Fabulous Fic Rec Friday

Happy Friday to all! After taking a few weeks off for Thanksgiving, Witchy and I back with another round of fabulous fic recs to carry you through the weekend.

blueeyedcherry presents Starry Eyed Inside by Rochelle Allison

I love going back through all the files of fics I have and diving through everything on my favorites list on FFn. Old favorites show themselves, and sometimes I end up starting to read something again and all the feels that I felt the first time around come rushing back. That's precisely what happened this time when I went diving for an old favorite and came back up with Starry Eyed Inside by Rochelle Allison. 

This is a high school fic, and anyone who knows me knows that in addition to angst I love reading high school fics. Bella is your typical, innocent 14-year-old girl when the story opens, and once she lays eyes on Edward at a summer concert, she falls head-over-heels in crazy, teenage, hormone-fueled love with him. What follows is a story about young love that will no doubt pick you up and transplant you right back to your own teenage days and the memories of the first boy or girl you fell hard for. 

One thing I like about this story is how Rochelle has taken some of the girls fic writers in this fandom usually villify (Jessica, Lauren, etc.) and incorporated them into Bella's social circle. I like that Bella has her close group of friends and that the group of girls gets interwoven with the group of guys, and eventually they turn into this big social circle and everyone is pretty freaking awesome. I love how Rochelle manages to capture the essence of being a teenager—the firsts, the trials and tribulations of high school, dealing with curfews and sometimes overprotective parents and getting grounded and sneaking out, and of course the roller coaster ride of emotions that comes along with that first fall into love and the process of growing up. 

Things aren't always perfect for the characters in this story. Edward has a knack for getting into trouble, and I like that because he's too perfect in too many fics. Eventually enough is enough and Edward has to face some consequences, which ultimately impact Bella because she's the other half of his world. There's a stretch of angst along the way, which ultimately leads to some greener pastures, but really, whose teenager years weren't speckled with periods of angst? I think it's safe to say 99% of us dealt with some type of drama that led to ugly-snot crying or being mad at our parents or just the overall restlessness that sometimes comes with being a teenager. 

I'm pretty sure I've rec'd something of Rochelle's before, so I may have said this before, but her writing style is unique and she definitely has a way with words. She paints pictures for her readers, one of my favorite qualities in a writer, and has a whimsical, almost poetic way of telling a story. 

Oh, and another thing I loved about this story was Rochelle's use of playlists. There's always songs mentioned in the stories, if a character gets a mix CD we get track listings given to us, and quite honestly, I always listen to the songs that an author posts on a chapter as I'm reading it. And as with another fic I read, I may have made a Starry Eyed Inside mix of my own that consisted of a bunch of the songs used in the story. Hehe.

So, if you like teenage stories and fluffy moments mingled with scenes that will make you want to cry into a stack of Kleenex, this one is for you. Add it to your TBR list or start reading it right now and please, come back and tell us what you think. :)

WitchyVampireGirl presents Cotton Belt by ThisIsReallyHappening

So I’ve moaned a few times about how I hate the same old stories, how I long for something new and creative; a story where I won’t be able to predict the next scene or how it will all end. A story where there is a Bella that has nerve, grit and a backbone and an Edward who isn’t God’s answer to everything on earth. They are hard to find, but out there. Cotton Belt by ThisIsReallyHappening fits that mold. Heck, it took the traditional cookie-cutter mold and smashed it into a million pieces and then scattered them to the four corners of the universe.

Can you hear my sigh of relief?

It is set in the deep south of Mississippi in the present day, but to be honest, if the author hadn’t clarified it was present day in an author’s note I would have sworn it was set about forty, maybe fifty years ago. Right from the beginning, you realize any “normal” fic rules have been tossed aside. There isn’t a one parent household of Bella and Charlie, or a group of three older siblings that just happen to meet another group of three older siblings. Instead, we get Cotton, who’s 15, her wonderful parents Renee and Charlie, and younger sisters AJ and Jessie. Just who is everyone? Well, read to find out.

Cotton is a refreshing character, filled with wide-eyed wonder and innocent naiveté. She has lived in her carefully constructed world where things always go a certain way. You have family dinners, women folk do the cooking, and you never miss church. Never. Each night you say your prayers and in the morning when the sun shines, you run and play all day until it’s time for supper.  That’s Cotton’s life. Wonderful isn’t it?

However, that’s not to say that Cotton is a push-over, or that she is shy and unassuming. She is filled with passion, courage, and love so huge it's more than she can contain. She’s a boot-wearing beauty queen, who knows when she sees something wrong in the world. In fact, she is sensitive to when what they preach in church isn’t what happens in the real world. She is a force to be reckoned with.

Then one day, in a cloud of dust, came Rowdy and his family. They were like nothing Cotton had ever seen or experienced before. Whereas Cotton’s family had enough money to be comfortable and then some, Rowdy’s family was dirt poor. A family of all boys, they were loud, dirty, obnoxious, and crazy. Then there was Rowdy, a foul-mouthed, smoking teen boy with charisma that out-shone the sun and captivated Cotton from the get go.

While Cotton is wonder, Rowdy is hard truth. He understands the world in a way that Cotton never will. Rowdy could be bitter and angry at the world, he has every right to be, but instead he is life personified. He embodies the saying "don’t judge a book by its cover". Once you see the true heart of Rowdy, you’ll understand how Cotton could never turn her back on him.

What happens next is more than a story about growing up—it’s about acceptance, love, kindness, truth, and forgiveness. As Cotton and Rowdy explore their new found feelings and relationship, they begin to see things aren’t nearly as black and white as they thought. There are plenty of greys for them to muddle through.  The trials they need to endure are more than any young couple should have to deal with, but they do, because being without the other isn’t an option.

This story updates every weekday and I anxiously await each one. It currently stands at 32 chapters and while I’m not sure how much more is left, it’s a ride worth getting on and staying till the very end. Our very own Nikki beta’s this gem, so that just adds to the many reasons why you should give it a go. 

WitchyVampireGirl presents The List by LauraACullen

Are you ever in the mood for a fun read, one to make you smile, laugh out loud, and maybe squirm in your seat? Then I have the perfect story for you: The List by LauraACullen. It was a story I discovered in my quest for all things smutty featuring a vampire Edward. Let me tell you, you won’t be disappointed. It is written in the time between Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

It opens with an all-too-familiar scene of Edward and Bella kissing and when he leaves, a frustrated—correction, a sexually frustrated—Bella remains. This is where the break from cannon first starts because, quite literally, this Bella starts to take matters into her own hands. *giggles* One cold shower later and a refreshed, relaxed, and invigorated Bella emerges. Her new found sexual revelation leads Bella to beginning a list.

What kind of list, Witchy, you all ask?

A list of all the sexual things she wants to do with Edward. Some things are sweet like a real French kiss, some are quite kinky like letting Edward dominate her. But the heart of the matter is that Bella begins to come into her own sexual being. She understands that sex with Edward while she remains human will be a delicate balancing act. One that will take maturity, communication, and some planning.

Of course this story wouldn’t be half the fun it is if the Cullen’s didn’t get involved in some way. What’s different with this story is that Alice is less of a do-as-I-say kind of know it all vamp and more of a, please-let-me-help-you. She doesn’t push Bella into uncomfortable situations; she helps enhance the ones that Bella puts herself into naturally. There is a Rose who is less bitchy and hell of a lot nicer. Emmett is of course his same old jokester self, but we get to see a wonderful side of a vampire Jasper rarely seen in other fics.

As the story grows, we get to watch as both Edward and Bella grow as people, as lovers, and as a couple. It is a fun, light-hearted read, perfect for snuggling under some blankets and escaping for a little bit. Since it is pre-Breaking Dawn, it does deviate quite a bit from the last book, which for me just adds to the likeability factor. If you haven’t guessed it … *stage whispers* there’s no Nessie! Give it a go and if you do, leave the author a little love.

Until next time, look for the magic in everyday life!

blueeyedcherry presents Look How You Turned Out by Counselor 

 

One of the best things about this fandom is the fact that there are so, so many different writers out there, and each of us brings a different style to the table with our fics. When it comes to Counselor, it's a type of writing that I can honestly say I've never seen with any other author or story. She has a very unique style and, if you were to put a story of hers in front of me with no identifying information attached to it, I'm about 99% positive I could identify her as the author. I don't even know how to really explain her writing style, but I do know that I love it. And I more than love Look How You Turned Out. 

 

Edward is Charlie's best friend in this story, he's Charlie's deputy on the force, and he's a bit older than Bella. She's had a crush on him since she was a teenager, but he was always just beyond the realm of possibility for her, because not only was she a teenager lusting after him (hello, way too young then), but he was also married with a kid. 

 

Flash forward to present-day where the story picks up. Edward is divorced with his son, Junior aka Juney, and Bella has just returned home to Forks after trying, unsuccessfully, to venture off and start a new life for herself in the big city of Chicago. She's ready to start over, although she hasn't been entirely honest about why she's back. It doesn't take very long for Edward to take notice of how she's grown up and developed into a beautiful young woman. And of course, it doesn't take long for Bella's crush on Edward to return full force. 

 

Except Bella is an adult now, and even though Edward is still Charlie's best friend, both of them know he couldn't think of anyone else to love and take care of his baby girl. 

 

Once Bella makes her feelings clear it doesn't take long for Edward's walls to crumble down and his feelings to come out as well. Their romance is a whirlwind, complete with wedding bells and the works, and as the story progresses we get to see not only the love blossom between these two, but we see how Juney and Bella's relationship develops and changes, how Bella's relationship with her father changes, and we get to watch as Bella works to help start a new life with this new little family she's created. 

 

I laughed and got teary eyed while reading this, and of course I had a ridiculous smile on my face for most of it because when Counselor writes romance, she knows how to write it so that every string attached to my heart is tugged and love starts flowing through my veins. 

 

If you haven't had a chance to check out Counselor's writing yet I'd absolutely say you should. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but in my humble opinion, it's ridiculously amazing. And definitely check out this story because it's ridiculously amazing as well.