#No Spice

[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

Good Omens Fic Rec: That's not what I asked

Aziraphale had to will himself to relax the grip on his glass. Crowley found his words and shot them out: “If I were to kiss you right now, would you let me?” _______________________________ It's 1958 and Crowley finds his courage.

Length: 1,348 words

AO3 Rating: General Audiences

Best for: Safe in Public, At Home, Angst

Triggers: None

Read it here, fic by black_earth

*Minor Spoilers* It's been over a week, I've read this six times, and I'm still not fucking recovered.

This short fic is devastating. Like it literally will beat you to a pulp despite it being the softest whisper of a moment. The tension, the subtext, the yearning??? It has such a sensory rich prose. The dip of the couch as they move closer, the way Crowley's leather creaks, the warmth of their breath on each other's skin. I'm going insane.

This is also undeniably, a story of queerness. Yes, they are a demon and angel, and sure, in the canon that's "why" their love is forbidden. But take that away and the story remains the same. Two men shaped beings whose love must be hidden and unacknowledged or else face punishment. It makes me grieve for our community, for those who came before us who were not allowed to be free. I'm so grateful for the progress that's been made, but until the day when everyone can kiss their soulmate without fearing retribution, the work is not done.

There's no explicit content, but read this at home so you can feel every morsel of it.

Read it here, fic by black_earth

[hannahyeaman]

Looking for a slowburn epic fantasy with unique characters (harpies!), dual POV, no spice, a lush setting, anime inspiration, and more?!

✨ SOUL-BOUND is available now in paperback and ebook ✨

When a tsundere princess with forbidden magic loses her flight during her quest to heal corrupted crystal roots, she must depend on a charming vagabond's aid to help her before their avian world collapses.

Think TANGLED and ANASTASIA's royal x rogue dynamic with the traveling romance like DANCE OF THIEVES meeting the healing, atmospheric setting of FERNGULLY.

🪷 SOUL-BOUND SUMMARY 🪷

Avem, a continent inhabited by bird-like humans called Avians, consists of seven territories, each of which contains a crystal root: a treelike sanctuary preserving magic. Avians cannot wield the land’s magic themselves.

Except, Mika, the princess of Passíer. However, her father forbids her to use it out of concern for her safety.

Due to the expanding corruption from Cantio; a fallen territory under Passíer’s jurisdiction because of its damaged root, Zayn the militant king of Nyx, suggests Scorching Cantio. To avoid such a catastrophic outcome, Mika flees from home, determined to heal Cantio’s root herself.

In Cantio, she meets Roshan, a vagabond playing double agent to protect what’s left of his uncorrupted homelands. Upon noticing her pink feathers, unique for her specific species, he cautions her to leave before she’s captured and used as coin. She snubs his warning and is nearly taken captive.

During his efforts to help her, Roshan is wounded. Mika heals him with her magic, unintentionally and unknowingly bonding them together.

When the quest costs Mika’s wing and grounds her, she accepts Roshan’s offer to escort her across Avem to heal the damaged roots before corruption destroys their world.

✨ Links in bio! ✨

[nascenterror]

Okay another thing I'm super (duper) late too...

...so I've started lord of the rings I've got my hands on a particularly old copy and boy of boy is this good. It's calming even when everyone is in grave trouble. Tolkien's world building is unmatched and I still want to know more. Like who the fuck is Tom? Like what's his story?Why does he know the farmer? Where did Bilbo go? Iis there more detail to the stories of those under the mounds?

It's so fun because the mysteries that will stay as such are natural mysteries not laziness on the writer's part it's just that nobody in Middle Earth knows(Kinda like how scientist still don't know why organisms evolve into crabs over and over again) . So far it's wrtten like a history and you'd swear it were real if wraiths and people-swallowing trees and wizards who specialize in fireworks weren't present.

And Frodo is doing so well resisting the ring(so far). I saw the movies when I was a kid and boy oh boy we're they reductive. At the same time I couldn't imagine how they couldn't be. Even the unedited versions probably don't have it all. If anyone has similar recs please let me know!!! I love adding to my TBR list.

[comicroux]

Wondering the consensus on this - who else thinks 'Arin' is a deadname? Like no I am not calling Pocket that 😭

[suzannahnatters]

Miss Sharp wishes to drink tea and hunt monsters, and alas! she's all out of tea.

THE WEREWOLF OF WHITECHAPEL is a gaslamp romp set in a version of Belle Epoque Europe where all the ruling families are monsters...and it's FREE all December on all platforms!

Snap it up here! books2read.com/u/mYAjLG

Or if you've already read it, here's your chance to send the link to those of your friends who might like a light-hearted gaslamp fantasy romp for Christmas!

[terristernwrites]

And now for something totally different!

Promises Delivered is a sweet, fated mate werewolf romance novel, releasing 28th November!

Some of you might remember this from the days of BookNet, but the full novel has never been available to buy until now.

This is a no spice story which is not my usual area, but the story is sweet and fun and I had so many requests to buy it directly that I thought this would be the best option.

If you are not fond of the Zon, other options are available too, just hit me up.

[blcampbell]

Ebook version of Starbound is free on Feb 3rd, check my bio!

The story follows Sel, a young assassin bonded to a draconic being, as she works to buy her freedom. Contracts and missions are business like usual - until a dashing rogue shatters her world.

If you like fantasy with dragons, magic, romance, tragedy and much more, check it out! I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read even a page of it. I encourage kindle unlimited users to download it, but I would really appreciate it if you could read it through unlimited/borrow it, if you decide to read it :) Also you can find me under similar names on Bluesky, Tumblr, and TikTok!

[rantsaboutlife]

Anyone having book recommendations for adults with fantasy but NO SPICE?

It’s hard and annoying that I can’t find anything that doesn’t involve sex. I already know the hobbit series and all.

But like newer books would be nice. (Already got dragon rider and guide to dragons and books about mythology and all).

I don’t want to be stuck in the young adult section. Even there it’s getting more sexualized and it actually is getting pretty annoying and worrying really. Like, are you really gonna write spice for 12 - 14 year olds?

I don’t get why people feel the need to write so much spice in books. It isn’t necessary and doesn’t add to the plot.

Like I get it, sex sells. But it’s just too much nowadays. I’m no prude, it’s getting annoying. What happened with less is more and behind closed doors/fade to black? I sound so old but I feel so out of place in the newer society.

Some people only read when it has smut but then you should just pick up erotica (harlequin?) books or romance books with the cliché cover of a woman and man swooning over one another.

This turned into rant, I’m so sorry.

[bulliness]

White people pad thai here i come baby 🤤

[booksrockmyface]

I'm going to try really hard to come back to posting about books on here.

First up is the book I just finished listening to The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean. This is a fantasy book with a no-spice romantic storyline. It is more adult than YA (the characters are in their mid-twenties).

Read this book if you:

Like mythological creatures, autism-coded (awkward and socially stunted) characters, LGBTQ+ representation that isn't what the characters are all about (a trans main character who is only mentioned as being trans twice in the whole book and a bisexual woman that canonically dates both a man and a woman within the book), a light touch of drama that comes to a head in the final chapter, and a good epilogue (I am an epilogue girly, let me know where these people are a couple months or a year later!!).

I gave this 5 stars.

(P.S. I'm daniellecheri on StoryGraph if you want to be my friend.)

[heartbreakercupcake]

with MHA ending I would like to say bakudeku is my most HATED ship in that fandom next to EndHawks they are so fucking boring but aside from that I HATE how they reduce the characters to just their ship and nothing else or that people can't just seem to ship them with other people

[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

Good Omens Fic Rec: Be As You've Always Been

For six thousand years, Aziraphale did his best to exist within the strictures of Heavenly conduct. It wasn’t a perfect practice; his relationship with Crowley, just for example, was never exactly what one might call “officially sanctioned,” or even, “particularly wise,” but the important thing was that Aziraphale tried. He wasn’t a very good angel, but he did his best, more or less. Wasn’t that all anyone could really ask of him? It doesn’t really feel fair, is the point, that in reward for saving the world, Aziraphale seems to be having something of an existential crisis.

Length: 58,132 Words AO3 Rating: General Audiences Best for/Keywords: Safe in Public, Through the Ages, Pre S2, Crossover (Discworld) Major Triggers: None Read it here, fic by gyzym

*Minor Spoilers* This fic truly is phenomenal. This one gripped me, blew my mind, and the dialogue between our pair was perfect! It's clear that a lot of love and labor went into this story, and it really honors the style of Terry Pratchett.

Following the failed Apocalypse, Aziraphale decides it's time for a change. Heaven can't control him anymore, and so he lets loose! Time for colors and textures, to be as loud as he pleases! He gets a full new wardrobe, a fresh coat of paint on his nails, and a beautiful blue convertible that made my heart swell over and burst. All that's missing is to figure out what he is now, what's he supposed to do, and what exactly does Crowley feel for him in return?

Everything you've ever loved about Good Omens is in this. Deep philosophy about human nature and life itself wrapped up in humor and love. I am not familiar with Discworld, but it's influence was clear and easy for me to follow. I could clearly point out where it came into play, and I never felt out of the loop. It was explained perfectly and made so much sense in this world. One of it's concepts/it's big reveal quite literally made me stop reading to ask my cat if he was, "seeing this shit" (he was not). I am in such genuine wonder and excitement over this story. It's a love story of course, but there is so much to unpack in this. I truly think this is a must read, and I would love to know your thoughts about it!

I'm going to end with a stolen line from a comment on this fic, "Free Will and Kindness are at their best at their intersection... the best of kindness is an authentic choice, and the best use of free will is to be kind."

Read it here, fic by gyzym

[hannahyeaman]

Hello,

I'm an adult fiction author—fantasy and contemporary fantasy—and my debut fantasy releases May 28, 2024.

I initially got the idea for SOUL-BOUND in early April 2017, wanting to explore how a winged character would navigate their world without flight. But I didn't truly start writing it until January 2019 and now I'm finally pursuing publishing it!

Here's the gorgeous cover! Illustrated by the wonderful @oxiente, who has drawn Mika and Roshan a lot for me over the past few years. I'm really grateful that she took on this project. She delivered beyond my expectations! There are so many cute details! 🥺

PITCH

When a tsundere princess with healing magic loses her flight during her quest to heal corrupted crystal roots, she must depend on a charming vagabond's aid to help her before their avian world collapses to corruption.

SUMMARY

Avem, a continent inhabited by bird-like humans called Avians, consists of seven territories, each of which contains a crystal root: a treelike sanctuary preserving magic. Avians cannot wield the land’s magic themselves.

Except, Mika, the princess of Passíer. However, her father forbids her to use it out of concern for her safety.

Due to the expanding corruption from Cantio; a fallen territory under Passíer’s jurisdiction because of its damaged root, Zayn the militant king of Nyx, suggests Scorching Cantio. To avoid such a catastrophic outcome, Mika flees from home, determined to heal Cantio’s root herself.

In Cantio, she meets Roshan, a vagabond playing double agent to protect what’s left of his uncorrupted homelands. Upon noticing her pink feathers, unique for her specific species, he cautions her to leave before she’s captured and used as coin. She snubs his warning and is nearly taken captive.

During his efforts to help her, Roshan is wounded. Mika heals him with her magic, unintentionally and unknowingly bonding them together.

When the quest costs Mika’s wing and grounds her, she accepts Roshan’s offer to escort her across Avem to heal the damaged roots before corruption destroys their world.

If you like birb characters, the ship dynamic from Anastasia and Tangled, books like Dance of Thieves and The Girl at Midnight, and prose like Naomi Novik and Margaret Rogerson, then stick around 🩷

eBook pre-order link!

[books-bones-and-bards]

Received as an ARC copy. This is my honest review.

Honestly, I needed another cozy fantasy and this hit the spot. Classic fantasy with fae and a mild possession. No/Low spice but a lot of slow burn woven in. Megan's writing draws you further and further in with each chapter, like reading a modern-day Jane Austen. I am sad to be done with this book. Can't wait for book 2, truthfully! Team Fael or Team Seb I can't make a choice, both are extraordinary.

5/5 stars highly recommend No spice rating and that isn't a bad thing.

[laceyarcher]

🌊Clean Summer Reads🌊 (YA):

“Sunkissed,” by Kasie West

“Love & Gelato,” by Jenna Evans Welch

“Kisses and Croissants,” by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau

“A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow,” by Laura Taylor Namey