Recs by Jane Elliot

Title: A Disney Prince Consort by Mithrigil
Fandom: Tangled
Pairing: Flynn Rider/Rapunzel (but basically gen)
Categories: fluff, humor, family, post-canon, tiny bit of kid!fic
Length: ~1,300 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
From the author: "In which Eugene Fitzherbert deftly and graciously contends with such highfaluting concepts as cognatic primogeniture, morganatic marriage, inter-state relations, and a spunky brunette wife who somehow knows how to manage everything including him."

I once enjoyed a very long e-mail exchange with lothy about all of those bits of royalty trivia that people who live in countries without royalty just don't understand. This story reminds me about this e-mail in all the best ways. Eugene's voice is spot-on and hysterical when he's panicking, Rapunzel kicks ass even when she is panicking, and Max never panics, but Rapunzel might have a point about the head of the navy being a horse.

Fun, fluffy, and wonderfully lighthearted, this is the perfect tidbit to brighten those winter blues.

A Disney Prince Consort

(So this is kind of embarrassing: I managed to completely forget that Jane's Recs had a mirror at DW. *facepalm* On the plus side, this means two recs in a row!)

Title: If You Give a Reese a Reason by zihna
Fandom: Person of Interest
Pairing: Reese/Carter
Categories: fluff
Length: 1,100 words
Warnings: n/a

Review:
Five times Reese and Carter were domestic, in their own weird, screwed-up way.

This rec breaks nearly all of my rules of reccing: it's extremely short, it's a five-times story, and it's an insta-rec (which I try very hard to avoid, as I often find myself feeling reccer's remorse). But at the same time, it's Reese/Carter which is nearly non-existent (thus far! I have hopes for the future) and it's fluffy and wonderfully in character and I just love Reese and Carter so much in this fic that I'm having to physically restrain myself from squeeing.

If you're a fan of Person of Interest, I'd rec this fic, even if you don't ship these two. Except for the very last scene it could easily pass for friendship fic and it honestly is so very adorably snarky that it's impossible not to smile.

If You Give a Reese a Reason

Title: Skin Deep by RivkaT
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Categories: genderswap, drama, angst, smut
Length: 27,700 words
Warnings: brief unwanted groping (not between Lex and Clark)

Review:
After Clark declines to take over the world, the cave punishes him by turning him into a woman. Ironically enough, that makes it a lot easier to give Clark exactly what he wants: a relationship with Lex.

Apparently I'm on a Smallville kick today. Another fun fic, though a bit more angsty than my last rec, with an inordinate amount of smut and a lot of Kent family angst (they still aren't thrilled about Lex). Good writing and some interesting commentary on the differences between men and women (Clark isn't quite as feminist as he thinks he is) and you have a fun read for fans of genderswap or just of good old-fashioned Clex.

Skin Deep

Title: Horseshoe Nails series by Dyce
Fandom: Firefly
Pairing: River/Jayne
Categories: AU, angst, romance, action, hurt/comfort, humor, virgin, favorite
Length: 200,000 words
Warnings: amputation

Review:
Thanks to a couple of mishaps, everyone is gone from Serenity for two days except for River and Jayne. Shocking everyone (including themselves), they bond. The resulting friendship subtly but significantly alters everything that follows, most especially everything to do with Miranda.

At one point in this series, Inara explains why she likes the idea of River and Jayne being friends: "There's something about a man who really believes that what an attractive, vulnerable young girl really needs is to learn to shoot everyone who tries to hurt her in the head." This statement neatly sums up why this series is far and away my favorite Firefly story and why I come back to read it over and over again. I love the fact that, while Jayne will protect River if she needs it, both of them agree that the best thing for River is for her to be strong enough and prepared enough to protect herself. It's beautifully in character for both of them, and while the path to self-sufficiency for River is a long and at times bloody one, it's also immensely satisfying.

Making things even better is Dyce's characterization, which is nothing short of brilliant. Every canon character, from Firefly crew down to the Operative are pitch-perfect, both in their actions, their thoughts, and (most impressively) their dialogue. Her River is especially good; she juggles River's coherence and craziness with a deft hand and never falls into the trap of making her speak actual nonsense. Mix in phenomenal writing, slow-building romance, fast-paced action scenes, and a perfect balance of humor and drama and you have one of the most engrossing, satisfying series I've ever read.

Two Gorram Days
Kinship
Bank Job
Miranda

NOTE: there appears to be a fifth story in the series, but as it's not finished and (as it hasn't been updated in three years) likely never will be, I haven't read it and won't be listing it here. You can find it easily enough on Dyce's FF.net profile page (accessible from the top of the page on all of the stories linked above)

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