Making the Man by kalliopea (PG)

[jane_elliot]

Title: Making the Man by kalliopea
Fandom: Alice (2009)
Pairing: Alice/Hatter
Categories: fluff, established relationship
Length: 3,354 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
Remember how subdued Hatter's hair and clothes were in the last scene of the mini-series? Alice noticed, too.

This slice-of-life fic is a lovely coda to the mini-series as Alice tries to figure out why Hatter's hair is suddenly so flat and his clothes suddenly so pedestrian. Sweet and very fluffy.

Making the Man

Choices by Kethrua (NC-17)

[jane_elliot]

Title: Choices by Kethrua
Fandom: Dresden Files
Pairing: Harry Dresden/John Marcone
Categories: angst, bonding, slavery (sort of), AU, hurt/comfort, BDSM (of the Dom/sub variety), favorite
Length: 28,325 words
Warnings: very light dub-con (so light I probably wouldn't have warned for it if the author hadn't done so), extremely vague references to pre-story child molestation

Review:
After the moment in Changes where Harry's neck is broken, he ends up selling himself to Marcone for healing rather than to Mab. Of course, after that fight is over, the slavery relationship remains.

You'll notice that I categorized this as a "sort of" slavery fic, which is what most slavery fics I rec tend to be. I love stories in which slavery is something that is not considered welcome by either party involved and thus both parties (especially the dominant one) throw most of their energy into *not* encouraging the master-slave relationship.

Which is exactly what happens here. The bonding spell that ties Harry to Marcone is cleverly written so that Harry stays in character while becoming subtly more submissive over time and Marcone is not happy with the change. The power play between the two of them as a result of this personality shift is quite intriguing and is well drawn out over the course of a year as Harry and Marcone both try to find their footing the relationship.

Fair warning, there are a few grammatical errors and the flashbacks in the story can get confusing at times. Overall, however, this is an entertaining, well-written story that explores some fascinating character interactions.

Choices

Marriage a Trois by Sorrel (PG-13)

[jane_elliot]

Title: Marriage a Trois by Sorrel
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes
Pairing: Holmes/Watson/Mary
Categories: angst, post-canon, hurt/comfort
Length: ~33,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
Mary always knew that to be married to John she'd have to learn to accept Sherlock. She just didn't realize what accepting Sherlock truly meant.

While I deeply appreciate the fact that the Sherlock Holmes fandom has mostly refrained from female-character bashing, most gen and slash (and even threesome!) authors tend to push Mary aside or even ignore her outright. Which makes this fic such a unique and precious gem: not only does Sorrel embrace Mary and show her as a fully articulated, intelligent, and interesting woman, she does so using Mary's POV.

The story itself is less a Mary/John or Holmes/Watson story and more a Mary/Sherlock story, because for the threesome to truly work, Mary and Sherlock have to do more than just get along. The end result is a magnificent slow-building romance featuring a wonderful female protagonist. A very satisfying and enjoyable read.

Marriage a Trois

Magnetic by Aria (R)

[jane_elliot]

Title: Magnetic by Aria
Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Fraser/Kowalski/Vecchio
Categories: post-canon, angst, casefile
Length: ~20,700 words
Warnings: police procedure as accurate as in canon (which is to say, not accurate at all)

Review:
After the adventure, Kowalski comes back to Chicago with the understanding that Fraser will be following as soon as he can arrange a transfer back to the Consulate. Only when Kowalski arrives, he finds that Vecchio is back as well.

I understand that there are a lot of Due South threesome fics where both Vecchio and Kowalski are focused on Fraser (though I have to admit I haven't found many of those stories myself). This fic is rather unique in that it *seems* like the Rays are focused on Fraser, but the real issue is that the Rays are focused on each other and *want* to be focused on Fraser. It's an interesting dynamic that causes lots of issues until everyone finally gets their ass in gear and *talks* to each other. Add to that some good writing with a few absolutely great lines as well as two very distinct Rays and you have a solid, satisfying FKV fic.

Magnetic

Lucky in Love by belmanoir (NC-17)

[jane_elliot]

Last one for today (probably).

Title: Lucky in Love by belmanoir
Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Fraser/Vecchio/Kowalski
Categories: AU, harlequin, fluff, casefile, angst
Length: ~26,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
While undercover, a drunk Ray Kowalski bets his partner, Ray Vecchio, in a game of poker. And loses. Fortunately he was playing a Canadian. AU in which Fraser hasn't met the Rays yet.

I love so much about this fic, from the fact that the focal point in the love triangle is Vecchio to the way belmanoir neatly ties in bits of canon with her AU. What I love most of all, however, is the fact that she opted for first season Fraser: aggressive, practical, and highly competent, while still being idealistic. He's my absolute favorite Fraser and doesn't show up that often in fic, so seeing him in this fic made my day. Mix in some smut, some jealousy, and a whole lot of miscommunication, and you have a fabulous Harlequin fic.

Lucky in Love

Epilogue: All I want to do is see more

Miss de Bourgh in Bath by SwordSwallower17 (PG)

[jane_elliot]

So I totally lied when I said I was done for the day. Enjoy!

Title: Miss de Bourgh in Bath by SwordSwallower17
Fandom: Pride and Prejudice
Pairing: Anne de Bourgh/OMC
Categories: romance, drama
Length: 125,000 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
After Lady Catherine's planned marriage between Darcy and her daughter falls apart, she takes Anne to Bath in search of a prospective husband. Out in the world for the first time, Anne finds that there's a lot out there to see and to love.

I never thought of seeking out fic about Anne de Bourgh; honestly, she wasn't the most interesting of Austen's secondary female characters and I don't think she actually said a word during the course of the book. That said, I love stories about minor Austen characters and wanted to take a break from the endless variations on the Elizabeth/Darcy theme so I gave this fic a try. And wow, am I glad I did.

Sheltered to the point of reclusiveness while at the same time raised with a highly elevated view of herself and her class, Anne is an intriguingly complex character and SwordSwallower does a brilliant job of delving deep into her psyche. Anne's growth from a snobby but uncertain wallflower parroting her mother's beliefs into a thinking, interesting woman capable of interacting with the world around her is a slow and fascinating process and just by itself is enough to warrant this rec.

Of course, Austen fic wouldn't be Austen fic without romance and this fic delivers in that regard as well. SwordSwallower does a tremendous job both with all of her OCs and while I really like Anne's love interest, I love his family even more. With miscommunication and high drama, but also with a firm foundation of friendship and family, it's a realistic and satisfying romance.

(As a side note, can I just state how happy I was to see a fic where Colonel Fitzwilliam is *not* the male love interest? As one of the very few Austen bachelors who doesn't turn out to be a villain, I think he's been married off to every single second-string Austen female.  Multiple times. He's a nice guy and all, but really, I think he deserves a break.)

With a writing style very reminiscent of Jane Austen's; a layered, complex leading lady; and an elaborately researched world fully populated with interesting OCs, Miss de Bourgh in Bath is a long, engaging, and very satisfying story.

Miss de Bourgh in Bath

Home Improvement by imkalena and JiM (NC-17)

[jane_elliot]

Title: Home Improvement by imkalena and JiM
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0
Pairing: Danny/Steve, Danny/OMC
Categories: angst, hurt/comfort, fluff
Length: 32,000 words
Warnings: homophobia

Review:
After Danny is held hostage for a couple of days, he and Steve make out. Which leads to all sorts of awkwardness, primarily in the form of Steve being a dick. Tired of pining after Steve, Danny picks up a sugar daddy (just go with it) and Steve? Is not happy.

I gotta be honest here -- the vast majority of Hawaii Five-0 fic I've read has been the exact same story, with the exact same canon references, with the exact same banter, and the exact same Steve and Danny Kiss moment. It's gotten so bad that I've actually started seeking out AUs, which is pretty much the exact opposite of my behavior in other fandoms.

Which is what makes this fic such a gem -- it's canon universe, it's unique and interesting enough to separate itself from other H50 fics, and it's completely awesome. The character interactions are great (Chin and Kono are especially good), the angsty relationship bits are wonderfully potent, and the puppy that Steve adopts is quite possibly the most adorable fic pet ever (she's the reason for the fluff tag). If you're in the mood for an angst-fest driven by one deeply screwed up character (hi, Steve!) and/or are just in the mood for some well developed relationship drama that is handled in an interesting and unusual way, this is the fic for you.

Home Improvement