E.L. James is a new author. This is her second book. It is the second installment of the "Shades of Grey" trilogy. The stories originated as "Twilight" Fan Fiction. Its popularity has helped it gain publication.

"Fifty Shades Darker" picks up where "Fifty Shades of Grey" leaves off, Anastasia and Christian Grey have negotiated the terms to their BSDM relationship. Mr. Grey very patiently introduces Ana to the lifestyle and they quickly discover that their relationship isn't as simple as the contract they negotiated. Christian soon finds himself persuing a "vanilla" relationship with Ana, and they fall in love. Ana learns more about Christian's past and some of it catches up with them. Ana has to face difficult situations and has to make an equally difficult decision.

I must admit, the second book of the "Shades of Grey" trilogy caught me completely off-guard. I was expecting the book to be akin to its predecessor, but I was pleasantly surprised. "Fifty Shades of Darker" actually has an interesting story line, complete with romance, action, kinky sex and suspense. E.L. James writing style hasn't changed much between the two books, but the writing is more bearable because of the story line.