Have you ever seen the preview for a movie which made you so excited to see it, only to find out when you watched the actual movie that the best parts were already shown in the preview? This is how I felt about Fifty Shames of Earl Grey. The 3 chapter sneak peak was extremely funny. Unfortunately, the humor started to wane the further I read. I have no clue how this concept will work as a trilogy. 
 Even though I enjoyed parts of the book, it's apparent that most early readers found Shames somewhat more entertaining than I did. The gay jokes got old fast and it seemed like some of the sexual vibe was removed in favor of playing up other pop-culture references (come on...there could have been SO much more comic gold squeezed out with the contract and the sex scenes, although I did absolutely love the bit with Earl pulling things out of Anna like he was a magician). I will give props to the writer for working in some Twilight references though, since Fifty was originally a Twi fanfic. I thought Jin's character was probably the most brilliantly sketched in the entire book, and it was fun to see more of a play on Jacob than what was shown with Jose in Fifty. 
 Honestly, I think Fifty Shames would have been much more amusing had it been condensed into a summarized version of highlights, instead of a full length novel. I found myself skimming by the halfway point and as I read this line, it made me nod my head in agreement : Pacing ourselves isn't such a bad idea, especially since we still have more than half the book left. 
 Some Highlights : 
 The receptionist hands me a security badge that says virgin. Is it that obvious? "How did you know -" 
 "That you're a first-time visitor here at the Earl Grey Corporation?" 
 I walk through the glass doors and into the lobby, which is floor-to-ceiling glass and steel. This fascinates me to no end, because buildings back in Portland are made of grass and mud. 
 "No man is an island," he says. "Islands are made of dirt and rocks and trees. I don't know any people made of such things. Therefore, people are not islands." 
 Wow. Was this hot guy a philosophy major in college? 
 When he's not in school or doing homework, Jin spends his free time reading and writing My Little Pony fanfic. He's deep into the "brony" scene. 
 "I'm a Dungeon Master, Anna." 
 What? My inner guidette screeches to a halt on her hamster wheel. I have no clue what he's talking about. "What exactly does a Dungeon Master do?" 
 "I'm into BDSM," he says. 
 "Is that a workout thing, like Zumba?" 
 "No, Anna. it's not anything like Zumba. BDSM is a live-action role-playing game : Bards, Dragons, Sorcery and Magick." 
 He lowers his gaze. "We need to talk about something," he says. 
 "The baby," I say. 
 He nods. "The baby is fine. But..." 
 A wave of relief floods over me. "But what?" 
 "I ran some tests, and your baby is a sadist. Just like his father."