#author pov: shannon's been setting it up

[redgoldsparks]

December 2023 Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

Despite how much promise there is in the premise of this novel I was ultimately fairly disappointed by it. I'll start with the positives: it's set in a diverse and creative fantasy world with multiple different countries and cultures. It has several queer characters, including one of the four POV characters. It has dragons, even though I think they were severely under-utilized. It is also far too long, and astonishingly, nearly every scene in the book felt rushed. I think it actually had too much plot; if I had been editing this book I would have suggested the author cut one of the POV characters and use the freed-up space to flesh out the queer love story, which was the emotional heart of the book. This book is marketed as adult fantasy, yet whenever a character is in serious danger they are nearly always rescued by a talking animal with super-speed abilities. Choices like this book made the book read younger than I expected. It also suffered, perhaps unfairly, due to the fact I read a book with a much smarter and more interesting use of dragons, human/dragon cultural tensions, and dragon politics earlier this year: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, which I would recommend over Priory any day of the week.

Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe

Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe is a Coast Salish poet and punk who digs deep into the lineage of women in her family searching for connection, strength, and healing. While writing a Master's thesis, LaPointe opened the door to memories of a childhood sexual assault, precarious runaway teen years, and the intergenerational trauma that affected all of her family after the colonization of the Pacific Northwest. The memories that surfaced shattered her life. The path to picking up the pieces was slow, and involved traditional healing ceremonies, friendship, writing, music, and multiple journeys to places where her female ancestors once lived. I found this book very quick and easy to read despite the often heavy subject matter (it also includes a divorce and a miscarriage). Some passages are quite beautiful, but the author was an emotional mess for most of the time period she recounts and behaved in some questionable ways towards many of those around her. It ends on a hopeful note, and I would recommend it, especially to people with connections to the PNW area, while keeping the content warnings in mind.

Golden Fool by Robin Hobb read by Nick Taylor 

I hardly even know how to talk about this book because I loved it so much. It's a rich, nuanced, painfully human follow up to the earlier Farseer trilogy. I am amazed at how deftly Hobb wove the narratives of her characters across three decades of their lives and counting. There's Fitz, the royal bastard and reluctant assassin, who we first met at age six. Now in his mid-thirties, he is finally exploring his magical talents, teaching, learning, and taking more and more misfit young people under his wing. There's Chade, who we first met at a mysterious and wise teacher- now he's a royal advisor, and his hunger for power and influence might yet take him down a very dark path. There's Kettricken, who as a teenage princess was engaged to a stranger, now grown into a powerful queen bent on changing her kingdom for the better. There's the Fool, whose multiple identities are threatening to collapse as more and more of his prophesies come true. And Burrich, Fitz's adopted father figure, who in his anger and grief disowns a son who reminds him too much of his past. All of these characters feel so deeply rooted in their own histories, traumas, choices; I care so deeply about their lives and see so clearly how the twists of fate led them to where they are now. This is seriously one of the best fantasy series I have ever read, and I highly recommend anyone who loves long form fantasy to go back and pick up book one, Assassin's Apprentice.

The Well by Jacob Wyatt and Choo

Lizzy lives with her grandfather on one of many small islands in an world plagued by mist and monsters. Her mother, father, and grandmother all died fighting against the leviathan that used to threaten the seas between the islands; Lizzy has heard the stories, but never knew any of them. Her daily concerns are with goats, the market where she sells their cheese and milk, and her crush on a girl who works the island ferry. Magic doesn't regularly touch her life, except when she foolishly steals three coins from a wishing well, and is then tasked with completing the three wishes that are bound to them. This story has much the feel of a fairy tale with it's orphaned protagonist, three wishes, three tasks, and characters who are often more archetype than fleshed out people. But it manages a sweetly emotional ending and simple but lively and effective illustrations.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles read by Martyn Swain

Set in England during the reign of King George the third, this historical romance delivered a satisfying amount of plot along with the spice. Gareth is the son of a Baronet, but grew up with none of the privilege of that position having been send away from home after the death of his mother during his childhood. He works as a law clerk in London with few connections, no friends, and nothing much to recommend him. He seeks companionship at a tavern that turns a blind eye on the illicit sexual activities of men in the upper rooms. There he meets Kent, a working class man from Romney Marsh, with whom Gareth sparks an intense and intimate connection. Then it falls apart. Gareth is sacked from his job. He fights with Kent. His father dies unexpectedly, and Gareth is summoned to a manor house he hasn't seen in years to take on the responsibilities of a title, including the care of a teenage half-sister and his father's mistress. And by chance, the house Gareth inherits is in Romney Marsh, home of many waterways, pastures, smugglers, and also Kent, his former lover. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two romantic leads, and the crime plot which entangled both of them. If you are interested in R-rated M/M romance with action adventure and danger, I'd definitely recommend this series and also KJ Charles' Will Darling series.

Subtle Blood by KJ Charles read by read by Cornell Collins

A very satisfying installment in the Will Darling adventures! If this is the final book, I am happy with where it's left the characters, but it does also leave the door open for more. If you enjoy spicy M/M romance with a hefty side of action/adventure, this is a great series. It kept me company through a week of holiday cleaning, cooking, and baking, and I think it's my favorite yet from the series.

Death Strikes: The Emperor of Atlantis by Dave Maass & Patrick Lay

This comic is grim, funny, gory, and darkly poetic. It's impossible to read it without an awareness of the history of the script, which is based on a suppressed opera written in 1943 two prisoners at the Terezín concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. The authors did not live to see their play performed. Maass and Lay have done an impressive job transferring a story meant for the stage into a comic. The stars of the show are the characters of Life and Death who narrative and frame the story of a paranoid dictator in the fictional nation of Atlantis and his reign of terror against his own citizens.

The Cliff by Manon Debaye

This was beautifully illustrated but too sad and violent for me to enjoy reading. It's the story of a dysfunctional middle school friendship between two unhappy girls who make a suicide pact. This story will really hit for some readers but it wasn't for me.

Walkaway by Cory Doctorow 

I really enjoyed this book, even thought I think it's more interesting as a collection of ideas than as a novel. The characters in the first third felt somewhat flat, and the dialog is often delivered in hefty paragraphs with minimal dialog tags. But the story picks up in the second half and by the end I was reading it daily in big chunks. The concepts this book explores are what really shine, especially the idea of walking away from capitalist society and living in self-sustaining communities without formal governments or laws. This novel contains some future technology which we don't currently have today including 3D printers which can print food, clothing, and building pieces for vehicles and housing and also internet interfaces implanted into people's bodies which allow them global network access from anywhere almost all the time. The nation state of Canada also seems to have fallen before the start of this novel, as most of the characters end up walking away from the US into northern Canada to find these alternate communities. I liked seeing Doctorow play out the clash between on faction wanting to run a group house as a meritocracy versus another group committed to allowing all members to work as much or little as they want to or can, for example. The book does not shy away from showing the violent crack down of the existing governments on these alternate communities. There are major character deaths. But the other big theme of the book is exploring the digital scanning and uploading of human consciousnesses to the web allowed people to walk away from death.

[birgittesilverbae]

fic rec: Show me how you do that trick

author: echoicdreamscape

fandom: Warrior Nun

pairings: Ava/Beatrice, Mary/Shannon

word count: 3.5K

--

“Knowing Bea, she’ll never make the first move.” A glint appears in Mary’s eyes. “She might need…a little push.”

“As if our meddling hasn’t been enough?” Shannon sets herself up to be easily knocked down.

Shannon and Mary conspire for a month to push Beatrice to act on her feelings for Ava. Shannon POV

pt. 3 of Nice jugs, a climbing AU

AO3 link

[jadejedi]

Fantasy Book Review: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

JJ’s rating: 4/5 

How feral did it make me: 2.5/5

My book reviews

I read Priory of the Orange Tree early this year based on the pitch “sapphic stand-alone fantasy with dragons” and it definitely checks all of those boxes. The world building is rich and immersive; sometimes it feels like an author is just throwing out random names of places without anything behind them, but you do not feel that with this book. The romance, though not the main point of the book, is well written and easy to root for. The characters are all great (even Niclays! Fight me!), and the story and mythology are engaging. 

A quick summary: in this retelling of St. George and the Dragon, Queen Sabran of Inys must marry and bear a daughter to keep an ancient evil dragon from returning. A secret magical organization from the South doesn’t believe that Sabran is actually the force holding back the dragon, but they have sent the spy Ead Duryan, to protect her just in case. She gets promoted to lady-in-waiting and grows close to the Queen. In the East, Tané trains to ride a dragon for her nation’s army, and exiled alchemist Niclays Roos, who is totally 100% doing FINE, searches for a way to restore his good name. Also, good bean Arteloth Beck who has also been banished from court, sets off on a quest (it’s been a few months and tbh I’m a bit hazy on the details). 

The main flaw of this book, in my opinion, is that it is a bit slow in the beginning. And when the book is 252,000 words (roughly 900 pages), the beginning lasts a LONG time. I listened to it on audio book, and out of a 25 hour book (at normal listening speed), it took me at least 5-6 hours to really get into it. But, I think it is definitely worth pushing through, because when it does eventually pick up, it does not let up. The different threads of the four different POV’s start to really interconnect and draw closer and closer until they all meet during the climax of the book in a very satisfying battle. 

Ead, as the primary protagonist, is absolutely wonderful. She is stubborn and unyielding, and clings desperately to her beliefs and principles while in a foreign land. The relationship between Sabran, a queen believed to be a holy, mystical figure, and Ead, a magician from a group that doesn’t really quite believe in Sabran’s divinity, is delicious. 

This book is definitely a fantasy story with some romance sprinkled on top, so if you are looking for more of a romance heavy story this might not be for you, but there is definitely a reason this one is so popular. It is high fantasy done extremely well, in my opinion. The way the world building and the plot perfectly intertwines is *chef’s kiss*. 

If you like slow-burn sapphic romance, examinations of chosen one narratives, dragon riders destined for greatness, and asshole alcoholics, then this one's for you. Also if you just like pretty books on your shelf, because the cover of this one is SO SO PRETTY. 

[crymeariveronceagain]

Sophie enhancing Keefe's new abilities

The world explodes and everyone is mind controlled and everything is done and all the Neverseen are dead and no one ever remembers that the two of them exist and Sophie and Keefe are standing in a pile of ashes and Keefe looks at her and says, "Well, now what do we do," and she literally straight up says, "I don't know about you, but I'm going to take a nap."

And then she does.

And Keefe follows.

They literally don't move from the Havenfield couch for three and a half days.

[woodchoc-magnum]

I posted 7,876 times in 2021

938 posts created (12%)

6938 posts reblogged (88%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 7.4 posts.

I added 1,874 tags in 2021

#0 - 68 posts

#911 spoilers - 1198 posts

#buddie - 105 posts

#my fics - 100 posts

#9-1-1 - 78 posts

#911 fanfic - 74 posts

#author: woodchocMagnum - 69 posts

#my fic - 65 posts

#fic rec - 61 posts

#woodchocMagnum - 56 posts

Longest Tag: 108 characters

#and i know i should move past it but when i think of unpopular opinions it's the first that springs to mind!

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

This is the dumbest thing but when Buddie goes canon, all I want is a shot of them either getting ready for bed together or waking up in the morning - just the most domesticated shit imaginable where it’s all sweet and affectionate.

They are going to make each other so happy I swear to god

172 notes • Posted 2021-08-18 06:49:21 GMT

#4

Buck/Eddie, 20k, M Buck POV, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, Getting Together

He doesn't want to go home.

He's bone tired; his head is throbbing and he's in desperate need of a hot shower and a long nap, but he doesn't want to go home.

Doesn't want to step over the threshold.

Doesn't want to set foot in the place that has never fully felt like home, even though it is… he's lived there for three years, after all.

But he still thinks of it as just a place to sleep.

He's torn inside, feeling like he should be elsewhere - feeling like something is missing, something is wrong, some part of him is incomplete and he's not really sure why. Everyone is safe and accounted for; everyone has gone home to their families… they've come through it again, and they're all fine.

But Buck's not fine.

He hasn't been fine for months. Maybe he's never been fine in his whole life.

Read on AO3

172 notes • Posted 2021-11-08 10:40:12 GMT

#3

People on Twitter are saying that your fic predicted the expendable line?? 👀

Yeah, apparently! I had totally forgotten about that.

It's in the first fic I ever wrote -> Don't Worry Baby (Everything Will Turn Out Alright)

This is the chapter

And this is the part:

"And you think I can't do this without you?" Eddie asks, but he's not angry, merely questioning, one eyebrow raised.

"No, I think you and I are a great team." Buck swallows hard. "If Bobby had been there, Chim would've been in the ambulance with Hen, and you would've been beside me. And it would've been worse, if you were there. If I take the hits, you get to go home to your kid."

"You make it seem like your life is meaningless," Eddie points out. "That it doesn't matter what happens to you."

"It doesn't. I don't care about me."

Suddenly Eddie is blinking back tears, and he looks furious. "I care about you," he whispers, swallowing reflexively. "Shut the fuck up if you think your life is meaningless. God, you make me so mad."

"Eddie—"

"That kid, that kid over there thinks you're a fucking superhero," he continues, choked up. "He talks about you all the time. His Buck, when is his Buck coming over, when are we going to see Buck, what's Buck doing today, how was Buck today, can Buck come and live with us – that kid, that kid—" and suddenly he's crying, both hands pressed to his face.

Buck just stares at him in shock.

"I'm his father, but you are the sun and the moon and all the stars," Eddie finally chokes out. "And he just lost his mom. He can't lose you too. You are not fucking expendable, Evan."

At the use of his name, Buck freezes. Eddie has never called him by his Christian name. Eddie is practically shaking with rage, tears streaming down his cheeks. Eddie, who is still grieving the loss of Shannon, who has had to put up with Buck's shit all year, has finally had enough.

192 notes • Posted 2021-05-30 23:53:48 GMT

#2

For all your anti-Ana fic needs...

let me roll it to you angst with a happy ending, mutual pining, jealousy (22k, 2/2, M)

In which Eddie starts dating Ana and Buck starts dating around; Eddie does not cope that well with change, Buck is oblivious and everyone else thinks they're a pair of idiots.

alone again tonight with you angst with a happy ending, pining, jealousy (37k, 3/3, M)

In which Eddie and Ana are dating, Buck is secretly in love with him, and Christopher isn't handling it well.

try to love me if you can angst with a happy ending, pining, jealousy (44k, 6/6, M)

In which Eddie is trying to date Ana and cling to Buck at the same time, and Ana is threatened by Buck's relationship with Eddie and Christopher. This fic picks up immediately after the Buck and Christopher scene in 4x08. the dream you wish will come true Christopher Diaz POV, getting together, mutual pining (30k, 3/3, M)

In which Christopher Diaz cannot understand why his father would want to date his former teacher when Evan Buckley is right there.

197 notes • Posted 2021-04-29 13:04:24 GMT

#1

Maybe Buck just fundamentally doesn't know what falling in love/being in love is like.

And he thinks this is it when it's fucking clearly not.

208 notes • Posted 2021-11-30 02:33:17 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[jacnaylor]

romance book recs!!

romance is my feel good genre, and it’s also usually somewhat easier to read during stressful times, so here’s a list of some books that are either romance or have a romance element i feel like mentioning.

(EDIT: I STAYED UP TILL 2 AM DOING THIS HELP. this is why some of the comments. don’t make any fucking sense.)

romance books and authors:

CONTEMPORARY:

1. The Bromance bookclub series by Lyssa Kay Adams (A group of men form a bookclub dedicated to romance books in order to understand women, improve their relationships and become better men. It’s funny, cute, and all about dismantling toxic masculinity one romance book at a time)

2. Mariana Zapata books (The queen of slowburn romance. The only book I’ve read by her is ‘Under Locke’, but ‘From Lukov with love’ and ‘Kulti’ have rave reviews. There is so much build up and SO much sexual tension with a great pay off)

3. Milly Johnson books (A uk author whose books are primarily set in the north, these are total feel good books. Not so much graphic and more romantic, but her characters are great and her plot lines really hook you in.)

4. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (Super cute, quick enemies-to-lovers story about a bridesmaid who has to go on a honeymoon with the best man when the bride and groom get food poisoning. Obviously this means the holy of holies: fake relationship!)

5. Well met by Jen De Luca (Oh my gosh! Super fun, the characters are just wonderful especially our heroine. A hate-to-love romance set at a renaissance fair! All about overcoming the limits you set on yourself and rethinking your first impressions.)

6. Katherine Center books (My personal favourites are ‘How to walk away’ about a woman who falls for her PT after a near fatal plane crash. And ‘Happiness for beginners’ about a woman taking part in a wilderness trail with her brothers annoying best friend. She writes such great plots and you really feel all the emotions!)

7. Mhairi Mcfarlane books (my personal favourites are ‘Here’s looking at you’ about a woman who comes face to face with her high school bully years later - only he doesn’t recognize her. And he’s not awful? Don’t worry. I know how that synopsis sounds. He’s not excused his actions, but you also understand how he’s grown and changed. It definitely gets you in the feels though. As does ‘You had me at hello’ Which is about a couple from university meeting again years later. God this woman can write angst and yearning!!)

8. A part of me by Anouska Knight (On the same day she and her husband have been accepted into the adoption process, their marriage implodes. This has such a cute romance which follows hate-to friends- to love and it’s v funny)

9. Southern Eclectic series by Molly harper (Just as it sounds. Southern small town romance with a great, quirky cast of characters)

10. Maggie’s man by Lisa Gardner (writing as Alicia Scott) (An escaped convict kidnaps a woman from the courthouse to act as his hostage whilst he tries to prove his innocence. Surprisingly funny and warm. Maggie as a heroine is an absolute joy. They’re sort of chaotic together and it’s a wild ride.)

11. The Mister by E.L James (LISTEN OK - SIT BACK DOWN - It’s not winning awards but it’s actually decent! I was skeptical, but I will admit I was won over. I mean parts are cheesy but it’s so addictive. Basically a rich man falls for his cleaning lady - but it’s also about the yearning. It’s also quite action packed as there’s danger, drama and a chase across europe to get the girl.)

12. RECENT Colleen Hoover (Now, you may enjoy older CH books. Personally I find them very problematic. Now I’ve really enjoyed her recent books though. Especially ‘Without Merit’ and ‘It ends with us’ and ‘Regretting you’. High angst, high drama, dark topics for all of her books. But you can tell she’s matured with her writing. She isn’t for everyone but they’re addictive, fast paced reads.

13. The Austenland duology by Shannon Hale (You might have seen the Austenland movie - The cutest, cheesiest, sweetest, campiest movie ever. Well there’s a book! It’s about women who go on a holiday and live their own Jane Austen story with actors. The first book leans towards Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield park. The second book is more Northanger abbey and Emma.

14. Brigid Kemmerer contemporaries (She is an auto-buy author for me, especially her contemporaries. She writes the best teenage characters, the best teenage boys I’ve ever read about. Her characters are real, she writes about kids trying their best, struggling, and being good, and kind, and the world not being kind to them. Usually the books have a pov from both the female and male love interest. I would rec any of them tbh. ‘Letters to the lost’ comes before it’s companion novel ‘More than we can tell’. I loved ‘Call it what you want’ with has modern Robin Hood elements!!!! seriously she is my favourite YA contemporary author.

15. Sophie Kinsella books (If you haven’t picked up her stand alone novels then what are you doing???? she is the queen!!!! Personal favourites are ‘Can you keep a secret’ and ‘I’ve got your number)

16. A quiet kind of thunder by Sara Barnard (I love her ok. Her books are short and sweet but she packs a punch. TBH these aren’t primarily romance, they’re more just about teenage girls but this one has a good romance element so I’m putting it on here. It’s about Steffi, a selective mute who sometimes communicates with basic sign language who is assigned to look after the new boy at school Rhys, who is deaf.)

17. Meet me at the museum by Anne Youngson (GORGEOUS! moving, tender. A lonely housewifes strikes up a correspondence with a widowed museum curator in Denmark. Oh gosh. I just love this one. It’s about friendship, love, grief, second chances, the choices we make. Seriously love this one and it’s not that long.)

FANTASY:

1. Sorcery of thorns by Margaret Rogerson (Elisabeth has grown up in the great library, protecting grimoires with powers and fearing sorcerers. When a dangerous grimoire is released, she’s forced to team up with an enigmatic sorcerer and his demonic servant in order to save the world.)

2. Sky in the deep duology by Adrienne Young (A viking inspired story about a warrior who is captured by the tribe she is at war with. Such good tension and it’s also got a lot of action. Battle couple romance! Mutual respect! Hate to love!)

3. The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley (I’ve reread this book once but will end up reading it again. It’s a time travel romance about a woman staying in cornwall dealing with the death of her sister who is transported back and forth to the 17th century. It’s a favourite. The romance is wonderful but the stakes are really high too. I also love ‘Belleweather’ by the same author)

4. An ember in the ashes series by Sabaa Tahir (Oh god, the romance. THE ROMANCE! it’s so much. The angst, the pining, the longing. The first book follows Laia, part of a slave class in a roman inspired world. She begins spying in the top military academy and meets Elias, a reluctant soldier. This is a proper fantasy series with only the first three books out, but it’s so great.)

5. Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen (Let me just copy the blurb ok: “Meet Captain James Benjamin Hook, a witty, educated Restoration-era privateer cursed to play villain to a pack of malicious little boys in a pointless war that never ends. But everything changes when Stella Parrish, a forbidden grown woman, dreams her way to the Neverland in defiance of Pan's rules.” I MEAN COME ON. a gorgeous adult fairytale with love and redemption at the center.

6. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot (Obviously Meg Cabot is the most iconic and we stan. But this series is my absolute favourite by her. About Suze Simon, a kickass, no nonsense mediator - Someone who helps ghosts move on to the other side. Sometimes by force. She has to move house and ends up sharing her room with a 100 year old hot ghost named Jesse. The tension. The angst. THE BANTER!!!!)

7. House of Earth and Blood by Sara J Maas (a half fae half mortal girl tries to solve a murder with the help of a fallen angel. It’s a LONG book, but for me personally it flew by. It’s a big new fantasy world but the romance has a great build. Overcoming grief! Being normal together! Being in danger together! THE UST! the characters are so good. I ahven’t been this impressed by a new series for a while)

8. Cursebreakers series by Brigid Kemmerer (yep, she gets another mention. This one is a beauty and the best retelling about a man forced to relive the same season over and over, becoming a literal beat, until a girl from our world can break the curse. The second book, following secondary characters, is my fave so far. But both feature kickass ladies and those small romantic moments BK is so good at)

9. A court of thorns and roses series by Sara J Maas (a fae inspired beauty and the beast retelling. The only time you support a ship switch. Also the secondary ships are getting their own books and oh my god. I’m so excited.)

HISTORICAL/CLASSICS/MILLS AND BOON

1. Jane Austen (The original rom com queen, obviously. Pride and prejudice and Emma are faves. Also I have a major soft spot for the alwayc chaotic and underrated Northanger Abbey)

2. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (Actually might be my favourite classic ever. Often described at an industrial p&p. Margaret, from the south, comes face to face with the harsh reality of the world when she moves up north and comes face to face with a brooding millowner. There’s obviously a lot more nuance than that but. THE PINING!!!!!! THE MISCOMMUNICATION! THE DRAMA!)

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (You might have seen the film. Please also read the book. Told entirely in letters. The sharp witted author Juliet Ashton falls in love with Guernsey and it’s characters whilst researching what happened there during the war. Funny, moving and romantic.)

4. The Veronica Speedwell series by Deanna Raybourn (A butterfly hunter foils her own kidnap and is paired together with a reclusive natural historian. They solve mysteries together. They can’t admit they wanna sleep together. The tension.......unbearable. See also the Julia Grey mysteries by the same author)

5. The warrior knight and the widow by Ella Matthews (So last year I discovered Mills and Boon and I have no shame about it whatsoever. This is a medieval beauty and the beast retelling about a woman being escorted to her fathers estate by an enigmatic and scarred knight. She’s hoping to convince her father to let her steward her own lands, and of course trying not to fall for her escort.)

6. The bareknuckle bastards series by Sarah Maclean (A badass, brooding trio of siblings who rule the underbelly of Covent Garden fall for smart, beautiful women. Opposites attract, Good girl/bad boy, strong women, banter. Super fun historical romance)

7. Redeeming the reclusive earl by Virginia Heath (I just read this and it was seriously cute!!!! And book where the hero blushes even once is a good book in my opinion. Basically aspiring antiquarian named Effie barrels into the life of a new earl - who really just wants to be left alone to be grumpy and sad and disfigured. ALONE. But Effie wants to dig on his land. And she won’t take no for an answer. She also talks A LOT.

8. A family for the widowed governess by Ann Lethbridge (Technically this is part of a series but you don’t need to read them in order and this is the best one. A widow who is being blackmailed accepts a governess post. She can’t tell her employer about the blackmail especially when she starts falling for him.)

9. The bedlam stacks by Natasha Pulley (I read watchmaker and didn’t like it but you might like it. This one also FEAUTRES A M/M ROMANCE. I know this list was super straight im sorry. Anyway this is about a botanist falling in love with a priest in the jungle.

10. The wilderness series by Sara Donati (Think outlander without the time travel and also not set in scotland. Basically Last of the Mohicans fanfiction about Hawkeye’s grown up son. An english woman moves to america when her father promises she can be a school teacher there. Little does she know he actually has plans to marry her off. Things get more complicated when she falls for Nathaniel Bonner, a white man raised native american and who’s daughter and extended family is Native American. Like outlander there’s romance, adventure, history. But unlike the outlander books the love interest is a decent guy (i say as if i don’t love the tv show)

STUFF THAT REALLY ISN’T ROMANCE AT ALL. BUT I SHIP A SHIP.

1. The Lacey Flint series by Sharon Bolton (Lacey Flint is a police officer who becomes involved in the hunt to catch a Jack the ripper copycat. There actually is a strong romantic element with the other lead police officer.)

2. The last hours duology by Minette Walters. A novel about the black death and a closed estate lead by a woman who’s trying to protect her people. There’s also a kind of murder mystery. But she also has a close relationship to one of the surfs that I got super invested in.

3. The Strike series by J.k Rowling (I know we don’t stan anymore but. This series about  PI and his assistant slowly growing closer? Becoming best friends and partners? Not acknowledging any feelings for each other?

[sampagnereads]

Hi, lovelies! In July 2019, I’ll be hosting my first ever readathon, which is the DND Readathon, Race Edition! Basically, an edition of this readathon will take place about every two months (they won’t all be one-month long, though), and the main goal is to build up a DND character based on knowledge that can be found in the Fifth Edition Player’s Handbook! If you don’t have access to that, though, this website has a lot of information about DND that can be helpful. For more information on the readathon itself, I recommend following its twitter account right here! And just in case, here’s the thread that explains everything, and to which information will be slowly added throughout the month of June!

Basically, for this readathon, you need to complete all three challenges associated to a race for your character to be part of that race. You can try to complete as many challenges as possible, though, so that you have more options. Plus, if you read at least one book for a race, you’ll have an advantage when it comes to choosing your companions’ races! But, yes! Enough explaining! Let’s talk about my TBR now! I’m going to try to complete four races altogether, which are dragonborn, gnome, half-orc and tiefling! I’ll also be doing my best to read at least one book for all the other races. And so, below the cut, you can find all that I plan on reading for the readathon during the month of July!

DRAGONBORN

INVOLVES DRAGONS.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Shatter the Sky, by Rebecca Kim Wells. To put this summary really simply, it’s about a girl who plans on stealing one of the empire’s dragons to save her girlfriend, and basically, it sounds right up my alley. I was lucky enough to receive an eArc of it through Netgalley, and I honestly cannot wait to get to it. Obviously, there are dragons, or at least one dragon in this story, and so it fits perfectly for this challenge!

RECOMMENDED BY A PARENT/GUARDIAN/MENTOR.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Le Roi de fer, by Maurice Druon. This is called The Iron King in English, and is the first book in Les Rois maudits series (The Accursed Kings). It’s about a line of kings descending from a king who killed templars, and on whose family was placed a curse by one of those templars. It’s historical fiction, very much romanticized, and I’m oh so excited to read it. My mother has been trying to get me to read it for years now, and I’m so excited for us to be able to talk about it together. 

BUDDY-READ.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Girls With Sharp Sticks, by Suzanne Young. This is a book about girls who go to this academy where they’re taught to be docile, obedient, and not have any opinions of their own, until one day they realize there’s more going on than they had originally realized. As for the buddy-read, I’ll be buddy-reading this book with two of my favourite people, aka Sage ( sageshelves ) and Kat ( stardustreviews )! 

DWARF

FOIL ON THE COVER. 

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Mirage, by Somaiya Daud. This is a moroccan-inspired sci-fi fantasy about a girl who’s forced to become the body double of a princess who’s very much so hated by her subjects. Problem is, the main character starts to get used to life at court. This has foil both on the dusk jacket and underneath it (as I have the Owlcrate exclusive edition), so I think it’s a perfect fit for this challenge!

ELF

UNDER 200 PAGES.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Giant Days, Vol. 5, by John Allison & more. This comic series follows three young women who became fast friends in university, and I’ve been loving it so far. It’s a lot more interesting than the premise leads you to believe, and I cannot wait to get to the fifth volume! It’s only 112 pages, too, so that works perfectly for this challenge!

GNOME

BRIGHT COVER.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Prince Charming, by Rachel Hawkins. This follows an american teenage girl whose older sister is marrying the fictional prince of England, and who has a temperament that could lead her into some trouble, hence why the crown appoints a guy to help her like, chill! I don’t know if everyone would consider this cover to be bright, but I do, so! Yes!

5-STAR PREDICTION. 

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Captain Marvel, Vol. 3: Alis Volat Propriis, by Kelly Sue DeConnick & David López. This is the last volume in this particular run of Captain Marvel, who’s a superhero who mostly helps out in space. She’s my favourite superhero, and though I have given the first two volumes only four stars, I have a feeling like the third volume will get a higher rating than that!

CALLED UNDERHYPED AND/OR UNDERRATED. 

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Wild Savage Stars, by Kristina Pérez. This is the sequel to Sweet Black Waves, which is a retelling of Tristan and Iseult told through Branwen’s perspective, who happens to be Iseult’s lady in waiting, cousin and best friend. The first book is my favour of all time, and it is way too underhyped, in my opinion. I was lucky enough to get an arc of the second book, Wild Savage Stars, and so I’ll be reading it in July!

HALF-ELF

ONLY ONE POV. 

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling. It is definitely at least 99% told from one POV, so it definitely counts. I’ve decided to re-read the Harry Potter books physically this year, and so I’m planning on reading two of them in July! One of which you’ll hear about a bit later on in this list. 

HALF-ORC

THAT ISN’T IN PRISTINE CONDITION. 

For this challenge, I’ll be reading The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi. This is an adult sci-fi novel about three people who are trying to salvage what they can from an empire on the brink of collapse. It comes highly recommended, and I cannot wait to get to it. It fits this challenge due to the fact that there’s a tear in the hardcover; I got it from BookOutlet and so I didn’t fuss about it, which worked out well for me since I can now use it for this challenge!

WITH A MORALLY GREY PROTAGONIST.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Sadie, by Courtney Summers. It’s a book about a girl who sets out on a revenge quest after her younger sister has been killed, and a podcast that talks about her and what happened. I heard a few people describe the main character of this book as morally grey, considering what she’s doing, and so I’ll be counting it for this challenge!

OVER 500 PAGES.

For this challenge, I’m either going to read Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon OR A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin. Both are well over 500 pages long, and I know I’ll go for one of the two for this challenge. I’m currently reading A Game of Thrones, and so I feel like I might want to read the sequel next month, but also, I’m super excited for Priory, so! We’ll see!

HALFLING

WITH A POV THAT DIFFERS FROM YOUR OWN. 

For this challenge, I’m going to be reading Blanca & Roja, by Anna-Marie McLemore. This follows latinx characters, and as I’m not latinx myself, it works perfectly for this challenge! Basically, this book follows two sisters who come from a family where, out of every two girls born to a woman, one will eventually be turned into a swan. Anna-Marie McLemore’s one of my favourite authors of all time, and I can’t believe I haven’t read this yet!

HUMAN

BORROWED AT THE LIBRARY.

This might change depending on whether or not it’s available at the library, but if it is, I’ll be borrowing I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 2: Fluff My Life for this challenge. This is an adult comic that will also work for The Book Junkie Trials, a readathon I’m also reading in July and for which I’ll post a tbr asap!

TIEFLING

BANNED BOOK.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter is one of the most banned series in the world, and so I feel like it will work perfectly for this challenge! I’m not reading the first book in July, though, because I read it just a few months ago. However, I am counting this as the start of my physical re-read of Harry Potter in English! 

FOLLOWS A HUMANOID (BUT NOT FULLY HUMAN) CHARACTER.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Unnatural, Vol. 1: Awakening, by Mirka Andolfo. I’m not exactly sure what this is about, as I think it’s nice to go into some comics without knowing too much, but I do know that it follows a pig girl, and therefore a humanoid, but not fully human character, which is perfect for this challenge!

RECOMMENDED TO YOU BY SOMEONE YOU TRUST.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading La Reine étranglée (The Strangled Queen in English), by Maurice Druon. This is the second book in Les Rois maudits (The Accursed Kings in English), a series of historical fiction novels that are heavily romanticized. It comes highly recommended from my mother, and as I’m already reading the first book of this series for the readathon, and I’ve heard that I’ll want to continue straight away, I decided to add this book to July’s tbr!

[lostinletoland]

Bright Lights - Part Sixteen

Part Fifteen

Masterlist

Jared’s POV:

“Woah, Jared!” Sophia exclaimed joyfully when saw the restaurant’s views. During the days we were apart I’ve been thinking about something to surprise Sophia. And I had found a restaurant outside the town center of Paris, from where we could see the Eiffel Tower in the horizon; it would be dark soon, and it would be similar to the day we met.

“I wanted to take my girl to a real date.” I was behind her and placed my arms around her waist, and my voice was a whisper in her ear. Involuntarily Sophia pressed her body against my chest and turned her lovely face to give me a little peck on my cheek.

“Thank you.” She said before the waitress came to escort us to our reservation. I followed the hostess and grabbed Sophia’s hand. As soon as we were in front of the table, with a gentlemanly gesture, I separated the chair from it to let her sit down. I gently rested my hands on her shoulders giving her a little squeeze while I placed a kiss on her head before sitting across Sophia.

The orange hues of the sunset were already tinging the sky when we sat at our table on the terrace of the eatery. Her brunette hair looked brighter now that the last sunbeams were dancing above us, and her eyes seemed greener. I gnawed my lip as I observed Sophia, she was focused on the menu, oblivious to what her natural prettiness caused in me. Who would have told me a couple of months ago that I would be having these feelings for a girl again?

I shook my head, trying not to think about what Shannon kept repeating these past few days. My brother thought I was obsessed with Sophia and that she was not good for me, because I was distracted most of the time. But that was because I didn’t have her by my side and couldn't stop thinking about Sophia, now it would be different. Besides, Shannon still didn’t know her; he couldn’t appreciate if she is good or not for me. This matter has led us to have some small discussions; but at least he has promised me that he will try to get to know her before judge the situation again.

“Jared?” Sophia’s gentle voice pulled me out of my negative thoughts. She was looking at me expectantly, then I saw a maître next to us. And before I could answer, Sophia started speaking in French with the young lady that was serving our table. I had never heard her speak it and thought it was extremely seductive. The idea of her being without panties crossed my mind and I instantly felt a rush of excitement over my body. I was gawking at her when we were alone again. “What?”

“Did you just order my food?” I asked astonished. I didn’t know how to feel about it. I didn’t remember the last time a girl had done something like that for me, usually it was me who decided the food of both.

“Yes, the poor girl was waiting, and you seemed lost in your world.” Sophia shrugged off.

“But do you know I’m…”

“Vegan.” She cut me off. “I know it, angel.” Sophia said kindly resting her chin against her left fist and supporting her elbow on the table. That mixture of sweetness with a touch of smugness made me want her even more. “Okay, so… what’s the plan for tonight?”

I leaned my elbows on the table to get a little closer to her to verbalize my thoughts quietly. At the same time – under the table hidden by the tablecloth – my left leg infiltrated between her legs, slightly opening them.

“The plan is having dinner and a…” I bit my lip and looked into her eyes before using my vague knowledge of French. “… juteux dessert français.” I added raising an eyebrow and making Sophia understand I was referring to her. She instantly covered her rosy face with both hands while trying to close her legs to suppress the desire that ran through her body but couldn’t do it.

“Stop it, Jared!” She said through her teeth when she moved her hands away from her face. Now she was the one that leaned herself on the table to shorten the space between us and revealing involuntarily a bit more of cleavage, driving me insane. “You can’t tell me these things when I’m like this.” She murmured brushing her sensual lips against mine.

“When you’re like what?”

“Don’t play the innocent with me, you devil.” Sophia said before reaching my lips to kiss me softly.

“I'll try, but no promises, beauty…” I replied with a smirk when she ended that gently touch.

Before I knew it, we had finished having dinner, and apart from eating and talking I had fun teasing her a bit. The terrace of the diner was practically empty when we finished the last dish and decided to take it to another level.

“Come here, sit on my lap.” I stated when the waitress withdrew the plates. Sophia stood up gracefully and sat on my lap running her right arm over my shoulders and holding onto my arm. As she did that, I wrapped my left arm around her back and grabbed her gently from the waist, and I set the other hand on her bare thigh. “You look absolutely stunning, I love your work clothes, and even more what I keep in my pocket…” She chuckled burying herself on the crook of my neck.

“You got me completely juicy” She translated the word I said in her mother tongue before. “I need you to eat your French dessert already…” She seductively insinuated in my ear while in a leisurely move my hand began caressing her leg.

“Sophie? Is that you?” A voice interrupted our moment, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes; but I was not the only one who was annoyed, because I heard Sophia snort before turning her face away from my neck.

I perceived her eyes opened with shock when she recognized the man with a suit in front of our table. The guy looked about my age, and he was blond, taller and muscled. I noticed how her mood changed radically as she got up and quickly adjusted her skirt, now she was tense and uncomfortable.

“Hey, Nicolas.” I didn’t know how she wanted me to act, so for the moment I sat there feeling a strange tension in the atmosphere. “It’s been a while.” She added. I had Sophia with her back to me and couldn't see her face, but I could see the man's face and did not like the way he was examining at my girlfriend.

“Yeah, but you’re just as beautiful… or even more.” Definitely this man was an ex and still seemed interested in her. I gritted my teeth feeling a wave of jealousy. Discreetly Sophia put her arms behind her back and made a signal with her hand for me to get up; I could say she was uneasy.

“What are you doing here?” Sophia replied, omitting to respond to his compliment, which reassured my jealousy as I got up but still felt something wasn’t right. When I was on my feet, I stood beside her and interlaced my hand with hers. I give her a squeeze letting her know she wasn’t alone, she gave me another one back.

“I had dinner with a client, I was going out and I thought I saw you. But you seemed busy…” Nicolas said with contempt in his tone.

“Yes, Nick... he is Jared, my boyfriend. Jared, this is Nicolas, a former co-worker.” While she introduced us, he made a gesture to shake my hand. I didn’t want to be impolite, consequently I took his palm.

“And ex-lover.” He added when was shaking my hand. What was he trying? He was acting like a snotty saying these comments in front of me when it was clear she wasn’t into him.

“Whatever.” Sophia mumbled. “We were about to leave, good night, Nicolas.” She added faking a smile.

“It has been a pleasure to see you again.” He told her taking her free hand and placing a quick peck there, but I felt Sophia trembling with angst. Whatever happened between the two of them, it was unpleasant for her. I was quite intrigued with all the situation. She never mentioned his name in our conversations about previous relationships.

“Bye.” She sharply responded when he let go her hand and immediately turned around.

“Good night, dude.” Nicolas told me before leaving. What had just happened? It was a strange and uncomfortable conversation. When we were alone again, I turned to look at Sophia who was sitting in my chair, nervously fiddling with the hem of her skirt. I knelt in front of her to ask her about it, but she spoke first.

“Can you give me back my panties, please? I’m not in the mood for games anymore.” For a second, I hesitated to give her what she wanted, but her voice was shaky and I couldn’t say no.

“Sure, let’s find you a bathroom.” I was dying to ask her many questions, but right now wasn’t the moment. And I got the feeling after knowing what happened between them, I’d hate Nicolas. Although I hated him already because he had ruined the special night I had prepared.

~ To be continued ~

Author’s note: Thank you for reading! By the way, I've realized that lately there are fewer readers, if you do not like the story anymore you can also say it. Tag list is always open 💕💕

Tagging: @nikkitasevoli @msroxyblog @burritoverload

[glasstownentertainment]

Interview with Mary Watson - #YAGlasstownChats

This week we’d like to welcome Mary Watson, author of The Wren Hunt, to our blog!

What inspired The Wren Hunt?

For a while after moving to Ireland, I was pretty homesick. Eventually I decided I would write a book I could only write here. Writing this book became an act of belonging, a kind of conversation with the landscape and mythology of Ireland. I believe in every day magic, the magic of ordinary things, where enchantment is not so much sparks and smoke, but small and persistent, and I wanted to draw on that.

Your book is set in contemporary Ireland, but ancient traditions are still in play. This is still a kind of world-building, though – what kind of research did you do to create this world? What are your recommendations on bringing magic to our own contemporary world?

I did a lot of research into topics like druids, brehons, augury, Irish folkore and visited dolmens, standing stones, ring forts. Or just walked outside, down in the woods or near the lake to be inspired by the world around me. For me, magic is subtle, like standing down at the bottom of the garden when the sky is tinged with purple and the rooks scream in the rookery and I feel like I’m at the threshold of something. That magic has always been there, but it’s easy to become too distracted to see it.

You’re writing the next book of the series – is there anything you could tell us about it?

The Wickerlight is more a companion book than a sequel, and it picks up two months after the end of The Wren Hunt. It follows the story of Zara who is reeling from a tragedy, and she finds herself increasingly drawn in to the middle of a dangerous feud. It’s a dual POV book.

The Wren Hunt is your first YA book, but not your first book – what is something you have learned along the way that you would like to share with aspiring writers?

I think every book is a learning curve. Everything I write, every deleted paragraph or cut scene is practice and that can only help. My priorities as a reader have changed - before I would have been more interested in books with beautiful sentences and mood, that capture elusive ideas and complex emotions. While a little of that remains, I’m now much more story driven and want to learn as much about this as I can. I think there has to be agreement between one’s reader and writer self: write the books you want to read.

If time stopped, which book would you read over and over again?

When I was eighteen, at university, I discovered a collection of One Thousand and One Nights and it was so utterly magical. I could read that many times.

Which 3 fictional characters would you want to have an adventure with?

Inej from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Elias from An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, and Circe.

Do you want to recommend any books, comic books, podcasts, games, TV shows, anything that you’re enjoying right now?

I am currently reading and loving The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, which will be out next February. I’m listening to the audiobook of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, which is wonderful, and also the podcast West Cork.

My favourite game remains Witcher 3, and I’m looking forward to watching Westworld 2 when it’s out on DVD at the end of the month.

Every Christmas, Wren is chased through the woods near her isolated village by her family's enemies—the Judges—and there’s nothing that she can do to stop it. Once her people, the Augurs, controlled a powerful magic. But now that power lies with the Judges, who are set on destroying her kind for good.

In a desperate bid to save her family, Wren takes a dangerous undercover assignment—as an intern to an influential Judge named Cassa Harkness. Cassa has spent her life researching a transformative spell, which could bring the war between the factions to its absolute end. Caught in a web of deceit, Wren must decide whether or not to gamble on the spell and seal the Augurs’ fate.

This interview was conducted by Diana Sousa, Glasstown Entertainment's graphic designer. She lives in Portugal, where she splits her time between all things design and illustration related, and all sorts of nerdy things. You can bribe her with chocolate, comic books, video games, Dungeons and Dragons shenanigans, and yet more chocolate. And, of course, books.

[libraryleopard]

2017 reading wrap-up

I don’t normally do this, but I figured that since this year was the first year I kept track of the books I read and also set a specific goal (1/3 books by authors of color), I thought it could be interesting to see what I read in 2017. And yeah, this is a little late but I didn’t have laptop over Christmas break so *shrug*.

I read 186 books total, with 73 being by authors of color. (That’s actually 11 more books than I needed to read, so yay for being an overachiever.) I think having a specific number to aim for helped me to diversify my reading and push me to read things I wouldn’t normally have read and I want to continue doing that. Of those 186 books, 108 had a person of color as a pov character and 61 had a LGBTQIAP+ main character. I think I’ll try to focus on reading more books with good disability representation next year because I only read 23 books with a disabled main character (not counting thrillers that used mental health as an an unreliable narrator plot twist because ugh). 

I read mostly the same number of books (between 9-20) each month during school or summer, which surprised me since I normally think of myself as reading more during vacations. Also, I read 9 books when I should have been doing NaNoWriMo, which might explain why I didn’t finish..

Anyway, here’s the whole list below the cut if anyone wants to see!

*=reread

January

1/ Vicarious by Paula Stokes

2/ Run by Kody Keplinger

3/ Pantomime by Laura Lam

4/ Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard

5/ Don’t Fail Me Now by Una LaMarche

6/ The Force Awakens novelization by Alan Dean Foster

7/ The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury*

8/ Timekeeper by Tara Sim

9/ Tattoo Atlas by Tim Floreen

10/ Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova*

11/ Life in Motion by Misty Copeland

12/ Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak

13/ Peas and Carrots by Tanita S. Davis

14/ This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston

15/ The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine*

16/ The Cursed Queen by Sarah Fine

February

17/ See No Color by Shannon Gibney

18/ This Side of Home by Renée Watson

19/ I’m Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Gretchen McNeil

20/ Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

21/ Rogue One novelization by Alexander Freed

22/ Railhead by Philip Reeve

23/ When the Moon was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore*

24/ Truthwitch by Susan Dennard*

25/ Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

26/ The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig*

27/ Here We Are: Feminism For the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen

28/ We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

29/ City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

30/ Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

31/ A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab*

32/ The Young Elites by Marie Lu*

March

33/ A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab*

34/ A Study In Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

35/ History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

36/ The Rose Society by Marie Lu*

37/ The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

38/ Windwitch by Susan Dennard

39/ American Street by Ibi Zoboi

40/ The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

41/ The Midnight star by Marie Lu

42/ Heist Society by Ally Carter

43/ Pasadena by Sherri L. Smith

44/ A Good Idea by Cristina Moracho

45/ Camp So-and-So by Mary McCoy

46/ Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

47/ Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

48/ Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz*

49/ The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

50/ Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

51/  The Last of August Brittany Cavallaro

April

52/ Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

53/ Every Breath by Ellie Marney*

54/ Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

55/ Dramarama by E. Lockhart

56/ Every Word by Ellie Marney*

57/ The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee

58/ Lucky Few by Kathryn Ormsbee

59/ The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

60/ Caraval by Stephanie Garber

61/ Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

62/ Yaqui Delgado Wants To Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

63/ Every Move by Ellie Marney

64/ Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

65/ These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas*

66/ A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

67/ Fear the Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh

68/ The Valiant by Lesley Livingston

69/ 37 Things I Love (In No Particular Order) by Kekla Magoon

70/ The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

71/ The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig

72/ Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

73/ Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue

74/ Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

May

75/ The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud

76/ Hunted by Meagan Spooner

77/ The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos*

78/ A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

79/ Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman

80/ How To Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake

81/ To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

82/ P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

83/ P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

84/ Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

85/ You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner

86/ The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

87/ The Weight of Stars by Tessa Gratton*

June

88/ Does My Head Look Big In This? By Randa Abdel-Fattah

89/ Diverse Energies edited by Tobias S. Buckell and Joe Monti

90/ The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie*

91/ The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah

92/ The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie

93/ Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

94/ Cat Girl’s Day Off by Kimberly Pauley

95/ Rook by Sharon Cameron*

96/ York by Laura Ruby

97/ Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali

98/ Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

99/ False Hearts by Laura Lam*

100/ Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

101/ The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord

102/ Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee

103 That Thing We Call A Heart by Sheba Karim

104/ In A Perfect World by Trish Doller

July

105/ Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

106/ Want by Cindy Pon

107/ Behold the Bones by Natalie C. Parker

108/ The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

109/ When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

110/ The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

111/ This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab*

112/ Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older*

113/ Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab

114/ If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

115/ Because You Love To Hate Me edited by Ameriie

116/ Wildlife by Fiona Wood

117/ Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson*

118/ The Diviners by Libba Bray*

119/ Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

120/ Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim

121/ The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine

122/ Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray*

123/ Flying Lessons and Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh

124/ Amberlough by Lara Elena Donelly

August

125/ The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Gray*

126/ The Next Together by Lauren James

127/ Past Perfect by Leila Sales

128/ The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana

129/ Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

130/ Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody

131/ Burn For Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

132/ Radio Silence by Alice Oseman*

133/ The Great American Whatever by Time Federle

134/ Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds

135/ Heartstone by Elle Katharine White

136/ Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

137/ Solo by Kwame Alexander

September

138/ The Savage Dawn by Melissa Gray

139/ Boyfriends With Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez

140/ Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff

141/ Dove Arising by Karen Bao

142/ Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

143/ Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

144/ Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert

145/ Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

146/ Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

147/ Warcross by Marie Lu

148/ Spinning by Tillie Walden

149/ Release by Patrick Ness

150/ Here Lies Daniel Tate by Cristin Terrill

October

151/ Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

152/ Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

153/ Dress Codes For Small Towns by Courtney Stevens

154/ Shadowhouse Fall by Daniel José Older

155/ Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

156/ Venturess by Betsy Cornwell

157/ Night of Cakes and Puppets by Laini Taylor

158/ An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

159/ When I Am Through With You by Stephanie Kuehn

160/ Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

161/ Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon

November

162/ Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George

163/ The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

164/ You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

165/ Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

166/ In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

167/ A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo

168/ Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi

169/ Echo After Echo by Amy Rose Capetta

170/ Geekerella by Ashley Poston

December

171/ You Don’t Know Me But I Know You by Rebecca Barrow

172/ Like Water by Rebecca Podos

173/ Last Leaves Falling by Fox Benwell

174/ Black Boy, White School by Brian F. Walker

175/ Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

176/ They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

177/ The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

178/ If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth

179/ Empress of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

180/ King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Anne Berthelot

181/ Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

182/ Life On Mars by Tracy K. Smith

183/ Grendel’s Guide to Love and War by A.E. Kaplan

184/ The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

185/ The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

186/ You Don’t Know Me But I Know You by Lilly Anderson

[chicleeblair]

Dear Yuletide Writer

Dear Yuletide Author,

EDIT: I am not able to participate in Yuletide this year--I had to forfeit in 2016 due to being unexpectedly hospitalized in Nov/Dec after poorly managing my time, and misreading the rules--I thought the ban could be cleared by submitting a treat OR waiting a year, turns out I have to complete a finished story to be cleared, which I will this year.

All that said, I spent quite a bit of time on this and since I could manage to pinch hint and get to make my requests I’m going to leave my DYW letter here. If anyone feels like writing to these prompts, feel free. I’ll probably reuse them last year, depending on what is written for other people, but I already have plans to nominate a few newer fandoms next year.

Fandoms included: Newsflesh (incl Feedback), 

Hi! I’m incredibly excited about Yuletide this year, and I’ve been considering my requests and offers with more thought than I should be willing to admit to this week. There are so many fandoms that I love nominated, and though I’ve learned to be careful about what I offer to write for, I’ve still found myself making detailed mentao pro-con lists, especially since I try not to request fic from the same fandoms I offer to write in. Still, I’ve been surprised by some of the nominations—I only finished The Lonliest Girl in the Universe a week ago, and Lauren James isn’t well-known in the States, despite being one of my favorite authors. Anyway, I think I’ve got my lists figured out now, so the time has come to tell you what it is I love about my favorite pieces of underappreciated media. What an easy project /sarcasm.

 DISLIKES Before I get into the fandoms individually, I suppose I should let you know what my squicks are (you know you’ve been in fandom too long when you’re shocked Word doesn’t recognize the word ‘squicks.) None of these are triggers in particular, I’ve got depression, but it’s managed, and I don’t have any major traumas to worry about in particular. I don’t mine NSFW/explicit fic, but it’s also not often my reason for reading. That said, the following tags make me likely to hit the back button: watersports, alpha/omega, knotting, feces, mpreg. I’m not particularly fond of girl!penis as a kink, though it’s different if the character is actually dealing with being trans or intersex.

 LIKES One thing I do like that a lot of people don’t is bloodplay, though as there aren’t any vampire stories in my requests it probably won’t be a Thing this year, and I’m good with consensual BDSM.

 I’m sure it’s obvious from my reqs that I’m into zombie fiction, though it’s the human side of it I like, whether that’s humans dealing with zombies, or zombies attempting to deal with their humanity. One thing I will say is that I’ve chosen fandoms that all rest on detailed world-building, and if you want to write a fic that explores the edges of these universes without necessarily including the listed characters, I’m happy with that. Anything that explores how the world has changed/how a certain person has been affected by the big change is fine with me!

 I’m bi, with a deeply abiding love for f/f fic. I definitely have het ships that I’ll fill you in on, but I still love stories where those ladies interact with their female friends. I’m very pro kid!fic, I adore time stamps, alternate POVs, epistolary fic, social media fic, anything that explores the world that an author has already built. I wasn’t ever the kid simply rubbing their Barbies together, I acted out Barbie and Ken meeting while they babysat Kelly and Tommy. (True story: these stories were also written down in a notebook I carried around at school. Basically, I started writing Barbie fanfic at the age of eight.)  

 I’ve received some great Yuletide gifts via letters where I’ve spelled out specific desires, but this year I don’t have specific stories I want written so much as worlds I’d like to see explored further. What are they? Glad you asked, friend!

 Newsflesh (Feed, Deadline, Blackout, Rise, & Feedback)

 This isn’t the most obscure fandom in the world, by any means, since it’s written by Seanann McGuiare under her Mira Grant penname, and because Mark Oshiro of Mark Does Stuff chronicled his journey through the original trilogy. That said, I’m pretty obsessed with the world of these books, and have read and reread all the books and novellas, and I’m not as into the main ship as most readers seem to be. I’m adopted, so the relationship between Georgia and Shaun I don’t love incest in general, though a high school obsession with Life with Derek means I can’t cast stones. However, I nominated this fandom in the first place, and I picked the character pool especially so that even if I didn’t end up requesting it, other participants might take the chance to explore other characters, specifically the characters introduced in Feedback. Their story takes place parallel to Feed; while the Masons are covering the Ryman campaign, Aislinn North, the Irwin who adores chasing zombies, and her companions are on the election trail with Senator Shannon Kilbourne. I like Feedback due to the diversity of its cast—Mat, the teams’ techie and makeup blogger, is nonbinary, and Ash is married to Ben, the Newsie, on paper, but really in a relationship with the final member of their team, fiction-writer Audrey). But another feature I love about this book? Unlike the original trilogy, it was written after the date when Grant sets the Rising—July 2014. Because of this, the book contains some amazing pop cultural nuggets that just make the whole thing seem more real, for instance Ash mentions that Frozen merchandise is a rarity, since the Rising happened mid-PR campaign, and Taylor Swift’s pre-2013 music is “before she turned political.” (If only. Tay and JLaw disappointed me last year.) Like I said, I’m not married to you using these characters. Heck, if you want to explore Taylor Swift’s life, post-Rising, that’d be cool with me. That said, I chose Ash, Emily Ryman, Maggie, and Georgia because they are awesome female characters, and I’d love to see them interact. I can see Ash and Maggie having known each other/dated at some point—though post-canon I am pro-Maggie/Alaric, though less crazy about Ash’s girlfriend—and any situation where they could meet would make a great fic, especially if both Georgia and Ash have to deal with their prejudices towards each other. Also, in regards to Maggie, I wouldn’t mind knowing more about Alisa, Alaric’s sister, especially because the Masons take her in from a shelter in Ferry Pass, which is part of my hometown of Pensacola. Emily is painfully underused, being born pre-Rising and developing retinal KA, and all of them are just badasses. Basically, this world is awesome and I think more people need to be exposed to Feedback, and it’s Irish spitfire of a POV-Irwin. Another feature of this universe I’m interested in is the kids who grow up post-Rising. Grant looks into this with blog posts and flashbacks, but even the description of the post-Rising orphanages in the “All the Pretty Little Horses” short story from Rise makes me want more.

 Parasitology Parasite, Symbiont, Chimera

 Another Mira Grant, another apocalypse. People have accused her of revamping the same story again, but in spite of having some similar characters and circumstances Sal’s story is nothing like Georgia or Ash’s. Of course, I adore the similarities in story-telling—ephemera is my kryptonite—but Sal’s development is unique to Mira Grant books, if not to books in general, and her relationship to her own humanity/lack thereof is fascinating. I especially love that she spends the whole series in a committed relationship, one that she is confident of, and that in spite of only technically having existed for six years she is incredibly sure of herself. I nominated this one as well, and chose Sal, Juniper, Doctor Cale, and Tansy because they are strong ladies with complex stories that have lots of room to be explored. Dr. Cale, Tansy, and Sal to a degree, deal with disability—and this is particular interesting for Tansy & Sal, since they are aware of the fact that they are making a choice to keep this malfunctioning human body. Juniper is a little girl, yet she and Tansy are learning to be people together, Sal is learning to be a mother, and in a way so is Dr. Cale. Also, eventually Juniper will have to decide whether or not to engage with the humans of her generation, and that could be fascinating. That said, Grant hasn’t told nearly as many stories in this universe, since the trilogy relies far more on Sal herself than Newsflesh relies on the Masons, so I’d love to see an exploration of how the parasites and chimeras affected other parts of the world. I think the fact that the symbiotes have brought humanity so close to eradicating illness is something that could be explored further, too, especially when you consider that the parasites disabled their inventor, and that if the Mitchells hadn’t been attempting to hide Sally’s epilepsy, Sal might not have been born. There’s also the fact that the other doctor who is close to Sal—Cale’s son, Nathan—does not use the implants at all, suggesting that at their core physicians with their hearts in the right place know that there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed, that maybe humans need illness and disability to thrive.

 In the Flesh

I really debated requesting this, since it’s a fandom I think I could write in, but I liked the idea of letting my requests adhere to a theme, and this series was the first piece of zombie media I ever consumed (pun intended). There have been many great fics in this fandom, they are often AU and revolve around Kieren’s relationships—I’m all for people celebrating canonically queer characters, but to me neither of those ships were what drew me into the series. I didn’t nominate ItF myself, and I wish I had because I would have included Amy Dyer. As it is, I don’t mind if you mention either of Kieren’s relationships, but I only asked for Kieren and Jem because they’re the characters I care most about, truly. Honestly, I actually care the most about Jem, because I think she’s an incredible character who went through so much to protect her family and is forced to face her fears every day in order to have a relationship with the brother who made her who she is—in so many ways. I am also fascinated by the idea of a world that has faced the apocalypse and is having to move forward. The little details that serve to remind us that society had to hit the pause button, such as the lack of cell phones, are really intriguing to me, as well as the issues students like Jem face having to return to school after war. This world also opens the door for an exploration of what life might be like for children&teens who came back—Henry was a missed opportunity IMO—and while I don’t mind if you don’t bother incorporating the storylines Dominic Mitchell has said he would include in a season three, the idea of Jem making a friend with PDS (as opposed to PTSD, that acronym similarity needs mentioning) would be so great. Again, though, feel free to take this world and run with it, no need to stay in Roarton—I wonder what adulthood for Jem would be like, with Kieren never having aged, for instance?

 World War Z

Another of my nominations. I don’t know why, but I am obsessed with this book, specifically the audiobook. Max Brooks has talked about how he based this book on an oral history of WWII, and I think the parallels between the two wars are deep if you look closely—the idea of total war, the amount of work on the home-front, the inefficiency of assuming what won against one enemy will suffice against another, children escaping unimaginable violence, the nuclear bomb survivor, so much more—but what I really loved is how Brooks really fills in the details from each POV he uses. Without naming celebrities, Brooks clearly sets it in the Bush-era, which is interesting to me but probably not affect fic, but shows how well the world is crafted. The imagery that comes from the Australian astronaut who spent the war on the ISS is particularly poignant to me, especially the way he describes them discovering the burrowing zombies. I also get chills from Jessica’s story, the girl whose parents dragged her up to Canada, and when she discovers the Spongebob sleepover, because it’s a mark of how bizarre our culture and entertainment would seem, and how our comforts could disappear in the blink of an eye. I do think that this book is lacking in female POVs, particular ladies who might not be soldiers but were fighting the war in their own way. I loved Joe Mohammad’s POV, too, but not everyone would need to be part of a patrol group or militia to survive. I’d love to see what the situation was like for city-dwellers, or people who were in the areas not getting supplies due to the Reddecker plan. What about the Israelis, what was it like in the country during this isolated period? There have been some great fics exploring issues like euthanasia and abortion in that period, and I’d love to see an issue like that expanded. On the other hand, there is a lot that could come from looking into the world post-war, describing what the Narrator goes through to get these stories, or what kinds of stories he might hear after the initial book is published—a history of the rebuilding would be interesting since in this world the threat isn’t completely gone. Brooks has written two short stories that are explicitly in this world (a couple that are borderline) and one of them, Closure LtD, and I don’t want to spoil it, but it really makes me wonder what other kinds of industries would emerge in a post-zombie war world.

 Inhuman Condition

Also my nomination, this is a webseries that did not get NEARLY the amount of viewers or fans it deserved. The author has created this incredibly interesting alternative history, and I don’t think everyone who watched even knows how much detail was put into it. For instance, I discovered a blog (https://angrydeadgirl.wordpress.com) written from the POV of Clara—my favorite character—wherein she analyzes TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, except it’s Grey’s Anatomy reimagined through the lens of this world, and there is NOTHING I love more than inter-textual references like that. There are other in-universe shows that I have honestly begged to see for real, and via the show we only get a taste of these details. I’d also love to know more about how the existence of zombies and lycans affected history aside from the terror attacks we know of from the series. I’d also love to see more about Kessler, what got her into working with other-humans, whether there is a personal connection that we’re not told, more about her daughter, Mira, who has grown up in a world where the truth is known, there’s so much in there to mine. I didn’t nominate Tamar, the character who seems more superhero than supernatural, because to me her story seems to fit into this world less than Clara and Linc. Not that I don’t like her, I did, but while I totally believe they could all exist in one universe—I read Marvel, after all—her condition doesn’t seem to be in the same category, so the backstory would be different. Lycanthropy and Clara’s form of zombiism both seem to be medical conditions, to a degree, and while Tamar’s issues definitely parallel mental illness, it’s a different issue. I wouldn’t mind seeing her or others like her, just that I think the dynamics of lycan/walker-type conditions. I really appreciate how, like In the Flesh, this series allows the conditions to be a metaphor for real life issues, without erasing those issues. One of Clara’s blog entries, for instance, mentions that there are cases of people being killed for not informing sexual partners of their condition, and this is explicitly related to people with HIV who have faced similar violence. Also, Linc and Kessler are both explicitly bisexual, and in my mind Clara is non-straight, too, and that’s a reason I included Mira because WHY NOT? I nominated Frank because after seeing a fic that shipped him and Clara I got interested in what it would be like to have to spend all your time with this vibrant girl who is so afraid of becoming a monster, I don’t ship them necessarily, but I am interested in knowing more about him. This is the one fandom where I am kind of tied to having the canon characters front and center, but if you want to explore this world through a different lens, I’m open to it.

 The Loneliest Girl in the Universe

 I really, really thought about using this slot for iZombie, because it’s one of my favorite things and fits the theme, but I read The Loneliest Girl in the Universe a few weeks ago, and am THRILLED with the idea of finding other people who love it. I also considered offering to write for it, but I do not have confidence in my ability to calculate transmission delays or describe space physics. I mean, it’s basically a YA version of The Martian featuring an MC with anxiety who writes fanfic. WHAT MORE DO ANY OF US WANT? Throughout this book I was terrified that J would turn out to be an AI, but his actual backstory basically broke my heart, as did the reveal of Romy’s history. I really wish her mother had survived, and I would like to see more of her in Romy’s memories or maybe in the logs/archives now that Romy might be open to looking into them. I would love to see her asking Molly about them, or reading/watching her parents’ reports or journals as she builds a new world with Issac. I also want to know about Issac Evans. Who is he? What happened with him and J? Will he and Romy be MFEO, or simply besties who raise babies? What are the other adults on the ship like? Does Romy find a different person to love? Is it a girl? I’d also LOVE LOVE LOVE to see Romy’s life from the POV of an Earth dweller. You see, DYW, I am a huge fan of several family vlogs; there are babies I have watched grow up via the internet, and I am DEEPLY invested in their lives. NASA would be crazy not to have gotten the world to rally around baby Romy, and some of them probably still read her fics. That’s the thing, though, this book includes her fic, and imaging fic from 2067 makes me want to see more of their social media, and to know how it affected this next group of astronauts. Also, since it turns out that J lied about the war and the collapse of the world’s governments, I’d love to see what the world is actually like. What else is NASA doing? Does the entire world freak out when they find out what happened with Romy and J, or only Molly? Who is Molly? Did she suspect J based on how well she knows Romy? I have a need to know.

 That is it, oh Yuletide Author, way too many of my thoughts about Alternate Worlds, most of them infested by the undead. As I’ve said, I would be happy with stories that feature the characters I requested, or that don’t at all, but unless mentioned I’m not crazy about canon-alternatives.

[galwithalibrarycard]

first lines

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories. See if there are any patterns. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!

tagged by @sanashappinessisendgame. Thanks Sarah! I’m actually super excited to see what I get lol. I’m skipping “words words words”, my collection of nmtd/LLL oneshots, because it isn’t one cohesive fic.

1. And We Are Finally Home (nmtd/lolilo, Beatrice/Benedick): “It’s nearly midnight, and Benedick can’t sleep.”

2. kisses and stars (12th Grade, or Whatever, Liv Belcik/Viola Messing): “Liv Belcik could feel herself start to breathe more heavily, sweat slicking along her body, her hair falling down out of its elegant twist updo.”

3. things you said when you thought i was asleep (Away From It All webseries, Bathsheba/Gabriel): “After Bathsheba turns off the camera, she and Gabriel remain in the attic a while longer.”

4. The Promise (nmtd/lolilo, Beatrice/Benedick): “When they pull over on Pedro’s street, Beatrice can already hear the music blaring from the house that must be packed with the entire Messina High Class of 2014.”

5. i’ll look after you (The Adventures of Serena Berg, Serena/Roxanne vigilante!AU): “’Don’t fucking test me,’ Serena said, brandishing the crowbar.”

6. call me, cutie (Poe Party, Lenore/Annabel Lee): “Lenore Poe arrives fashionably late, as usual.”

7. VlogLadies (nmtd/lolilo, Meg/Freddie post-series AU): “Right,” Meg breathes, shaking her arms and her head a little, trying to loosen up. “Let’s do this.”

8. Broken Skin and Bleeding Hearts (nmtd/lolilo, Meg/Freddie roller derby AU): “Intimidated is not a strong enough word for how Freddie feels when she walks into the roller rink for the first time.”

9. the world is too quiet without you nearby (nmtd/lolilo, Beatrice/Benedick):  “Ben’s things have all mostly been unpacked- if by unpacked, one means ‘strewn haphazardly around the room’.”

10. Evermore (Poe Party, Lenore/Annabel Lee): “Lenore knows she should be, like, totes pumped to explore the actual Buckingham Palace during the actual height of the actual British monarchy.”

11. things that go bump in the night (nmtd/lolilo, Beatrice/Benedick): “It’s late, and Ben is finally about to drift off to sleep.”

12. but never doubt i love (nmtd/lolilo, Pedrazar and Beadick): “Peter sighs, squeezing Balthazar’s hand gently in his own larger one as they walk along the pavement.”

13. i shall not live in vain (Poe Party, George Eliot/Emily Dickinson): “George Eliot crawls out of the vent and falls to the ground with a cough and a sputter.”

14. Scarecrow (12th Grade or Whatever, Liv Belcik/Viola Messing): “Liv has always loved autumn.”

15. wine and sweet words (nmtd/lolilo, Beatrice/Benedick): “A wine-tasting? Really? How are you related to these people?” Ben complains, striding out of the bathroom, freshly dressed.

16. Broken Glasses (Stranger Things, Barb Holland/Nancy Wheeler): “She’s sitting on the edge of Steve Harrington’s backyard swimming pool, gazing determinedly into the dark water.”

17. alabaster sunrise (lolilo, Meg/Freddie): “Meg wakes up practically at dawn the next day- or it feels like it, the sun just cresting over the tops of the Wellington hills and flooding the tent with light.”

18. What’s In A Name (Lolilo, Benedick & Rosa friendship): “All Benedick had wanted to do was to escape.”

19. quick bright things (Lolilo, Peter & Meg friendship): “Peter is pleasantly buzzed, all the sound in the room melting together into a pleasant hum of music and voices and life.”

20. I Still Hate You, Though (Nancy Drew mysteries, Deirdre Shannon/George Fayne): “Deirdre scowls at the table in the corner of the diner, where Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson are softly laughing and holding hands.”

Observations

- I write mostly webseries fics. Overwhelmingly webseries fics, in fact. I need to branch out, maybe.

- I seriously seem to love using the opening sentence to establish the POV character, the mood, and the setting of the story. I pack a lot in there.

- My openings are very action-heavy and often include dialogue.

- Somehow most of my opening lines are pretty short, though.

- I cannot write an opening line without mentioning a character by name (usually the POV character). Maybe I should start challenging myself to break this habit?

- The breakdown: 2 F/NB, 9 F/F, 6 F/M, 1 with both F/M and M/M main couples, and 2 Gen fics. Not too bad at all. I really used femslash february to its fullest this year.

I’m tagging: @bisexual-meme-thief @toomanyfeelings5 and idk if they still write fic, but @sonseulsoleil just in case! :)

[infinitehouseofbooks]

BLITZ - Dangerous Crush

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS by Xpresso Book Tours. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

Genres: New Adult Romance

Dangerous Crush Crystal Kaswell (Dangerous Noise #2) Publication date: January 10th 2017 Genres: New Adult, Romance

With my money, my looks, and my rock star fame, I can have any woman I want… any woman except her.

Kit Piper. My band mate’s baby sister. The one woman I can’t have. The one woman who won’t get out of my head. Those big blue eyes, those sweet pink lips, the cheeks that flush at the slightest provocation… I want her under me, groaning my name, shaking with desire. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything She’s too good for me. Too sweet. Too innocent. She’s never even seen a naked man before. I shouldn’t be the one to take Piper’s virginity. But there’s no way in hell I’m letting another guy fill her with pleasure.

Piper Kit. The bassist in my brother’s band. The guy I’ve been crushing on forever. The tall, dark, handsome musician who keeps everything to himself. He looks at me like I’m an innocent flower. We’re only friends. We’re only ever going to be friends. I need to stop thinking about running my fingers over the lines of his tattoos. I need to stop wondering what his tongue piercing would feel like against my– I need to get over him. But the more I get to know him, the more I want to get under him.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“I was just kidding about you kissing me.” She sets her empty mug on the coffee table and presses her palms to her thighs. “I wouldn’t even want to kiss you if you’d been kissing that trashy groupie. Not that I’m judging but—”

“You’re judging.”

“Maybe.”

“I didn’t kiss her.”

“Oh, so you just told her to get on her knees and that was that?”

“Pretty much.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks and chest turn red. “Well, it’s just… if you want. It is a tradition, to kiss someone at the stroke of midnight. It’s good luck.” Her eyes go to the TV. “We only have a minute left.”

I’m tempted to spend the entire minute seeing how nervous I can get her.

But I’m not that evil. “It’s good luck.”

She nods.

“It’s just a peck between friends.”

“Yeah. Right. We’re friends.” She forces a smile. “You swear you didn’t kiss her?”

I chuckle. “You don’t want some groupie’s sloppy seconds?”

She nods.

“I swear on my left hand.”

“Which do you need more for the bass?”

“They’re both integral.”

“Okay. I guess that works then.” She looks from the TV—down to fifteen seconds—to me.

I grab the remote to turn the volume up. I can’t remember the last time I actually counted down to the New Year. Want to do it right.

The TV booms. “Ten, nine, eight.”

Her cheeks flush as she scoots closer. “You don’t have to.”

“You telling me you don’t want to?”

“Seven, six, five.” The crowd at Times Square goes crazy.

Piper shakes her head. “I want to.” She moves closer.

“Four, three.”

I move closer.

“Two, one.”

I move close enough to kiss her. My eyes close, my lips connect with hers. She tastes like cinnamon, salt, and sriracha.

She’s soft.

She’s eager and hesitant at once.

I want to keep kissing her. Want my tongue dancing with hers, want her body under mine, want her groaning as I make her come.

My hand plants on her knee. It’s desperate to slide between her legs and stroke her to orgasm.

That is out of the question.

I pull back and shift to my side of the couch. Something about the kiss lingers. Not just the taste of her, but this feeling in my chest. I can’t remember the last time I kissed someone sober.

It’s different.

Good different.

She’s bright red.

Fuck, she really is cute enough to eat.

  Author Bio:

Crystal Kaswell writes scorching hot new adult romance. When she isn’t writing, she is chain drinking tea, binge watching Law and Order, practicing yoga, or debating which fictional character would be the best in bed. She lives in Portland, OR with her husband.

Sign up for her mailing list to get exclusive bonuses like deleted and alternate POV scenes http://www.crystalkaswell.com/subscribe/

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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BLITZ – Dangerous Crush was originally published on the Wordpress version of SHANNON MUIR'S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS.