Wednesday, September 21, 2011

TLS Fics of the Week 9/20 - 9/27/2011- Five Star Reviews



Check out what our Five Star Reviewers Evilnat, Edmazing, Dragonfly336, Jaime Arkin and B.Krumova have to say about The Lemonade Stand's Fics of the week, this week.

Wild by peppahlouie
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6655429/1/Wild
Recently widowed Bella moves to Seattle to start a new life. Reconnecting with her friend, Bella meets Alice's brother, Chef Edward Cullen. Celibate by choice for 2 years, what happens when Edward finds himself undeniably attracted to a sexy new Bella? Twilight - Rated: M

Review By: Evilnat

If you like your stories long and detailed you are going to love Wild.  Peppahlouie’s writing is amazing, with epic chapters and she throws in a few twists to keep us guessing too.  She also has stellar talent for writing about food.   Every chapter centers on food and cooking, with mention of incredible high end cuisine and even the everyday cooking mentioned seems to be a culinary masterpiece.  I’m not much of a cook myself but the food aspect of the story impressed me immensely.

Wild is set in Seattle, Bella has just moved into a loft above a restaurant called Wild, after her husband and father, who are both police officers, are killed on the job.  She wants a new start in a new place and when she reconnects with Alice her whole life changes.  Bella’s got mummy issues and had problems within her marriage to Jake, so she isn’t exactly the most confident woman.  With Alice’s help she gets a job at Wild and a makeover.

This is where she meets Edward; he’s head chef and part owner (with Alice) of Wild.  He’s grumpy and had a rough time with ex-girlfriends in the past, which is the main reason for his current choice to be celibate for the past two years.  He’s also a bit of a food snob and Bella’s talent for cooking impresses him from the start.

"Edward, Bella made those muffins."

Fuck me. I stop chewing and stare at Bella. She has turned deep red and is trying to find something to look at other than me. I take in her appearance this morning. She's not looking grunge today – more like a lumberjack; it's a definite improvement. Her long hair, damp I'm assuming from her morning shower, hangs loose around her shoulders. I understand her apparent nervousness – it's a killer to have a chef taste your food. It's bad enough when you're a chef yourself... I should know, and do.

"Well colour me fucking impressed. What's your secret, Bella? I'm detecting a note of... citrus?"

Her face explodes into a huge smile. What do you know – emo-grunge-lumberjack girl is pretty.

Alice is a major character, not only is she Edward’s sister, but she lives across the hall and works at Wild too.  Another important character is Bella’s mother Renee; she’s someone you will love to hate.  Most of the other regular supporting cast members make an appearance, including some of the Quileute’s.

It’s a very slow burn, taking a long time to get to the first kiss and 30 chapters to get to complete lemons, but so worth it.  Edward and Bella’s relationship is sweet and the use of music to portray their feelings towards each other is a cute touch.  When the lemons finally begin they are hot and well written.

"EDWARD! Oh my god, I love you too... oh my god... I love you, I love you..." I moan as he thrusts into me again and again. And I can feel it building, another orgasm is tightening the coil as the intense pleasure rages through me over and over with every thrust.

"Edward... Edward... I'm going to come again, baby... oh my god..."

"Me too, sweetheart," he pants as his thrusts start to ease in power but last longer, "come with me, Bella... come with me love..."

He reaches between us with one hand and circles my clit with his thumb, and I shriek as I shatter around him again in my third and most powerful climax yet. At the same time, he roars, "JESUSGOD... JESUS FUCKING GOD... YESSSSSS" and I feel his hot jets shoot into me as he pumps deep, holding my hips securely against him and grinding into me.

We collapse on the bed, still joined, Edward turned a little so his weight is on the mattress. We are panting, I'm still squirming from aftershocks and Edward has latched onto my neck, his teeth biting and only just not causing pain.

After a few moments, he lifts himself on his elbow and looks over to find me grinning like a fool. He raises an eyebrow and gives me his sexy smirk. "You liked that, did you, Miss Swan?"

I nod excitedly. "Most definitely, Chef Cullen. Let's do it again!"

Wild has everything: fluff, lemons, a bit of angst and some twists and turns to keep almost any reader happy.  It’s complete with 42 chapters and an epilogue and it has a couple of outtakes at the end too.  Take your time and check it out, it will be worth it.

Nat <3


Taken in the Night by Sheviking
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7355413/1/Taken_in_the_Night
 Bella is kidnapped by Edward, the man who has secretly wanted her and watched her from afar. Is it love or merely obsession which motivates him? Bella is about to find out. Rated M for a reason. Twilight - Rated: M

Review By: B. Krumova

Taken in the Night is the type of story which grabs you from the first sentence. It’s rare to find such a good story; a story you can’t stop reading no matter how much you want.
Sheviking has her way with words; she always had. No matter which story of hers I read (and I’ve read them all) it doesn’t take more than a chapter for me to click on the “story alert” button. Taken in the Night was no exception.

Bella Swan is a normal twenty years old girl, living an ordinary life. She wakes up, goes to school, comes home, reads a book and goes to bed. However, everything changes when she wakes up in an unfamiliar bed, dressed in a skimpy nightgown without a memory how she ended up where she was.

I woke up and immediately knew something was wrong. The ceiling above me was not the same as I normally looked at when I opened my eyes in the morning.
Where am I? 
My heart started beating faster and my hands went clammy as the fear set in.
Something is terribly wrong! 
I sat up and noticed that that I was in a large bed with dark blue sheets that were incredibly soft and clearly not the cheap ones that I used to sleep in at home. My eyes quickly darted around the room which was large and very nicely decorated. On the wall across from the bed was a huge flat-screen TV, there were bookcases filled with books and DVDs. On the nightstand there was a vase with beautiful white roses which I could smell from where I was sitting.
What did I do last night? 
I thought back. I had gone to bed at 11 after a boring night at home and nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I looked down at myself and my heart went into overdrive when I saw that I was wearing a nightgown made out of silk rather than my usual cotton pajamas. Someone had changed my clothes!
Panic started to set in and I felt the tears begin to form while I grabbed the sheet to cover my scarcely clad body. Just then I heard someone clear their throat in the corner of the room. The hairs on the back of my head stood up and I felt a rush of fear as the realization hit me:
I am not alone. 

The story is told from Bella’s point of view which allows us to sympathize with everything she feels. As the initial shock subsides, our narrator finally understands what’s happened. She had been taken from her own apartment, her own bed and brought to where she was.
But who is her kidnapper? What does he want?
Money was not an issue for him, since the room she was locked in was more than well furnished. She wasn’t someone important; she didn’t have any special knowledge or connections.
Stress and desperation sets in as soon as she realizes he only wants her.

"My dad, he isn't rich," I said. "But he will give you everything he owns to get me back."
At least that part was true. I may not talk to Charlie very often, or pretty much at all anymore, but I still knew that I could count on him if I was ever in trouble. And, boy was I in trouble now.
"Bella, I don't want your father's money," Edward said. "I just…I just want…you."
"Oh, God," I whispered. "You're not ever letting me go, are you?" 

Edward is not your typical kidnapper. He doesn’t lock Bella in the basement, tying her writs and making her eat dog food. On the contrary, he’s gentle, caring and sweet.
Which confuses Bella beyond believe.
What exactly is Edward’s deal? Why did he take her away and what does he want from her? How will the story proceed? Will Bella keep living in the nightmare, while Edward enjoys his dream come true?
Trust me, this story is worth it.



Dear Maggie by Jenny0719
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7179931/1/Dear_Maggie
A heart leads Bella back home to Forks... and to the brother of the woman who donated it. M for Lemons/OOC/Language

Review By: Dragnfli Threethreesix

I love to find stories that have a unique story line and sometimes that is hard to find in a fandom with thousands and thousands of stories.  Dear Maggie by Jenny0719 was one of those for me. In classic Twilight style, Bella moves to Forks from Phoenix, although she doesn’t do it for her mother and she has already graduated from high school.  She is set to attend the University in Washington for college that year.  But that isn’t the only reason she is in Forks.

I reached up and felt the long, pink puckered scar that divided my chest, my constant reminder of why I was here and how things could change in just the blink of an eye. One day, you're lamenting over things like history reports and gym class, and the next, you're lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by wires and tubes while a doctor broke the news that your heart was dying, that you'd been born with this... defect that had been overlooked for years; one that slowly ate away at you while you wandered through life thinking that every fall and every strange shift in your equilibrium was because of some genetic flaw of clumsiness your mother passed down to you, when it was really one that ran so much deeper and created more problems, more pain—both physical and emotional—than you'd ever thought you could bear.


I glanced over at the file folder sitting beside me and had the sudden urge to snatch it up and cradle it to my chest. It held so much information about the girl whose life had ended so mine could finally begin. She'd given me a second chance, and it was hard to reconcile the immense gratitude and happiness I felt for being alive with the guilt and sadness I felt over her life being cut so short and so suddenly.


After Bella recovered from her heart transplant, she had a sudden, fierce need to know about this girl, Maggie, from who she got her heart.  She has also struggled through her feelings that she didn’t deserve her heart. She started writing in journals to work through her feelings.

Dear Maggie,


He's here. I can feel it. It scares me how connected I feel to him already. I don't even know his name, but I know that I'm supposed to meet him. I just wish I knew why. Telling him about you is the only thing I can think of, but it still seems wrong. Like there's more to it, and I'm just not seeing it.


I sound crazy, right? Sometimes, I think maybe I am. Like the psych eval I had to go under to make sure I could handle this was wrong or altered so I could have the surgery regardless of my mental state. I wouldn't put it past Renee to use the last of her savings and pay off some unsuspecting shrink to save me. After all, I am writing another letter to a dead girl. Just like I have been for months...


Bella’s new doctor in Forks is none other than our favorite, Dr. Cullen.  During her checkup, he gives her information on his son’s garage, knowing that he needs help and she needs a job.  She decides to stop there on the way home and meets Edward, who is less than accommodating, in fact, he is truly an ass. It turns out though that Edward is exactly the reason that Bella has come to Forks.

"Are you sure about why you're here?" he blurted out.

"I'm pretty sure, yeah. Why?"


"It's just…" He paused and stared at his plate for a moment. "I found the name of your donor's brother today."


I was suddenly giddy with anticipation, all thoughts of the red-headed asshole from earlier forgotten. "Really? Who is he? Does he live in Forks like we thought?"


"Yeah, he lives here. For now, anyway," Charlie answered reluctantly. He pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket and pushed it my way.


I reached out to take it from him, my hand shaking nervously as I did. I stared at the script on the paper in disbelief unsure if I was reading it correctly or if it was some crazy figment of my imagination.


Edward Cullen.


Edward was adopted by the Cullen’s, along with Emmett and Jasper, who all had something horrible happen to them in their lives.  Edward doesn’t sleep to avoid nightmares and he can’t stand being touched.  He is standoffish and has an asshole attitude which is mostly a defense mechanism to keep people away.

After all these years, I'd become a master at hiding things from my family. No one knew exactly what I'd been through. No one knew how black I was inside, how soulless I sometimes felt. I kept up the façade; I appeared the so-called norm. My adoptive parents thought they'd saved me from a life that was bound to find me not simply homeless, but dead in one of those dark alleyways I tried to forget. I supposed that in a way, they did.

They just didn't know that it still haunted me; that I spent every night lying awake so that I didn't see the monsters of my past or that I'd trained myself to stop screaming when I woke up from the nightmares they induced on the nights I finally did succumb to exhaustion. They had no idea that I was already broken when they'd found me and that the thousands of dollars of therapy they'd spent on me had only helped me to cope with the aftereffects of that life.


I’m really excited about this story and to where it goes, especially when Edward finds out about his sister. At six chapters in, Edward is beginning to open up just a little bit to Bella, when Esme forces him to accompany Bella on a hiking trip.  I also love this Bella, she is not a doormat and gives it back to Edward when he is a jerk to her, which is often. Jenny0719 has a wonderful story here, so please give Dear Maggie a try! You won’t regret it!


Brazilian Chocolate by Amesomesauce76
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7349536/1/Brazilian_Chocolate
In 1994, he was an arrogant college student & she was dating his little brother. He was always haunted by the memory of her until fate brought them together again 16 yrs later. What happens when a forbidden attraction is no longer forbidden? EPOV, AU/AH
Twilight - Rated: M

Review By: Edmazing

Right up front, I want to go on record and say I’m a fan of AwesomeSauce76. I can’t help but smile and bite my lip and maybe squirm in my seat a little whenever I think of her panty ruining fic Last Tango in Forks.  And her oh-so-hot one shot Forever is probably my favorite mini vamp tale. She writes hot shit with characters you want to spend time with and get to know.

So, it’s no surprise that I loved her latest story, Brazilian Chocolate. At just over 31k words it is just the right size to sink your teeth into and savor in one sitting. And believe me. You’re going to want to carve out a little chunk of time to fully savor the longing and the heat in this one!

Edward is an isolated traveling consultant. Choosing to work with computers and programs instead of people.  And opting for holiday pay over holiday cheer.

Tired and annoyed with traveling.  Really, annoyed in general, he is headed home from Brazil after a holiday job.  Stuck at an airport because of a delayed flight and scrounging for reading material because of a misplaced cord, he hears it.

The laugh. Made by the distant crush that he has haunted him for so long. Connected to the same warm, brown eyes he has sought out here, in her homeland, and in every other location he has been sent to.

 Bella Cigne. Really, she was less than a crush. She was his little brother’s foreign-exchange-student girlfriend. She was an attraction that was suddenly awakened within him. And immediately denied.

I pulled my sunglasses on and laid my head against the back of the chair, giving the impression that I was resting, when all I really wanted was an opportunity to just… look. Just one minute of being able to study her more closely without anyone knowing. It's not like it was any big deal; that's just what guys did. If you are in a swimsuit in front of a guy, ten times out of ten, you're gonna get looked at. The fact that it was my little brother's teenage girlfriend didn't change anything; it only meant that I had to be more secretive about it.


I started at her toes and worked my way up, sliding my eyes over her naturally bronzed skin. I loved that sheen on a woman's smooth legs when the sun hit them, and hers were no exception. I kept going, turning my head slightly to see better, but not enough so that she would notice. When I landed on her hips, I couldn't help but notice how much wider they were; she had formed quite the little hourglass while I was busy not paying any attention to her.

I had also noticed earlier, though she was currently laying on it, that she had developed one of the roundest, juiciest asses I had ever seen. It just didn't seem fair that something so perfectly sinful was wasted on my brother, who I was positive had absolutely no idea how to handle curves so vicious.


My eyes continued their journey, up over the basic one-piece teal swimsuit that would have seemed modest on anyone else, but on Bella it just looked delicious. I landed on the soft mounds of her breasts, not intending to linger, but was thrown off guard when I noticed exactly what had made Jasper so… frustrated.

She hadn't been lying when she had told him she was cold. Her tightened nipples were poking out through the material in her suit, so high that I could practically tell what time it was.

I didn't mean to stare, I really didn't, but I had no idea how long I looked at them. It was like they had little tractor beams attached to them. I had only wanted to do a quick once-over to appreciate a beautiful girl, not to practically start drooling on her like a dog staring at a bone.

Speaking of bone…


As soon as I noticed a familiar stirring inside my swim trunks, I jumped up quickly and ran inside the house, praying that nobody would notice before it got out of hand.

Flashbacks like this build and create the longing that had me hooked. Yes, the curves and sex appeal were new and not to be ignored, but the connection had already been forged. Edward has lived with this secret hunger for 16 years.

A chance encounter and a winter storm are all it takes to flips that switch.

 After becoming reacquainted, Edward realizes this is not the young high school student he knew all those years ago. She has grown into an independent and loving woman who has learned the balance between making herself happy and keeping ties to the family that she doesn’t see eye to eye with.

She can also appreciate the value of timing. Once Edward’s covetous desire is revealed she is quick to point out that it would’ve been wrong then. But now is a different story.
And Bella’s ready to show Edward the difference.

"But now?" I choked out.
Rather than answer me, she did something that nearly made my knees buckle with weakness.

She kissed me.
Bella. Kissed. Me.
...
I had always wondered what it might be like to have something I had dreamed about for years actually come true. Now I was finding that the reality was ten thousand times better than the dream.

It was fucking euphoric.

I kissed her and kissed her, licking and biting at her lips in between, unwilling to let her go for even a second. She didn't seem to mind, running her fingers through my hair and moaning softly as our tongues danced together in a rhythm that our bodies were controlling.

She didn't taste like cinnamon… she tasted better. She tasted like sunshine and happiness and everything that was good in the world.\

I was already addicted.

The heat is dialed up to scorching after that, but does Edward have what it takes to hold on to his exotic beauty?  There’s only one way to find out, and you know you want to. So indulge in Brazilian Chocolate. You won’t regret it. And don’t forget to leave AwesomeSauce76 some love.


Solstice by Cosmogirl7481
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7361468/1/Solstice
Life changes...just like the seasons. Bella finds herself coming out of an ending and into a beginning. Still hurt and emotionally withdrawn. Can someone new help her embrace the change in her life? Can her broken heart find love again? E/B Rated M.
Twilight - Rated: M

Review By: Jaime

I cannot lie… I’m a total and complete fangirl for cosmogirl7481. Her Edward’s are some of the loveliest, from Retail Therapy to Conversations Over Coffee to Edward in the Afternoon… I want each and every one of them and Solstice Edward is no exception.

This story has the potential to resonate with everyone.  If you’ve survived loving someone unscathed, I envy you.  This Bella has not, and from the very first words of the very first chapter we see the pain, the bitterness, the anger.

Sad.


Fucking depressing.


That's all I see as I look around this room. Not that I'm looking much. I'm just going to keep my head down, you know, mind my own fucking business. I can't believe that my therapist, Renata, thinks this is a good idea. It's not. And she'll see that it's not at our next session, when nothing has changed.


Nothing's ever going to change.


Unless we're talking about my life.


A chill covers me, so I put on my grey knit sweater. It's baggy and unattractive, but immediately I feel warmer…safer. I love the way it smells – a mixture of Downy and my perfume. I breathe in deeply, fucking thankful that he didn't buy it for me. The sweater or the perfume. I shouldn't have worn flip-flops because my feet are going to be cold. The thermostat in this place must be jacked down to sixty. They're probably afraid that a warm environment will lead to the spreading of our illnesses.


Is bitterness even contagious?

I think I love this Bella simply because I can relate. I've felt what she’s felt, knowing it's incredibly hard to move past devestating betrayal from a loved one.

We first meet Bella in a group therapy session for the divorced, recommended to her by her therapist, Renata.  Enter Edward.  He too has had his share of heartbreak and after she spills in her first meeting she asks the question:

And before I can stop myself, I hear me asking, "Yeah…but why?"


His face is serious, and he steps in closer. Too close. So close I can feel the heat emanating from his stupid, perfect body. I hear him breathe – I feel his breath across my face. And my whole body warms from the almost-contact. And I don't fucking move. I stand there frozen like a statue in the park.


"I'm divorced because…" he sighs loudly, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "My wife left me because my cock was too big for her tiny vagina."


Yeah, Cosmogirl7481 isn’t just breaking your heart in this story, she’s adding bits of life... soft, sweet and even the funny.  We get other personal stories from meeting attendees which are uniquely weaved into the story. The meetings ultimately prove to Bella that she’s not alone in the world. One of my favorite parts of this tale is so tender, yet hot and tantalizing. With descriptions so gorgeous and real, you can practically see it happening in your mind.

His thumb touches the corner of my mouth, wiping gently. It lingers there as he looks at my lips. And I'm looking at him, feeling the electric spark of his skin against mine. My heart is pounding, and I want to run away. But I also want to stay…and I'm just…I'm so fucking conflicted. Nervous and scared and more excited than I should allow myself to be.


His eyes flash to mine – so green and dark. And his cheeks are flushed like I feel. And I wonder if it's the wine…or if he's feeling like I'm feeling. And he looks back down to my mouth before slowly dragging his thumb across my bottom lip.


Ultimately, this story is about a soul who's been humiliated and devastated personally but hopefully coming out the other side stronger, and not letting the past color her self-worth. Sure, meeting Edward is a turning point for her, but he can’t fix everything. He can be patient and kind and share his opinion, but in the end, it’s up to her to take that step to trust and open herself up again and to realize that not all men are like her ex.

With daily updates from Cosmogirl7481, you’re not forced to wait long for the pieces of this gorgeous story.  Please go give it a read, you’ll be begging for more at the end of each and every chapter! 

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