As I'm sure many of you know, there is a lot of controversy that revolves around the three book series, Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James. In all honestly, I read this book the summer of my freshman year. I was an avid reader and was always looking for new books to read. While searching for a book, I came upon this one... little did I know this book would have been a little too advanced for a fourteen year old. However, upon finishing the book, I genuinely liked it, all sex aside, and continued on to read both the second and the third book.
To this day, upon rereading and analyzing, I can still say that I love this series, even if a myriad of others don't. While I can definitely admit that there are certain flaws throughout the book, including James' style of writing, there were still many parts that were attention-grabbing and full of heart-wrenching drama. As hard as it is to admit, I love love love reading books that include romance and drama, it reels me in and keeps me extremely hooked!
As the years went by and I continued to read many other series, I stumbled upon other books and series that rival the Fifty Shades of Grey series, if not surpass it totally. And lucky for you, I will list them for you!
1. The Crossfire Series by Sylvia Day.
If I had to be honest, I might possibly believe that this series definitely beats Fifty Shades by a landslide. The characters are sexier, the chemistry is even more undeniable, and the drama is... unbeatable. The two main characters, Gideon Crossfire and Eva Tramell are definitely on a higher and more unstable emotional rollercoaster than Christian and Ana. And the best part... this series has a total of five books! What better to keep the suspense going than one book after another! This series is definitely at the top of my list. I'm sure many girls want the all-consuming love that Gideon has for Ana.
2. "Fallen Crest" Series by Tijan.
Okay so... imagine this: Fifty Shades but the high school version! It's still a rich asshole and a quiet girl mixed together in an explosive relationship! This is definitely more of a teen/young adult read versus the Crossfire Series but it is still definitely a keeper. To make the deal even sweeter, this series is a whole seven books with mini ones in between! Mason and Sam are meant to be together but there are so many forces trying to pull them apart. I want the family that these main characters made for themselves despite being wanted only for their money. I, for one, want a relationship as stable and strong as theirs!
3. "Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles" by Cora Reilly.
I know, I know. The series sounds totally lame and not worthy of this list but I promise that it is worth the read! It's basically Fifty Shades meets Mafia, a strange and delightful little twist! The Mafia edge does nothing to keep the romance from sizzling, rather it almost strengthens it! This series has five books in it, each way better than the last. While this series is third on the list, I promise that it will not disappoint.
Enjoy these three alternative series to Fifty Shades of Grey. I know it seems as though I'm knocking on the series but I swear I'm not. I am a total fan of the series. While Fifty Shades has received a lot of hype, I'm hoping share a little bit of the love with these series as well!
I hope you love each of these as much as I do!
