FICTION
FIFTY, FOUR WAYS—A NOVEL
An Amazon Best Seller, including #6 in Contemporary Women's Fiction
Rated five stars by CHICKLIT.COM, CHICKLIT CENTRAL and ELLE'S BOOK BLOG
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Kelli’s just trying to get past first base.
Mel hopes to become a starter.
Candy worries she has struck out.
Lynn wonders if her man will play ball.
What happens when four middle-aged baseball moms with kids on the same team begin reading the sex-fueled book Fifty Shades of Grey? As countrified Lynn would say, they get “hotter than a June bride” and are catapulted into unexpectedly assessing their sex lives, desires and satisfaction with their husbands.
Kelli feels neglected by a spouse who’d rather prep for doomsday than be intimate. Her best friend Mel struggles to find the courage to overcome her shyness and body issues in the bedroom and reach the promised land. Candy, already isolated with her trophy wife status, suspects her husband is having an affair. Lynn, whose candid confessions in the concession stand got the whole ball rolling, wants to take things to a kinkier level but will have to convince her man to go along for the ride.
Inspired by true events and told from each woman's perspective, you’ll experience what they do firsthand—including that delicious peek behind closed doors!
This book steps back in time to when the release of the original series happened. Readers and/or fans of the Fifty Shades series will likely relate and enjoy the reactions of the four mothers in question but those who never read the series or held contempt for it will also enjoy this entertaining read because at the heart of the story is the women themselves. Their roles as wives, mothers, friends and daughters (not to mention sports parents, an entire category of its own) weave throughout the story to tell a tale much larger than what's happening (or not) in bed with their respective husbands. And not all four women are enamored with Fifty Shades, bringing a realistic view of its well-earned criticisms. Fifty, Four Ways is meant to be pure entertainment (think book club/beach read/chick lit/women's fiction), but still reveals emotions and scenarios any woman can relate to, feel empathy for, or connect with.
Mel hopes to become a starter.
Candy worries she has struck out.
Lynn wonders if her man will play ball.
What happens when four middle-aged baseball moms with kids on the same team begin reading the sex-fueled book Fifty Shades of Grey? As countrified Lynn would say, they get “hotter than a June bride” and are catapulted into unexpectedly assessing their sex lives, desires and satisfaction with their husbands.
Kelli feels neglected by a spouse who’d rather prep for doomsday than be intimate. Her best friend Mel struggles to find the courage to overcome her shyness and body issues in the bedroom and reach the promised land. Candy, already isolated with her trophy wife status, suspects her husband is having an affair. Lynn, whose candid confessions in the concession stand got the whole ball rolling, wants to take things to a kinkier level but will have to convince her man to go along for the ride.
Inspired by true events and told from each woman's perspective, you’ll experience what they do firsthand—including that delicious peek behind closed doors!
This book steps back in time to when the release of the original series happened. Readers and/or fans of the Fifty Shades series will likely relate and enjoy the reactions of the four mothers in question but those who never read the series or held contempt for it will also enjoy this entertaining read because at the heart of the story is the women themselves. Their roles as wives, mothers, friends and daughters (not to mention sports parents, an entire category of its own) weave throughout the story to tell a tale much larger than what's happening (or not) in bed with their respective husbands. And not all four women are enamored with Fifty Shades, bringing a realistic view of its well-earned criticisms. Fifty, Four Ways is meant to be pure entertainment (think book club/beach read/chick lit/women's fiction), but still reveals emotions and scenarios any woman can relate to, feel empathy for, or connect with.
REVIEWS
Online Book Club, 4 out of 4 stars
Fifty, Four Ways by Katherine Cobb travels back to the time when Fifty Shades of Grey was just starting to take off and make waves. The story follows four women, all mothers with sons on the baseball team, and how their experiences with the book make them question their desires and satisfaction in their marriages. Kelli is a librarian whose husband is more focused on prepping for doomsday than he is on their love life. Mel is overly conscious of her body and doesn't feel able to ask for more in the bedroom. Lynn wants to try some kinky things, but her husband is resistant to change. And Candy is a trophy wife who can't get along with her stepson and suspects her plastic surgeon husband of cheating.
I'll be honest. I've only been married for a few months, but I can see bits and pieces of myself in all four of these women. I was so bored at work that I downloaded the book during my lunch break and finished it just four hours later! (I know, I'm blessed to have such a free job.) I was so sucked into the novel that I didn't care bother with switching tabs when people passed behind me. Not even during the steamy bits. I'm shameless, but that's how good this book was.
I usually have a hard time telling characters apart at the beginning of books, but the author helpfully started each chapter with a little picture related to that character's life. For example, the chapters in Candy's point of view, the plastic surgeon's wife, always started with a picture of two cantaloupes. I'll let you guess why.
Not only did the pictures help me straighten out the characters and their families quickly, but I felt a little jolt every time I saw the pictures and thought, "Finally! I was wondering what would happen next with her!" I loved all the characters but the four main women were true stars, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Also, I loved how they each started reading the series with the same expectations, but they took away different lessons. There was a lot of character growth, with a touch of drama.
Honestly, it was one of the best books I've read in a long, long time. I have absolutely no complaints, although I do wish it could have been longer! Maybe I'll get lucky and it'll be made into a movie, just like with Fifty Shades of Grey. Katherine Cobb is a wonderful, funny author. I can't wait to read more of her work!
Fifty, Four Ways is more interesting than Sex and the City and ten times more interesting than the series that inspired it! I felt emotionally moved and lifted by these women and have learned so much that I plan on implementing in my own marriage. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars and would highly recommend it to any woman of marrying age, whether she enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey or not. There are some steamy scenes, but as I mentioned earlier, I read this in my office on my computer screen, so nothing too scandalous. Or maybe my shamelessness truly knows no bounds.
5 out of 5 stars
If you liked Fifty Shades, this is a follow up of that series!
January 30, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
This is a very entertaining and well written novel. A great premise, as I have spoken to many friends about Fifty Shades of Gray and gotten varied reactions! This book could be titled " Results and Consequences" as it follows 4 ordinary women who read Fifty Shades and followed through! Each of the women react differently and their responses are the entertaining part. I have always felt that Fifty Shades is a love story and this book has some similar results, from the ordinary women that are well characterized along with their families. An easy and fun read!
5 out of 5 stars
Read this book!
January 29, 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Author Katherine Cobb gives us a story of four women who make a pack between them to start seducing their husbands like scenes from the book, “Fifty Shades of Gray” to their very own husbands. What ensues is often hilarious, at times sad, victorious, and the ending you will love and have you wanting more.
5 out of 5 stars
Fun and saucy!
January 25, 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This book was such a fun read! I loved reading a story about what this group of moms thought and did while they read Fifty Shades of Grey. It fulfills that desire to be a fly on the wall in us all!!
5 out of 5 stars
Sassy, sexy and fun!
January 29, 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Get to know four "baseball moms" who decide to work on their game. Do these relatable women get results? Are they the ones they wanted? Find out!
5 out of 5 stars
Fun! Fun! Fun!
January 30, 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Knew anything written by Kathryn Cobb would be fun! and I was more right than I knew :) What a hoot!!
5 out of 5 stars
She writes from the heart! I can visualize myself in her stories!
January 30, 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
LOVE THIS AUTHOR!!! LOVE THIS BOOK!!
5 out of 5 stars
If you liked Fifty Shades, this is a follow up of that series!
January 30, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
This is a very entertaining and well written novel. A great premise, as I have spoken to many friends about Fifty Shades of Gray and gotten varied reactions! This book could be titled " Results and Consequences" as it follows 4 ordinary women who read Fifty Shades and followed through! Each of the women react differently and their responses are the entertaining part. I have always felt that Fifty Shades is a love story and this book has some similar results, from the ordinary women that are well characterized along with their families. An easy and fun read!
5 out of 5 stars
Fun read
March 6, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
Loved reading about the four women and how one book series affected their lives. Way more entertaining than the Fifty Shades series. I love anything by this author.
5 out of 5 stars
“Bring this book on vacation or for a stay-cation from mundane life. This book gives a more realistic version of how couples explore and navigate their passions, in a way that makes it accessible to everyday gals like me. It’s a very fast, super fun read, wherein you become quickly invested in each of the four women’s stories. I loved how the author developed each character separately, but yet intertwined each storyline seamlessly. Buckle in and take this book for a ride ladies! I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
—Linda
Not rated
"As a WHS baseball Mom, reading Fifty, Four Ways has me thinking about all the wonderful friends I have made during my many years of watching my boys play the game they love. Only a baseball Mom understands the conversation that happens on and off the field...I feel that I am reliving some of this through these 4 ladies, Mel, Lynn, Kelli and Candy, and trying to figure out which of my friends each one is! If you haven’t gotten the book yet it is definitely worth the purchase.. it will just make you smile."
—Robin
5 out of 5 stars
Fun!
February 18, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I loved this book. It was so fun, funny, entertaining, and I can't forget juicy. The book is based on four average moms who have a bond because their sons play baseball together. They decide to read the book Fifty Shades of Grey, and we learn about their thoughts and reactions based on that story. Katherine Cobb's book was a great read. This is coming from one of the few people who has never read Fifty Shades of Grey, and has daughters, not son's. It doesn't matter! It's an awesome book, and when reading it, I was taken away from the craziness that is our world today. Thanks Katherine!
Online Book Club, 4 out of 4 stars
Fifty, Four Ways by Katherine Cobb travels back to the time when Fifty Shades of Grey was just starting to take off and make waves. The story follows four women, all mothers with sons on the baseball team, and how their experiences with the book make them question their desires and satisfaction in their marriages. Kelli is a librarian whose husband is more focused on prepping for doomsday than he is on their love life. Mel is overly conscious of her body and doesn't feel able to ask for more in the bedroom. Lynn wants to try some kinky things, but her husband is resistant to change. And Candy is a trophy wife who can't get along with her stepson and suspects her plastic surgeon husband of cheating.
I'll be honest. I've only been married for a few months, but I can see bits and pieces of myself in all four of these women. I was so bored at work that I downloaded the book during my lunch break and finished it just four hours later! (I know, I'm blessed to have such a free job.) I was so sucked into the novel that I didn't care bother with switching tabs when people passed behind me. Not even during the steamy bits. I'm shameless, but that's how good this book was.
I usually have a hard time telling characters apart at the beginning of books, but the author helpfully started each chapter with a little picture related to that character's life. For example, the chapters in Candy's point of view, the plastic surgeon's wife, always started with a picture of two cantaloupes. I'll let you guess why.
Not only did the pictures help me straighten out the characters and their families quickly, but I felt a little jolt every time I saw the pictures and thought, "Finally! I was wondering what would happen next with her!" I loved all the characters but the four main women were true stars, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Also, I loved how they each started reading the series with the same expectations, but they took away different lessons. There was a lot of character growth, with a touch of drama.
Honestly, it was one of the best books I've read in a long, long time. I have absolutely no complaints, although I do wish it could have been longer! Maybe I'll get lucky and it'll be made into a movie, just like with Fifty Shades of Grey. Katherine Cobb is a wonderful, funny author. I can't wait to read more of her work!
Fifty, Four Ways is more interesting than Sex and the City and ten times more interesting than the series that inspired it! I felt emotionally moved and lifted by these women and have learned so much that I plan on implementing in my own marriage. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars and would highly recommend it to any woman of marrying age, whether she enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey or not. There are some steamy scenes, but as I mentioned earlier, I read this in my office on my computer screen, so nothing too scandalous. Or maybe my shamelessness truly knows no bounds.
5 out of 5 stars
If you liked Fifty Shades, this is a follow up of that series!
January 30, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
This is a very entertaining and well written novel. A great premise, as I have spoken to many friends about Fifty Shades of Gray and gotten varied reactions! This book could be titled " Results and Consequences" as it follows 4 ordinary women who read Fifty Shades and followed through! Each of the women react differently and their responses are the entertaining part. I have always felt that Fifty Shades is a love story and this book has some similar results, from the ordinary women that are well characterized along with their families. An easy and fun read!
5 out of 5 stars
Read this book!
January 29, 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Author Katherine Cobb gives us a story of four women who make a pack between them to start seducing their husbands like scenes from the book, “Fifty Shades of Gray” to their very own husbands. What ensues is often hilarious, at times sad, victorious, and the ending you will love and have you wanting more.
5 out of 5 stars
Fun and saucy!
January 25, 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This book was such a fun read! I loved reading a story about what this group of moms thought and did while they read Fifty Shades of Grey. It fulfills that desire to be a fly on the wall in us all!!
5 out of 5 stars
Sassy, sexy and fun!
January 29, 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Get to know four "baseball moms" who decide to work on their game. Do these relatable women get results? Are they the ones they wanted? Find out!
5 out of 5 stars
Fun! Fun! Fun!
January 30, 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Knew anything written by Kathryn Cobb would be fun! and I was more right than I knew :) What a hoot!!
5 out of 5 stars
She writes from the heart! I can visualize myself in her stories!
January 30, 2019
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
LOVE THIS AUTHOR!!! LOVE THIS BOOK!!
5 out of 5 stars
If you liked Fifty Shades, this is a follow up of that series!
January 30, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
This is a very entertaining and well written novel. A great premise, as I have spoken to many friends about Fifty Shades of Gray and gotten varied reactions! This book could be titled " Results and Consequences" as it follows 4 ordinary women who read Fifty Shades and followed through! Each of the women react differently and their responses are the entertaining part. I have always felt that Fifty Shades is a love story and this book has some similar results, from the ordinary women that are well characterized along with their families. An easy and fun read!
5 out of 5 stars
Fun read
March 6, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
Loved reading about the four women and how one book series affected their lives. Way more entertaining than the Fifty Shades series. I love anything by this author.
5 out of 5 stars
“Bring this book on vacation or for a stay-cation from mundane life. This book gives a more realistic version of how couples explore and navigate their passions, in a way that makes it accessible to everyday gals like me. It’s a very fast, super fun read, wherein you become quickly invested in each of the four women’s stories. I loved how the author developed each character separately, but yet intertwined each storyline seamlessly. Buckle in and take this book for a ride ladies! I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
—Linda
Not rated
"As a WHS baseball Mom, reading Fifty, Four Ways has me thinking about all the wonderful friends I have made during my many years of watching my boys play the game they love. Only a baseball Mom understands the conversation that happens on and off the field...I feel that I am reliving some of this through these 4 ladies, Mel, Lynn, Kelli and Candy, and trying to figure out which of my friends each one is! If you haven’t gotten the book yet it is definitely worth the purchase.. it will just make you smile."
—Robin
5 out of 5 stars
Fun!
February 18, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I loved this book. It was so fun, funny, entertaining, and I can't forget juicy. The book is based on four average moms who have a bond because their sons play baseball together. They decide to read the book Fifty Shades of Grey, and we learn about their thoughts and reactions based on that story. Katherine Cobb's book was a great read. This is coming from one of the few people who has never read Fifty Shades of Grey, and has daughters, not son's. It doesn't matter! It's an awesome book, and when reading it, I was taken away from the craziness that is our world today. Thanks Katherine!