Yeah, I know, I've been living under a rock But, see, I'm really not - I read constantly - but I'm a bit stubborn. When every website, board, newspaper, radio (just heard a snippet of a program on NPR where a panel was discuusing the book) and magazine is raving about a book, I just dig my heels in..... I was that way about the Twlight series (but, alas, I finally broke down and read them once the whole series had been published).

So, I am going on vacation and a friend is shoving them in my hands (apparently there are 3 now?) telling me I must take them and I must read them.

So, I ask, why should I read this series? What is it that has everyone so captivated?

I thought the journey to HeA was absolutely compelling.

Hey I resisted reading the Hunger Games and Twilight for a long while til curiousity won out so I understand one's reluctance to follow trends.

It's the actual love story between Christian and Ana that captivated me, not the erotic scenes. They are two people who are soulmates and their journey to each other is marvelous.

Can you think of another book that it reminds you of? I keep hearing of comparisons to Twlight....

Normally I avoid first person POV. I also tend to avoid over-hyped books. I probably never would have read Twilight if the author hadn't been from the city I live in and I bought it before it became all the rage. I still can't believe the Twilight phenomenon... Anyway, this is the first series I actually did read because of the hype. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I would not call it a "must read" but I am glad I did read the series. I also would not recommend them to someone out of the blue but if they were already intrigued I certainly would.

I would never call them a "must read." There are better books out there, for sure. But at the same time, I found these to be readable and engaging, and I still felt interested in the characters even after the last sentence had been read. (Enough so that I'm still reading FSOG fanfiction.) I kind of wonder if the people who think of them as "must reads" simply don't have much experience with romance or erotic romance.

The sex was take-it-or-leave-it for me. There's a lot of it, but honestly, it's pretty vanilla. Maybe spicy vanilla. I expected it to be more extreme or kinky than it was -- mostly because there seemed to be all this hype about the BDSM aspect. (I don't mind that the sex was vanilla. I have to admit that by the time I was in the middle of the second book, I was mostly skipping the sex scenes. I do that with most romances.)

But what WAS nice was that even though there was a lot of sex, I really didn't feel that the romance/relationship was shortchanged. The books are long (about 550 pages each), so even with all the pages devoted to sex, there are plenty of pages devoted to the relationship. As a romance reader, that's key for me.

Christian is messed up. I'm not sure that I buy into his speedy recovery once he meets Ana, but I think that his psychology makes sense.

The story was originally written as a Twilight fanfiction. The characters have a lot of parallels with the Twilight characters.

I've been amazed by the women in our Twilight group (at work) who are mesmerized by the series - they have re-read it and re-listened to the audio versions too. Some series really draw you in and Fifty Shades does with the relationship between Ana and Christian which begins as an interview, becomes a romance, and evolves into a love story with an amazing HEA and epilogue.

I've always been a drawn to stories with a tortured/tormented hero and a heroine that saves him from himself - this happens in the Fifty Shades series.

Was embarrassed to death when my Mom told me she was reading it and that in the first book, Christian is a "nasty and naughty boy"...good grief, Mom!

I am SO the same, I'm NOT reading them purely to go against the crowd.

I had a convo with a lady last night and I came out and said NO I haven't read the 50 Shades, BUT I do read romance and a lot of it, and yes some erotica as well.

And do you know what, looking back on that convo, I still think I got the look of "oh you read romance" you know the look I'm talking about, the one that says, "oh you read THAT do you". WHAT!! . I'm sorry I don't get it, they think 50 Shades is THE THING, but say you read romance, and bam you are still a "romance reader".

Mainstream pffhhtt! That sealed it, I don't think I'll read it....

Awww Klass. That's unfortunate! These newbie readers have no clue FS is romance, I'm astounded by their ignorance!

I have the fanfiction sent to me by Cafegirl. If you want I can email it to you???

I'm with you on this Klass. There are several reasons that I will not read 50 Shades, this is just one of them
None of the reasons I have, have anything to do against the author though. From what I understand the people that made 50 Shades what it is today, were not romance readers, which explains their shock at the sex scenes. These are probably the same people that picked up every book Oprah told them to read so they did. She wasn't around to tell them to read it, so someone else did and like little lambs they did as they were told.

I also don't own anything that Apple has made, nor do I buy anything from Amazon and I don't believe the idiots in Hollywood(AKA crazywood ) have any right or brain cells for that matter to tell me what I should or shouldn't do in my life. I am quit capable of living my life the way I want to.

Oh and I have never and will not read the Twilight series.

If a romance book gets the attention of The media then romance readers won't read it? That's sad. I see Nora Roberts movies on Lifetime and I'm happy she's getting the attention.

Media attention does not mean one should avoid FS. If you read the excerpt and it doesn't work for you then don't read it.

I'm happy that FS is getting more people to read. Maybe they'll want to read more than just FS afterwards.

I LOVE what Twilight did for the Paranormal Romance genre. Even though I do not read young adult and I think Twilight is a horrible example of vampires in literature it still generated a huge market in my favorite genre and for that I am grateful.

I agree with both of you on this. I have even said that in other post on this subject. In fact I have said as well that though I wish it had been a more seasoned romance author, but in the end romance books are getting the attention they have deserved for years. Truthfully I am not a Nora Roberts fan at all, but I am glad she has been a success in her career. I have said that I congratulate EL James on writing her novels, she has accomplished what all authors want. And that is, everybody wants to read her books. My not wanting to read 50 Shades is not only the media attention it has gotten. It just does not appeal to me as a romance reader. Yes it is a major turn off that it was inspired by the Twilight books. But know this about me, I read what I want to read no matter what anyone says. I once pick up a book about a sniper it was called "100th Kill" no romance at all. It was about killing in Vietnam and how the sniper dealt with it. I read it because it sounded interesting and I wanted to. Just that simple. This is the way I do everything in my life I have never been one that does anything just because someone tells me to.

Have so enjoyed reading the posts....I have resisted reading "FS" not because the media hyped it but because I am not a follower in most any area of my life. It goes against the grain to "swallow the kool-aid"

I have been trying to figure out what it is about the books that have made them a phenom.....I have heard it's because the love of a woman has changed a man. That it's because every girl wants to be the one girl whose love transforms the 'bad boy". That it's because a girl keeps her own identity in the face of a controlling Alpha man.... And then I say to myself that a lot of romance novels have had the same theme. So what makes this one different?

Then, of course, there are others who focus only on the "sex scenes"....I wonder if these folks are not regular romance readers....

I have been asking the same questions myself. All the reasons I have been given are in every romance I have read in the last 15-20 years. But in all honesty I still don't understand why these three novels are so much better then the ones I have read in the last 15-20 years. No one has said what makes them better. When I hear that he is a disturbed alpha male, that is very rich; I think to myself hello that is almost every hero in romance. When I hear she is a innocence young woman, I think to myself that is about half of the heroines in romance novels. So I don't see a difference myself.

When other romance novels become popular I never see readers ask why. Its rather bewildering to see this query asked only about FS.

We do ask why. But there has not been another romance that has hit the level that this one has. That is the point we are getting at. How is this romance so different from every other romance we have all been reading. These 3 books have a cult following, we are just trying to find out why. You have to admit that this is not the first time that tons of people have jumped on the bandwagon and the ride was not that great. We are just trying to find out if that is the case here, another words are people just reading these because other people are and want to say they read them too or are they really good romance novels. And if so then what sets them apart. No one has said what sets them apart, other than basically describing every other romance out there. So the question is why these? Why now? That is all we are asking. No one is attacking these books, we are just trying to understand.

The biggest reason I will not read 50 Shades is, no matter how much I hear about it I have yet to hear anything that is intriguing enough to read them. This is just how I feel. If I here something, anything intriguing enough no matter who likes it or dislikes it, I will give it a try. Whatever that "it" might be.

I haven't seen such a query about other romance books ever. Not when Nora Roberts or Iris Johansen got movie deals. Not when Janet Evanovich got a movie deal.
Books are popular because more people read them. Its that simple.
There are romance authors which are hyped and have large following which I don't read because the plot and excerpt don't appeal to me. I would never reject a romance because its popular and received media attention.

I admit tho I almost didn't read JR Ward's books because I hate following the crowds then I read the excerpt cringed at the street lingo but then enjoyed 3 of the BDB books then Ward went in a direction I didn't care for and I stopped reading the series.

I'm curious Nell have you ever read a FS excerpt?