Sunday Selections for February 21, 2010

Idreamofeddy recommends Tre by Megsly

Lost and alone in Italy, Ashlea's hopes on finding her friends is rapidly dwindling. When two handsome strangers cross her path and offer their assistance, Ashlea suddenly finds herself in the middle of a situation she never could have imagined. Rated M (Demetri/Felix)

Oh, Ashlea finds herself in a situation, alright. I'd say every woman's fantasy, but...yeah, some people just don't roll like that. With two hot bastards by the names of Felix and Demetri? I would.

Tre was and still is a Christmas present for SusanAshlea, who wrote Finding Forever, a Felix/OC tale that - if you look below - you can see that Tina is recommending this week, as well, that is simply just wonderful.

By the way, I'd really like to thank Tina for sending this my way. This week's recommendations are truly some of the cream of the crop.

SO...Tre is an Ashlea(Love that, btw)/Felix/Demetri story. Felix and Demetri find Ashlea, who is visiting Volterra by the fountain on St. Marcus Day. Well, she captivates them. Intrigues them. Gets them all hot and bothered, and she's just as equally enchanted by their mere presence.

Tre is simply a beautifully written tale of lust, love, and companionship. I'm going to go out on a limb here and just say it: I have NEVER, EVER read more beautiful and well thought out sexual situations/lemons in my entire lifetime. THAT. IS. ALL. I mean, I've read my share of trios, but those within this story are so well done. Her characters have dignity and respect for one another. The romance and the eroticism is so well described and it's just...beautiful. It's powerful stuff.

Now, there is a serious side to this story as well, so don't just go and read it for a smutty good time. Megsly took an idea and is creating a great little tale, showing us some rather good sides to Felix and Demetri. I am, however, pasting in one of my favorite scenes in this story, but please, Go. Read. This. You will not be disappointed.

Felix laughed, the sound deep and warm as it reverberated around the richly decorated room. "We get that a lot," he mused, grinning knowingly at Demetri while running his hands along the side of Ashlea's arm soothingly. "We've been to and from the doctor as children, it's just an odd genetic anomaly. So, what do you do?"

He effectively changed the conversation with that question, switching the topic lightly and shutting the door on the topic of their eye color, which Ashlea couldn't deny being thankful for. They were both beautiful specimens, near perfect men despite the odd eye color. "I'm a professional vampire," she answered with a laugh, leaning back into the couch and taking another sip of her wine before continuing, oblivious to Felix and Demetri's shocked expressions. "Sorry, career joke, I'm a phlebotomist."

"Oh that's just classic," Felix guffawed, leaning back against the arm of the sofa as he laughed heartily with his brother, leaving Ashlea perplexed as she was certain her joke hadn't been that funny.

"What?" she asked, leaning forward to set her wine down as she looked between the two men curiously. "It wasn't that funny."


JaspersDestiny recommends Finding Forever by SusanAshlea



Felix has been a member of the elite Volturi Guard for what feels like forever. Janie is a typical midwestern girl studying abroad in Italy for a semester. What happens when the two forge an unlikely friendship? Alternate Universe, Non-Canon

Wayyyyyy back in the day, when we were first putting ourselves together and looking for affiliates, I contacted ysar at Twilight Awards and I also mentioned to her what our next few months were going to look like, character-wise. At the mention of Volturi month, ysar emailed me back to both accept affiliation AND to recommend an excellent Volturi story called Finding Forever by SusanAshlea. This led us to one of our next affiliates as well; SusanAshlea is a part of the great group of operators over at My Vamp Fiction.

Lucky me. Lucky us. Lucky YOU. This story is - simply put - fantastic.

Don't trust me? It won The Golden Apple at The Mystic Awards for best character (Felix), and it is currently nominated at The Indie Twific Awards for both Best Secondary Characterization AND Best Canon or AU Story That Knocks You Off Your Feet...

Congratulations, SusanAshlea! It's all well-deserved!

I nominated this story for our final Monthly Fic Pic for this month, but it was a tight race with every Lamb voting... So, I held on with glee so I could recommend it to you all today - which will be our last Volturi Sunday Selection for a while.

Why does this story excite me so? Because I believe it is the When Darkness Turns to Light of Volturi fan fiction, in the sense that it altered my perception entirely for a character for whom I never would have batted an eyelash previously.

Felix.

I used to think of him as one of those 'in the background' characters who would lumber around, known only for his brute strength. Silent. Perhaps 'dumb'. Your classic cliché.

But he's not. SusanAshlea creates a man who is sexy, caring, charming, protective, and funny; a man struggling to find a purpose greater than that of being just a guard; a man who questions his loyalty to the Volturi after finding first love; a man with a heartbreaking human history; a man who must make a terrible decision regarding his love, knowing full well what the consequences will be if he doesn't follow through on an initial promise to his masters.

The overall strength of this story lies with SusanAshlea’s ability to create characters of substance. And I’m not just talking about Felix. Each and every character has depth, from Felix right down to Signore Alongi – a local shopkeeper. Each character is crafted in such a way that they are not just empty shells playing out vacuous roles. No. They each get their turn and they each have depth, thoughts, desires, doubts, and dreams. Even the Cullens make a memorable cameo, and it is that scene that helps to cement Felix’s decision with regards to our heroine, Janie - a young college student who is spending a semester in Volterra on an exchange program. She is a woman who falls hopelessly in love, but who has enough strength and presence of mind to make an unbearable decision with regards to Felix. Call her the anti-Bella...

Demetri. How I love Demetri! Aloof and sarcastic, he is Felix’s closest friend, confidante, hesitant partner-in-crime...and he attempts to help Felix fine tune some human tendencies. He is caught between his loyalty to his friend and his loyalty to his masters.

Then you have Marcus. I love Marcus in this story. He is Felix’s mentor, and he is compassionate, bereft, wise, kind...and exactly what the other two rulers need to balance things out. Like Marcus, Aro and Caius are not just their clichéd selves; they rule with iron fists, but they surprise us with their multi-faceted personas and their ability to show some mercy at times. Jane and Alec are troublesome treats, with Jane acting like a petulant child. But Alec surprises me in this story, specifically later on when his gift is needed the most.

The consequences for Felix and Janie? They are brutal. No one ever said that ‘finding forever’ would be easy, but what Janie and Felix are enduring right now as I write this recommendation is unimaginable. And I cannot wait for Chapter 28 to be posted around March 1st because I do believe that SusanAshlea has a little treat hidden up her sleeve when it comes to Janie. The Volturi ain’t seen nothing yet, if you know what I mean. And little Jane? BAHahahahaha...it’s going to be rich...I hope! *crosses fingers and eyes*

Finding Forever is rated T. However, it does have a lemony outtake that can be found at My Vamp Fiction, along with the rest of her story. Finding Forever is posted first to My Vamp Fiction, and then to FFn. If you are a Twilighted reader, however, be sure to look for her under the pen name Suzybear.

SusanAshlea has also written a Demetri one shot that she contributed to the TwiFansforHaiti compilation that she’ll also be posting March 1st. She’s decided to make it a little novella companion side-shot that will tie into Finding Forever, though it’s as yet untitled.

So, open your arms up to SusanAshlea and give her a big hug! Open your minds and hearts to Felix and to the beauty of Finding Forever. I swear you will not be disappointed!

Maelyn recommends Siren of the Twilight by ToryTigress92

Twilight, with Aro in Edward’s place. After the death of his mate, Aro and some of his Guard follow the murderer to America. There, in a tiny town called Forks, he might just find his salvation, in the form of Bella Swan, a young, human girl.

I debated with which one of this author's stories to recommend, this one or Italians Do It Better, which I also liked. I decided on this one because I liked the storyline idea better. I find it more intriguing.

While some of the story seems a bit repetitive, I do like how she's twisting it into an Aro/Bella story. Bella is still a klutz and hates the attention, but she is much less of a simpering miss than in the books. I have hopes that the author is going to make her a stronger, more mature woman by the end of the story, and I am anxious to see how that progresses.

Aro is an interesting character. We haven't seen his POV just yet, so we only know what Bella knows about him. He's a substitute teacher for Mr. Molina or Mr. Banner, depending if you are talking about the book or the movie. The author seems to be using the movie, however.

I found it a little odd that Aro and Bella just happen to bump into each other on the street, but it could happen, I suppose. It gives him a chance to touch her and realize he can't read her. Thus, you see his fascination grow from the beginning.

Bella is attracted to him, of course, but she is resisting it. For one thing, he's supposed to be so much older than her 17 years. Well, in his 20s, I would imagine, but we all know he's a VERY old man, right? (And probably a very dirty old man, to boot!) Not only that, but he's her teacher, temporary or not.

And then there is that nagging feeling that she has that there is something more to him. The feeling grows as the chapters and interaction between them progress. She still is attracted to him, and hesitatingly enjoys his company, but she's a clever one and knows there is something more.

The latest chapter is the scene when Tyler almost squishes Bella with his van. In this fic, Aro saves her. I do like how the author does this scene. It has an interesting twist in it.

I'm curious how the author will handle the whole hospital scene. Actually, I'm quite curious how the others feel about the affection growing between Aro and Bella.

I really am enjoying this fic and I am curious about the twists and turns the author will take. After reading her other Aro/Bella fic, I'm sure it will make for an interesting read.