Short Story Review - Stephen C Spencer

I have never really given much thought to short stories, I just dismissed them as stories for people who don't have time to read proper books... Then I became a book reviewer and came across Ellie Darkins on Twitter, she posted a link to a short story that she had written and posted on her blog... from the very beginning I was hooked, everything happened to quickly and then it was over leaving my wanting more.

So I decided to explore more short stories and put a hit out on Twitter. This is where the lovely Stephen Spencer comes in.. He very kindly sent me two of his short stories to read Role Reversal and Window of Opportunity. So here is what I thought...

Window of Opportunity

Released 6th March 2012

PDF 12

Publisher Self Published

Rating 2/5

Source Sent by Stephen

My thoughts…

Window of Opportunity was the first short story that I read by Stephen, it is about Paul Mallory, a journalist who is trying to track down a Russian criminal that tried to kill him.

The story does exactly what it needs to do as a short story and that is to move at a fast pace. For me a thriller works really well as a short story as you get to move the story along so quickly, engaging the reader to read on and want more at the end of it, as well as getting to the point quickly as opposed to dragging it out.

With this being said, as much as I liked the pace in which this story moved, I felt it left out a lot of detail. This is the first book that I have read by Stephen and from the Paul Mallory series, so maybe that is why I didn’t really connect with the book because there are so many before this that would have helped me understand the characters more.

I am not saying that this is a terrible book, but I would recommend maybe readying the Paul Mallory series in order, which is what I should have done!

Role Reversal

Released 9th September 2012

PDF 11

Publisher Self Published

Rating 4/5

Source Sent by Stephen

My thoughts…

Role Reversal was the second short story that I ready by Stephen, from the cover I saw that this was also part of the Paul Mallory series so I wasn't holding out much hope for it. However I am pleased to say that this was completely different to my first experience.

The story revolves around two women who live together and work for the same man as Paul Mallory, they have been invited to mark the 100 year anniversary of the Titanic by going on a cruise of the Titanic route. Both Marie and Fliss are looking forward to the trip, but then Fliss starts to get nightmares. Not remembering what the nightmares are Marie orders her to a hypnotherapy session to get to the bottom of it, with her hunch that it is something to do the Titanic.

As someone who is extremely interested in the Titanic, I love reading, watching documentaries, films and stories about it, and Role Reversal fits in perfectly with one of my interests. For me, this story could be expanded into a novel – exploring the history on both Marie and Fliss’s families and exploring the history of the Titanic.

This isn't really a thriller, like the first, but I still found myself reading at a record speed to get to the end and find out what the outcome would be. If you are looking for something quick to read, then I would definitely recommend this.

Book Review - Fifty Shades Freed

Fifty Shades Freed by E L James
Released 26th April 2012
Paperback 592 pages
Genre Adult
Rating 2/5
Source Purchased
Where to purchase Amazon

Amazon Summary

Romantic, liberating and totally addictive, the Fifty Shades trilogy will obsess you, possess you and stay with you for ever.

When Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged entrepreneur Christian Grey, it sparked a sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably.

Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy, and being together poses challenges neither of them had anticipated. Ana must learn to share Grey's opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity or independence; and Grey must overcome his compulsion to control and lay to rest the horrors that still haunt him.

Now, finally together, they have love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of infinite possibilities.

But just when it seems that they really do have it all, tragedy and fate combine to make Ana's worst nightmares come true ...

My thoughts...
As the third and final book in the Fifty Shades trilogy I was hoping that the story would go out with an almighty bang, instead it went out with more of a small pop, leaving me slightly disappointed. I know that James is a romance writer and the book isn't supposed to be a thriller, but the storyline was written in a way that could have given the reader a much more thrilling experience. Rather than ride along the wave of the

The last installment picks Ana and Christian up on their honeymoon, as you can imagine no expense was spared as you follow them across Europe, reading this book during the hottest week that we have seen this year made me feel like I was in Cannes with them. The story follows them as they adjust to married life, with Ana wanting her independence and Christian wanting to take control of Ana's life. With all newlywed there are issues that need working through, but I feel that with the Grey's neither will ever be 100% happy with each other and they will always want to change something about the other.

There are plenty of jaw dropping, page turning moments that will keep you reading, just like Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker did. As already mentions I feel that these moments could have been a lot more dramatic and a lot more thought could have gone into them. It almost feels to me like the book was quickly put together with no real time put into the suspension moments. Work went into building them up but to no avail.

As with the first two books there is a lot of repetition which can be very frustrating, it would be nice for Ana to do something other than blush! But if you have already read the first two books you should already expect this and you get used to it as if it is normal.

The ending of the story was satisfactory, which doesn't happen very often. You got to flash forward and see what they are doing in four years time, which I really liked and gave the book a happy closure. However after the ending it goes back to when Christian was a child and first went to live with the Greys and then when he first met Ana. While it was interesting to read Christians thoughts as a child, I don't think reading there first meeting from his point of view added to the story or to his character and I do think that it was really unnecessary.

Overall I didn't hate the book and I did enjoy reading it, I got the ending that I wanted and the book did manage to tie up most of the ends, with the only exception the Mia and Ethan story. For someone wanting to read a well written, well thought out story, with a knowledge for good literature then this isn't the book for you. For someone wanting a quick and easy read, maybe a holiday book, then this will be perfect for you.

Until next time, keep reading x

Fifty Shades Darker - The Review

Fifty Shades Darker by E L James
Released 26th April 2012
Rating 2/5
Where to purchase Amazon

Amazon Summary:

Daunted by the dark secrets of the tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Ana Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a US publishing house.
But desire for Grey still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, she cannot resist. Soon she is learning more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades than she ever thought possible.
But while Grey wrestles with his inner demons, Ana must make the most important decision of her life. And it's a decision she can only make on her own ...

My thoughts:

Fifty Shades Darker is what it is; it isn’t a literary masterpiece however it doesn’t need to be. Unlike so many sequels, it picks up right where it left off without leaving any unanswered gaps, and by doing this the story flows better. 

Fifty Shades Darker is darker, however nowhere near as dark as it could be. You get to explore Christians past, hence the darker reference, however his previous life could have been delved into in a lot more detail instead of quickly mentioning and moving on.

Christian is as controlling as ever, and you do get to understand why Christian is the way he is, why he is so incapable of love and you get to see a completely different side to him, a more vulnerable side. By doing this he becomes a tad more likeable.

With that being said, I’m still unsure about Christian and am still a little baffled as to why Ana has stuck around for so long, for me it isn’t completely believable. However I find myself getting swept away with the story and tend to forget about it, only momentarily thinking about the incompatibility of the two main characters. 

As for Ana, she is still a naïve young woman and, there is no further development to her character; she is the way that she is with no exceptions. In the first book as she was getting to know Christian you could understand her testing him, however she hasn’t learned from her mistakes and continues to push him to his limits leaving me screaming at the book!

With all of this being said, I am still reading and am onto the third and final book. As much as I love to stick my nose up at the book, I am going to keep reading just so I can see how it all ends. If you are a snob about your books then this isn’t for you, however if you are looking for something to read whilst on holiday then this could be for you.

Until next time, keep reading! x