#new camelot trilogy

[ceruleanharley]

everyone's always going off about sierra simone's priest series but babes. that's her worst series. yall should be reading thornchapel, new camelot and lyonesse

[theinquisitxor]

Series Countdown Tag

I had an idea for a new bookish tag game (not sure if something like this already exists, if it does, please let me know).

What is it: sharing your favorite book series by the number of books in the series. Your favorite 10 book series, 9 book series, etc. Feel free to start from a different number if you want.

Rules: #10 is for series of either 10 books or more. #1 is your all time favorite series. Everything else just corresponds to the number.

10 (+). The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

9. The Expanse series by James SA Corey

8. The Throne of Glass series by SJM

7. The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis

6. The Queen's Thief series by Meghan Whalen Turner

5. The Graceling Realms by Kristin Cashore

4. The Books of Pellinor by Allison Croggin

3. The Daevabad Trilogy by SA Chakraborty

2. The Texicalaan duology by Arkady Martine

1. (all around favorite series) The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Tagging: @the-forest-library @bookworm-of-camelot @e-b-reads @friendly-neighbourhood-librarian + anyone else who wants to!

[ladywaffles]

fanfic writer interview

tagged by: @sluttyhenley thanks honey <3

what fandoms do you write in?

actively this year: top gun and the camelot rising trilogy

dormant fandoms that get 500 word spurts of Gobbets once per fiscal quarter: masters of the air, shadow and bone, mission: impossible (though this one will likely get More attention next year once m:i8 drops)

how many words have you published in 2024?

9,950. which is the lowest my word count has been in a While but it's mainly because i wrote a lot of drafts this year that i have yet to publish

what is your greatest achievement this year?

creatively, it is 100% starting The Care of the Flyer. i really do love how much love it gets from everyone, despite its intended audience being me and two tumbleweeds (who know exactly who they are). i'm very proud of how much research and Effort i put into it.

personally, it's the fact that i was the first person to publish a fic in a new ship tag.

what are your top three fics you've written this year?

conveniently, i have only published three fics this year. would you look at that.

The Care of the Flyer

some kind of secret

tell me my story

what was your biggest pit of despair moment?

at some point around the end of october i realized that i had not written a Single Word in any project or silly little promptfill for almost 2 months, which was Not A Great Feeling. i then proceeded to not write anything until the end of november. oof.

what have you learned?

baby's first smut fic got published this year, so how to write smut is definitely a lesson i learned. i also did a lot of work in character motivations, since flight surgeon!maverick in Care of the Flyer is a much different mav than the mav we know from tg86/tgm. it really was a good exercise in examining what drives a protagonist (maverick) to do something, and how they would react to different circumstances (namely, iceman).

did you beta any fics? any faves you want to shout out?

i did! i beta'd for @starrybouquet on in for a penny, in for a pound, her fem!maverick AU. i also do a lot of spot betas for @twinkboimler in helping to restructure sentences, find intended meaning, etc.

what three fics have you read this year that you love?

to leave this all behind (halo round his head) is maybe everything i wanted from a crown of candy but did not get. lapin is far and away my favorite character in the campaign, and knowing that zac had thunder step prepared but didn't get to use it because of the death saves hurt my soul so bad. this was a soothing balm.

the last scene in when the time comes lived in my memory for weeks after i read it, and then i didn't bookmark it like a dummy. i spent the better part of the year trying to find it, only to run across it and rediscover how Good it is when i was hunting down recs for a friend like one of those truffle-sniffing pigs. it's such a beautiful What-If in such a (relatively) short fic. *chef's kiss*

long time followers of ladywaffles may be aware that yours truly is partially deaf, and learning ASL is a life goal of mine. the way that iceman and maverick prioritize learning it in A Good Landing (link) after ice's surgery and the realism in not having the words to explain yourself, despite knowing your own feelings? that's that good shit. also, i'm a sucker for a middle-aged (retirement aged) romance, so this fic checked a lot of my boxes.

what ideas are percolating for next year?

certainly the next part of The Care of the Flyer; i've already sent some snippets of maverick's pithy emails to the group chat, and they've been well received :)

i also want to return to camelot rising and For Real finish the WIPs i started when i was babysitting stinky microbes at my internship

(and also the top gun omegaverse AU that i've had in my brain since february 2023 what who said that)

who do you want to thank?

@twinkboimler for constantly putting up with my moaning about writing in between my complaints about [insert inane everyday topic here]

@sluttyhenley and @redbelles for letting me be the audience to the traveling show, and for letting me fling pasta of all kinds at them to figure out what's fun and funky to write

@starrybouquet for playing in the sandbox with me

tagging: @twinkboimler @redbelles @starrybouquet and you, dear reader, should you choose to accept your mission.

[aidenwaites]

The graphics aren't super flashy, but I wanted to throw something together like this since I got lucky enough to have a lot of time to dedicate to reading this year <3 none of these are in a particular order.

Honorable mentions:

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Bones and All by Camille DeAngelis. The Warm Bodies trilogy by Isaac Marion.

Honorable mentions (movie edition): Lisa Frankenstein, Stalker, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Hundreds of Beavers.

Top reads (Released this year):

1. The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman. An adventure-fantasy story for anyone who's ever loved arthurian legends. A young knight arrives at Camelot only to find that Arthur has died at the battle of Camlann, and the Round Table has all but fallen apart. Those that remain embark on a quest to determine Camelot's fate in Arthur's absence. Lev Grossman was the perfect person to write an arthurian story, as he's got a style that lends itself so well to walking the line between the grounded and the fantastical.

2. Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle. A Hollywood screenwriter is told that the queer leads of his horror series either have to stay in the closet or end in tragedy. While grappling with this decision and its impact on his career, all of his former movie monsters begin to manifest in the real world. A commentary on the state of the film industry that very much hit home.

3. Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky. A household model robot finds that it has killed the human it serves, and it does not know why. As it leaves to look for a new human to work for, it finds a world that has broken down, forgotten itself, and gotten stuck in endless loops of faulty and contradictory lines of code. Reminiscent of Asimov's robots, and full of charm.

Top books (Read this year, but published any time):

1. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. 12-year-old Oskar has an obsession with serial killers and bloody true crime stories. He's lonely, heavily bullied at school, and surrounded by adults who have overlooked his struggles. When a gruesome murder happens in his town and a strange girl moves in next door, he gets caught up in something larger than himself. This book goes to some very dark places, to the point it makes it a hard recommendation to just anyone, but there's an extremely sweet friendship at the center of it that has made it stick with me. And I don't know that I've ever read anything that understands how fear feels when you're 12 years old like this one did.

2. Christine by Stephen King. Nearing the end of their last summer before graduation, Dennis' best friend Arnie falls in love. It's a 1958 Plymouth Fury that barely functions, bought from a bitter old man who can't drive her anymore. As Arnie grows more obsessed with the car, the cracks in the other parts of his life start to show, and soon enough, the bodies start to pile up. This one really left its hooks in me, and if I didn't feel like I still needed a larger backlog of books I've read at work for work purposes, I probably would've read it another couple of times by now. I love love loved the narrative style.

3. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer. Decades ago, a strange border appeared around the Forgotten Coast in the Southeastern US. The Biologist on the twelfth expedition to enter Area X keeps a journal detailing her experiences in this strange, new landscape. No one has been well-enough prepared for what they find. The start of the Southern Reach quadrology, and Vandermeer's best-known series. Extremely difficult to describe, but extremely good, too. At the core of it, it's a story about trying to understand the things that you never truly can; alien wildlife, the course of nature, the wider universe, other people.

4. The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez. "Two young men find themselves with the task of carrying a weakened goddess across a continent in order to end an empire's reign" is technically the premise, but it doesn't really do it justice. Told to you as if you are in a theater, watching a play, two young men find themselves stuck together with what little remains of an ancient, long-held-captive goddess. The lore and the history of this world runs deep, and it's some of the most unique and incredible mythology that I've read in fantasy fiction. Highly highly highly recommend.

Nonfiction (Really the only nonfiction I read this year, shhh)

1. Unmask Alice by Rick Emerson. An investigative look into the life of Beatrice Sparks, the woman behind the Go Ask Alice and Jay's Journal "diaries" that held high praise and influence during Nixon's War on Drugs and the Satanic Panic. The book takes care to really set the stage on the culture and the world that these books came into, as well as how they affected it. It also takes care to handle the subject of the young men or women that did or did not really exist behind Sparks' published diaries. Tragic in parts, and there have been some fair criticisms of the writing style Emerson chose for the book, but it is a good thing that a full, comprehensive, easily-accessible version of this story exists. A lot of people who were influenced by these books remain unaware of the scam artist that existed behind them, and it's just.. tragic that she held so little regard for the lives she affected when she published them.

2. American Scary by Jeffrey Dauber. A history of horror in America, both real and fictional, and how they influenced one another over the centuries. It's very, very long, and very dense, and comparable to a textbook, but its still been an enjoyable read. Dauber covers a *lot* in this book, and I think for anyone with a strong interest in the history and in analysis of the genre, it's worth spending a while picking at. It's also heavily citated, with about a thousand different sources that Dauber has pulled from, so it sets you up pretty well to find something to read on any one of the more specific topics Dauber moves through.

Films!

No One Will Save You (2022): A really creative, really fun home invasion movie. With very little dialogue, No One Will Save You tells the story of a lonely young woman who's largely been ostracized by the people in her hometown. On the night that aliens invade, she has to fend for herself in order to survive. The performance by Kaitlyn Dever really knocks this one out of the park.

The French Dispatch (2021): I've seen other people call this movie a loveletter to journalism, and it really, really is. A publication called the French Dispatch is set to shut down after the death of its founder. A sort of anthology, the film takes us through a few of the publication's most memorable or iconic stories. I haven't seen much of Wes Anderson's work yet, but I've seen enough to know that his style *really* really worked for this one. It's funny, it's touching, it's stylish, and it was a really good ride.

In a Violent Nature (2024): A movie I liked so much that I started a film blog as an excuse to write a review, and then failed to continue that blog after writing it. Pitched as a slasher film from the slasher's POV, it's a great blend of the slasher format and the more slow, atmospheric kind of horror that's associated with the art house genre. This movie is, visually, very beautiful, employing a style reminiscent of 35mm photography. The performances were fun, the kills were great, the experience of watching it in a theater was a really good time. I really enjoyed it!

Let the Right One In (2008): One of two adaptations of the book of the same title. This one is incredibly atmospheric, and really captured the emotion of the original story. The performances are fantastic- it's just a really, really solid adaptation. I do also recommend the American remake, Let Me In, as it makes some interesting choices in not only remaking the film, but in adapting it specifically to an American setting.

And finally, closing remarks: raise your standards for queer fantasy literature and read The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez.

[captain-aralias]

9 books that are my favourites

tagged by @arenee1999 a few days ago, thank you <3 as i was writing this list in my head last night, i thought - this could be read as a list of my favourite fandoms and television/film adaptations, but hey ho. i did a degree in english lit or something.

harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban by JKR - no book has been so important to my life and i also just think it's a really fun mystery and i still like it, so - it's here, it's staying.

carry on by rainbow rowell - but of course. this one was quite important too.

pride and prejudice by jane austen - i don't think this has ever made a fav book list before, i think because i thought it was too basic, but damnit - this book is great, it influences the way i write enemies to lovers, i love the 1995 adaptation and all of austen's novels are bangers except mansfield park, which i keep trying to like but it sucks.

the once and future king by TH white - all my life i loved the movie 'camelot' and it's depiction of arthur. i only learned as an adult that it was TH white's gentle, earnest, thwarted arthur that they'd used <3 he's perfect. 'ill-made knight' is the best of the series, IMO

lieutenant hornblower by cs forester - i haven't read the books in ages, so maybe it's time for a re-read. the ioan grufford adaptation is great, i wish they'd do the later/earlier books too! BUT this early (in hornblower's life) book is my fav - the only one told from bush's POV as he struggles with how he loves hornblower but worries the guy wants to do a mutiny (which he totally does)

the folk of the air by holly black - a new entrant even though i've loved it for years, but i've decided i don't just think it's really good, it's so good that it's one of my favs. maybe the best of the trilogy is the middle book, 'wicked king' where jude is in power with limited support and they fall in love (or do they???). how the king of elfham learned to hate stories is also brilliant.

'the emperor mage' by tamora pierce. i've been waiting my whole life for the numair book and it was terrible, but her first three trilogies are my absolute crack, and this is the best book of those series IMO. the bit where numair tries to hit the emperor for implying he loves his student daine (which he does) while she's listening but disguised as a bird - and then he fakes his own death, and daine goes crazy... that bit has stayed with me for decades, i love it so much.

'night watch' by terry pratchett. i still feel late to properly loving pterry, but i've always liked this one and now i love it - vimes is my guy, i love the time travel, that he trains himself, that he resists both passively and when required actively. v good. my next fav is probably ... 'monstrous regiment', which i think is a bit more of a weird choice (unlike this one which is mega popular and also about all the things i like), but it just does everything right! oh, 'and 'going postal'.

'the princess bride' by s morgenstern william goldman. i haven't read this for ages either so maybe it shouldn't make the list, but i expect it's still pretty great. a mindfuck for a young child who has only seen the film and thinks all of the frame narrative must therefore be real... also, the film is like one of the best films ever and i have seen that super recently. if you haven't seen the home movie, do yourself a favour and watch it because it's a great way to enjoy the movie a-new.

no idea where this meme has been already. so just saying hello to some folks and if you'd like to do this meme and haven't done it already, please do! @giishu @orange-peony @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @carryonvisinata @alleycat0306 @fight-surrender @cows4247 @messofthejess @mysterioussheep

[itadorysss]

I'm still curating my reading list for next year and I wanted to know if I can get any recommendations from you ♡

xoxo

MY FAVOURITE QUESTION ON THE ENTIRE PLANET!!!!! this may be a long list. I am not sure what genre u tend to read but I have a lot of recs. I tend to read contemporary and fantasy so it'll be mostly those

contemporary:

the entire windy city series by liz tomforde (4 books, the fifth is out in April, they are all 5/5⭐️ ESPECIALLY the second book- it is sports romance!!)

salt kiss by Sierra Simone- this book is fcking WILD, and I devoured every single page of it, very shameless smut

side note: anything by Sierra Simone is just shameless smut, but her new Camelot series is the most shameless (I ate the whole trilogy up- some insaneee age gaps in all her books tbh)

hoops series by Kennedy Ryan (I must have cried half of the water content in my body over the first book- SO SO EXCELLENT)

now onto fantasy:

these violent delights/our violent ends by Chloe gong (we've talked about this one before: 1920s Romeo and Juliet retelling with fantasy and mafia?? yeah, I ate this series up for breakfast lunch and dinner- cried my fcking eyes out too)

foul lady fortune/foul heart huntsman also by Chloe gong (this series is even BETTER than the first one, I do not play about this couple one bit!!! it's soooo good)

caraval by Stephanie garber (3 books, its got this old timey feel to it I think you'll enjoy it a lot)

once upon a broken heart by Stephanie garner (also 3 books but WAY BETTER, I think you'll like this one as well, its got that vintage feel to it- and the second book is one of my top 10 books of 2024)

the book of azrael- amber v nicole (3 books out atm, there's gonna be 5 apparently: I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO ABOUT THIS SERIES IT IS SO DAMN GOOD!!!! REAL enemies to lovers PLEASE READ)

fate of wrath and flame- ka tucker (4 books, complete series, I need someone to talk to about this one too, literally had me having withdrawals once I'd finished it was soooo good)

shatter me- tahereh mafi (not my fav series ever, but it's one you read just to say that you've read it)

the serpent and the wings of night- Carissa Broadbent (this book made me fuck with vampires again- that is HIGH PRAISE coming from me)

spark of the ever flame- Penn Cole (another series that gave me withdrawals after I finished it)

six of crows- Leigh bardugo (ITS SO GOOD!!!!)

divine rivals/ruthless vows- Rebecca ross (I think you will LOVE THIS ONE!!!! its set in the 1800s I believe and it is SICKENINGLY SWEET I LOVED IT)

fourth wing- Rebecca yarros (on the more unserious side but I thoroughly enjoyed it- i'll eat up anything with dragons in it)

one dark window/two twisted crowns by Rachel gillig (vintage vibes AGAIN!!!! SO GOOD!)

the crimson moth by Kristen ciccarelli (EVEN MORE VINTAGE VIBES)

onto more classical ones:

the handmaids tale- Margaret Atwood (I have ptsd bc we studied this in depth for alevels, but I would have ate it up if I'd read it without the pressure of having to write a million essays about it)

the bell jar- Sylvia plath (I did my english coursework project on this book, so so good)

a streetcar named desire- Tennessee Williams (one of my inspos for writing halcyon, it's set in the 40s but it has suchhhh vintage vibes to it, very morally questionable and flawed characters)

outliers:

debutantes duology by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (this series had me ripping my hair out in frustration but in a GOOD WAY???)

five survive by holly Jackson (reading this at 2am in low lighting was a bad idea bc I was genuinely getting scared while reading- I ate it up tho)

I AM SORRY THIS GOT SO LONG BUT THIS QUESTION TURNS ME INTO AN EVEN BIGGER YAPPER! <3 PLS READ THE BOOK OF AZRAEL PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! xxxx

[mediawhorefics]

hiii can you please recommend me some gay novels ? thank you in advance :)

hell ! yeah !

you didn't really specify what genre you're interested in beyond gay so i'm just gonna rec my favs and go wild with it. apologies, i've prob. recced these books before but *shrug*

edit: i added books that aren't novels cos i couldn't resist. ooops?

edit 2: i've taken gay to mean gay ~umbrella term~ and not gay mlm, hope that's alright x

under a read more cos i got carried away !

the raven cycle | maggie stiefvater | completed series | ya | fantasy | follows blue sargent, the daughter of a skilled psychic who augments her family's abilities, but has no psychic power of her own. she becomes friends with four boys from the local boarding school -- gansey, adam, ronan and noah -- when she meets gansey's ghost and learns the upcoming date of his death. gansey is obsessed with finding the sleeping welsh king, glendower. In his pursuit of the legend, he and his friends encounter all kinds of mysticism and danger in henrietta, virginia.

the dreamer trilogy | maggie stiefvater | completed trilogy | ya | fantasy | raven cycle sequel focusing on ronan's character.

the disasters | mk england | ya | sci fi | star trek vibes | found family | a band of space academy rejects are the only witness to a terrible crime/galaxy-wide conspiracy & are the only ones who can save the day. 

emry merlin series | robin schneider | incomplete trilogy | ya | fantasy | arthuriana | a knight's tale meets bbc merlin | years after her father’s, legendary court wizard merlin, disappearance, emry takes her far less talented twin brother’s place when he is summoned to camelot to train and become prince arthur’s right hand wizard. studying magic properly is everything she hoped for, but posing as her brother isn’t as easy as it seems. not to mention those sparks that are flying between her and arthur.

cemetery boys | aiden thomas | standalone -> a sequel is planned | ya | fantasy | trans rep | yadriel wants to prove himself as a brujo (and a man) to his family so, in secret, he performs the ritual meant to unlock his powers that his family has denied him access to. only problem, he’s accidentally summoned a ghost he didn’t mean to and the guy won’t leave. also his cousin vanished and his spirit is nowhere to be found.

the last binding series | freya marske | incomplete trilogy -> the third one is coming out in november | historical fantasy | alternative edwardian england | romance | each book focuses on a new queer pairing while following an overarching mystery | when an administrative mistake names robin blyth as a civil service liaison to a hidden magical society, he discovers what’s been operating beneath the unextraordinary reality he’s always known. a dangerous deadly curse awaits him as he navigates the magical bureaucracy with his standoffish counterpart edwin courcey.

the kingdoms | natasha pulley | standalone | historical fantasy | time travel | alternate history | 19th c. | 18th c. | joe tournier has amnesia. he remembers nothing prior to stepping off a train in londres, england, a french colony. his only clue, a century-old postcard of a lighthouse in scotland, illegally written in english rather than french and signed m.

the watchmaker of filigree street series | natasha pulley | completed duology | historial fantasy | 19th c. | sherlock holmes vibes | telegraphist thaniel receives a mysterious watch on his birthday whose pre-set alarm saves him from a terrorist bombing on scotland yard. since the bomb was made with clockwork parts and only the bomber could have known when to set the alarm, thaniel is sent by a detective investigating the bombing to live with the suspected watchmaker to figure out what’s going on.

the bedlam stacks | natasha pulley | standalone -> twofs references/characters but not part of the main storyline | historical fantasy | 19th c. | magical realism | merrick tremayne is called upon by the india office to go on a dangerous expedition deep in peru to fetch quinine (essential for the treatment of malaria) despite the debilitating injury that almost cost him a leg. every expedition before his has yielded no results apart from dead bodies, but merrick has family history deep in the country so he goes against his better judgement. there, he meets raphael, a priest surrounded by strange stories of disappearances, cursed woods and living stones, and who might hold the key to his family’s past.

the binding | bridget collins | standalone | historical fantasy | 19th c. | romance | in a world where books are dangerous objects containing people’s painful memories they want to get rid of, emmet farmer is sent to become an apprentice to the local bookbinder after he had some sort of mental collapse.

captive prince series | cs pacat | completed trilogy + some short stories | historical fantasy | romance | no magical elements | dark themes | major trigger warnings apply | prince damianos of akielos is sent as a pleasure slave to laurent of vere, prince of an enemy neighbouring kingdom, by his treacherous half-brother who wants the throne for himself. the court of vere is a pit of deception and lies and both princes must reluctantly ally with each other to gain rightful control of their respective kingdoms. only problem, damen killed laurent's older brother auguste in battle and must keep his true identity secret to protect himself from laurent's hatred of his brother's killer. which is only complicated by the growing feelings between them.

a taste of gold and iron | alexandra rowland | standalone | historical fantasy | romance | kadou, the shy prince of arasht, has no intention of wrestling for imperial control with his sister, the queen. yet he remains at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court - the father of the queen's new child. when a hunting party goes terribly awry and he finds himself under suspicion of attempted murder, kadou teams up with his new bodyguard, the coldly handsome evemer, to investigate a break-in at one of their guilds to salvage his reputation. but what appears to be a straightforward crime spirals into a complex counterfeiting operation, with a powerful enemy at its heart.

the house in the cerulean sea | tj klune | standalone | fantasy | romance | found family | 40 yo caseworker linus baker is given a special secret assignment to check out an orphanage of supposedly particularly dangerous magical children. linus has been a rule follower and someone who doesn’t want to rock the boat his whole life, but the children and their caretaker make him reconsider previously held beliefs.

under the whispering door | tj klune | standalone | fantasy | romance | found family | an unpleasant and selfish man in life, wallace price meets his reaper at his near-empty funeral and gets taken to a whimsical tea shop where he meets hugo, the ferryman whose job it is to help him move on and crossover into the afterlife. a task that becomes complicated as wallace starts developing feelings for hugo.

peter darling | austin chant | standalone | historical fantasy | romance | trans rep | peter pan retelling | ten years ago, peter pan left neverland to grow up, leaving behind his adolescent dreams of boyhood and resigning himself to life as wendy darling. growing up, however, has only made him realize how inescapable his identity as a man is.but when he returns to neverland, everything has changed: the lost boys have become men, and the war games they once played are now real and deadly. even more shocking is the attraction peter never knew he could feel for his old rival, captain hook—and the realization that he no longer knows which of them is the real villain.

the song of achilles | madeline miller | standalone | historical fantasy | mythology retelling | greek mythology | a classic ! | achilles' story, great love, and tragedy...

salt magic skin magic | lee welch | standalone | historical fantasy | 19th c | lord thornby has been trapped on his father’s estate by a strange curse for a year and when industrial magician john blake shows up, they must team up to investigate the mystery.

the secret lives of country gentlemen | kj charles | first in a series | historical romance | regency era | a shabby london clerk who inherits a grand house on the remote romney marsh is unexpectedly reunited with an old lover and gets unexpectedly thrown in the world of smugglers.

the will darling adventures | kj charles | completed trilogy | historical romance | 1920s | it’s the 1920s and tensions are rising along with hemlines. soldier-turned-bookseller will darling finds himself tangled up in spies and secret formulas, clubs and conspiracies, bbolsheviks, blackmail, and bright young things. and dubious aristocrat lord arthur ‘kim’ secretan is right in the middle of it all:  enigmatic, unreliable, and utterly irresistible.

the gentleman’s guide to vice and virtue | mackenzie lee | ya | historical romance | 18th c. | bisexual disaster nobility youth goes on his grand tour on europe with the best friend he has a crush on and his sister. nothing could possibly go wrong.

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo | taylor jenkins reid | historical romance | old hollywood | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | aging and reclusive hollywood movie icon evelyn hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. but when she chooses unknown magazine reporter monique grant for the job, no one is more astounded than monique herself. why her? why now?

the charm offensive | alison cochrun | standalone | contemporary romance | reality dating show producer dev has always believed in romance/fairy tales and he works tirelessly to ensure magical happy endings happen on his show, even though his own love life is a disaster. but when disgraced tech wunderkin charlie is cast as the lead of their next season, dev has his work cut out for him to transform charlie into a man the ladies on the show might want and the viewers might like. charlie is far from a prince charming but as they get closer and closer, dev starts realising he might want him for himself. uh oh.

i kissed shara wheeler | casey mcquiston | standalone | ya | contemporary romance | a month before graduation, chloe green’s academic rival shara kisses her before disappearing. now, chloe is on a hunt for answers alongside unlikely allies.

one last stop | casey mcquiston | standalon | contemporary romance | time travel | a 23-year-old realises her subway crush is displaced from 1970's brooklyn, and she must do everything in her power to help her - and try not to fall in love with the girl lost in time - before it's too late.

red, white, and royal blue | casey mcquiston | contemporary romance | new adult | alex, son of the us president, and british prince henry have to fake a pr friendship after a scandal at a royal wedding puts us-british relations at risk. only problem? they despise each other.

check please | ngozi ukazu | graphic novel | new adult | contemporary romance | coming of age | bitty, a southern ex-figure skater armed with a love of baking and a vlog joins his college’s hockey team and falls for his captain, the prodigal son of a famous nhl player whose own draft was derailed by an overdose of anxiety medication.

angels in america | tony kushner | theatre | aids | angels in america is the story of a gay man, prior alter, a 30-year-old New Yorker, whose lover, louis, abandons him when he falls ill with aids. transcendent forces—visions and angels—help transform Prior from a man dying of aids to a man living with aids. along the way, several romantic and platonic couples come apart, and the final social configuration of the play comprises a loose band of multi-generational, multiracial, queer friends.

the normal heart | larry kramer | theatre | aids | focuses on the rise of the hiv/aids epidemic in nyc between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist ned weeks, the gay founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group.

love song to lavender menace | james ley | theatre | in 1982, two friends bob and sigrid opened their new radical lesbian, gay and feminist bookshop, 'lavender menace' on edinburgh's forth street. on the eve of the shop's 5th birthday, sales assistants paul and david take a look back at its origins, in this funny, moving play.

this is how you lose the time war | amal el-mohtar & max gladstone | sci fi | literary fiction | epistolary novel | time travel | an epistolary story told by two future beings, operatives on opposing sides of the "time war" tasked with ensuring that past events happen in ways that are amenable to their goals.

on earth we're briefly gorgeous | ocean vuong | literary fiction | epistolary novel | a letter from a vietnamese american son to his illiterate mother.

night sky and exit wounds | ocean vuong | poetry

time is a mother | ocean vuong | poetry

crush | richard siken | poetry

brokeback mountain | annie proulx | short story | two ranch hands, come together when they're working as sheepherder and camp tender one summer on a range above the tree line. at first, sharing an isolated tent, the attraction is casual, inevitable, but something deeper catches them that summer.

fighting proud: the untold story of the gay men who served in two world wars | stephen bourne | non-fiction | history | wwi | wwii

coming out under fire: the history of gay men and women in world war two | allan bérubé | non-fiction | history | wwii

fabulosa!: the story of polari, britain’s secret gay language | paul baker | non-fiction | history | linguistics | 19th c. | 20th c.

[snowbellewells]

Happy Happy Birthday Jennifer!! @whimsicallyenchantedrose

So, while I wasn’t able to write you a brand new birthday story this year, I thought it might be fun to highlight my all-time favorites of your stories. You were the first fandom friend I met and interacted with, we talked the show and plot points and character development together, and you helped me begin to navigate Tumblr back when I first joined. It’s been a gift to know you all that time, and your writing is a gift to us all! You’ve written so many GREAT stories that it was hard to narrow down, but I have settled on my top half dozen at last to highlight for your special day -- with some cover art for a few of them!!! 💖 Hope this gift serves to remind you of all you’ve written and created and how much all of it - and you!! - are loved. 🥰

The Strongest Magic - This short MC is one of your very early works - a Neverland season 3a divergent tale, but where it diverges gives us powerful adventure and emotion, sacrifice, and much earlier admission and acceptance of the love between our Pirate and Princess. I simply adore it - it squeezes your heart for sure, but it also wraps you up in a wonderful happy ending by the time you are finished.

A Wish Your Heart Makes , Getting to I Do & Mysterious Fathoms Below - This series of longer, connected multi-chapters (The "By Land or By Sea" trilogy) is simply EPIC!!! I don't know how to sing the praises of this story half as much as it deserves. There's adventure in the Enchanted Forest, Camelot, and even under the sea! There's so much beautiful love story for CS (and even some lovely, redemptive Outlaw Queen as well), and @whimsicallyenchantedrose even incorporates some unexpected and perfectly cast characters of myth and legend and her own creation alongside our faves. I don't want to give too much away, but these stories MUST BE read! Once you do, you'll want to read them over and over again.

Happily Ever After - This short MC was originally part of your Fluffy Fridays compilation, and I have often revisited the few chapters of this on their own and definitely think of them as their own little stand-alone story. I love the family recipes, the competition, the rivalry that becomes something much sweeter.... it's a truly delicious addition to your collection of writing!

Caribbean Shores - This lovely little MC reads more like a modern day AU, though they are in Storybrooke and many of our favorite characters still appear. I love the cute sweetness of this one, and the adorable addition of a few scheming cuties from MM's class when she takes them for a field trip tour of the Jolly Roger from Killian. ;) All the sizzle and attraction is there for Emma and Killian right from the start, and though she tries to resist (Why is she always so stubborn?!?) She can't do it for long...

Under the Apple Tree - It's hard to even express how much I adore this fic originally written between season six and season seven of canon. The way @whimsicallyenchantedrose wove in what we knew might be coming in season seven and then supposed what still could happen (a lot of which I would have loved to really see!) is simply brilliant. I love the relationships explored and the way the plot unfolds. It's a special and unique version of our beloved characters, and of course the unstoppable power of Captain Swan to always find each other again is fully on display too! ;p

Until the Stars are all Alight - Wow, this story must have been such a daunting task to undertake - one I would have been afraid to tackle, but the skill with which the OuaT world and the LotR world are woven together, how the plotlines come together and reach fruition, and how the characters coincide for best use so seamlessly is truly admirable and just adds to the depth and power of this full multi-chapter adventure. It has heart and hope and True Love conquering all - all the best things we love so much from the world of fairy tales and the brain of J.R. R. Tolkien!

[mercerislandbooks]

Book Notes: Twelfth Knight

Football and tabletop games. Shakespeare and MMORPG’s. Fandom, feminism and the perils of falling in love. Alexene Farol Fallmuth's new YA, Twelfth Knight, has all this and more in its pages.

Viola (Vi) Reyes would like it if she lived in a world where no one questioned her abilities in ConQuest, a tabletop game, or in the MMORPG Twelfth Knight simply because she’s female. Since that isn’t the case, and Vi spends enough of her time fighting to be taken seriously in real life, she’s crafted a male alter-ego, Cesario, for Twelfth Knight, so she can simply play the game.

Jack (Duke) Orsino is ready to have the senior year of his dreams, leading his high school football team to state championships. But when an injury sidelines him indefinitely at the beginning of the season, Jack’s friend introduces him to the diverting world of Twelfth Knight. In the online game, Jack has a body that isn’t restricted by injury, and he quickly becomes engrossed by the challenges and quests. Before long, Jack encounters Cesario in the game, and the two team up to take on the most epic quest in Twelfth Knight-- the quest for Camelot.

Jack has no idea that Cesario is really his classmate, Vi Reyes, the thorn in his side, perfectionist Vice President to his laid-back Student Body President. Viola, on the other hand, is very aware of DukeOrsino12’s actual identity, but has no intention of outing her real gender in Twelfth Knight. As the two grow closer, both on and off-line, Vi is increasingly aware what coming clean could cost her.

Alexene Farol Fallmuth also writes under the name Olivie Blake in the adult fantasy space. She’s taken on Shakespeare before, with One for my Enemy, as well as crafting the Atlas Six trilogy and several other fantastic novels. The broad strokes of Twelfth Night (twins, false identities with gender swapping, misunderstandings galore) undergird this contemporary YA retelling, while bringing in sharp commentary on toxic masculinity and female inclusion in places like tabletop game communities, online gaming communities, and fandom.

Fallmuth is unvarnished in her portrayal of how Vi struggles to belong in places she’s passionate about but aren’t inherently welcoming to her and the anger that burdens her as she continues to fight. It was hard to read in the beginning. I wondered what shape Viola’s character arc would take because all the reasons she is so angry were justifiable. I didn’t want her to stop being angry. But I did want her to stop feeling so alone. You can see her tender heart, when people show up for her, when they see beyond the barbed exterior and trust her with vulnerable things. She might have a sharp tongue, but she is also wants to be accepted for who she is, prickliness and all, and she’s afraid that no one ever will.

Meanwhile Jack is trying to figure out who he is if he can’t play football. What will the future look like for him? He’s torn between the expectations of his father and the concerns of his mother, all while having completely new avenues open up before him when his injury forces him into trying new things. In this season of graduates heading out into their next chapters, this advice from Viola to Jack about the future from the middle of the book feels especially poignant:

"Personally, I don’t think there’s only one outcome for life,” I add, and when he says nothing, I continue, “I mean, I don’t think there’s a predestined fate or anything. You’re not born to play football. There’s a version of your life where you do other things. Infinite versions. And when you make a choice, you cast off one possible outcome, but then, I don’t know—ten more pop up in its place. And you just keep going like that, choosing a path and watching new paths branch off in front of you. Even if the old ones disappear behind you, it doesn’t have to be sad…" (pp 161-162)

Not a bad worldview for any age.

We’ve got a few special editions of Twelfth Knight on hand with gorgeous, illustrated endpapers and an enamel pin for giveaway with purchase. If you’re an audiobook reader, I highly recommend Twelfth Knight on audio. Twelfth Knight would easily fit Young Adult square for your Summer Book Bingo, but also Friendship or BIPOC Romance!

-- Lori

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 1/5

Book Blurb:

A BEST SUMMER READ: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, Vulture, Esquire, Boston Globe, Elle, Town & Country, Seattle Times, New York Post, Lit Hub, Cosmopolitan, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Paste, BiblioLifestyle, E! Online, AARP, BookBub, BookRiot “For anyone who’s ever craved a seat at the Round Table. Utterly enchanting.” —Rebecca Yarros, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame “If you love King Arthur as much as I do, you’ll love Lev Grossman’s The Bright Sword, a fresh and engrossing take on the Matter of Britain featuring a colorful cast of Round Table knights who don’t often get as much story time as they deserve. The creator of The Magicians has woven another spell.” —George R. R. Martin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Game of Thrones The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Magicians trilogy returns with a triumphant reimagining of the King Arthur legend for the new millennium

A gifted young knight named Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a spot on the Round Table, only to find that he’s too late. The king died two weeks ago at the Battle of Camlann, leaving no heir, and only a handful of the knights of the Round Table survive.

They aren’t the heroes of legend, like Lancelot or Gawain. They’re the oddballs of the Round Table, from the edges of the stories, like Sir Palomides, the Saracen Knight, and Sir Dagonet, Arthur’s fool, who was knighted as a joke. They’re joined by Nimue, who was Merlin’s apprentice until she turned on him and buried him under a hill. Together this ragtag fellowship will set out to rebuild Camelot in a world that has lost its balance.

But Arthur’s death has revealed Britain’s fault lines. God has abandoned it, and the fairies and monsters and old gods are returning, led by Arthur’s half-sister Morgan le Fay. Kingdoms are turning on each other, warlords lay siege to Camelot and rival factions are forming around the disgraced Lancelot and the fallen Queen Guinevere. It is up to Collum and his companions to reclaim Excalibur, solve the mysteries of this ruined world and make it whole again. But before they can restore Camelot they’ll have to learn the truth of why the lonely, brilliant King Arthur fell, and lay to rest the ghosts of his troubled family and of Britain’s dark past.

The first major Arthurian epic of the new millennium, The Bright Sword is steeped in tradition, full of duels and quests, battles and tournaments, magic swords and Fisher Kings. It also sheds a fresh light on Arthur’s Britain, a diverse, complex nation struggling to come to terms with its bloody history. The Bright Sword is a story about imperfect men and women, full of strength and pain, who are looking for a way to reforge a broken land in spite of being broken themselves.

Review:

A new take on the Arthurian round table but with a bunch of misfits and underdogs. King Arthur has died and now the round table is in shambles. A young knight named Collum is desperate to get a seat at the round table... and he's lied and killed his way into Camelot... but what is he to do now that Arthur is gone. With only the oddballs of the Round table left such as Sir Palomides, the Saracen Knight, and Sir Dagonet, Arthur’s fool, who was knighted as a joke and Nimue, Merlin's apprentice who turned on him..... things are about to get a little hectic. Collum and his companions are determined to reclaim Excalibur and solve the mysteries while also facing off against all the faeries, monsters, and old gods returning with Morgan le Fay as their leader. This is the start in a new series and a new take on the Arthurian story. This new take on the classic story is definitely an interesting one but I just don't think it was for me. I was really hoping I would like it more but I just found it kind of boring overall and just a slog to get through. I would however recommend it for fans of Arthurian stories just to read it and see if they do like it. I love Arthurian stories but this particular one was a bit of a miss for me.

Release Date: July 16,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking | Viking for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[monomatica]

Review : Honey Cut by Sierra Simone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars

This book is sooooooooo goooooooood. I rarely read paperbacks anymore, but I found it in B&N on Sunday and was finished on Monday and have about 100 tabbed highlights. I literally could not put it down! I absolutely loved it.

It’s impossible to talk about this book because so much happens and most of it is a surprise so I’ll keep this general and without spoilers. This is book 2 in the Lyonesse trilogy and continues the angst and intrigue set up in Salt in the Wound and Salt Kiss. There are a lot of twists and turns! You get some new information early in the book which plays out all the way through with lies, deception, cheating, murder, a wedding and the spicey glamour of the Lyonesse club. Mark is insatiable and vicious. Isolde is beautiful and fierce. Tristan is a heartbroken puppy. And they are all lovesick and it’s a giant mess and delicious to read. 🥰

The spice though DAYUM. 🥵 It’s turned all the way up. And the cliffhanger! 🫣😳 I’m so unwell. I really cannot wait to see how this story resolves in book 3 Bitter Burn, out next year.

I also really enjoyed the cameos from the Camelot trilogy since these are set in the same universe and I would even recommend reading those first. I’ve read a bunch of her back catalog now, but this series is by far my favorite of Simone’s. She is just on fire.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hiiii!!! I love your recs especially your historical romance stuff but I was wondering if you had any dark romances recs?? Like contemporary? I want to read some more darker stuff but the stuff booktok is on is mediocre at best.

Yes! Not as many as I'd like, tbh, but that's because a) time management issues b) me being excessively picky. Unfortunately, the flooding of the dark romance market means that a lot of them... are not good. Mediocre at best, as you say.

Soooo I would recommend Sierra Simone. Not just because she's one of my favorites, but because, if you're looking for something on the darker end but not like, "WELCOME TO MY TWISTED MIND" shit... Yeah. Would recommend her.

Her darkest series is her Thornchapel books, which does have some mysticism and magic to it, but not enough for me to properly call it paranormal (though I do sometimes). It's like gothic-toned. And it has one thing that even a lot of dark romances I read don't do. An extreme taboo, shall we say.

Basically, the plot (it's 4 books, all must be read in order) is that six childhood friends come back together as adults, with various issues with each other, etc. They find out about these bacchanalian rituals their parents used to do (think... orgies lol) and decide to take part on a lark, which opens some really fucked up, insane shit. There are two main relationships, one of which is MMF and one of which is FF. It's very kinky (think BDSM, free use, again a lot of group sex). It's very intense. Everyone does have sex with each other at some point lol.

If you want NO magic, her Lyonesse series is billed as dark romance, and while there is darker stuff out there, it's still dark. It's a retelling of the Tristan and Isolde myth, MMF, kinky. Basically: a banking heiress who wants to be a nun and enjoys killing people (for God) is betrothed to a powerful, cold kink club owner/former CIA killer man as a power trade. (This is contemporary, though.) Shit happens, and during their engagement (during which they're living in separate countries) he also begins a relationship with his sad-eyed 'd, beautiful bodyguard. Said bodyguard is heartbroken when he finds out Mr. Boss is engaged, and is sent to fetch her... and they begin something too. And also there are secrets. And murder. Some torture. Loooots of sadomasochism. Moral gray-to-charcoal behavior. One of my favorite endings in recent memory. Lots of mindfuckery.

It's GREAT. start with the prequel novella, Salt in the Wound, and go from there (must be read in order). I would also recommend reading her New Camelot trilogy first, which... Like, less murder happens? I guess? It's more political. But I still consider it on the darker end, tbh. There's kidnapping, there's war, there's betrayal, there's that taboo shit again, there's fucking while one of you has open, poorly patched bullet wounds and the blood is slicking between your bodies... Basically, this one of my holy grail series and I think it's perfect. MMF, very kinky, hot hot hot, cry cry cry, based on Arthurian legend.

King's Captive by Amber Bardan is BONKERS and a great dark romance (I need to read more by her, but again, time management problems). The heroine's father is killed by the hero in the beginning, and the hero sweeps her off to his private island. Flash to years later, and she's been there the whole time. And he hasn't touched her (not really). But things are boiling.... Very twisty-turny, and again, WILD. There's some good, weird shit in here.

On the mafia end, I'd recommend Mila Finelli's Kings of Italy (Italian mafia) which is super hot and has some good kink. On the "violence is all around us" kidnapping/biiiig age gap (no underage shit, but think 18 and 38) end. Mafia Madman is my favorite (and the darkest—he keeps her in a cage lol), but I'd recommend reading them in order. Kresley Cole's Game Maker series is a bit darker, Russian mafia, has a lot of murder, kidnapping, some wacky shit. Really well-done, especially the latter two books.

Run, Posy Run by Cate C. Well is a good Italian-American mafia romance, definitely darker, in which the heroine's boyfriend (who's like... kind of emotionless lol) finds out she was cheating on him. Except she wasn't. She goes on the run, he chases her, there's a lot of threatening shit, etc. It's great.

If you want to read some legit fucked up shit that's more on the erotica end of the spectrum (though there is still a pretty amazing central romance) then Tiffany Reisz's Original Sinners series is right there. This has some MESSED. UP. SHIT. Dubcon, noncon, underage activity, seriously risky kink (bloodplay, cutting, choking with a belt and with hands, lots of pain play—our main "hero" is a Catholic priest who can't get it up without inflicting pain, even though he doesn't want to like... legit hurt the heroine). Femdom, pegging, group sex, free use... you'll find it all here.

Not all of this series ages well. I don't love the underage stuff. I really don't love the way the author handles POC (there's like... one main character of color from what I remember, and she's basically a white guy's love interest, and she's great in theory, but boy do I dislike a lot of the way Reisz talks about her on the page). But it is fascinating in many aspects, and I do love the main three characters.

Catch: if you want it to have an HEA, just stop on book 8.... She revived the series after years with book 9. It sucks. It leaves you on a sort of open situation with no sign of when the next book will come out, and I'm not sure how that'll all... end up. It's really not good.

BUT the original series is over, and if you stop there the ending is great. And that's the only ending I acknowledge.

[tiodolma]

do you know of any complete mergana slowburn besides ‘you can’t fight fate’? do complete mergana fics even exist?

by "slow burn" you mean one where there’s a lot of pining, fighting and not really getting together that quick right? There are a lot of complete MerGana fics!!!! You just gotta start at the oldest (especially in ffnet) and give the fics a chance.

I'm actually still at circa 2012 in ffnet and im reading thru a lot and seriously a lot of gorgeous long fics. The normal lengthed fics are so cool and good too and i often take a while to recover and open a new fic.

tbf "you can't fight fate" is ridiculously long and big so we gotta lower that as the standard but okay i will try

AN ATTEMPT AT LONGFIC (COMPLETE) MERGANA FICS

.................................................

AO3

The curious case of Merlin and Morgana by kessilover - 19 chapters. this one absolutely my favorite and first real taste of the toxic dynamics and complicated healing process that MerGana will have to go thru if they get um redeemed together. AU where after Camlann event, MerGana wakes up in an alternate reality where Morgana is pregnant with Merlin's child.

Bound By Fate by Araminia16 - 54 chapters explicit. MerGana deal with Morgana's actions in the prequel to this. Slowburn in the way that they are still toxic and heavily attracted to each other. Secrets are revealed, Morgana and Merlin both deal with each other's righteous fury. and the future is rewritten

No Other Way by MonJoh - 12 chapters. Morgana and Morgause figure out that the key to Camelot is Merlin. Personally this is one of my favorite Magic Reveals.

Destiny's Path by MonJoh 11 chapters. Merlin accidental magic reveal that causes him to get banished. He ends up following aithusa's trail and rescuing Morgana.

The Witch, the Warlock, and the King by AngryPurpleFire 10 chapters. Merlin in the Dark Tower. Comes to an understanding with Morgana. This one is an honest exposition of Camelot dynamics.

The Tricoloured Dragon (Y Ddraig Dri Lliw) by jaqtkd 2 chapters but around 49500 words. The English King Uther is determined to bring Pagan Wales under his control and offers an alliance to the most reasonable of their princes. Balinor accepts his offer instantly and even offers a son and a ward to the king as security. It all seems far too good to be true. - not a slowburn per se.. but it's still long.

LIFE IN MOMENTS SERIES (FFNET) - a cool and very compelling series tbh.

A Lion and a Unicorn by Mnemosyne77 30 chapters and first part of a series. This one is truly a slow burn. Morgana has a nightmare where Merlin is dying. You should check this out.

A Life in Moments by Mnemosyne77 101 chapters. Part 2 of the 'Life in Moments' Trilogy and sequel to 'A Lion and a Unicorn'. Story told in oneshots, drabbles and longer story arcs across multiple time lines. Contents list is in chapter 101. Believe me, you'll need it.

A Haunted Lake by Mnemosyne77 Part 3 conclusion of the 'Life in Moments' trilogy. Down a deep forest path, through a crop of oak trees, and beside a vast field of wildflowers, there is a lake. It's a wondrous thing but the locals do not go near it after dark.

FFNET FICS

Challengers by brickroad16 14 chapters. I remember liking this a lot. and this has been recced many times so I put this here too.

Throw Out the Script by Eidolon02 37 chapters. I remember this being really cool too. Merlin reveals his magic to Morgana in s2. He teaches her and they become close (and pine a lot for each other). Even on this fic they keep clashing in their ideals and struggle to keep the balance. Please check it out!

A Witch's Hormones by Angela-Bennet 30 chapters. both merlin and morgana and the rest of camelot is sexually frustrated coz of some supernatural annual fertility event.

Resistance is Futile by Duchess Emma 16 chapters It's March 18 and our young lovers must resist the magical pull of fertility for three days or else their magic will be revealed. Yes, it is quite salacious. Now COMPLETE - this is kind of like "A Witch's Hormones" but a different kind of take. It's pretty cool

A Thin Line by Duchess Emma 31 chapters - Merlin and Morgana wake up handcuffed together in Cenred's dungeon. They have to put their hatred aside and work together to get out of this predicament. Will Merlin finally admit his magic? It's a thin line between love and hate. Very thin. - this one also explores their dynamics and what they can do when pushed into a desperate situation where they have to work together. also a pretty sexy fic as they try to fight the attraction they have with each other. merlin is frustrating as usual.

Semper by WingedWolf121 5 chapters. you are the Princess of Cornwall, who holds magic that in Camelot would get you killed. You will learn the art from the most powerful of teachers, Nimueh. If only this serving boy with the vivid blue eyes did not distract you so. Merlin/Morgana - I remember this was quite a slowburn. I dont remember much details but i thought this was cool too. I've seen this one getting recced by others

Heartlines by WalkingWit 37 chapters Modern Mergana AU A modern university AU set in a world where Uther is the British government, Morgana is his rebellious ward, Gwen is her indecisive roommate, and Merlin ends up as roommate to the king of clotpoles himself, Arthur Pendragon. A bit of swearing involved. - idk if you are okay with modern au but i like this one a lot. they remember their past life in this. so cool.

The Dark Tower by WalkingWIt 12 chapters Morgana captures Merlin, imprisoning him in the Dark Tower, and he comes to find they're not so different after all. Both are alone. Mentions of Freya. - this one is interesting as well

The Camelot Records Tour Modern MerGana AU - 16 chapters. Merlin and Morgana are both the singers and composers in their respective bands. Their groups were contracted to go on tour together. Repulsion and Attraction occurs.

ALSO IF YOU WANT 2 VERSIONS OF MARRIED MERGANA MAY I RECOMMEND YOU SPARROWS MAGICIAN'S TWO GORGEOUS SERIES

"Bliss" Series - Canon Compliant (multple fics) - Morgana returns to Camelot because of a prophecy post s3 (iirc). Merlin and Morgana gotta settle their differences.

and

Unwelcomed Arrangements 26 chapters - Unions of peace come from marriage. Uther must give away his ward if he wishes to make peace with Merlin king of Magi. Unfortunately, the new bride is already in love with another, and her dreams foreshadow destruction. Merlin has to find a way to save everyone, and win his new brides heart. AU, Royal!Merlin

.................

This is all I got for now. Like I said before. I'm still slowly, very slowly getting thru MerGana fics. I think I missed one complete Modern AU in this list but I honestly cannot remember anymore. The longfics, drabbles and normal sized fics keep meshing in my brain. I hope I can do a 2nd sweep of both fanfiction sites someday but. ah. I doubt I'll even finish within the year. I'm still overwhelmed by the magnitude, the diversity the richness of it all.

Hope you enjoy these longfic recs. And I do encourage everyone to explore. I'm just a very new Merlin fan. I just got here in Dec 2022. Everything about MerGana is new and amazing for me, even the 10+year old fics (Especially those fics tbh).

anyway someday i really hope i can make a better fic rec list. but how can i do that when i sometimes just want to rec everything on ffnet?? lol

Good day. And also tyvm for the ask.

[ladywaffles]

4, 17 and 22 for the book meme? 💖

of course <3

4) Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

Kiersten White was an absolutely hit in my house this year. It took me about two weeks to get through the entire Camelot Rising trilogy. the day i finished The Guinevere Deception, i drove almost an hour to the only barnes and noble in the area that had the next two books in stock.

17) Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

i was pleasantly surprised by People We Meet on Vacation! i love a good romance book, but i wasn't sure that Emily Henry's style was for me. i liked it enough that i even got another one of her books.

22) What’s the longest book you read?

SOON i will finish Masters of the Air. i swear i will finish it by the end of the year. i just had to take a months-long break from it. but as of now, Wicked is the longest book i (re-)read this year.

ask me about my end-of-year books!

[triviareads]

Thank you.

Can you recommend for me a contemporary romance with kink?

I'm guessing in reference to this ask

Hi! This is a pretty broad ask but I can rec my favorites (some of them are erotic romances btw):

Can I start this list without beginning with Sierra Simone? Nope. Sierra writes erotic romances that have this amazing combination of kink, heart-wrenching emotion, queerness, and religion

Misadventures with a Professor: Might be a good place to start your Sierra journey; Oliver is someone you get the sense needs kink to have fulfilling sex, and possibly a fulfilling relationship. He is very into the professor/student thing (so D/s with a lot of "good student" praise, chastisement, and some teaching) and Zandy is 100% into it too (much to Oliver's shock... poor guy has been kinkshamed in the past and then proceeded to kinkshame himself to hell and back).

Priest: The start of my Sierra journey; D/s dynamic between a Catholic priest and his new congregant. It's almost entirely from Tyler's point of view but I loved Poppy as a character because she was so unabashed about her lifestyle and her desire to be dominated. I'd strongly recommend entire Priest whole series, though book 2, Sinner, is less kinky there are... undertones (that are fully realized in a bonus scene lolol), and book 3, Saint, plays around a lot with chastity..... and cock cages.

New Camelot series: A modern political romance between Ash (King Arthur; the president here), Embry (an unholy combination of Mordred and Lancelot; the VP), and Greer (Guinevere; the First Lady). Ash is a Dom and had a longstanding D/s relationship with Embry, who is a switch, and both men were involved with Greer in the past until they all intersect. This was one of the first books with kink I read and it made an impression, suffice to say.

Thornchapel series: Okay there's definitely a magical/fantasy element to this but it's set in the modern world and I really love the relationships depicted in the series. There's the main throuple which consists of a dom and two subs; Auden is actually taught by his friend how to be a good dom, and that friend, Rebecca, is in a D/s relationship with Delphine (one of the few well-written wlw romances with kink as far as I've seen). There's a looooot of denial in this one; celibacy, orgasm denial, teasing, etc. It makes for GREAT tension on top of the already gorgeous romances.

Try Sierra's Salt Kiss, which is the first in her Lyonesse Trilogy which is based on the story of Tristan and Isolde and Mark (and the only book out so far). For the most part, it's m/m; Mark is a sex club owner and Tristan's dom and boss. Tristan has a breeding kink which goes both ways, in that he wants to breed Isolde, and wants to be bred by Mark.

Sara Cate's Salacious Players Club is a good series to introduce you to kink. All five of the books are kinky to varying degrees. Praise has a D/s relationship with lots of praise kink stuff, Eyes On Me is exhibitionism/voyeurism-forward, Give Me More is about a couple falling for their best friend and vice-verse and has some exhibitionism/voyeurism/bondage, but I think the most interesting point, kink-wise, is that Hunter, the husband, initially thinks he wants to be cuckholded (watching his wife and best friend have sex) but it turns out he's working through internalized homophobia and actually just wants to be a part of a throuple with his best friend and wife. Mercy also has a D/s relationship with an older domme and her best friend's son who is a brat.

Jennie Kew is an Australian author whose Bennett's Bastards series I overall enjoyed. She writes very... earthy heroes and heroines and it makes for an interesting vibe. My favorites are Third Time Lucky, which has a D/s relationship between the main couple (and goes into how kink can be weaponized in abusive relationships). His Own Heaven also has a D/s relationship between the main couple, and it actually falls outside the bedroom too (ex: she sits at his feet and he feeds her).

Priceless by Miranda Silver: Christina initially agreed to sleep with Patrick for money which, for her, is inherently degrading, and then there's more degradation on his part. The kink feels very... natural, If that makes sense. Not a lot of bells and whistles; just two college students figuring it out in a frat house bedroom.

Katee Robert writes a fair amount of kinky romances but I do think her sweet spot might be writing daddy-dom types. Try her Your Dad Will Do and My Dad's Best Friend series if you're looking books with a daddy kink. Also—

Desperate Measures: A grown-up take on Jafar/Jasmine except he's a mobster and she's a mob princess. There's daddy dom stuff, plus some consensual non-consent.

Neon Gods: Hades/Persephone; Hades runs a sex club out of his house and there's a good amount of exhibitionism and voyeurism, also, Hades does have the daddy dom quality even if she's not outrightly calling him Daddy.

I've read a few books by Eve Dangerfield but plot-wise the one that stands out the most is Act Your Age; There's a lot of sleazy step-daddy roleplay so its a good amount of degradation, and some CNC.

Mila Finelli's Kings of Italy mafia series has kink; Mafia Mistress and Mafia Darling (both with the same couple; the heroine is initially engaged to marry the mafioso's son except he wants her for himself) has a lot of daddy (paparino) stuff and some generally rough sex and roleplay, and Mafia Madman (heroine is kidnapped and thrown in a cage on a yacht by the hero) I'd say has an M/s dynamic with both a degradation and praise kink and some CNC. Gia is also a Brat.

Heather Guerre is really good at getting the soft domme vibe right; in Preferential Treatment a billionaire pays his employee to domme him (there's some impact play from what I remember, and orgasm control). What Was Meant To Be is about basically an arranged marriage, and Rain just naturally likes to take charge in the bedroom and Wes is very down, just very much a Good Boy.

Sink or Swim by Tessa Bailey has a pretty unique sexual dynamic imo; Andrew a service top in that he's the more dominant one but he really gets off on Jiya telling him what to do (sexually and otherwise) and as it turns out, so does she. I really like how Tessa subverted the "submissive Asian woman" trope in this book.

Adriana Anders wrote Daddy Crush which is your classic daddy kink romance with an age gap, but it was just written really well. Would recommend.

Dana Isaly and Hannah Murray both write shorter, erotic romances with similar vibes. I liked Dana's Games We Play (mask kink, degradation, bondage, etc.) and Hannah's The Sadist and the Brat (I actually reviewed this one).

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Monthly Fic Recs - February 2024

You may notice that I, uh. Did not keep up with the Fic Feature Friday thing. *sheepish grimace* But! I am determined to share fic recs! So monthly ones it shall be. Mostly, these are all recent things, and to be honest I've read very little fic at all this year, wrapped up in new job and life stuff. But there's some great stuff here that I did manage to read in the quiet in-between times, I hope you find something to enjoy! And so, in no particular order except how I bookmarked them, THE RECS! STRANGER THINGS In the Kitchen or the Tulips by teddywesworl, ~44,000 words, Steve/Eddie Eddie’s face is way too hot, and the damn heart monitor is gonna give away his secrets if it doesn’t shut the fuck up. Steve Harrington carried me out of Hell, he thinks, deliberately. A prickle of something frantic festers at the base of his skull as he pictures himself limp in Steve’s arms, Steve’s hands clutching at his filthy jacket, his blood-soaked jeans. Did he have to do CPR? Did he peel Eddie’s clothes away from the gore of his midsection to get a look at the damage?

Did he touch me? Did he touch me? Did he touch me?

OR: A touch-activated telepathic soulmates AU.

Renegades (Leave a Light On) by queerofthedagger, ~67,000 words, Steve/Eddie Eddie doesn't expect to get into trouble for his recent drug business, although he probably should have. Even less does he expect Steve Harrington of all people to save his sorry ass with a nail bat that looks awfully at home in his hands. Least of all, though, does he expect Harrington to insist on skipping town for a while to avoid the fallout.

The Winter holidays of '84 seem intent on proving him wrong on all fronts. Thrown into a spontaneous road trip-slash-cut-and-run to San Francisco—just until things back home blow over, Munson—Eddie has all the time in the world to confront such questions as: why would Harrington care to help him? Why does he wake up from nightmares more often than not? And, maybe most importantly, why is the former King so ready to leave Hawkins behind on a whim?

Or: idiot boys make impulsive idiot decisions, and along the way—reluctantly but inevitably—they fall in love. A story of endless winter streets, finding family, and leaving home to find a new one. MERLIN Albionist by Galauvant, ~1,700 words, gen Arthur & Merlin (& Aithusa) The cry sounds again, and Arthur’s feet freeze, a chill sliding down his spine. There’s something hauntingly familiar about the cadence of the sound.

It’s not quite the same, but Arthur just knows. It’s impossible, but he knows.

He draws Excalibur now, quickening his pace, but his feet are light.

Minutes later, there it is:

A white dragon- a living, breathing dragon roughly the size of a stallion, crouched in front of a cave. One of its wings is held at an odd angle, and unlike the giant monstrosity that once terrorized Camelot, this one looks gaunt and weak.

Or: In a handwavey canon divergence where Arthur knows about Merlin's magic and Aithusa escapes captivity, there are two men and a young dragon.

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE Magic Maketh Man by Brokenpitchpipe, ~17,000 words, Harry/Eggsy It takes Eggsy three seconds to tear his eyes off the feed, slam the laptop shut, apparate to Harry’s side, and somehow manage to get back to St. Mungo’s with the added weight.

It takes him another two minutes to realize that Harry’s glasses are still on his face, and the tiny little LED atop the brow is still blinking obediently.

Merlin’s goddamn balls. He’s fucked. TEEN WOLF (Don't) Stay by alocalband, ~18,000 words, Derek/Stiles Stiles goes away to college, and Derek suddenly falls ill. Obviously, the two things are completely unrelated. And, obviously, Stiles doesn't make the drive back to Beacon Hills at every available opportunity, to the detriment of his academic career, because he's secretly in love with the guy. That would be ridiculous. STAR WARS (original trilogy. yes i am confused by this too.) Take Care by spqr, ~12,000 words, Han/Luke The time dragged, and dragged, and the Falcon didn’t help matters by breaking whenever Han looked away for a second. It was like she didn’t want them to get where they were going, like she was actively sabotaging herself — an insane thought which Han kept to himself, since he didn’t want Chewie to smack him in the head, until the fourth literally brand new part broke in the space of an hour and he said in despair, “Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you’re mad at me too, baby,” and looked up to find Luke watching him thoughtfully, crouched at the edge of the open hatch.

“I can talk to her, if you want,” he offered.