Fifty Shades Freed Book Tour: Author E.L. James Guest Posting

Bona Fide Reflections proudly welcomes E.L. James!! I am so excited to have her visit the blog today.

 There are three things going on with this post:

1.  Guest post by E.L. James

2. Bona Fide Review of Fifty Shades Freed

3. Complete the Rafflecopter to enter to win your own copy of Fifty Shades Freed.  

Without further ado, I am handing over the blog to E.L. James:

E.L. James' Guest Post

I love cars.  Funnily enough so does Christian Grey (boys and their toys!) and he’s wealthy enough to afford my dream car – a black Audi R8 Spyder.

But more on that later...

I have a thing about Audis, which is a little weird, because I drive a convertible Mini One - although I do love it. Christian only owns Audis.  His staff – Taylor, his additional security team (when they arrive) and Mrs. Jones - all drive Audis.  Taylor is lucky enough to get to drive whatever he’s told to, and as an ex-Armor Senior Sergeant, he can drive … anything. 

The first car to feature in the Fifty Shades trilogy is Kate’s Mercedes CLK. These are beautiful machines too.  Kate is lucky enough to come from a wealthy background, and her daddy not only buys her condos in which to live, but expensive cars too. Ana relishes the journey from Vancouver in Washington (where she’s studying) up to Christian’s Seattle headquarters, listening to loud indie rock music… the miles melt away driving this:

Of course the reason Ana takes Kate’s car is because her beloved Beetle, Wanda, would never get above 55 mph without something falling off:

When Christian takes one look at Wanda, he’s horrified. He thinks she’s a death trap, and he soon remedies the situation - the only way he knows how. 

I originally wanted to use the Audi A1 as the Submissive Special.  It’s a such a neat little car:

But unfortunately it’s not available in the US… yet. So I had to plump for the Audi A3 – which is not quite as cute:

In spite of the fact she doesn’t like receiving expensive gifts from Fifty, Ana loves this car.

Of course that doesn’t last long… for those of you who have not read the story, I won’t spoil it. Then Christian steps out of his Audi comfort zone and decides on a Saab.  Why a Saab?  I think Christian is trying to extricate himself from the associations of the Audi A3, which he purchased for all his submissives - and Ana is anything but. So this is what he buys her:

So - back to my favourite car, the R8. 

Those of you who have read Fifty Shades Freed will know there’s a certain… um… scene which takes place in the R8. When I was writing this story I rang our local Audi dealership and spoke with a salesman who shall remain nameless. I told him I was writing a romantic erotic novel, and  I could hear his gasp of surprise when I asked him if it was possible to have sex in an R8.  He stuttered for a moment, then said no, it was impossible - there just wasn’t enough room.  I thanked him for his time and hung up, deeply disappointed that I couldn’t write that scene.

Well, it just bugged me.  And I thought – I have to go and find out for myself.  The following Saturday I went to Audi’s very plush new West London headquarters, not far from where I live.  The first car you see when you walk in is an Audi R8 – a bargain at £124K (roughly $180,000.)  

I walked around it. I stared. I drooled. And then I plucked up enough courage to ask the ladies at the reception desk if I could actually sit in the car.  They told me this would be no problem, so, squealing inside with excitement, I climbed into the car.  Oh boy – was it sexy… the smell of new car, the short distance to the ground… the stunning dashboard… oh, I wanted to steal that car. And as I sat there I thought, you could TOTALLY have sex in here.  I got out of the car, walked round to the passenger side, climbed in there, and sat… and sat… and thought, and thought.  And those of you who have read Fifty Shades Freed will know what I thought. 

I think on that note I should wrap things up. Thank you, Laurielu, for letting me guest-post on your blog, I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.  

Bona Fide Review

Excellent!

Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James is another stunner of a novel and a great ending to her Fifty Shades Trilogy.  Even though Chrisitan and Ana are now married, the excitement and intensity between the couple has not diminished. In fact, I think it was stepped up a notch. To add some levity to the serious issues dealt with in the novel are Ana’s inner goddess and subconscious and the snarky e-mail diatribes between Christian and Ana.

As the happy couple are enjoying their phenomenal honeymoon abroad, they still have Christian’s mercurial emotional swings and possessiveness to deal with. That being said, it adds to the voracity of the on-going healing process that Christian must face in order to heal. It is Ana’s love, understanding, and many compromises that continue to help him dig out of his dark emotional hole. 

While trying to deal with his inner demons, Ana has some personal battles of her own to wage. Even though it is her deepest wish to set Christian free from his personal demons, she finds herself needing to exert her independence and fight for some autonomy so that she continues to be her own person, not his possession.Adding to the angsty issues in the relationship is the antagonistic plot of the who-done-it portion of the story that began in the previous books in this trilogy. Running these two distinct plots side by side makes reading this book doubly enjoyable.

E.L. James is a wonderful story teller. Her voice is smooth and keeps the story going like a well oiled machine. Once you start, it is hard to put Ms. James‘ book down.  She gives her stories eroticism, emotional poignancy, humor and peppers it all with suspense to keep her readers very entertained.

Fifty Shades Freed is the perfect finish to the trilogy. The ONLY complaint I have is that Ana and Christian’s story has come to a conclusion. I know I can revisit them when by re-reading this series; but, it is just not the same.  I lament the fact that their story has come to an end. I highly recommend this book to all romance readers; however, I really think you should read the first two books in the trilogy (Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker) to get the full impact of this story. This novel will mean so much more to you as a reader when you become completely invested in these two characters. 

Happy Reading from Bona Fide Reflections!!

(ARC provided by TWCS for an honest review)

To enter giveaway click here

Jennifer Lane's CONduct Series Book Blog Tour

Meet the author, Jennifer Lane:

After surviving the rigors of writing a psychology dissertation, the author known as Jennifer Lane has happily turned to writing fiction. She still maintains her psychology practice in Ohio, but please rest assured that she's not psychoanalyzing you right now. The tales of healing and resilience from her career have inspired her to write her own stories: The Conduct Series. With Good Behavior began with two cons trying to make it on the outside: running from the Mafia, joking about sexy vegetables, and just maybe falling in love. Bad Behavior, the next in line, reveals that it's not so easy to escape the past, but the plucky parolees once again strive to persevere. Jen is currently at work on the third and final installment of the series: On Best Behavior. She's found that whether writing or reading, she loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time Jen enjoys competitive swimming, attending book club, and hanging out with her sisters and their families in Chicago.

Author Information:

Jennifer Lane, Author

Romantic Suspense featuring Healing and Redemption

With Good Behavior (The Conduct Series #1) released July, 2010

Bad Behavior (The Conduct Series #2) released March, 2011

Summer Breeze Anthology (short story Swim Recruit) released July, 2011

Website: http://jenniferlanebooks.com

Twitter: JenLanebooks

Facebook: Jennifer Lane, The Conduct Series

Goodreads: Jennifer Lane

Blog: http://jenniferlanebooks.blogspot.com

Book Blurb:

In a world gripped by organized crime, family dysfunction, and dim hopes of redemption, can true love persevere? For Sophie Taylor, a beautiful psychologist who lost everything when she violated an ethical boundary, and Grant Madsen, a handsome naval officer who sacrificed everything to protect a loved one, finding that love may carry an unbearable cost. 


Starting their lives over in Chicago, both are fighting influences from their family and running as fast as they can to escape the past. When their paths cross outside the parole officer's door, the attraction is instantaneous. But a hidden connection may not only shatter their fledgling love, but prove deadly to them both.

Bona Fide Review:

Fantastic Book

With Good Behavior by Jennifer Lane is a very good contemporary romance because it offers such an original premise for a love story which takes place in Chicago. Emotion grips you for the entire length of the story. And you cannot help but swoon, laugh, cry, gasp, etc.  as you read.

Sophie Taylor and Grant Madsen meet in front of Parole Officer Jerry Stone’s office where they must check in every Wednesday. Yes, this is a love story about convicted felons.  But, do not let that fact detract you from picking up this book and reading it. This story is about so much more than their felonious situation.

There is an instantaneous attraction when they meet for the first time outside their PO's office. Unbeknownst to them their lives are deeply connected. This story offers horrific and emotionally distressing flashbacks from each of the main characters, especially from Grant. There are mob connections and abuse in their pasts that color the world they currently live in which was beyond my comprehension; but, Ms. Lane is able to illicit the the true nature of how the past can color your perceptions of the world around you. Even if you do not have the emotional reference, she is able to convey the seriousness of the tragedies that have occurred in their lives.

They are now trying to make up for their past indiscretions that caused them to sacrifice everything. The price they pay is steep and has the reader’s heart twisted up in emotion because these are two very good people whose lives have been over taken by circumstance. Finding each other, guides both Sophie and Grant on a path of emotional healing. But, the process of healing and attempting to rebuild their lives, is both cathartic and emotionally exacting.

In addition, the secondary characters add more emotional grounding for Grant and Sophie because they play a part as a sounding board and become an emotional support group which further aids Sophie and Grant’s emotional healing and confidence building.  The psychological factors that add up and threaten to overwhelm the main characters make which make this novel very exciting and emotionally charged.

I really enjoyed reading With Good Behavior. Jennifer Lane has an excellent talent in story-telling. Her voice is smooth and the conveyance of using flashbacks from either Grant’s or Sophie’s perspective is uncanny and has the reader’s heart aching. There are times you just want to wrap your arms around either one, rock them back and forth while you croon supportive murmurs to them. What a great book! I am really looking forward to finding out how Grant and Sophie are doing in the next book, Bad Behavior by Jannifer Lane.


Happy Reading from Bona Fide Refelctions!!

Bad Behavior Book Blurb:

Grant Madsen’s got issues. He’s still battling his Mafia family and doing everything possible to keep his loved ones safe. With the cruising season coming to an end, he has to find another job soon or he’ll rejoin his father in prison. And he’s trying to convince his rebellious teenage nephew to stay away from their criminal relatives (you can imagine how that’s going). But worst of all, Grant’s parole officer has mandated that he attend therapy.

The only saving grace is that they’re couples sessions with his girlfriend, Sophie Taylor, a fellow parolee who’s struggling with a few issues of her own. Sophie desperately hopes her past with Grant’s brother won’t destroy her future with him. There’s a sleazy professor at work who revels in sexually harassing women in the psychology department. And her father still hates Grant.

Their psychologist has his work cut out for him.

When Grant’s ruthless father hints at a plot to get out of prison, Grant must use everything he’s learned in therapy and beyond to try to stop him. It’s a race against time -- and a race to rescue Sophie from the Mafia’s clutches once again. But this time McSailor and Bonnie refuse to play victims. This time the cuffs are coming off.

Here is the list of other blogs participating in the Jennifer Lane's CONduct Series Blog Tour: Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to view The Conduct Series Tour Schedule...

This book tour was brought to you by:

Thank you Julie for all of your hard work!!