes, “Mrs. Elena Bitch Troll Robinson” and psycho Leila will have their cameo.  But no worries, Ana’s “Inner Bitch” will also have a cameo and our Fifty will learn all of Ana’s Hard Limits the hard way. 

I know, not very many will agree with me but I liked Anna and I actually enjoyed her Inner Goddess.  Her subconscious and her inner Goddess continue to show up at random moments, which I enjoyed. Clearly, it was her way of expressing and recognizing what she felt deep inside. I believe it is her way of coping with certain events with Christian. And if you know this couple, it’s not always “hearts and flowers” as they would like it to be.

As Ana adapts to her new life, she must face a few battles but overcomes them with excellence.  Among them are accepting her new life style of being rich, last name issues, independence as a woman, jealousy, and of course her sexuality.  I really am in awe with this girl.  She continues to support him, tolerate him and will stand up to him.  She will give Christian everything and anything he needs including her life if need be. At the end, she is THE ONE to make him a better man, not that he’s not great to begin with but a better man indeed.  Ana has become the world to this Master of the Universe.  

In my opinion, this is more of a Romance story than a BDSM book. Though romance is more of what I see, Ms. James had given us a fair amount of smexy scenes.  I will promise that there will be a lot of learning for both Ana and Christian in the “toy” department.  *wink-wink* There will be lots of action, not just the “kinky f*ckery” way but life and death action as we will see Jack Hyde.  We also see some of Taylor and a little story of him.  I think he deserves a book of his own.  If and when that happens, maybe we can get a glimpse of our Fifty again (here’s hoping).

It is Bittersweet to say that this couple has finally found their HEA.  I am as happy as I am sad that this is the end of Fifty Shades.  Bravo Ms. James in creating such a wonderful love story. 

*ARC provided by publisher

Fifty Goes To Hollywood?

For fans of the wonderful and delicious Christian Grey (Fifty Shades of Grey series by EL James) you'll be happy to know that Hollywood producers have heard the buzz on GoodReads and other sites about Ms. James books and are seriously considering taking Fifty to the big screen!!!

Read the article here: Publishers Weekly - British Erotica Series Catches Hollywood's Eye

E.L. James Book Blog Tour - Interview and Giveaway

We are so excited to have with us today author E.L. James. We've loved reading about the sexy Christian Grey a.k.a. Fifty *Can I kidnap him away from Ana?* so welcome to Under The Covers and thank you for stopping by and chatting with us!

Thank you for having me and for hosting. I can’t thank you enough for the wonderful work you and other book bloggers do, getting indie authors out there and making their work known. It really is appreciated.

There are some rumors about the Fifty Shades story started out as a fan fiction you wrote called Master of the Universe. Are any of these true, and if so, what were the changes and obstacles that the story went through to become what we know today?

All the rumors are true – it did. MOTU was very popular and after much thought I decided to publish it. It’s since been tweaked, and some revisions made for publication.

The Fifty Shades books have been very popular. What is it about Christian Grey that makes him irresistible in your opinion?

Not everyone finds him irresistible… believe me! But to me – and a great many readers – he is. I think it’s because he’s very attractive, wealthy, powerful, controlling, and domineering – the kind of traits a lot of women dream of in their fantasy guys (the domineering and the controlling bits may not be quite so attractive in real life). He also knows what to do in the sack – he has great stamina and is not freaked out by a woman’s body in any way. But at the same time he’s very, very fragile, and it’s when readers see that side of him that he becomes irresistible. I’ve read many times in reviews that women just want to scoop him up and hug him… mend him.

I think the aspect I like the most about the book is, even though it's classified as a BDSM erotic book, this book was much more about the journey of the characters to me. What's your favorite aspect of the story?

I don’t think of it as a BDSM story – that’s just a backdrop. I have always said this is a love story with a kink. For me I think it was peeling back Christian’s layers that I enjoyed the most. When we first meet him we make all kind of assumptions about him, which – I hope – turn out to be wrong. I do like surprising a reader, and taking the story through twists and turns that are unexpected. I hope that’s the case with Fifty Shades Darker.

Who is Gretchen and what are your plans for her? Why the hell does she keep staring at Fifty? :)

Gretchen is an au-pair visiting from Europe. She, like most women with a pulse, has a thing for Christian because of how he looks. He doesn’t see it himself. Though he understands that he’s a good-looking guy, he certainly doesn’t feel that way on the inside. I think she’s just around to keep Ana on her toes…

Will Ethan and Mia have their own book or will we see them in the next book? Will we see more of Leila?

I hadn’t thought about writing a book about Ethan and Mia’s story… that’s an idea. I’ll get back to you on that one. And Leila… well, you can’t keep a good sub down. That’s all I’ll say about that.

Living in the UK, what made you choose Seattle as the main setting for the book?

Seattle is the jumping-off point for one of my favorite books, Love Song For A Raven by Elizabeth Lowell. It was such fun setting it there. I have never actually been, but now I feel like I would know my way around – should I be lucky enough to visit – because I’ve become so familiar with the place via Streetmap.

We all pine for Christian Grey. Which fictional character do you pine for?

Gosh… there’s a question. I think Samuel Gerrard in Laura Kinsale’s The Shadow and the Star. He’s at least forty shades of f*cked-up… and of course, Edward Cullen in Twilight.

Can you share with us some of the books you have on your bookshelf?

I have an attic full of romantic fiction. Favourite authors include Elizabeth Lowell, Laura Kinsale, Nora Roberts, Judith McNaught, and Brenda Joyce, to name but a few.

What are some of your favourites?

My favorite books would have to include those I have already mentioned, plus any that are on my GoodReads page. As I was looking at those I remembered Isabel Allende’s House of the Spirits – which I loved… but it haunted me, too. My mother is Chilean, so it really resonated with me. I also loved Memoirs of a Geisha… a wonderful, sad yet hopeful tale. I confess I am a crap reviewer – I don’t analyse plots or characters, I just want to be taken on a wonderful journey and to lose myself in a story.

Can you tell us five fun/quirky things about Christian Grey that we don't learn by reading the books?

Christian is:
Not keen on rap music
Loves watching ballet
Likes ALL food – except beets (Beetroot to the Brits!)
Plays Words With Friends
Always loses to Elliot at Call of Duty

If you were dropped into the world of ANY book, where would you like to live?

I’d like to be an exceptional witch at Hogwarts.

Daunted by the singular sexual tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.

But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.

While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.

READ OUR REVIEW OF THIS BOOK!

Haven't read book one yet?  Here's our review of Fifty Shades of Grey (book one).

Today we are giving away TWO ebooks of Fifty Shades Darker.  This contest is open internationally.  Winner will be picked via Random.org and as usual all you have to do to enter is:

1. Be a follower of this blog
2. Fill out the form below

Winner will be announced after the end of the tour, on October 15.  Good luck everyone!

Purchase Links:
The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon De

Full Tour Schedule

Oct. 3 Interview, and giveaway at Sam, E & R's Awesomness!!
Oct. 3 Review, interview, and giveaway at Book That Thing

Oct. 4 Review, Guest Post and giveaway at My Life. One Story at a Time
Oct. 5 Review, guest post, and giveaway at Journey with Books
Oct. 6 Review, interview, and giveaway at Endlessly Bookish
Oct. 7 Review, interview, and giveaway at The Book Hookup
Oct. 8 Review, guest post, and giveaway at Reading Lark
Oct. 9 Review and giveaway at Badass Book Reviews
Oct. 10 Review, interview, and giveaway at Fiction Vixen Book Reviews
Oct. 11 Review and giveaway at Bona Fide Reflections
Oct. 11 Review, Interview, and giveaway at Under the Covers
Oct. 12 Review, guest post, and giveaway at Rob Pattinson Scene
Oct. 12 Interview and giveaway at Pattinson Post
Oct. 13 Review, guest post, and giveaway at The Write to Make a Living
Oct. 14 Review and giveaway at Better read than dead

Review: Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Fifty Shades Darker

by E.L. James

(Fifty Shades # 2)

Erotic Romance

Truly an amazing story! After the ending of Fifty Shades of Grey I HAD to rush and read book 2. I had to know what happened next between Grey and Ana, and I had so many unanswered questions about the mysterious Christian Grey. And Fifty Shades Darker answered a lot of them!

I think what shocked me the most was Christian attitude and personality change in this book. He has to be one of my favorite characters. He's so complex, and reading this book is like peeling a layer at a time. In not so many words, he is a very fucked up individual because of his past and circumstances, but he has pushed through, become successful and in this book he faces his biggest obstacle yet.

When Ana leaves him he realizes that he's in love with her. And this is such an intense emotion for him, she truly is his rock and his anchor. In order to keep her he has to change how he's been used to treating women and relationships, and how he sees himself.

And I gotta tell you, to have a mans' attentions focused on you so intently like Christian shows Ana, you can't help but being jealous. Yes, there, I said it! I WAS JEALOUS READING THIS BOOK. Jealous of any girl who looked at my Fifty, jealous of Ana because of course I could do better if I had him. Just plain jealous. I want him!

The plot in this book is a bit more light than book one, there's a lot of revelations about Christians' past, a lot of them pretty messed up. There's also some intrigue and drama, nosy exes, crazy stalkers and pushy bosses.

One of my complaints from book one was the style of writing, and I don't know if it changed in this book, I really wouldn't say it did, but it did not bother me at all. Maybe I was used to it now, but it didn't interfere with my reading! Does that even make sense?

And of course we can't talk about Fifty and not talk about sex. There's a lot of sex in this book. On a boat, elevator, pool table, on top of a piano. Very very creative. In book one I mentioned that it didn't come across as hot because of the way the scenes were written. That is still the case up to a point for me. However, I have such a connection to Fifty now that even if he looks at Ana a certain way I think it's sexy.

I think Ms. James has done such an amazing job with Christian's character! Ana is still a bit childish, and at times I wanted to slap her. Now of course she will the cause for any problems in the next book, because she wouldn't listen and use her damn Blackberry! *TWITCHY PALMS* But overall, I think for someone that young she's doing an amazing job with dealing with such an intense relationship.

Ana's inner goddess I thought was cute, but to be honest, I couldn't help but have this image of Jaz Sparks, UF heroine and assassin, popping up in my head. She was my first heroine with voices in her head with an attitude. So every time the inner goddess popped up looking up from her half-moon glasses or wearing her pink boa and fuck me shoes, I just pictured Jaz's teen or bimbo self. Still funny though.

Who else I thought was cute? Mia and Ethan! I want to read more about them and I hope they get their own book. I think they would be fun to read about. But I can't wait for the next book to come out! I'm looking forward to seeing Fifty and Ana try to use up all the surfaces on the apartment, the new house, the boat, there's still the car sex he promised her.... Ahhhh the choices! 

Purchase from Amazon

Review: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Fifty Shades of Grey

by E.L. James
(Fifty Shades # 1)

Erotica

Everyone has been reading this book lately, and loving it, so I had to see what all the excitement was about. So here's what I thought...

Going in I thought this would be another erotic book with a decent story. But I gotta tell you I was not expecting what I got. And I say this in a good way. Let me explain.

First of all, I did find the writing style a little distracting because it read almost more like a screenplay than a book (that's the best comparison I can think of), so it didn't flow as easily for me. That's neither good nor bad, just my observation, and I think this was the main reason why I couldn't really feel a connection to the characters.

And the second point that stood out to me was the fact that I didn't find this book as erotic as I thought I would. Yes, there's some sex, some was actually pretty hot, but in general there was something lacking that, well, no toe curlings for me.

OK, so after saying all that you would think it doesn't sound like I enjoyed it. Sorry if that's how that came across. I did rate this 4 stars!

The story in this book is really good! I was completely sucked in. You have two very different individuals. Christian Grey is, well, he's unique. Even after finishing this book we don't know 100% what his past was all about, and I'm not sure what could've happened to him to make him such a screwed up man, but I can't help but want to know everything about him, what makes him tick.

Anastasia Steele on the other hand... Someone please pass me the paddle, I'll discipline her myself! She was a bit immature and at times annoying. However, I understand the why of her personality, I mean, what graduating college student doesn't even have an email? Yeah, my point is she must've been a very awkward kid, with almost no social skills or life experience, and all of a sudden thrown in a very strange environment.

And overall, I think she handled everything amazingly well. By the end of the book she had grown up a bit, and even though she has some more to go, at least she's learning from this experience. And hopefully Grey is also! That boy needs help! You do see a little bit of that in this book but I was a bit scared of his stalkerish tendencies.

One thing I loved were the cute little emails between them, with the quirky messages, the twichy palm, the shouty capitals. Just adorable!

And the ending, well, the last 25% of this book was great in my opinion and the cliffhanger at the end was just RAW and INTENSE. It's almost like watching a reality TV show, you're glued to it because you just have to know what's going to happen next. So I'll be getting book 2 soon because I just HAVE TO KNOW what happens next.

Purchase from Amazon