What To Read After ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’

Face it. Fifty Shades of Grey is not considered a literary masterpiece, but the popularity of the book has brought erotica and BDSM into mainstream consciousness. The book can be held responsible for awakening more than a deviance into other sexual predilections — it has stirred the desire for fans to read more erotica.

Want to know what to read next? Here’s a list of a few books that will keep you warm at night. All the books are available on Amazon.com.

“Libertine Awakenings:A Psychosexual Odyssey” by Cat Ravenelle

Alexis Downing is beautiful, smart, and focused on her master’s thesis. She seems to have it all, but the secrets of her past have left her broken and devoid of feeling. As a result, she regards men and sex as necessary inconveniences until she meets Justin Simmons, a handsome scientist from Chicago. He invites her to engage in a one-night stand. No strings. She just needs to do what he says and relinquish her control.

Intrigued, Alexis decides to take a risk.

Through Justin’s guidance, she experiments with bondage and submission. It’s her first time and the liaison leaves her wanting more. An agreement is made and Justin takes her on a journey of pleasure and pain that leaves her breathless, yet stronger than ever before. In each lesson, she learns about trust and humility. In each session, her emotional self emerges a bit more. They explore every aspect of her evolving sexuality. As she awakens to pleasure she’s never experienced, her boundaries expand. She begins to understand that submission brings power. Power that she will cling to as the secrets of her past are revealed.

“Libertine Awakenings” is the psychosexual odyssey of Alexis Downing. Filled with smoldering, graphic sex, mystery, and romance, “Libertine Awakenings” is bound to please and entice—even without a safe word.

“The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty” by Bella Swann

This is a very dark, erotic, adult interpretation of the classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. It begins when Beauty is already awake and about to become Queen. Yet, because of a series of dark and sometimes deviant sexual encounters, Beauty must be cleansed of her sins by the Maid, the Scholar, the Warrior, and the Mage before she can be forgiven. The final cleansing will require a hundred years of sleep for Beauty and her Kingdom, during which Beauty will learn what service to one’s Kingdom really means.

“Faith, Hope and Charity” by Michael Dalton

What do you do when the love of your life needs more than you can give her?

For Kevin and Faith, what begins as a harmless diversion in college soon awakens things that cannot be suppressed forever. As they build their life together, Kevin has to decide whether keeping Faith happy is worth letting his darkest impulses into the light of day. For as Faith explores the depths of her needs, she realizes that what she wants is another woman — a woman who can submit to the both of them. And not just submit, but come to love them and become an integral part of their marriage.

For Kevin, who does not trust his deepest needs, finding a way to reconcile what Faith wants and what he can allow himself becomes a fundamental challenge that will drive the two of them apart — or lead them to a an even deeper understanding of each other.

“Consequences” by Aleatha Roming

Every action has consequences.

Waking in an unfamiliar bedroom in a luxurious mansion, Claire Nichols is terrified to discover that a chance encounter led her into the cruel hands of her abductor, Anthony Rawlings. Claire has no understanding of why she’s there, but it’s been made abundantly clear — she is now his acquisition and every action has consequences.

Learn the rules to survive.

Facing incomprehensible circumstances, Claire must learn to survive her new reality–every aspect of her livelihood depends upon the tall, dark-eyed tycoon who is a true master of deception. Driven by unknown demons, he has no tolerance for imperfection, in any aspect of his life, including his recent acquisition. Anthony may appear to the world as a handsome, benevolent businessman, but in reality Claire knows firsthand that he’s a menacing, controlling captor with very strict rules: do as you’re told, public failure is not an option, and appearances are of the utmost importance.

Captivate the captor.

To fit together the pieces of the puzzle, Claire must follow his rules. Will her plan work, or will Anthony become enthralled by Claire’s beauty, resilience, and determination, changing the game forever? If that happens, will either of them survive the consequences?

“Rush” by Maya Banks

Gabe, Jace, and Ash: three of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. They’re accustomed to getting anything they want. Anything at all. For Gabe, it’s making one particular fantasy come true with a woman who was forbidden fruit. Now she’s ripe for the picking.

When Gabe Hamilton saw Mia Crestwell walk into the ballroom for his hotel’s grand opening, he knew he was going to hell for what he had planned. After all, Mia is his best friend’s little sister. Except she’s not so little anymore. And Gabe has waited a long time to act on his desires.

Gabe has starred in Mia’s fantasies more than once, ever since she was a teenager with a huge crush on her brother’s best friend. So what if Gabe’s fourteen years older? Mia knows he’s way out of her league, but her attraction has only grown stronger with time. She’s an adult now, and there’s no reason not to act on her most secret desires.

As Gabe pulls her into his provocative world, she realizes there’s a lot she doesn’t know about him or how exacting his demands can be. Their relationship is intense and obsessive, but as they cross the line from secret sexual odyssey to something deeper, their affair runs the risk of being exposed—and vulnerable to a betrayal far more intimate than either expected.

Need more? Check out this Huffington Post article about FSOG read-alikes.

The movie is not without controversy. Click here to read about the call to skip the movie and donate instead.