Christian Grey vs Gideon Cross

I think everyone likes reading different types of books. Not everyone is going to like reading the same things. I had never read anything like Fifty Shades before and I picked up the books because everyone kept talking about how great they were and one of my best friends loved the trilogy. I personally liked the trilogy. I found the books to be different than anything I had read before. This is definitely not a conventional love story however I do see how some people might consider it a romance novel. Just because I liked the books doesn't mean that i'm waiting for "my" Christian Grey to come knocking on my door. I wouldnt be able to handle a Christian Grey. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't want to date a man like Christian Grey EVER. He is possessive, controlling, expects Ana to do whatever he says, etc. And quite frankly, the sex would scare me!!! I think a lot of people that don't like the trilogy assume that the people that enjoyed the books want a relationship like that. this is a wrong assumption. Most people that read these types of books do not go out and seek out a boyfriend like Christian Grey. Like i said before, everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone has the right to read or not read whatever book they want to read.

I'm not saying YOU (or most) want a Christian Grey - you seem to have the intelligence to know that his character isn't desirable, but I know a lot of people who can't distinguish that. I don't think people who like/read the books want relationships like that - I think they just may have not come across erotica before and it became popular very quickly, which always influences reading material purchased. It tapped into a niche which was perfect selling fodder.

My best friend loves 50 Shades and Twilight, which I find equally as awful. If someone said to me "My favourite book is 50 Shades..." I wouldn't judge but I would direct them to more erotica fiction they may find more compelling/interesting. We're all different, and that's brilliant

I thought the Twilight series was a poorly written set of books until I read the 50 Shades trilogy. I'm not even trying to be clever, I've literally never read anything so bad and laughable, ever. :huh:

I've only read the sample available on Amazon for 50 Shades, and just couldn't get into it. Didn't see why all the hype, nor any comparison to Twilight (only read the first book in 'that' series, because I couldn't stand Bella and personally was hoping she'd be converted and the pain of conversion would shut up her whining).

On the other hand, it sounds like I need to look up the Crossfire books.

Also, to the person who suggested Cherise Sinclair - right on sister!

I actually prefer Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard. But then again, I've always loved the Divine Comedy and Dante.

I've only read the sample available on Amazon for 50 Shades, and just couldn't get into it. Didn't see why all the hype, nor any comparison to Twilight (only read the first book in 'that' series, because I couldn't stand Bella and personally was hoping she'd be converted and the pain of conversion would shut up her whining).

On the other hand, it sounds like I need to look up the Crossfire books.

Also, to the person who suggested Cherise Sinclair - right on sister!

The Twilight comparison is because it is Twilight fan fiction. So on top of all the other horrible things about it, it's also plagiarism.

You hate book snobbery? Think of 50 Shades getting published by a major publishing house as the equivalent of the Louvre hanging a toddler's scribble next to the Mona Lisa and saying they're equal.

I did not think the fifty shades was that great of a book, only read the first one. But can respect that it’s written for a fantasy purpose for a certain type of women. While some women are in a relationships where the man is the more take charge or leader in the partnership, there are also women in relationships with men that the women takes the lead more or even takes charge more. While both relationships are fine. I think at times we fanaticize about switching roles with our partners. My husband is VERY laid back from general life decisions to the bedroom. At times, I wished he would just take charge like Christian Grey and tell me what to do!!!

Could see similarites with both.....controlling guy & lots of sex & similar storylines....even down to both girls literally falling at their would-be lover's feet at the beginning. I prefer Sylvia Day's writing style & read Reflected In You in 3 days. FYI - next Crossfire book out on 3rd June....pre-ordered & ready for Kindle download. :blushing:

I have read both the series and just think both guys are just fictinonal characters, for entertainment purposes only!!!!!! Both guys are pretty much the same: money, issues from their past, money, their issues effecting other people. Luckily I didn't have to pay to read them - lol!

Yea it is kinda funny and sad at the same time, that women swear by this books - lol! But I wouldn't blame the author for that! So many people are looking for that fantasy, that it is easy for them to get caught up something like this book, especially if a woman never really thought of or really heard of BDSM! So that alone made people interested! Cause they don't know what really takes place in that kind of environment/world and probably never will. So reading about it is fun and exciting to them! I don't expect romance/erotic novels to really be written that well. People really don't care when they read these kinds of books. Yea, I agree there are better author out there, but people don't want to read what they are writing. It's just like reality/scripted reality tv - Is it good tv? Are they way better shows out there? But soooooooooooo many people tune in each week/everyday and watch!

The good thing about the book sparked conversations, like this one right here: about abuse & how it effects people & how it gets passed on, about whats real and whats not, about how money & some people with money think they can get away with everything, and so on & so on, I don't know how much exposure the world of BDSM wanted(lol) but now a lot more people no about it: good or bad!

i've never read either book but...

ok, i'm one of those women who likes obsessive men. i like pain. i like being broken into pieces and put back together. i like being controlled.

like i say, i've not read them, so i don't know if they are portrayed as abusers or kinksters or what.

but... there's a lot of judgements made about these types of relationships. if it happens between consenting adults, what is really so wrong with two people living the relationship they feel more comfortable in instead of following the social norms?

You like your SO punishing you (and not in a BDSM, this us fun for both of us way) because you went out for a drink with your best friend? You like being told what to wear, even getting grief over something your SO picked out? You really like having every bit of your frer will taken away?

And Ana doesn't like it. She rationalizes. I dated a CG (minus the money). It was a living hell for seven months. These books are not about BDSM. They're about abuse. There is a difference.

i'm more comfortable with rules and punishments for breaking rules. the specifics of the rules aren't the issue.

but, no, getting grief for wearing something i was told by him to wear? i wouldn't be with a man like that. i demand honesty. if you want to beat my *kitten* black and blue because you feel like it, just do that. what you described sounds far more like abuse.

...or it would feel abusive to me. i would not live that way.

Everyone defines abuse differently. Ana knew the difference between right and wrong, she could have walked away several times. She enjoyed that he chased after her. She was looking for something exciting in her life and he intrigued her. I got the impression that it was a challenge and she wanted to CHANGE HIM also lol. It excited both of them the back and forth struggle. Not every woman is the same. We all have needs that are satisfied in different ways. One woman may get all excited for a vase of red roses and a nice dinner, and it takes another woman being tossed on the bed and clothes ripped off.

The Twilight comparison is because it is Twilight fan fiction. So on top of all the other horrible things about it, it's also plagiarism.

Hey hey hey hey no. Fanfiction =/= plagiarism!




That's all I have to say about that.

It does when the story is exactly the same except with sex instead of vampires.

What EL James did was plagiarism. Stephanie Meyer could sue the pants off her AND her publisher.

i've never read either book but...

ok, i'm one of those women who likes obsessive men. i like pain. i like being broken into pieces and put back together. i like being controlled.

like i say, i've not read them, so i don't know if they are portrayed as abusers or kinksters or what.

but... there's a lot of judgements made about these types of relationships. if it happens between consenting adults, what is really so wrong with two people living the relationship they feel more comfortable in instead of following the social norms?

You like your SO punishing you (and not in a BDSM, this us fun for both of us way) because you went out for a drink with your best friend? You like being told what to wear, even getting grief over something your SO picked out? You really like having every bit of your frer will taken away?

And Ana doesn't like it. She rationalizes. I dated a CG (minus the money). It was a living hell for seven months. These books are not about BDSM. They're about abuse. There is a difference.

i'm more comfortable with rules and punishments for breaking rules. the specifics of the rules aren't the issue.

but, no, getting grief for wearing something i was told by him to wear? i wouldn't be with a man like that. i demand honesty. if you want to beat my *kitten* black and blue because you feel like it, just do that. what you described sounds far more like abuse.

...or it would feel abusive to me. i would not live that way.

And those things both happened in 50 Shades (among others).

And to the person who said she could have walked away, when? She tried. He followed her across the country, he showed up at her house and place of work .He BOUGHT her place of work. Where was this random chick going to get away from a man who did things like that?

in real life, that's when you seek a restraining order.

that's just more media bull perpetuating the myth that women are just playing hard to get when they say no and that they are secretly flattered by sex pests and bullies.

50 Shades is actually quite tame. Go check out a BDSM group or convention sometime.....

I'm going to weigh in here depite my Y chromosome.
I work in a team of 15 in my office and I'm the only guy, so there was obviously a lot of chat regarding the Grey books. I forced myself through the 1st book, simply because it was such a cultural phenomenon that I felt duty bound to bring myself up to speed if I wanted to appreciate comedic references, join conversations etc.
I did the same with Harry Potter, The Davinci Code etc.
The book was awful. Just awful.

1. I had read about the background of the book and it's " evolution " from Twilight FanFic. It might be plagiarism, but it's also marketing genius. It had a ready made fanbase. That said, it still reads like bad FanFic.

2. I could forgive the author a lack of knowledge of the BDSM scene. She's obviously never been involved in that kind of relationship herself and her target market clearly wasn't those involved in the scene. It was frustrated repressed women with nothing remotely lively in their sex life to speak of.
Now, please understand, I'm not saying

"EVERYONE WHO LIKES THESE BOOKS IS A BORED HOUSEWIFE "

but that's pretty much the niche she was aiming for before the book exploded. So lack of knowledge about the scene wouldn't actually be that much of a hindrance. That said, a tiny amount of research probably wouldn't have killed her. We all have broadband these days.

3. Pesonally, I kind of resented the implication that to be a dominant man or Dom, you must have some sort of deep mental or emotional issue that drives you to such proclivities. Clealy no NORMAL person would indulge in S&M etc. While I'm the first to admit that we al have our baggage, I'm annoyed at the notion that being into BDSM would sugest that you somehow need fixed.

4. Grey himself, was an *kitten*. He wasn't an *kitten* because he was a Dom. He wasn't an *kitten* because of any childhood trauma. He was just an *kitten*. And one of the best pieces of advice my Dad ever gave me before he died was

" REMEMBER SON, AN ARSEHOLE WITH MONEY AND A NICE SUIT IS STILL AN ARSEHOLE "

However, he's run quite closely in the *kitten* stakes by Anastasia Steele. I'm not sure if she's related to Remington Steele, but I refuse to believe Pierce Brosnan would raise a child so annoying. Also, he'd smack Gey square in the nose - because he's an *kitten*.

5. How bad is the writing? I had gotten 30 pages into the book and I had already noticed that several words were just wrongly used. As Inigo Montoya say's in the Princess Bride

" YOU KEEP USING THAT WORD. I DO NOT THINK IT MEANS WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS "

Now, I can forgive bad spelling, grammar and English fom the Author, her job is to tell the story. However, I'd cetainly question the editors and proof readers who looked at it, scrutinised and examined it and thought

" PERFECT "

To answer the original question, I prefer the Crossfire series. I've never read them, but I feel like I can make the infomed judgement that they're better in comparison to the Grey books.