
Maybe it’s a trend or I’m focusing too much on the edits of the second book of the Chrysalis series, but the theme of ownership verses belonging seems to be a prevalent.
In Lustful Reflections by J.L Oiler you have a woman kidnapped only to have her father betroth her to her abductors. Now she’s owned by these three men, because in their realm that is how it is. But she’s does not belong to them. Not until she accepts them into her heart can she belong to them.
Belonging makes someone responsible for your heart. Truly you cannot belong to anyone unless they also belong to you. It can’t be a simple crush on someone. That does not mean they are yours. They have to acknowledge you. They have to want what’s best for you. They have to love you.
In the second book of the Chrysalis series Ellie is struggling with control issues like many teenagers do. She’s fighting against her parents for freedom. She fights against Oscar to be the one in control of their relationship. She’s fighting against a demon who’s twisting her world and making her think she’s losing her mind.
In future books Ellie will say it took them awhile before she and Oscar realized they didn’t need each other…but they did want each other.
This is where we return to Fifty Shades and the issue of control. In romance novels there is always this ebb and flow of overly dramatic romance due to the pull the couple feels for each other. The overwhelming rush of hormones tempered by some obstacle then the fight to survive it where their love shows its strength.
But today we have moved from having a society that one sex dominates over the other to one where both parties are fighting for control. This fight for control is what destroys the love between the couple. Why is it so bad to relinquish yourself to someone? If you can’t let yourself go in the moment you have no trust for that person. For someone that truly loves you would never abuse what you let them have. So find someone that’s worthy of controlling you, because they will be the ones that give you the most freedom.