AydenMorgen's Rec of the Week: 4/25 - 5/1

The Brat Pack by pkmarita

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5868071/1/The_Brat_Pack

Review by AydenMorgen

Rating: M
Genre: Romance/Humor
Characters: Edward/Bella

Summary: AH/E&B What do you get when put together Vh1's I love the 80's with Bella and Edward? Find out here! E&B All Canon Pairings and Rated M for lemons!

Several months ago, a dear friend emailed me to ask if I'd be willing to consider beta'ing for her. I'd only just begun reading her story, The Brat Pack, and was already hooked. Naturally, it took all of two point five seconds to agree to her request. I've never looked forward to receiving a chapter in my inbox as I do when pkmarita tells me a new chapter of The Brat Pack is on its way.

The Brat Pack is the often hilarious, not to be imitated story of 80's loving Bella and nerdy, kickboxing Edward. Let me repeat that. Nerdy, kickboxing Edward. These two meet in the most humiliating of circumstances and Edward is instantly captivated. Once Bella's humiliation wears off, she's equally as smitten. And the whirlwind romance begins, complete with oddball friends, awkward dates, and all the hilarity and heartwarming moments that so captivated us in movies like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club.

These characters aren't your average, run-of-the-mill Twilight replicas. At all. PK's Edward will leave you giggling like a little girl, wiping tears... and then gasping for breath. And Bella isn't far behind. She's original. She's feisty, funny, and just as awkward as her loverboy.

You begin to see why a nerd lover like myself jumped at the chance to beta. But, it's more than that. The Brat Pack is one of the most refreshing and original stories I've read. PK pulls no punches when putting her characters through the wringer. Emmett's first date with Rosalie ends in complete (and hysterically funny) disaster. Girls’ night out ends in a jail cell. Alice's ire over a mistake on Jasper's part ends with chocolate wrappers littered around the floor... and Jasper dodging flying crystal while standing in the street below. Not even Edward and Bella are spared.

"Isabella, I think we need to talk," I nervously tumble out.

Horror.

Absolute horror written on her face.

It suddenly dawns on me how that must have sounded. I have never been good at dating, can't you tell? How can I salvage this? Fuck! I just told her the most classic one night stand line of them all. Work mouth, work!

"Oh no! No baby. No! I'm not going anywhere. You are stuck with me; nothing is going to keep me away. Well, wait, that sounds bad too. I'm not a stalker, I swear. God, that sounds worse! What I mean to say is, I'm in love with you and I know we don't know each other very well but that's okay! I don't have to know everything about you right this second. No! Shit! I don't mean it like it sounds. No, wait, I mean, yes I want to get to know you better, and yes, I'm in love with you! I just think we should take things slow is all. Does any of what I just said make any sense?"

"Oh I get it, you want to talk and now you are in love with me, but you want to take things slow?"

"Exactly!"

This is going smoother than I thought. God, I love you Alice. Victory is mine!

"Get out!"

"Wait, what?"

"Get out!"

I am completely dumbfounded. What did I say?

If it can go wrong, chances are that it will for this motley crew. People interrupt at the most inopportune of times. Favorite stuffed animals are causalities to the love war. Crazy landlady's carry sawed off shotguns and unleash the power of the water hose on clueless exes.

Before he can connect his punch to my man's gut, Edward jumps to the left, completely back in the game, and drop kicks Jake in the nuts. I let the breath I was holding out in a rush and watch as Jake doubles over. My man then grabs him by the shirt, yanking him back up and leans in. He says the one thing that makes me wet instantly. My man becomes John McClane.

"Yippie Ki Yay, Motherfucker!"

The punch my man connects to Jake's face is priceless. Blood gushes and Jake screams at the top of his lungs.

"Ahhhh! My nose! You busted my nose!"

Just then Mrs. Cope makes her appearance and I see the water hose just in time to step back as she sprays the asshole down.

"What the fuck, lady?" he screams at her.

"This is my property, I suggest you leave before I grab my shotgun and blast your ass off of it."

God, I love this woman! I make a mental note to buy her a new gun cleaning kit for Christmas.

Life is awkward, it's funny, and it's so perfect at times, it brings tears to your eyes. And so goes it with The Brat Pack. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. Edward will make you swoon, and Bella will make you cheer. And at the end of the day, this story will leave you with a big, happy smile plastered across your face. It has it all and will not leave you disappointed.

If you haven't begun it yet, do! You won't regret it!

WIP of the Week: 11/8-11/14

Rapture by AydenMorgen

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5863816/1/Rapture

Reviewed by RaeCullen

Rating: M
Genre: Crime/Romance
Characters: Edward/Bella

Summary: In the blink of an eye, her ballet career ended. His as a DEA agent is now on the line and lives are at stake. But when they meet on the dance floor, nothing even compares. Can they work together to stop the Volturi or will rapture tear them apart?

DEA agent Edward Cullen is in the middle of an investigation when he stumbles upon ex-dancer Isabella Swan. From the moment they first lay eyes on each other, the pure sexual energy surges from the computer screen. After breaking a few of his rules and subconsciously dragging her into a dangerous mess, Edward’s ultimate goal becomes keeping Isabella safe. Part of keeping her safe, is putting her at an arms length emotionally. He tries to convince himself, with no such luck, that everything with Isabella is purely physical (silly Edward, when will you learn?).

I’ve fallen in love with Ayden’s characters. Edward is passionate, sexy (did I mention he speaks 3 fluent languages and teaches jujutsu?!) possessive and somewhat of an arrogant bastard, but fuck if it isn’t hot! He’s met his match in Isabella though, that is for sure. She’s strong in so many levels and definitely keeps Edward on his toes.

Ayden's writing is some of the most beautiful and sensual I've ever read (and I read A LOT of fic) and leaves me panting and wanting more.

"You miss the choreography, don't you? Every movement evoking a sensation, every breath telling a story… the thrill of the crescendo… the way your heart would race when it was over and you were sweaty and sated…" He leaned a little closer, mind and body screaming for him to trace the same line her tongue had taken along her bottom lip with his own. He fought that demand, pushing it back ruthlessly. "You miss the way you felt, every eye on you, watching you let go and move…" he whispered instead, talking more or less out of his ass, but certain it was serving his purpose anyway.

He leaned forward again, and brushed his nose along her cheek until his lips met the shell of her ear. That little bit of contact was heaven and hell. An easing of aches and a burning for more all at the same time. "You're beautiful when you move, baby."

Unf. Need I show you more? Yes, yes I think I will.

"Mm… I think I want you under the lights so I can see you when you dance for me again, Isabella. Your hair down, your head thrown back in pleasure, sweat sliding down your body while I watch you chase that thrill that makes your heart beat faster… Does it make you wet, beautiful? Feeling the music deep inside while you move? I bet it does; bet it makes you ache all over with pleasure."

DEAward will make you fall (re: slide) off your chair from all the swooning and sexy dirty talk. He gets off on trying to convince her to beg for him (I'm about three seconds from begging him myself!).

"Beg me, Isabella," he breathed, lifting his hips and grinding his cock into her ass. Her head fell to the side, settling onto his shoulder.

"No."

"Beg me," he demanded through gritted teeth.

"No."

His head bent, his lips attaching themselves to the pale expanse of her neck, so recently exposed to him. Teeth nipped, tongue swirled over soft skin. His hand on her hip held firm, one finger beneath the fabric of her shorts… the others begging to join it and continue south to heaven. "Do you want me, Isabella?" he whispered against her neck. 

*fans self*

Rapture has the perfect mixture of palpable sexual tension, mixed signals and edge of your seat drama, danger, intensity and suspense. What are you waiting for?? Go. Read it now.

Completed Fic of the Week: 8/6-8/12

Innocence is Dripping Red by EchoesOfTwilight

 http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5480253/1/Innocence_Is_Dripping_Red
Reviewed by AydenM
*This story is no longer available*

Rating: M

Characters: Edward/Bella

Summary: Darkward Vampfic Contest Winner: A bored and jaded Edward has his own way of spicing up his lonely existence - until a chance meeting makes him question what he thought he knew about his life.

Intense. Enticing. Intricate. Erotic. Brilliant.

So many ways to describe Innocence is Dripping Red and still they don't feel like quiet enough to express my complete adoration of this continuation of EchoesofTwilight's Darkward Vampfic Contest Winner.

Edward is an unabashed killer, taking human life, human memory and sensation and using them to sate his own desires. Blood and sex twine tightly, desire for one fueling his desire for the other. He has chosen a different path in his Vamp-life and it is that choice that draws Bella into his life.

When he meets her, however, it is not a desire for her blood that draws him to her. It's everything else about her. The mystery. Her beauty. The way she feels against him.

"She pressed against my back then, and my body electrified. I turned swiftly – perhaps too swiftly – but her face registered no surprise.

Her face. Dear God, she was beautiful. Skin almost as pale as mine, were it not for the delectable pooling of blood in her cheeks as she blushed. Deep chocolate eyes framed in heavy lines of black. Hair I was sure was her natural shade of dark brown. Lips stained a deep, blood red.

Blood was absolutely the last thing I should think about when looking at this creature. But I couldn't help it. Her pulse beat in her ivory neck under smooth, translucent skin. And her smell, it was everywhere, inciting in me an unquenchable fire.

Unquenchable – because killing her, even if I broke my own rules, would not satisfy me. Oh, it would be pleasure of the highest order, but not of the kind I desired for the first time in my too-long life.

I wanted to lick, kiss, suck, thrust. I wanted to devour but leave her alive so I could do it again and again and again."

He wants her and he takes her, fulfilling her desire to join him.

At this point in most fics, Edward chooses Bella over that darker side of himself and reforms. That's not the case with Innocence is Dripping Red. It takes a different direction entirely and is absolutely captivating as a result. This is just the beginning of a journey as erotic as it is dark.

"Taste.

Sex and death. Want and need.

I swallowed the blood on my tongue.

It is all connected.

I could not have one without the other."

If you're looking for an apologetic killer... you won't find him here. Instead, you'll find Darkward at his finest. Eloquent, unapologetic and falling further into erotic depravity when Bella enters his world.

Innocence is Dripping Red takes you to a place so many Darkward fics do not. Bloodlust and voyeurism, devotion and masochism are combined flawlessly under EchoesofTwilight's pen and the result is breathtaking. This is not a story of redemption, but of devotion and the sacrifices and choices one is willing to make to avoid the torment of loss.

EchoesofTwilight has managed to paint a vivid backdrop for Innocence is Dripping Red and the prose, as much as the story, is spell-binding. If you read anything this week... read Innocence is Dripping Red. You will not regret it.

This Darkward will stick with you long after you finish that final chapter. He is, more than any other Darkward out there, an enticing embodiment of that dark side of vampire nature that many have attempted to weave but few have truly achieved.

Banner by JaimeArkin

 

Les16's Rec of the Week: 7/30-8/5

Empty Panes & Pretty Things by AydenMorgen

 http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5591160/1/Empty_Panes_Pretty_Things

Reviewed by Les16

Rating: M

Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort
Characters: Bella/Edward

Summary: Bella only wanted to survive the terror of her memories, but when Edward appears in her life, she realizes she wants something more. Will she let him put her together again or will their broken pasts bury them both? AH/OOC. Rated M. Indie Twific Nominee

You know how you stumble across a story, one that you weren’t really searching for, and it becomes something that moves you, sucks you in and completely captivates you? That happened to me when I was searching for a new story and thankfully found AydenMorgen’s Empty Panes & Pretty Things. I started reading late at night and found myself still reading hours upon hours later, too immersed in the intricate story to stop long enough for something as lame as sleeping.

Empty Panes is a story about two people’s search for healing, forgiveness and ultimately true love. It isn’t an easy journey…if you’re going to read, which is a must for anyone who considers themselves a true connoisseur of must read fan fiction….you will need to steel yourself for some difficult chapters to get through. But I promise you, you will be rewarded for your perseverance in the end.

The story starts with our Bella; a snarky, feisty and foul mouthed broken girl and she completely turns Edward’s world upside down in the blink of an eye. From the very first chapter, Edward is done for. Oh their first few encounters are a bit rocky…okay a lot rocky. With comments like, “I slammed the bolt home and sank to my knees, shaking in fury. Of all the nerve! Who the hell did he think he was? The second fucking coming of Christ?” Has there ever been a better term for Edward than ‘Second Coming’? I mean, come on, its perfection!

Edward does slowly and painfully begin to tear down Bella’s carefully and extremely solid walls tiny bit by tiny bit. The turning point comes when something (and I don’t want to spoil it!) happens to Bella and it is Edward who saves her…in every possible way. Sure, he protects her physically, but it is the healing he helps her do to her soul that is gut wrenching.

Totally rip your heart out gut wrenching…but it is so, so beautiful to watch.

Edward must face his own demons while helping Bella navigate her path to forgiveness. The burden of guilt that Edward carries around is astounding and it is only his love for Bella that keeps him from crumbling under the enormous weight of it all. Our beloved Edward never does anything half-assed, that is for sure, and his absolute need to make Bella safe and whole is just one example of that.

Jasper and Alice…and my God you will love Ayden’s Jasper…enter the picture as Edward begins to crumble under the pressure of keeping Bella and himself from drowning in their guilt and pain. Edward convinces Bella to leave to face her demons and he, in turn, faces his own. In most stories and in most cases, it makes sense for them to face things together. In this case, the only option is the most painful one. Edward and Bella must go forward alone so that they can meet at the end…free from the burdens that they have carried for so long.

I’m telling you, you have never read anything more gripping, more moving, than these two beautiful, shattered, but so very strong people as they fight and claw their way back to one another. Have plenty of tissues handy, you will need them. Empty Panes & Pretty Things is a story that will make you feel things you have never felt before and it will stick with you long after the final word is read.

WIP of the Week: 6/18-6/24

Battle Wounds by writerinmydreams007

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5621559/1/Battle_Wounds

Review by AydenM
*This Story is no longer available*

 

Summary: There are two intensly hurt people living in Forks, Washington. Anger, dispair and bitterness hold them back behind the brick walls they have built around themselves. Can time and love heal all wounds? Dark OC, AH, lemons, brief references to violence.

When I first began reading fanfiction late last year, I'll admit that I was leery. I didn't believe it was possible to come across a derivative that I loved as much as the original. For months, I believed that. And then I picked up Battle Wounds.

Bella moves to Forks in order to escape the whispers and stares that have haunted her since her life came unraveled and landed her in the one place she hopes to never return to. Edward has lived in Forks for years and, like Bella, wishes to escape the very public horror of his own past. Neither believes in love and neither is looking for more heartache, but when they find one another, they find both.

As the summary of this story states, "there are two intensely hurt people living in Forks." The author, writerinmydream007, could not have been more up-front than that. From the very first, this story holds nothing back. From Bella's horrifying flash-back to the trauma that led her to flee Phoenix to Edward's revelation of his own painful past; it is obvious that these two are, indeed, as broken as the summary suggests. It is also obvious, however, just how quickly things can change.

When Bella and Edward meet for the first time, she's terrified of his temper, believing him to be cut from the same cloth as those who wounded her so deeply. Things aren't always as they appear, however, and writerinmydream does a fantastic job of proving that point. Broken, bitter Edward is not irredeemable as his attitude and behavior would lead one to believe. His inexplicable feelings for Bella drag him into the harsh light of day where he must not only face the young man he has become, but find the one he wishes to be for her.

When Bella cracks beneath the weight of what her mind has locked away from her in a last ditch effort to protect her from a horrible reality she is not yet ready to face; Edward must decide whether to give up on her and protect his own heart or fight for what he never wanted and help her survive the anguish that has gripped her so entirely. The problem is he doesn't know what has broken her. Will she be able to tell him? And more importantly, will he be able to convince her that she is not the disgusting, unwanted person she believes she has become?

Even at its most tragic, this story will give you hope. writerinmydream007 does an absolutely phenomenal job capture the subtle nuances of emotion and amplifying them. She manages to not only show you as any great writer does, but to make you feel. You will laugh with these characters. You will cry with these characters. Your heart will be ripped out of your chest for these characters and then put back by these characters. And at the end of the day you will still believe that if anyone can work it out, it will be these two not because love conquers all, but because two characters as strong as these two can conquer and overcome anything for love.

Battle Wounds is rated M and includes scenes of graphic sexual violence.