Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: jenavira
Author Website: Unknown
Why this must be read:
This is just one of those incredibly bittersweet drabbles that tears at your heartstrings because you know what's going to happen. And it is so perfectly Archie.

Retribution drabble - scroll down a bit and you will see it

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Horatio/Archie/Kitty
Author on LJ: widget285
Author Website:The Widgeteria
Why this must be read:
It's a kind of unusual pairing, with Kitty thrown in. Taking place after the events at El Ferrol, it adds some het to the mix, which makes it very interesting. It is a Kitty who is infatuated with the two naval boys, and she has an insight into their relationship that is so incredibly true. She sees the sweetness of their relationship, and she wants to share in it. She helps them realize things about themselves, which makes for a sweet, sensual, hot fic in three parts.

( Some Quotes to Spark Your Interest )

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Fandom: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
Pairing: Jack Sparrow/James Norrington
Author on LJ: copper_rose
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

A slight AU from the end of the movie leaves Jack Sparrow pardoned and delirious; struck down by a virus racing through Port Royal and haunted by the former crew of the Black Pearl. copper_rose gives us a more complicated -- and conflicted -- Jack then is often found in fic. At the time of the movie Jack's entire life has had one focus, one purpose for 10 years, what happens when that purpose is gone, there's a lot of emotional fallout there, and finding himself steps away from and then miraculously snatched away from the noose only makes it more so. I love this story because it deals with the emotion and the angst but there's nothing gratuitous about it, no unnecessary misery, no stress just for the sake of stress. In addition copper_rose works in a layered and convincing romance, the slow dropping of guard by both Sparrow and Norrington, the degree by degree shift in their relationship as first innocent and then much less so intimacies creep in. It's spectactularly done, and when the result of that creeping intimacy is finally realized it has a true emotional and erotic punch. Long, plotty, sexy and romantic, Freedom is a perfect example of everything that makes Sparrington such a fabulous pairing.

Freedom

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: Scorpius/John/Grazya (yes, threesome)
Author on LJ: rainer76
Author's Webpage: Unknown

Why this must be read:

In Farscape, pairings besides John/Aeryn are rare. Not absent, but they are the clear minority in the fandom. That's why finding this made me salivate just a little. And that was just from the pairing. Actually reading this fic will blow your mind. Blow your mind and leave you wanting to praise Rainer76 for taking a pairing that most can't see and making it work and making it work well.

Rainer76 has a very distint writing style. It's clever and clear and very 'in your face' so to speak. Words are not minced, rather they are used to punch you in the gut or leave you breathless or make your jaw drop.

This one is definitely not for everyone. But, if you want to read something splendidly different, hot (in a badwrong way) and so very well written, then this is the fic for you.

The Track T Variant

Fandom: LORD OF THE RINGS
Pairing: Frodo/Sam, Merry/Pippin
Author on LJ: mirabellawotr
Author Website: House of Hobbits
Why this must be read:

This is a moving and almost wistful story. It begins at Weathertop and ends just before the Fellowship leaves Rivendell, and the relationships among the hobbits develop and change along the way. Not only the romatic relationships - there is also a nice connection between Sam and Merry as they each realize one of the burdens of love: the fear of losing their respective loved ones. The six chapters (with at least one from the point of view of each hobbit) provide a lovely description of hobbits caring for each other in the large, strange world.

Nocturne

Fandom: ALIAS
Pairing: Will/Francie
Author on LJ:ageofaquarius
Author Website: Here
Why this must be read: It's hot. It's a slightly different take on the Francie/Will romance that we didn't get on screen and yet Will and Francie are both perfectly in character. But mostly it's hot.

Melting the Ice

Fandom: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
Pairing: Jack/Will mention of Will/Gibbs
Author on LJ: penm
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

There's seduction in the air, and for once it's not Jack doing the seducing. A light, sexy and delightful helping of Will/Jack with a hinted side-dish of a most unusual pairing, The Fine Art of Seduction is told entirely from Jack's perspective and penm's Jack voice is perfect and perfectly hilarious throughout. penm embraces Jack's non-linear mind, his wandering thoughts, and makes them part of the story and part of the story-telling. Her use of language is beautiful, and her characterizations are universally excellent. Just lovely.


The Fine Art of Seduction

Fandom: X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder / Skinner / Scully in various combinations
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: frogdoggie’s website
Why this must be read:
This is another long series starring the intrepid threesome, written in frogdoggie’s excellent style and spot-on first person Mulder voice (though the perspective shifts to other characters later in the series). The first story, “Baton Rouge”, sets the stage, and is an excellent case-file to boot – Skinner and Mulder stuck in hot, steamy Baton Rouge, trying to catch a serial killer before it’s too late. The story, and the budding relationship between the two men, is well-developed and atmospheric – the heat almost becomes an extra, malevolent force.

But wait, things aren’t as simple as they would seem – Mulder’s already in a relationship with Scully. What happens when he tells Skinner? And when he tells Scully? Well, things get complicated, and what you get is an amazing exploration of three very complex characters that takes place over the course of ten separate stories. Some explore the Mulder-Skinner relationship, some explore the budding threesome and their confusing interactions. There are some extremely hot scenes, and unexpected ones – picture the three dancing in a club, or Mulder’s reaction when he finds his two lovers in bed with each other. Skinner’s backstory and family are well developed here, and are quite believable – though the attempted realism (including a gay-bashing) and Skinner’s fairly rigid views of sexual orientation get a bit tedious at times.

All in all, though, the series is a long and satisfying experience in character development, with enough plot, angst, humor, and hot sex thrown in to keep just about anyone satisfied. The writing is just excellent, with some great original characters, and for trivia fans frogdoggie is just about one of the only authors whose characters actually get to use the bathroom occasionally. And the ending is everything a romantic could wish for.

The stories are all found on frogdoggie’s slash page, but are interspersed with others from other series, so I’ll link to them all below in order so you don’t miss any.

Baton Rouge
Discordia Concors
Embarrass de Choix
Tripartite
The Threefold Charm, part 1
The Threefold Charm, part 2
The Threefold Charm, part 3
Lifting Weights
Weights and Measures
Weighing In, part 1
Weighing In, part 2
Weighing In, part 3
Weighing In, part 4
Counterbalance
Triple Counterpoint