In our earlier article, Seeing Twilight in Fifty Shades of Grey, I wrote about allegations that the Fifty Shades of Grey series may be facing copying infringement issues because it began life as Twilight fan fiction. It remains to be seen if Little, Brown (which publishes Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series) will follow up on these claims. (As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am hard pressed to see the similarities between the two!)
In the meantime, the final book of the Fifty Shades of Grey series was released on January 19, and has stormed up Amazon’s romance and erotica charts. Fifty Shades Freed peaked at the top spot in the erotica category, and is currently number 11 in romance. Not at all a bad showing for a series that has gained popularity mostly by word-of-mouth, on the back of rave reviews on romance blogs and sites such as Goodreads!
Most romance book fans will have heard about Fifty Shades, but don’t fret if you’re not familiar with the books – you can find out more from our article spotlighting the series. Written entirely from the heroine Anastasia Steele’s perspective, this series is wonderfully romantic… and yes, extremely erotic and sensual. (Deep down inside, I’m sure every girl wants to be Ana, and longs to have her own Christian!) This is one series that I’ll be re-reading for years to come and I heartily recommend all three books!
Book 1: Fifty Shades of Grey
The first book in the series introduces the reader to Christian Grey, a self-made millionaire in his late twenties, and young English major Anastasia Steele. Christian (also affectionately referred to as “Fifty Shades” by Ana throughout the trilogy) is a successful entrepreneur whose calm facade hides a painful past, and his secret Dominant tendencies. He first meets the innocent Ana when she’s bamboozled into interviewing Christian for her university’s newspaper. Ana is completely unprepared for the charismatic and gorgeous Christian, while Christian is attracted by Ana’s intelligence, submissive demeanor, and complete lack of artifice. Sparks fly between the two, and Christian decides to woo Ana, and the two struggle to establish a relationship even though Ana can’t quite wrap her head around Christian’s dark past, and interest in BDSM.
Book 2: Fifty Shades Darker
Fifty Shades Darker picks up immediately where Fifty Shades of Grey left off. Ana simply can’t deal with Christian’s need to control her or his sexual preferences, and decides to break the relationship off. Ana starts afresh with a new job at a boutique publishing house, and tries to forget Christian. But the separation is too painful for both Christian and Ana, and the two rekindle their romance and try to come to a middle ground that will work for them both. We get to learn more about Christian’s tortured past. A number of secondary characters, most notably a past lover/stalker, are introduced, further complicating the dynamics between Christian and Ana.
Book 3: Fifty Shades Freed
The final book in the trilogy ties up all the loose ends beautifully, although I was sorry to see the series end. Christian and Ana have are now in a committed relationship. Ana both enjoys and feels uncomfortable with the luxuries that Christian’s wealth can afford her, and she continues to struggle with Christian’s need to protect her by controlling her actions. There are some wonderfully touching moments involving Christian and Ana’s families. There’s also an exciting sub-plot involving an attempt to kidnap Ana, and a dicey scene where she places her life at risk to face down Christian’s dark past. Needless to say, Christian and Ana get their happy ever after, as do most of the other popular characters in the book. Includes a great bonus chapter showing Christian’s perspective of his first meeting with Ana.
We’re extremely fortunate to have best-selling author Robyn Carr contribute a guest blog post as part of our Romance Author of the Month series. In this guest post, Robyn shares her thoughts on the town of Virgin River, and how readers have fallen in love with not only the wonderful characters who live there, but with the town itself.
Welcome to My Virgin River…
by Robyn Carr
A lot of readers have written to ask if Virgin River is based on an actual town, because they’d like to move there. Unpack those boxes – the town lives only in my mind.
It didn’t take long for readers to reach out to me, to let me know what appealed to them about the series. They have naturally enjoyed the strong, handsome, virile men of Virgin River; they’ve admired the beauty, inner strength and intelligence of the women. But what I hear about most is a place where commitment is law – and not just romantic commitment, but the bonding of brotherhood, the fealty of neighbors, the loyalty in friendship. It seems the number of people who have ties to the military is simply huge – and the fact that the Virgin River men have served their country in times of war has lent greatly to their appeal. Not their sex appeal nearly as much as their emotional appeal. They seem to embody those values that readers hold as admirable. Honorable.
My readers like to watch the Virgin River characters work out their problems, cope with their challenges, get their lives on track again. It begs the question – can we find answers and role models in fiction? Well, considering one of the reasons we read fiction is for entertainment and we’re not very entertained unless the characters are up against a lot, must overcome great odds and evolve, I think it’s possible.
Virgin River is a town that not only exists in my mind, but can be created in any heart – it’s a place where the glass is half full, where burdens and challenges give us strength rather than break us, where fealty and friendship have more value than money, commitment is honored, and people do the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do. And there’s lots more to come from Virgin River.
Want to live in Virgin River? Close your eyes… Open your heart…
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A big thank you to Robyn for her wonderful guest post! This is the last of our four articles on Robyn, but you can find out more about Robyn in our earlier article about her. You might also find our exclusive interview with Robyn an interesting read. To find out more about Robyn’s extremely popular Virgin River series, including Hidden Summit, the latest book in the series, check out our article spotlighting all the books in the series!
Title: Serendipity
Author: Carly Phillips
Pages: 304
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Serendipity is the first in a trilogy of contemporary romances featuring the estranged Barron brothers, and is a wonderful start to a promising new series by best-selling author Carly Phillips. Featuring a fabulously appealing hero and extremely likeable heroine, the series also has a cast of charming supporting characters who live in the small upstate New York town of Serendipity.
Faith Harrington bravely returns to her home town of Serendipity to make a new start after her father is arrested and convicted of perpetrating a Ponzi-like fraud, cheating numerous Serendipity residents of their life savings. Faith’s also been bruised by her discovery that her husband, who she married at her father’s insistence, was cheating on her… What’s more, he proudly admitted that he married her only as a way to advance his own career.
Some of the townspeople blame Faith for her father’s actions, and snub her, while others are cautiously welcoming. While I can understand why some would be upset with Faith, I do think that their blame is misplaced. Nonetheless, Faith’s dignified and humble response, willingness to take responsibility, and steadfast refusal to let their hostility cow her, make her a very appealing character. This is especially in contrast to her mother’s continued insistence on living in the past, when she was the most influential and wealthy woman in Serendipity.
Like Faith, Ethan Barron has also returned to Serendipity. But unlike Faith, the reformed bad boy returns home as a wealthy entrepreneur with a successful business. Reformed rebels make the best heroes, and Ethan certainly is right up there with some of my favorites. After his parents were killed in a motor accident on the way to bail him out of a scrape, Ethan was unable to bear the guilt. He ran away and joined the Army, leaving his two younger brothers in Serendipity to be fostered out to different families. His time in the military straightened him out, and now he’s back to try and make things right with his brothers.
Ethan and Faith had some heated moments together back in high school, but haven’t seen each other since then. When Ethan returns to Serendipity, he thinks that buying the old Barrington home will set him on the road to respectability, and hires interior designer Faith to remodel the house. Although it hurts Faith to have to redesign her childhood home, her determination to make her interior design business succeed prompts her to agree. Faith becomes embroiled in Ethan’s attempts at reconciliation with his brothers, who are understandably antagonistic, since they blame Ethan for causing their parents death, and for abandoning them. However, when Ethan has a teenage half-sister thrust upon him, the three brothers reluctantly set aside their differences to make sure that Tess has the structure and support she needs.
I loved reading this book, and especially enjoyed seeing Ethan and Faith’s interactions with the rebellious and vulnerable Tess, who really only wants a bit of attention and affection. I found my heart going out to Ethan and his brothers, as they struggled to find common ground, and my heart broke a little when I saw how Ethan so willingly accepted how Nash (a lawyer with an acid tongue) and Dare (a cop with a soft heart) rudely rebuffed his advances. I especially loved how Faith stood up for Ethan with his brothers.
This was a wonderfully romantic and sexy story that had you rooting for Ethan and Faith to have their happy ever after. I was also intrigued and entertained by the cast of extended family characters. I can hardly wait to see what happens with the slow-to-forgive Nash in the next book, Destiny!
Title: The Duke is Mine
Author: Eloisa James
Pages: 400
Genre: Historical Romance
English professor Eloisa James is back with yet another delightful historical romance based loosely on the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea. Olivia, the heroine of The Duke is Mine has been betrothed to Rupert, Duke of Canterwick, since birth. Rupert, who is intellectually disabled, is charming but has the mind of an 11-year-old. Olivia is resigned to her fate. She’ll produce Rupert’s heir, and act as his caretaker and estate manager for the rest of her life. But while Rupert is off fighting in the war against France, Olivia falls in love with Quin, the Duke of Sconce. Quin’s a brilliant mathematician, but has difficulty expressing his emotions and reading others, resulting in a failed first marriage. Quin decides to allow his mother to find him another bride. Olivia, and her sister Georgina, meet the Dowager Duchess, who immediately decides that Georgina will make a splendid bride for her son… the only problem is, Quin much prefers Olivia. The usually-logical Quin knows that Georgina is far more suitable, but still finds himself in a scandalous affair with Olivia. Full of quirky characters, witty dialogue, and (of course) a satisfying HEA, The Duke is Mine is another winner from Eloisa James!
Title: Night Hawk
Author: Beverly Jenkins
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Pages: 384
Genre: Historical Romance
Nighthawk, a historical romance set in the American West of the late 1800s, tells the story of a young woman named Maggie Freeman who has led a hard scrabble life, simply trying to survive. She is an orphan of mixed heritage – Native and African American – and she’s been on her own since she was twelve. Maggie has worked very hard all through her life and just when she thinks things can’t get much worse, they do, when a man accidentally dies as she fights off his attempt to assault her. Now, she’s on her way to jail for murder.
Ian Vance is a tough US Deputy Marshal and gunslinger known as the Preacher who thinks he’ll never know love again after the loss of his wife years before. When he gets roped into taking Maggie to the territorial judge because a crazy mob wants to hang her with no trial, the excitement begins as this jaded loner meets his match in the vivacious, strong-willed Maggie. Ian only wants to return to his Wyoming ranch but he gives his word that he’ll get Maggie a fair trial. And Ian is a man of his word.
I really liked Maggie’s attitude – life has thrown lots of things at her but she maintains a resolute demeanor the entire time. Both of the main characters are of African American heritage which gives a singular perspective on the typical western romance. Beverly Jenkins gives the reader a unique look at how an African American couple would live and love in the American West of the 1890s. The story contains heart-warming elements of rebirth as Ian overcomes the losses and loneliness of his past to look forward to a positive, happy life with the young, life-affirming Maggie. Read Night Hawk because it’s not only a good, engaging romance but it’s also a great change from the run-of-the-mill, formulaic western romance story. You’ll be glad you did.
E.L. James’ book, Fifty Shades of Grey, has garnered plenty of positive reviews on various book review sites, and has had fans of both romantic fiction, and erotica, swooning. Fifty Shades of Grey is the first in a trilogy of the same name. It is followed by Fifty Shades Darker. The final book in the trilogy, Fifty Shades Freed, is due for release on Jan 19. The trilogy follows the very young and naive English major Anastacia Steel as she navigates an intense romance with billionaire entrepreneur Christian Grey. Written from Ana’s perspective, we get a glimpse into her thought processes as Christian introduces the innocent to his interest in BDSM.
As a fan of Cherise Sinclair and Joey W. Hill, I have read and enjoyed the first and second books in James’ series, and am waiting impatiently for the final book in the series. The books were more romance than erotica (although the sex scenes were indeed hot). For the squeamish among us, the BDSM element was fairly light, and in fact, J.R. Ward’s portrayal of V’s predilections in the Black Dagger Brotherhood (BDB) series is far more graphic and dark.
Given the incredibly romantic nature of the books, and the gentle BDSM elements, it came as no surprise that Hollywood scouts have been sniffing around the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy for a possible movie or series. (I for one, would love to see how the book translates into film or television – particularly since James is herself a TV executive!) But I was stunned by the follow-up article detailing the responses from readers who claimed that because Fifty Shades of Grey began life as Twilight fan fiction, there could be copyright infringement issues.
Now, I’ve read the Fifty Shades books very carefully, and read some parts (heh) more than twice. I’d be hard pressed to find a single sparkly vampire in the book. Nor have I come across any fangs, werewolves, or even high school students. There’s nary a single drop of blood in the books. (Well, if I must be indelicate, Ana does talk a bit about tampons, but that’s hardly the stuff that Edward’s after.) I’ve also read the Twilight books. No matter how hard I try, I simply can’t see the similarities between the two! While one might argue that like the Twilight books, Fifty Shades is also written from the point of view of a young female narrator, surely Stephenie Meyer can’t have a monopoly on that, or Little, Brown (Meyer’s publisher) would be suing authors left, right, and center.
Although Little, Brown has said that its policy is to “proactively monitor and investigate all reports of potential copyright infringements” I doubt they’ll be able to pin anything on James. The similarities, if any, are far too nebulous. No doubt, I’m not the only one who thinks so. Amanda Hayward, CEO of The Writer’s Coffee Shop, which published Fifty Shades of Grey, said James’s book “bore very little resemblance to Twilight…Twilight and Fifty Shades Trilogy are worlds apart, new readers are totally surprised it was ever a Twilight fan fiction story.” To quote Christian Grey, “fair point, well made”.
In Part 3 of our series on our Romance Author of the Month Robyn Carr, I’m delighted to share an interview that we conducted with Robyn. We’re grateful she was able to take the time to share some thoughts with us, although she must have been incredibly busy with the launch of her new Virgin River book, Hidden Summit, which just came out on Dec 27, 2011.
In our wide-ranging interview with Robyn, we find out what she loves about living in Las Vegas, who some of her favorite authors are, and which actors she would cast as Jack Sheridan and Mel Monroe!
Q. We’re all looking forward to the three Virgin River books that ar
e coming out in the first half of 2012. Is there anything you’d like to tell our readers about Hidden Summit, Redwood Bend and Sunrise Point? Did anything unusual happen during the writing of these books that you can tell us about?
Not this time. It has, on occasion – once I met the character I was writing about, and not an ordinary character either, but a Native American man with black hair down to his waist. This time, with these 2012 books, it all happened in my mind. I fell in love at least 3 times – by the time I’ve created 3 brand new heroes, I adore them. I get very attached to the women and I adore the men.
Q. You’re a very prolific writer, with around 50 books under your belt. Do you ever get writer’s block? If you do, what do you do to overcome it?
It’s around 40 books, actually. (Ed: Oops – my apologies Robyn!) When I was younger and raising a family, writing historical romances, one book a year was all I could do. And there was an 8-year drought for me – from 1990-’98. I didn’t exactly have writer’s block, but I was very discouraged, as you can imagine, and didn’t get as much writing done as usual. Then I met Mira Books in ’98 and launched Virgin River 9 years later – it’s been a very happy and productive relationship with at least 3 books a year coming out. I am presently working on the 20th Virgin River novel – it will be out in Oct. 2012.
Q. Do you have any quirky habits when you write, or routines that you need to go through before you start writing?
I don’t think so, actually. Unless you count coffee! I get up, stumble to the pot, fire up the computer, handle emails and that sort of thing and plunge in. I’ve discovered it takes a huge commitment to turn out 3-5 full length novels every year and so my days have been long, my weeks longer, my vacations infrequent. But I have nothing weird or interesting like special socks or lucky sweaters.
Q. You’ve said that in the early years, you cut your teeth on books by Anya Seton and Kathleen Woodiweiss, and that you were inspired by these authors’ books to write historical romances. Since then, who are some of the other authors who have made an impression on you, and who influence your work?
Too many to count. Right now I’m reading the last chapter of Heartstrings and Wedding Rings by Jane Graves – an author I’ve never met but expect to grow more popular by the year, she is very clever and entertaining. I’m a huge fan of Kristan Higgins, Jill Shalvis and Susan Andersen and read everything they write the day their books come out. I get my paranormal fix from Colleen Gleason (historical) and J.R. Ward (contemporary). I love love love the historical mysteries of Deanna Raybourn – her writing is simply delicious.
Q. You trained as a nurse, and I noticed, for example, that Mel Monroe in Virgin River is a nurse practitioner. How much of your own personality and experiences do you put into your characters and books?
Well, I probably can’t keep my personality out, try as I might. Although I never worked as a nurse (except part time during school – I married and followed my husband into the Air Force), I understood the personality and commitment of a nurse. My children were delivered by midwives, albeit Air Force officers certified in midwifery in Air Force hospitals. But when it came time to submit the first Virgin River books, I had them read and critiqued by a certified nurse midwife and a nurse practitioner – I had made many mistakes they helped clear up! I suspect my personality creeps into the books in less flattering places – like when a character swears!
Q. You’ve said that the favorite topic at the virtual Jack’s Bar on www.robyncarr.com is who will play Jack Sheridan in a movie. Who would you like to play Jack Sheridan in a movie (and why)? Who would you cast as Mel Monroe?
There are so many possibilities for Jack – one of my favorites is James Denson. For Mel – wouldn’t you just die to see Kate Hudson in the role?
Q. You and your family would have lived in a large number places during your husband’s stint in the USAF. Which base or place was your favorite, and why?
When we got to Sacramento, CA 30 years ago I realized – I’m Californian! God, I love that place – all of it. From San Diego to Humboldt County, LA and San Francisco; Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. It’s so beautiful, so interesting. Now I live in the desert, and I love where I live (near Las Vegas), but I write about a place with Redwoods, rivers, the ocean, mountains filled with pine… I had a huge vegetable garden in Sacramento and I didn’t even know how to garden – you could stick one zucchini seed in the ground and feed a third world nation, it was so fertile. That was most certainly my favorite, even though there were lots of places I enjoyed.
Q. The five best things about living in Las Vegas are…?
It’s a friendly, clean and active community. We live in a planned community that is woven through a series of parks with jogging and biking trails – not that I jog or bike, please. But I enjoy how well maintained everything is. The community is so committed to the people – there are recreation facilities and entertainment facilities priced for everyone from the young couple just starting out to the seniors on fixed incomes. I’m active in the library district – it’s been so fulfilling. Add to that – we’re fifteen minutes from the strip – we can see all the shows, eat at the best restaurants and come home to our quiet house to sleep. The food and entertainment is the best in the world. And maybe the best of all – like Paris, everyone ends up coming here eventually. We see old friends, meet them for lunch or dinner, and the best part? They don’t want to stay with us!!!
Q. If you could have any super power, what would it be, and why?
I would have the power to infect people with optimism and relentless happiness. Nothing makes me crazier than a negative attitude or grouchiness.
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Please join me in thanking Robyn for being so generous with her time, and for answering our questions! We’ve also got an exclusive guest post from Robyn herself lined up for our Best Romance Stories readers, so be sure to come back next week to read what Robyn has penned especially for us!
