May 17th, 2007 
06:46 am Collateral by Arsenic (NC-17)
Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Severus Snape/Hermione Granger
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] arsenicjade
Author Website: Every Rose Has a Thorn

Why this must be read:
This het love story isn't romantic, but it is in character, and it's a good read. Give it a chance even if you are wary of fanfic romances--the relationship is believable. The Hermione POV really works in this story, and I wouldn't call her my OTC (one true character) even at a stretch.

I'll give a warning that this starts out with a torture-by-Death Eater scene, and the story is about physical and mental recovery, so fans of the h/c genre will be satsified. I'm not a hardcore h/c fan, so for me the attraction was the level of magical detail and world building.

Collateral
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10:29 am Bare Necessities by Ellis Murdock (G)
Fandom: STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: http://www.geocities.com/twindolphinproductions/index.html
Why this must be read:

I don't know what to say about Ellis Murdock that hasn't already been said, except that I wish she was still in the fandom. In "Bare Necessities", she offers up one of those slice-of-life stories that is so much more. In this story, the process of decorating their first Christmas tree after Starsky's near-death experience actually becomes a look at Hutch's delicate healing process...

Excerpt )


Bare Necessities
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12:37 pm Running Warm and Sour and Mean by Lady Draherm (Teen)
Fandom: X-MEN MOVIEVERSE
Pairing: Ensemble piece, no pairing, focus on Pyro
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] eldee
Author Website: [livejournal.com profile] ladydraherm
Why this must be read:

This is a post X-3 fic. Wait! Come back! I promise it's good. This fic considers the entire situation from Pyro's POV and what is a bad-boy-gone-soldier to do when his leader goes missing?

This! This fic gives a whole new meaning to "lose a battle, win the war." The characterizations are excellent, the plot is captivating, and the writing is spot on and will leave Pyro fans, Magneto fans, and even general X-men fans wishing that there was more. Go, see for yourself!

Author's Summary: A soldier goes in search of his leader.

I'm not providing an excerpt, because it's so much better if read in context!

Running Warm and Sour and Mean
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01:06 pm Overheard in New York by Kate Andrews (PG-13)
Fandom: HEROES
Pairing: Peter/Claire
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] svilleficrecs
Author Website: on del.icio.us
Why this must be read: I'm not gonna lie, I love this author. Her characterizations are always first-rate and she is able to sell things to me that if it were anyone else, I might squint at them a little funny, whereas on her, I find myself on board before I know what's happening to me.

Like Peter/Claire. I'm not opposed to it at all, I just don't see/look for the subtext on the show. This story sells it.

excerpt )

Overheard in New York
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01:58 pm Gold by Frock (PG)
Fandom: TORCHWOOD
Pairing: Ianto Jones/Toshiko Sato
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] frock
Author Website: lj memories
Why this must be read:

The focus on Ianto and Toshi in the episode Countrycide gave us a wonderful peek at both characters and the trouble Ianto has with the business Torchwood gets caught up in as well as the comfort Tosh has. Shy little Toshiko thriving on it like all the others and this fic picks up with it and runs. It's a wonderful look at both characters.

Gold
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06:35 pm Soul Searching and Searching Soul by Sassyinkpen [NC17]
Fandom: TOUR OF DUTY
Pairing: Lieutentant Myron Goldman/Lieutenant Johnny McKay
Author: [livejournal.com profile] sassyinkpen
Author website: Notes From the Underground, Sassy's Smut Emporium

Why this is a must read:

Although Sergeant Anderson and Lieutenant Goldman are by far the most popular pairing in Tour of Duty, there is a strong case to be made for McKay and Goldman as well. Lieutenant Johnny McKay is a chopper jock with a huge smile and the ego to go with it. From the moment he meets Goldman, sparks fly all over the place. These two are gasoline and a match waiting to happen and Sassy does a fantastic job of writing this pairing like no one else.

"Soul Searching" and "Searching Soul" are a pair of stories that go together. One is told from Goldman's pov, the other from McKay's about what happens when Goldman looks up McKay after the war. Goldman needs to know if what he feels is real or simply an "itch" he needs to work out of his system. It's a wonderful look at the situation between them from their unique pov's. Goldman- who is more by the book and cautious and wondering what the hell he's doing versus McKay- who has lived his life like he flew his Huey, uninhibited and with no regrets.

There's the unspoken question in his eyes, but behind that is still the Johnny I've known all along. No horror, no revulsion. The relief, all of it, is so strong that I slip my other hand around his shoulders and pull him close, holding on tight like the nightmare just finally ended. I feel his arms rest loosely around me, and he's patting my back, smoothing his hand up and down lightly. It would be far too easy for me to lose myself in the sensation, and I manage to step back a little. "What are we doin'...?" I whisper, shaking my head.


Soul Searching & Searching Soul by Sassyinkpen
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07:45 pm Snatch by didntyoupotter (PG-13)
Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy
Author on LJ: [livejournal.com profile] didntyoupotter
Author Website: LJ Memories

Why this must be read:
In general, Hogwarts-era Harry/Draco really isn't my usual cuppa, but I dig this three-part story. The author takes an antagonistic relationship, a heaping of hurt/comfort, and some angst and creates a realistic portrayal of how how Harry and Draco could get together. There's not a drop of schmoop here, and it's just what I like in an H/D story.

Snatch
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09:53 pm Texas Hold'Em, by Mitzi (PG)
Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: Black Raptor listing
Why this must be read:

Mitzi is best known for her entertaining Old West tales (don't miss them), but I'm going to recommend her only ATF story.

When Ezra's cover is blown by an accidental meeting, he and JD are pulled out of their undercover assignments with a group of domestic terrorists. Thinking the job is over, they are in the process of wrapping up and salvaging what they can out of the fiasco - that's when everything goes to Hell in a handbasket!

The stakes are high, the danger extreme, and the writing intense and robust as fits a fandom originating in the Old West. The air of authenticity becomes even more understandable when you learn Mitzi is a retired federal field agent who incorporated real procedures, techniques, and, I suspect, attitudes into the story. A scene in which a hostage is extracted is based on field tactics in which Mitzi participated as one of the drivers (as she said, "being bumped by a 'dumb' blonde driver didn't arouse suspicion until it was too late for the perpetrators"). For a taste of the real thing, don't miss this story.

Take a test drive )


Texas Hold'Em

PS. Don't forget to send feedback.

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