This is my last rec of the month. I've enjoyed having the chance to review my favorites and share them with the comm. I had a really hard time narrowing my list down, and I only wish I could do more, because there's so many great stories out there in this fandom! Now go forth and discover your own favs!

Fandom: HOCKEY RPF
Pairing: Jeff Carter/Mike Richards
Length: 23K
Author on LJ ionthesparrow on DW
Author Website: on AO3
Why this must be read:

This story is set on the Texas Gulf Coast, covering many years up until the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. I live in Texas, I have relatives who were on Galveston when Ike came ashore, and I've spent a good part of my life on various barrier islands. So this is a world that I know very, very well. And I'm super picky about accuracy and truth when it comes to stories set on one of my beloved islands.

ionthesparrow gets it right. You can almost smell the salt marshes, and hear the creak of rope and wood. You feel the same slow rhythm of tides and seasons that rules the coast. She paints of a picture of life on the water's edge and how harrowing it can be, even without a disaster of Ike's caliber.

Down by the Brazos is an example of another common trope in Hockey RPF, where one player has the canon career trajectory and the other doesn't play or was never successful. Somehow they meet and make a connection. In this case, Mike is the new kid in school and Jeff falls for him, but circumstances separate them. Mike goes on to play hockey, while Jeff tries to keep up with the family shrimping business. When things turn dire for Jeff and his family, he reaches out for Mike in desperation.

Down by the Brazos

Fandom: STAR TREK REBOOT
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Length: N/A
Author’s Tumblr: Thylaa’s Tumblr
Why this must be seen:

Taking a break from all the angsty fics I’ve been reccing, this is a picspam of the first reboot film that everyone – Kirk/Spock shippers in particular – will find highly entertaining. I just love the attitude here as Thylaa fondly skewers the film's well-worn tropes.

It really is hilarious – please check it out. Here’s a taste:



Star Trek, a Summary

And the inevitable sequel: Star Trek: Into DarkWhiteness

Fandom: PERSON OF INTEREST
Pairing: Joss Carter/John Reese
Length: under 1000
Author on LJ: none
Author Website: here
Why this must be read: The author's summary reads, "Three times Joss Carter let Reese go and the one time she didn't." In less than a thousand words, Homeric neatly delineates some of Carter's thoughts from 1.10 "Number Crunch" and later in the season, and carefully adds in that silent attraction between her and Reese. Non-canon pairs never interested me much before PoI, but I ended up stuck on this one. That's due in in part to authors like Homeric, who can create the gritty edge of what a romance would be like for Reese and Carter.

Three

Fandom: SHERLOCK BBC
Pairing: John Watson/Sherlock Holmes/Mycroft Holmes
Length: 16683 words
Author on LJ:paxlux.
Author Website: paxlux on AO3
Why this must be read: Because this is such a complex and seductive story. Incest is not usually my thing, but John grounded the OT3 here and made all the various relationships work beautifully. The the prose is gorgeous and the case is a great reason to showcase the fascinating character interaction.


London Triptych (The Government, The Detective, The Doctor)

Fandom: Avengers comic!verse
Pairing: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Length: 12,213
Author on LJ: websurffer
Author Website: websurffer on AO3
Warnings: The author warns for PTSD, flashbacks, slight BDSM tones, and discussion of rape.

Author’s Summary: Tony is going to woo Steve. No, really, he has a whole plan and everything. It's just, things keep going wrong. If he's not getting thrown into the pool and having flashbacks, then some bad guy is fighting some other hero all through their date. But something has to give eventually, right?

Why this must be read: There are a variety of things I liked about this story, but I think the main thing is Websurffer’s deft ability to mix humor, angst, romance and hot, hot sex, all in one highly entertaining story.

It certainly helps that the writing is full of attention-grabbing lines, like the very first one: It's not until he's impaled on a road sign that Tony begins to really appreciate Manhattan's rush hour.

And later in the story, this line: Tony is aware that whining at the person he desperately wants to have sex with is an almost sure fire way to never actually have sex with them.

This was written for the 2012 Marvel Big Bang, so there is wonderful accompanying artwork by leperu which can be viewed in the AO3 post of the story or separately here.

Give Me a Sign (Point Me in the Direction of Your Desire on AO3

Fandom: NARUTO
Pairing: Shizune/Tsunade
Length: one-shot at 5,140 words
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: AO3 works page
Why this must be read: This is a sweet story about Tsunade realizing it's okay for her to want someone in her life after Dan. It's good to see Shinune's one-sided love become mutual. Beautifully written. [begins soon after Tsunade becomes Hokage]

In Another Life by fall_into_life