3 Erotic Novels Better Than 50 Shades

Comfort Food by Kitty Thomas

The first thing that I have to say about this book is that it is dark and very disturbing. It tells the story of Emily Vargas who has been taken captive and is being conditioned to respond to different stimuli in very different ways. This book is not a romance and deals with numerous acts performed without consent. Emily is a victim of a cruel and vindictive man who repeatedly rapes her. 

One of things that I 'like' about this book is the way in which Thomas never tries to portray it as a romance and makes the master/slave dynamic very prominent throughout the book. It is a fascinating look at the on the psychology of power and condition and uses a fictional scenario to demonstrate that normal is all relative. After months of torture Emily begins to associate chicken noodle soup with displease and punishment and a whipping as a comfort. 

I want to be clear in stating that there is nothing redeemable in the captor and abuser in this novel and I firmly believe that he should not be pitied. Emily's ordeal is deeply touching and emotionally highly charged which makes for an addictive read. The pacing of it is masterful and the plot immensely though-provoking. The ending of this novel tore me apart emotionally, but regardless I think it was a truly amazing read. 

 Consequences by Aleatha Romig

This book too is not what I would call a slushy romance. It is dark and violent and manipulates all of your emotions. er

This book is a revelation. I devoured the first instalment even though it moved me beyond any expectation. I initilally found this author on an adult fiction blog and was turned off immedieatly by the mention of dark material. Raoe and romance combined is not something that sat well with me. My mind was comepletely changed.

Tony and Claire's story is the honest look at darker romances. Every girl wants a bad boy right? Well, Anthony Rawlings is what that would really mean. He is not the typical womanising, motorbike driving loveable rogue. Tony is dark, sadistic, violent and yet in the second book I would argue he finds his redemption.

Claire is the inspiration that I have waited years to read. She has shattered every preconceived notion I had about domestic abuse victims. I used to believe that submission meant weakness and outright defiance was the only way. Now I understand that strength can be seen in acquiescence and I even think I learner the meaning of courage.

I was much more emotionally wrecked by the first book which I would without pause give 5 stars. The second is way more statisfying at the end than the first. Having said that, I haven't yet finisihed the third book because lots of other things got in the way and I now need to just sit down and read the whole trilogy. It is something I am look forward to.

 If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones

This is not at all as dark as the previous two books that I have mentioned, but does have a dark element to it. The novel is based around the mystery of the disappearance of Rebecca who is an art dealer. Teacher Sara during her summer break stumbles across Rebecca's journals after her friend buys them as part of a storage sale. The journals are filled with details about a deeply erotic relationship that Rebecca was having which leads Sara to go on the hunt in order to give them back. During her search Sara finds herself doing Rebecca's job and receiving the attention of two very intense men, who may or may not be the man in the journals. 

This book is fun and interesting because it isn't just an erotic romance, but also has the mystery element to it making for an altogether more interesting read than 50 Shades. There is an element of a love triangle in the book, but thankfully Sara doesn't get too caught up in it and makes her decision clear early on. The love interests Chris and Mark (mostly Chris) are dark and brooding, just like Fifty. However, despite the inference of BDSM they are both much less manipulative and controlling. Mark abuses his authority over Sara and I would most definitely question his professionalism, but he isn't a stalker! Chris is too thankfully free of the worse of the Greyisms and his and Sara's relationship makes for a good, if a little messy romance. 

The book does have several sequals, but for me it really is just part of a duology as in the second book (Being Me) the Rebecca mystery is pretty much put to bed. I have read the blurb of the third book, Revealing Us and frankly it sounds far too angst-ridden for me, especially after Fifty Shades Darker. Overall, I would say that this is well worth a read and as the title would suggest, is much better than Fifty Shades of Grey. 

3 Erotic Novels Worse Than 50 Shades

I know that 50 Shades of Grey gets a lot of flack from all angles and I think that some of the reasons for that are completely justified. There are most definitely issues with power relations and the books writing style and a plethora of other issues. However, I have read a number of books that fall into the 'erotic' genre and I have found some books that are even more deserving of being categorised as 'bad'. These books are, in my opinion, all much worse than 50 Shades for several different reasons which are explained below. The order that you see them in are how angry they made, the most rage-inducing coming last. 

1. Release Me by J. Kenner

I've read a lot of novels in the Erotic and New Adult genres and this is nothing special. Everything between the two characters happened too quickly and that is saying something for this genre! At the same, paradoxically, the story moved too slowly. It took five chapters just to pass one night. That was the first half of the book! 

The love interest in this novel is Damien Stark or should I say Gideon Grey or is it Christian Cross? As the names suggest this character was just a poor amalgamation of other popular love interests in other books and had very  little about him that was original. Putting that aside he's rich and handsome and arrogant, but there was just something missing for me besides the sexy shivers that you're supposed to get. I found myself not caring about Damien at all. 

The protagonist, Nikki, was also poor and not a character that I felt invested in at all. She's darker than Ana, but I didn't believe her back story. Nikki Fairchild has an overbearing mother and cuts herself to deal with her pain. In a review that I read when I was first looking into this book the reviewer described Nikki as an independent, strong female character. I have to disagree whole-heartedly. I'm not saying that people who self-harm are weak, but they are not healthy and I don't think it's what we should be interpreting strength and independence to be.

One other thing I would mention about this book is that it is supposed to be a BDSM romance. The sex scenes were not at all like that in my opinion and I think I'd just given up caring by that point anyway. Apparently there are sequels (that's right, more than one) but I just wouldn't waste my time or money.

2. Captive in the Dark by C.J. Roberts 

This is very much a dark romance and tells the story of 18-year-old Olivia Ruiz who is kidnapped by a man called Caleb, who demands to be called Master. Caleb's mission is to 'train' Olivia so that she can be sold as a sex slave at an upcoming human auction. During the time that she is held in captivity Olivia develops Stockholm syndrome (as I would contend) and her relationship with Caleb becomes a little bit more. 

On Goodreads it states at the bottom of synopsis that this book contains 'dubious consent'. As this book is about sex workers and human trafficking I would very much argue that the consent in the story is not dubious more non-existent. The apologist way that that is dealt with in this book, or even just the way that it marketed is one of the things that makes it so much worst than 50 Shades in my opinion. This is quite clearly a book about rape, but I felt as Roberts was trying to manipulate the readers emotions in order to make us believe that there is something more genuine going on there. 

Caleb is a character that I thought was excellent, although sadly not in any cheerful way. During the narrative there are a series of flashbacks that allow us a look into the past of Olivia's captive. Caleb too was once a sex-slave and is using Olivia in order to get close to the man who he believes was responsible for his ordeal. I can understand that revenge is so important to this character that he would live in a state of denial of what he is doing to his victim in order to reach his end goal. The complexity with which he is portrayed was perhaps the only highlight of the whole book. 

The truth is that this book could have been good. It would always have been darker than 50 Shades, but if the female protagonist had been more of a 3-dimensional character and the plot been accepted for the story of rape that it is then it would have been good. However, these two issues are far to big to overcome. The rape apologism that is contained in the story makes it impossible for me to even consider reading the second book and I would hope make others think twice too. 

3. This Man by Jodi Ellen Malpass

This book is the first of the This Man Trilogy and has to be one of the most sickening books that I have ever read. This homage to every myth about domestic violence does everything it's power to try and convince readers that this abusive relationship is in fact a romance. Romanticised? Yes absolutely. Romantic? Not unless romance became being stalked, tricked, emotionally manipulated, kidnapped and impregnated without your consent, whilst I wasn't looking. And in case you are wondering all of those things genuinely take place in this trilogy. 

The protagonist of this novel is Ava, an interior designer who has just broke up with her long-term boyfriend (read: emotionally vulnerable) and is sent to meet a potential client for a meeting one day. Ava makes her way to a secluded country house that she mistakes for a hotel and is confronted with the cocky and arrogant Jesse. 

Jesse embodies all of the characteristics that are that have come to define this genre. He is dark, dangerous, rich and arrogant. He is also an alcoholic, prone to sexual harassment and stalking. Sounding similar to Christian Grey? Absolutely, that character too is guilty of many of these things which are what make that novel so problematic. However, I feel that these books take that precedent to a whole new level. 

Ava is a lot stronger and more of a woman-of-the-world than Ana and where Ana welcomes Christian's behaviour, for the first half of the first book Ava wants nothing to do with Jesse. She is tricked into meeting him in a bedroom, he cuts up her dress when he disapproves of it, physicalyl removes her from places more times than I can count, he constantly badgers her to give up work and he hides her pills from her in an attempt to control her body. 

The worst of all this is far from painting Jesse as a monster and using this novel as a hard look at the way an abusive relationship works, Malpass tries passing this off as a romance! It is the romantacisation and even erotcisation of a controlling, abusive relationship and does a real disservice to survivors of domestic abuse.

Those are my picks for the three books worst than E.L. James' infamous creation. I am by no means excusing the faults that exist in James' book, but am merely pointing out the context that it is set in. The truth is that books like 50 Shades have been around for a while and it was just that that particular book brought it to the mainstream. It is my wish that these three books, particularly the last two are never glorified in the same way. 

Fifty Shades of Grey Trailer Discussion

Mr Grey will see you now. Oooohh, chilling. If you live in the English-speaking world and are over the age of 18 then you have probably heard something about E.L James' Fifty Shades of Grey. You know, it's those books that are naughtier than your Nan's Mills and Boon stash. I read the Fifty Shades Trilogy (Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed) back in the summer of 2012 and I have to say I was hooked. They had an obsessive quality about them and they launched me into the genre now called New Adult. These books got me through some pretty tough spots in my final year at uni and so hold a special place in my heart. 

E.L James' books challenged me in ways that I had never been before. The deeply patriarchal nature of her books had me pacing around my room trying to figure out what my enjoyment of them meant for me and my feminism and I have to say it is a dilemma that I haven't quite worked through yet. Romance and feminism is one hard road to navigate, but BDSM romance and feminism is just a mind-f**k! At the time of reading the books, I liked them and somewhere on a memory stick I have some writing exploring what I think which I will have to dig out and upload here, but maybe I'll wait until the film comes out.

Now to the real reason for this post. The film adaptation global trailer was released yesterday and as you would expect has caused quite a buzz. I liked it. The way that it is shot just looks stunning and from what I can gather it seems a fairly faithful interpretation. I know that a lot of people have taken issue with the two actors cast as Ana and Christian, but all I have to say to that is they've been cast for ages. It's time to accept and move on. 

I'll admit there are some moments that are cringe worthy. Erm... "Look at me" "I am". Surely those who have read the books expected this? Those moments punctuate the original narrative and they are of course there to make all the women blush and giggle in the cinema and any male partners to be confronted with the ultimate mainstream female fantasy. I'm already rolling my eyes in anticipation of these moments.

That said, I am looking forward to seeing the film. It seems like the perfect girls night out movie. After the film we can all have a few glasses of wine and talk openly about sex because Fifty Shades made it possible. If there is one thing that I like about this franchise it's that. It is that thanks to these books women felt liberated to not only talk about sex, but talk about all manner of desires and fantasies without shame or censor. I really admire that and look forward to the explosion of comment that will undoubtedly take place once the film is officially released on 14th February next year. 

If you haven't seen it already. Here is the infamous trailer: 

P.s. I love this version of Beyonce's song.