#the most delicious enemies to secret lovers to tragic lovers ever

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: sapphic romance for people who like Hannibal and Interwiev with the Vampire, aka fucked up and toxic

Enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies, fucked up power imbalances, manipulations, plain bad people doing bad things - if you like your sapphics a little bit dark check out these books!

Some of these end happily, some tragically, some are more will-they-won’t-they than full on romance, some focus on healing while others focus on Getting Worse, but they’re all very juicy.

For details on the books, continue under the readmore

Feel free to recommend more books in tags and comments!

Othe book rec posts:

Really cool fantasy worldbuilding

Really cool sci-fi worldbuilding

Mermaid books

Vampire books

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

Young Adult. tumblr classic back in the day! A trainer of sea monsters genetically engineered to protect ships from pirates is kidnapped by, you guessed it, pirates, one of whom happens to be very hot.

Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden

While my feelings on Escaping Exodus were mixed, it cannot be denied that the dynamic between the two leads and the way they go from childhood best friends to enemies on different sides of a class and power struggle is very delicious. It also features some really cool worldbuilding of living, alien generation spaceships and the human culture that has developed inside them.

The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley

This book fucked me up when I read it. It’s weird, it's gross, there’s So Much Viscera, there are literally no men, it has living spaceships and biotech but in the most horrific way imaginable. Had I to categorize it I would call it grimdark military sf. It’s an experience but not necessarily a pleasant one.

The Lumionus Dead by Caitlin Starling

Possibly one of the most unsettling books I've ever read, and definitely the most claustrophobic. Gyre, a caver on an alien planet, ventures into the dark and dangerous underground, guided only by a woman who has no compunctions on using and manipulating Gyre as she sees fit to obtain her secretive goals down in the caves.

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

On the less toxic and fucked up side of the spectrum, but still pretty juicy. A princess held captive by her own brother, who wants to see her dead, tries to trick a servant into helping her escape, but with undeniable attraction growing between them and the servant having her own goals things quickly get complicated.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Listen, if you're on tumblr I probably don't need to explain this book to you. Trust me when I say it's exactly as good as people claim. There are indeed lesbian necromancers in space (quite a few of them, actually), but also incredible worldbuilding that keeps growing with every new installment, interesting political commentary, morally complex characters with fucked up dynamics, and well-thought out plot that keeps you guessing until the last.

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

Listen, sometimes you just want to read about a vicious bisexual lady professor who murders predatory men and falls for the woman trying to solve her crimes and that's okay.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

The source of not one but two movie adaptations, Fingersmith is a story of trickery and manipulation as a young conwoman works to gain the trust of a heiress. I don’t want to say much more because the twists are some of the best parts, but trust that it doesn’t take long for things to get real complicated between them.

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

Tourraine, who was stolen as a child and trained as a soldier for the empire that conquered her home, is recruited by Luka, the future leader of the conquering country to route out a rebellion. A game of twisted loyalties and attraction is soon to develop.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Again, if you're on tumblr (or twitter, apparently) you have in all likelihood already heard of this one, too. Just like GtN it lives up to all expectations. It features two women on different sides of the titular time war, who starts leaving letters for the other to find as they chase each other through time. A quick read, slightly surreal, and absolutely beautiful, I cannot recommend this enough. Pretty mild on the fucked-up-scale.

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

In a world where the rich drink blood to preserve their health, Marion applies to a position as bloodmaid in a notorious noble house far from home. Suddenly showered with luxuries and debauchery, Marion soon gains the interest and favor of Lisavet, countess of the house. A fresh take on the idea of vampires.

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

A young pregnant woman flees a cult that left her body strange and changing in terrifying ways. Hidden from the world, she does her best to raise her children while trying to find out the truth of the cult and being pursued by a hunter in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. In no way a romance, but certainly has some fucked up sapphic shit going on.

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

After her home was conquered by another land, Baru is determined to join their forces and climb the ladder until she’s in a position to free her people. To prove her loyalty, she’s sent to bring order and quell rebellion in another conqured region. Baru is set to succeed, but also has to struggle with her feelings for Tain Hu, a duchess of this region.

Ice Massacre (Mermaids of Eriana Kwai trilogy) by Tiana Warner

Young Adult. A small island is forced to defend itself against intruding forces of vicious mermaids. As all men trying to fight them get lured in by their siren song, a ship filled with warrior girls is sent instead. However one of them, Meela, had a complicated past with one of the mermaids, which is brought back to life when the two reunite on the battlefield. This one is also available as an ongoing webcomic!

Borderline (The Arcadia Project trilogy) by Mishell Baker

Urban fantasy mystery. Very much of the will-they-won’t-they variety, with a bisexual lead who has a male love interest as well as a female without falling into the typical pitfalls of a love triangle. Plays around with various fucked up power dynamics. A year after a failed suicide attempt that cost her both her legs, Millie is recruited by a secretive organisation that works to control traffic to and from Arcadia, the land of faries. Bear in mind that while the sapphic-ness is present throughout, it has a much smaller presence in book 1 than books 2 and 3.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

The Hunger by Whitley Strieber

Ancient vampire is on the hunt for a new partner, none of which tend to last long.

Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings

Precursor of the famous Killing Eve tv series. While I don’t know much of the books, I did enough research to know this: their endings differ.

[ace-touya]

As a fan for Dabi, Gojo, Uraraka and Himiko Toga, can I ask your thought on these ships : Dabi/Hawks, Gojo/Geto, & Toga/Ochaco?

YES OF COURSE I’d like to preface though that these are just my personal thoughts and opinions, I don’t want to start shipping wars. Whatever anyone else thinks of these ships I am totally on board with!

I don’t personally ship DabiHawks that much, but I really do see the appeal. For me, my favourite flavour of DabiHawks is Keigo falling head over heels for an oblivious Dabi who would freak out if Hawks ever confessed because he does not know the first thing about love. That’s chefs kiss. As someone who headcanons Touya as aroace I really like any unrequited!DabiHawks stuff. The angst potential for this ship is huge. I prefer it as a hero x villain thing than with hero!Touya aus, Just because I feel like DabiHawks loses a lot of depth when you take away the enemies to lovers element, but that’s just what I enjoy. So yeah, not something I ship personally but I do like it and the content people make of it!

Satosugu is my current hyperfixation I think. I ship this 100%. Friends to lovers to enemies who are still lovers. These two are a mess and they both need therapy. I want them to be happy, but also I don’t because they angst is delicious. They’re extremely tragic. Also, considering the theme songs Gege assigned them.. okay mr Satoru ‘shame on me’ Gojo. I know what you are. I like this ship because there’s so much you can do with it and it’ll still be in character depending on what part of their lives it’s set in. Like if you want fluffy stuff? Highschool, pre Toji. Hurt/comfort? Highschool, Post Toji. Lovers to enemies? KFC break up. Star-crossed lovers? them as adults. Secret relationship? Au where they continue meeting up after Geto leaves. Parenting? Au where nothing went wrong and they raise Megumi, Tsumiki, Nanako and Mimiko together. This ship has so many flavours. I live for it.

So with Togachaco, I’m not the biggest shipper of it but I think that’s going to change after season seven just based on the spoilers I have seen. But, even with what we currently have in the anime, I absolutely see it. I do ship it, but it’s not one of my otps, because I love Izuocha too much. But with Ochaco saying ‘follow your heart’ after thinking about Toga, and even way back when she was flustered by Camie!Toga. Like, Ochaco, you’re not subtle. Unlike with DabiHawks I do see the appeal of this being in a hero!toga au, but it’s great with the canon hero x villain thing too. I imagine these two in a relationship to be the most wholesome, affectionate little babies in the entire world. And everyone else watches on in horror that Ochaco found something to love in that girl. I also think it would be funny if 1A and the league all knew and just had this sort of silent pact that they don’t do anything about it. Let the girls have their fun.

[fangable]

5, 6, 8, 17, and 20 for Veronica! On the meta questions ask game.

I wish to know the vampire secrets!

thank you very much my friend!!!!!!

5. What kind of abilities and power level does your oc have? Why did you give them their powers? What's the in-universe reason?

veronica currently has blood potency 2 (she's a 10th gen ancilla), presence 4, celerity & auspex 1 and dominate 2! she's very much presence-focused, she spent most of her unlife as a spy and she preferred to use charm to make people spill their secrets.

i really wanted to give her dominate though, and the explanation i originally suggested to my storyteller was that she sucked it out of some poor fledgling while participating in gustav breidenstein's hunts:

(Camarilla sourcebook, p. 41)

this however is subject to change because i'm trying to come up with a better story!

6. What are the weaknesses in their power? Why did you give them their weaknesses? What's the in-universe reason?

i'm not quite sure how to interpret this question in veronica's case, so i think i'm just going to talk about the flaws i gave her!

enemy - this one comes from her predator type, which is siren. it's an ex-lover of hers named basilius, but the reason he's her enemy has less to do with the fact that they're exes and more with the fact that she wanted to open her own photo studio and he became convinced that they'd run it together. so now he feels cheated out of a business

stalkers - she's 1. a siren and 2. a decently popular photographer, so i figured it wouldn't be much of a stretch to give her this one

bond junkie - one of her convictions is that she won't let anyone control her, which comes from the fact that she's already spent roughly 60 years blood bound to her sire. she is also a hopeless hedonist. so i figured that giving her this flaw could be a source of some delicious delicious inner turmoil in the future

prey exclusion (unwashed and unkempt people) - went with this to highlight that she's still a pretty stereotypical vain & arrogant toreador sometimes

suspect (camarilla loyalists) - she's left the ivory tower not too long ago, so some of the camarilla kindred would certainly be pretty offended if she ever dared to speak to them

8. Does your oc have any notable flaws or activities they're not good at? Why did you give them those flaws? Why do they exist in-universe?

she's quite bad at pretty much anything physical. she has some fencing skills (courtesy of her sire who's a talented fencer), but other than that she's never really had a reason to learn how to fight. until now, that is - turns out that as an anarch you might need to get your hands dirty a bit more often.

17. List/describe up to five tropes that apply to your oc. They could be related to the oc's characterization or their narrative arc.

tragic backstory - oh she's got one. cushy life as a kid, losing it all and having to fend for herself before she hit adulthood, being blood bound for over half a century, multiple lovers who are now dead

the promiscuous bi/pansexual - i have nothing to say in my defence. she likes to have fun!!!

femme fatale girlboss whatever other words there might be. she's a businesswoman who will absolutely step on you

is "divorce coded" a trope? it should be a trope

20. Share a random piece of trivia about the creation of your oc. Examples: scrapped ideas or changes you didn't expect to make.

random piece of trivia: veronica is partially based on a sim-turned-oc i had as a teenager! her name was lilith, she was the firstborn child of a vampire lady and her crime boss husband, and had a penchant for killing family members and acquaintances. i'm not gonna lie i was a pretty edgy teenager.

so knowing that, you can see why it was so funny when veronica got invited to join the bahari. it wasn't something i ever planned for her but once she had the opportunity i knew i could NOT pass up on that

[sophisticatedloserchick]

Fanfic - You Could Make a Girl Fall in Love With You - 1/1

Summary: Millie finds herself caught betweent the man she thought she loved and the man she wants to love - AU based on the Flash Musical episode, aka Gangster Noir AU

Rating: PG

Word Count: 1613

A/N: For Iris West Allen Week. Based on the Day Seven prompt: Fave AU Iris.

Its a cold winter night in Central City.

Most of its citizens are tucked away in their beds. Their blankets and pillows shielding them from the harshness of the winter's night. Only those up to no good or the foolish would be out on a night like this.

Barry Allen definitely would be cast in the 'foolish' category.

He's currently standing out on the street watching over a girl who he desperately loves but doesn't know he exists. The whole thing sounds tragic, like a story from those dime paperback romance novels. But Barry always seemed to have that kind of bad luck.

Millie was the daughter of the most formidable crime lords in the city who just happened to be Barry's bosses. She was known as a real beauty. Her dark curly hair cut in the short flapper style framed her heart shaped face. Her full lips always painted in her signature ruby red. Her dark eyes that seemed to draw in every man like a moth to a flame. Most men would lie themselves down on the railroad tracks in front of a incoming train if it meant Millie would spare them one glance.

Barry couldn't deny he would do exactly that. But as it stood Tommy Moran had Millie's eart so Barry would have to settle for watching over her.

Cause you see Tommy is the son of Millie's fathers biggest rival and Barry had been tasked to watch over their beloved daughter because of it. Barry had to make certain that the Moran boy doesn't mistreat her they told Barry. And if a chance to slit Tommy Moran's throat presented itself Barry had been ordered to go for it.

It's a regular Romeo + Juliet type of deal that Barry found himself in the middle of.

Barry's eyes flickered upwards to the windows in the apartment several stories up. All the curtains were drawn but the lights inside cast a warm glow that allowed him to see the shadowed figures of Millie and Tommy moving back and forth across the apartment. They were pacing a lot tonight which did not bode well. Usually he had the distinct displeasure of seeing the silhouettes of a man and woman in a lovers embrace.

Tonight was different and he couldn't put his finger on why.

!!!!!!!!!!!!

Millie pulled her silver fox furred coat tighter around herself as she stepped outside.

She hated freezing cold nights like this when the weather didn't have the decency to at least snow. Because Millie loved the snow, the big fluffy snowflakes that sparkled like tiny diamonds coating the world in a delicious white frosting. Much more preferable to the cold drab night she currently stepped out into.

She barely walked a few paces before she spotted the tall, lean frame of Barry Allen leaning against a lamp post. She huffed out a breath in annoyance at her Dads once again thinking she needed a chaperone wherever she went.

“Fancy meeting you here Allen,” Millie announced tersely as she approached him.

His head angled to look at her better and not for the first time Millie is struck by his good looks. The sharp angles of his face. His dark brown hair slicked back in a neat style. And when his pretty green eyes focused on her that made her heart skip a beat.

Internally she scolded herself for getting twitter-patted over a man that wasn't her Tommy.

“Out for a walk,” Barry said casually but she could hear the humor in his voice.

“Yeah huh. A walk my Dads told you to go on,” Millie replied sharply.

Barry gave a little shrug but said nothing else. Not that she needed any confirmation she couldn't even step out to go dress shopping without her Dad's men sent to follow her. Its the most frustrating thing for a grown woman to be treated like a child.

“They worry,” Barry spoke as though he read her mind. “They have a lot of enemies who'd love to get their hands on you.”

“Enemies like Tommy maybe?” Millie narrowed her eyes at him.

“Like Tommy's father,” Barry said gently but it didn't make it any easier to hear. Millie knew most thought her naive and foolish, that she didn't understand how the world worked, but Millie understood all to well the harsh reality of what he was saying.

“We better get you home,” Barry offered his arm out to her. “Its cold out tonight.”

Iris thought for a hot minute about heading back into the apartment and leave Barry to stand out here all night until he turned into a icicle. Serves him right treating her like a child. But the argument between her and Tommy from moment ago echoed in her ears held her back.

“I suppose for your benefit,” Millie placed her hand on the crook of his elbow, “I'm not a monster.”

Barry cracked a smile at her that made her heart flutter in a way that it shouldn't. As a taken woman she'd never admit it out loud she enjoyed walking arm in arm with him. Or that she felt safe with him as they moved through the dark streets. After all it was better then to walk home alone she figured.

As they both left looking like lovers out on a nightly stroll neither noticed in the window of the apartment above them a curtain had been pulled back to reveal Tommy watching them leave.

!!!!!!

Weeks later Millie found herself with a broken heart.

Days would go by and Tommy didn't return her phone calls and every note filled with love Millie wrote went unanswered. Mille even got bold and went to their secret apartment where she wait for hours in the hopes he would show up. But he never did.

Millie knew she needed to do a better job at hiding her distress. Her two dads constantly asked her what had been bothering her, they showered her with gifts and offered a trip to Europe to try to get her to smile again.

Even worse the ever watchful eyes of Barry Allen seemed to look right through her. Millie hated that he probably knew that she was being jilted by her boyfriend. She avoided him even more not wanting to see the pity in his face when looking at her.

Finally after weeks of silence and agony Millie found a note waiting for her where in short and stilted words Tommy said he didn't think they should see each other anymore.

Now Millie always saw herself as a strong woman. Her dads raised her to be independent and capable of facing any challenge. Which is why she found it very annoying that she ended up hiding in the garden of her parents house crying her eyes out because a stupid boy decided he didn't want to love her anymore.

To add more salt to the wound Barry Allen found her in this pathetic state.

“Oh god not now,” Millie sniffled as she struggled to wipe away the tears. “You really have the worst timing.”

Barry had the decency to look a little bashful as he ducked his head away. His eyes averted so as not to look at her directly. She then watched him fumble in the pockets of his dove grey suit jacket before he held out a pale blue handkerchief to her.

Millie eyed the handkerchief for a moment before reaching out to take it.

“Thanks,” Millie said as she wiped her tears and blew her nose. “I hate being a mess like this. Its very unbecoming for a lady like myself.”

“He's a fool,” Barry spoke up in a much more heated voice then Millie expected. “Any guy would kill to have girl like you.”

“Yo-you think?” Millie hiccuped through her tears as she looked up at him.

“I know,” Barry answered with such conviction even Millie could tell he wasn't faking it.

With her eyes cleared of tears Millie tilted her head back to get a good look at Barry. Not for the first time she admired how tall he was. She'd never admit it to Tommy due to his sensitivity about his height but Millie always found that there's something about a tall man she loved. She took a moment to really take in his fine features, his sharp jawline, and high cheekbones.

And of course those pretty green eyes that always made Millie's heart flutter.

“You better be careful Mister Allen,” Millie cracked a smile for the first time. “You could make a girl fall in love with you with sweet words like that.”

Barry spluttered and the pale skin in his cheeks went bright red. But Millie could tell underneath his embarrassment that her words pleased him. She wondered how good of a gangster he could be if he got so easily flustered, her dads selecting him to be her personal bodyguard always stuck her as strange. Then again the kind of loyalty Barry Allen had wasn't easy to find.

“Come on lets go,” Millie looped her arm through his, “I bet my dads are waiting for me right?”

“Er well not really,” Barry rubbed the back of his neck as they walked arm in arm through the garden. “I came looking for you because I was worried about you.”

“Aren't you sweet,” Millie giggled as she cozies up to him. “If I was smart I'd fall for a fellow like you.”

As Barry blushed even deeper Millie decided that falling for Barry Allen was exactly what she was going to do.

[dilfdoctordoom]

your head canons are just perfect. What are some random ones you have for Dinah Lance and Bette

Uhhhh gonna be going off the top of my head here (& under the cut because guess who wrote a load whooo) but

Dinah

Dinah is trans!!! I liked it Bombshells, I’ve decided its canon across all universes because you know what? It’s amazing

Dinah’s metagene got activated because Alan the JSA accidentally irradiated her throughout her childhood. Barry got lightning, Dinah got a weird family. It’s equality

She adopts Mia!!! Her & Ollie do, since I don’t think that officially happened in comics even though we all know it should have

Hal/Dinah/Ollie is absolutely a thing that I need. They’re in love, there’s nothing you can do to disprove it

Though, like, personal headcanon for Dinah’s relationship is that her & Ollie are in an open relationship, Hal’s their third & Dinah is dating Babs but Ollie is not because. Could you imagine. Oliver Queen. Dating a bat. The thing nightmares are made of, I tell you

When Hal dies, his ring goes to Dinah. I’m sorry, I don’t make the rules, this is just how it is

Ollie & Dinah have a third wedding since their other two were, uh, messy & technically not legal in the new timeline. No supervillains attack & it doesn’t take place in a hospital, so she considers it a win

By the time she dies, she’s in the top five fighters on the planet

Dinah (with the help of Ollie) once attempted to assinate the Guardians of the Universe

She & Zatanna dated

Babs brings up the Ra’s Al Ghul incident whenever she wants to win a dumb fight. Tragically, Zinda & Helena have picked it up too. Will Dinah ever escape her shameful past? Probably not, the Birds refuse to let her live it down

Thanks to her dip in the Lazarus Pit, Dinah’s eyes like... glow in the dark. It’s not very noticeable, but when it’s pitch black, her eyes are a really faint green

She can’t cook. At all. In the Arrowfamily, your options for food are Ollie’s chili (a safety hazard, 50/50 chance you burn to death) or Dinah’s unspeakable, ungodly creations that are probably an insult to the Presence himself. Or you can beg Connor to make you some delicious vegan thing

She’s got a little coffee addiction. It was really bad when she was on tour, a lot better now, but yeah, if you approach this woman before she’s had her first cup, she’ll scream in your face

This woman is bi & there’s nothing you can do about it

Dinah runs Sherwood Florists in Star City & all of the fam help out

Look, not technically a headcanon, but I want to make one thing abundantly clear: while Dinah Laurel Lance will always be a metahuman to me, I like Dinah Drake-Lance to be cursed by a wizard. I just think it’s fun

Bette

Okay, again, she’s bi. Like, we all know it, it’s not a secret, no cishet is working her original Flamebird costume

Bette loves glitter but even she knows that’s a little unsafe & never incorperates it into her costume. One day, though, one day...

She goes back to Flamebird around the same time Steph becomes Nightwing which is definitely inspired by @dykegreenlantern‘s death, but, yeah, she works as Flamebird again for a little while

When Kate retires, she suits up as Batwoman. It’s an awkward transition, but she makes it work

Oh, you think Tim has a caffeine addiction? He has nothing on Bette. Bette’s been in beauty paegents, winning tennis tourements, maintaining a 4.0 GPA & running around in a costume. Do you honestly believe she achieved that without caffeine? No. This girl is wired 24/7, there’s nothing that can be done about it

She came out to Bruce first. It would’ve been Kate, but Kate was in the army at the time & they hadn’t talked in years, so. Bruce

Bette’s one of the most forgiving members of the Batfam. Just look at how many of her friends turned into supervillains. She’s, like, yeah, okay, you’re evil now, are we still on for movie night? No? You have an evil scheme planned? Well, cancel it, we’re watching Mean Girls

I know Bette didn’t show up at Zero Hour, but she should have. Exclusively to judge Hank. He’s trying to destroy time but it’s very hard, she’s pulling the ultimate ‘I am disappointed in you and you have brought shame upon this team’ face & they haven’t even been a team in years. It’s not fair how does she even do this the Bats are weird. And then Parallax just. teleports her away. She’s too distracting to Extant, goddamn

I maintain that her & Terra II would’ve eventually become friends. Maybe even enemies to friends to lovers, since Terra II is a lesbian

She isn’t as huge on the whole no-kill thing as Bruce. Like, she’s never killed anyone herself, nor does she plan to (people like the Joker excluded), but she also doesn’t mind if her teammates cross that line

Her fights with Slade are always petty. She took Addie’s side in the divorce, okay, she’s gonna go in for the (emotional) kill when they’re fighting

She makes a lot of quips & is one of the best people at getting Batman to smile. Like, specifically Batman, and not Bruce. She’s seen him crack a grin at one of her puns, she swears

Artemis Crock is her ex girlfriend

Jesse Chambers is still, like, iffy on Bette after she... accused Jesse’s mother of murder. What a fun team up that was

I don’t know how or why it would happen, but Bat-Girl absolutely worked with the original Green Lantern at least once. Got no reasoning behind this, they’re just two of my favourite characters. I don’t think they’d get along (see: anything with Alan in it ever) but... it’d be an interesting team up, that’s for sure

She also knows Jason Blood but instead of being a fun adventure, that was more ‘okay yes I understand that Hank’s gone a little insane, he’s gonna be a future dictator, he’s committed mass murder, etc, but maybe you have some magic to undo all that? Pretty please?’

Her endgame relationship... I honestly change this all the time, but right now I’m on Bettenelli. Strong arguments have been made for Holly Robinson & we cannot ignore the possibility for a Bat/Cat next gen relationship, we simply can’t

Bette Kane deserves to be a doctor, screw what the N52/Rebirth said. Military Bette is gross & we do not support that in this house

[justalittlelitnerd]

Pretty Reckless by L.J. Shen

This book really surprised me not only because of the characters, but the writing itself was truly beautiful. In my own personal experience with romance novels they’re not always the best written and I think that has more to do with the industry and the genre and the lack of support romance novels and their authors get than a lack of talent on the writer’s part. Most romance novels are self-published with whatever resources or connections the author has in terms of editorial work which in the end just means the final result is *typically* (note: not always obviously) a little rougher than say if it went through the traditional publishing process where an agent works with the author for months to fine-tune the story before it goes to an editor who will then work for months to fine-tune the writing and on and on until it’s finally published. 

Sorry that was a long tangent just to say that I’ve gotten into a habit of skimming romance books because I’m in it for the characters and the romance and the HEA more than the writing itself (honestly characters and their relationships are far more important to me than writing), but I found myself taking my time with this book because there were so many beautiful lines that I wanted to savor. 

Basically, Daria Followhill and Penn Scully meet at age 14 when both their lives are falling apart in very different ways. Daria is teeming with the jealousy only a fourteen-year-old girl who feels her mother loves another girl more than her can feel and she finds herself in possession of a letter that would change everything. Penn enters, unaware of the letter’s contents or the effect it will have on his family, and in an attempt to win Daria’s attention he trashes the letter, leaves her with a piece of sea glass, her first kiss, and a promise of more. But the letter contained his sister’s future and when she thinks she didn’t get in she runs away from Penn and their abusive family, never to be seen again. 

Fast forward four years to Penn’s 18th birthday and it’s clear that a lot has changed, but there’s still an undeniable pull between the two. When Penn’s mother dies and his step-father kicks him out, Daria’s mom (who feels residual guilt over his sister’s disappearance) offers him a place to stay and he makes it his mission to make Daria pay for the role she played in what happened. But Daria’s already paid and is still paying. What neither of them expected was love. Or the return of a ghost.

*TRIGGER WARNING* in general there’s quite a bit of violence, mentions of rape/assault, and an abusive relationship between the principal and Daria which started when she was 14. 

All in all if you like classic enemies-to-lovers, fated romance, complicated family dynamics, tough guys with soft hearts, and dark elements with your romance than this book is probably worth a shot.     

Keep reading for the quotes!

Boys can smell heartbreak from across a continent. Even at fourteen. Even in the middle of an innocent summer afternoon. We girls have an invisible string behind our belly button, and only certain guys can tug at it. This boy…he will snap it if I let him.

He studies me with quiet interest as though I’m a painting, not a person. My heart is rioting all over, and the dumbest thought crosses my mind. Ever notice how the heart is literally caged by the ribs? That’s insane. As if our body knows it can break so easily, it needs to be protected.

My voice hardens around the words. Like tin. I’m desperate. I have no lead. I want to rip the world apart to find her, but the world is not mine to destroy. The world just continues turning at the same pace, because kids like Via and me? We disappear all the time, and no one notices.

His scent messes with my head. I want to reach out and caress his face. Kiss his wounds better. Beg for forgiveness. Curse him. Push him away. Cry on his shoulder for what we’ve done. For how it ended. For what we became afterward. Because I’m full of crap, and he is totally empty. We ruined ourselves the day of our first kiss.

She stares at me with the same wild gaze that made me give her the sea glass four years ago. As though I’m the most fascinating creature in the world. I want to pocket that look and save it for the next time the world lets me down. Which should be in the next twenty minutes.

Normally, he’d drag my ass out and give me a piece of his mind. Not today. He and I both know he can’t be that much of a hypocrite. If he saw someone hitting on Luna, he would rip them to shreds and dump whatever’s left of them on the side of the road. I’ve seen him screw people up for less than looking at her. The only problem is, Penn is not my Luna. We don’t have some long, elaborate, angsty childhood friendship that’s dancing on the edge of more.

“And miss out on all this delicious teenage angst?” I murmur, mesmerized by how beautifully she fits under my palm. As though she was born to have my hands on her. “It’s practically Netflix for free.”

“You’re Saturn,” she whispers. “Made of iron-nickel and surrounded by protective rings of ice and rock.” “How do you know that?” I smile, and I know the smile is warm. I know it’s fucking up something in her chest, and even though I shouldn’t, I like it. After all these years, I still want to ruin her. Then put her back together. Then do it again and again and a-fucking-gain.

He stops, cupping my face in his hands. His eyes twinkle, but maybe I see what I want to see. I didn’t mean to save him all my firsts. But it happened, and a part of me is glad that it did. Because he was the first boy to give me a gift. The first boy to kiss me. To want to become my friend not because I was popular, but because I was me. He was the first boy who noticed the injured animal behind the camouflage of hostility and tried to give it water and shelter.

Luckily, I have a lot of experience when it comes to fakeness. My personality is basically one hundred percent recyclable plastic. The only person who can still scrape a bit of authenticity from me is her brother.

The Scullys are too smart to fall for this type of Riverdale nonsense.

She is wrong. I can look at her face all fucking day. I wish it were a legit job so I could make money doing it. I would put in all the extra hours and become a billionaire within a year. (The math doesn’t add up, by the way, so don’t try to do it.)

My world, however, is narrow-pathed and dingy. I don’t believe in fairy tales. I think Shakespeare got it right. When two people try to go against the grain, they get fucked up. End of story.

“It’s not like that,” I say hurriedly. If I have to tell him what’s going on with Prichard, I will. I’m not proud of it, but pride is a very slippery slope where love is involved. Marx. Love. I don’t use the L word lightly. I don’t go around telling people I love pizza or chocolate or Riverdale. I like those things. Love, I save for the important stuff. But I am hopelessly, tragically in love with Penn Scully. That’s why I can’t really hate his sister. Not entirely, anyway. She is an extension of him, and he has my heart.

Love. Four letters can’t cover what I feel for Daria Followhill. They seem too trivial, too small, too overused.

And love IS humbling, I know now because I want to punch myself in the face for being the smug bastard who assumed he’d just walk out of this shit unscathed. The tin man didn’t ask for a heart—but got one anyway. I love you, Daria Followhill, and I think you love me, too. In fact, I think we fell at the same time. You, like rain, in drizzles, over the weeks. Me, like the fucking sky above my head, all at once, crashing without the faintest chance of stopping.

My mouth goes dry, and I shake my head slowly. She takes a step closer and folds my shirt under her palm so that the hole in my chest looks like it’s closing in when, in reality, it opens up like a shark’s jaw. “Everything I touch is tainted, Penn. Everything I want turns to ash. I spent the entire semester trying to be yours, but you’ve never once claimed my heart. I’m sending you to Adriana’s arms, not because I don’t care, but because I do. So much. Maybe too much. Because I screwed up so many relationships, the only way for us to heal is if I take myself out of the equation.” You are the fucking equation, I want to yell in her face. The riddle and the answer and the numbers within it. You’re math. You make sense.

“You were never a drizzle, Penn Scully. When I fell for you, you came beating down, and I felt you everywhere. You were hail.”

“I’ve loved you in secret, and I’ve loved you openly in front of both our worlds, and if you think I’ll stop loving you if you put an ocean between us, you’re dead wrong.”

I want her to tell me that I’m not the only one here feeling like every breath is a fucking nail jammed straight into my lungs. If this is what love feels like, it’s complete bullshit. I want my money back because Shakespeare was right all along. True love truly sucks ass.

I’ll go wherever Daria goes. Even if it’s straight to hell.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. You know that, right?” No, I don’t, and I’m trying to tell myself not to get my hopes up because they are slamming their little fists against the door of my brain’s basement, wanting to gush out.

Last time we spoke to each other, she promised not to leave, but she did. I’m not taking any chances. She might as well file a restraining order because I’m not letting her out of my sight.

[dieverge-a]

literature quizzes.   repost with your muse’s results for the following quizzes.

                                                         aria. laura.

HOMERIC EPITHET!  / You are ARIA, CURSE OF MEN. Feel free to sign all your checks that way. This is the same epithet Homer attributed to Ares, the god of war. Ares was the lover of Aphrodite and basically everyone’s least favorite god. “Curse of men” he may be, but the ancient Greeks liked to tell stories that ended with him getting caught in nets and hit in the face with boulders, so. You are BRIGHT EYED LAURA. Homer also used this epithet to describe Athena, the goddess of things like wisdom, diplomacy, war, and arts and crafts. Athena was the patron of Odysseus and helped him out of some tough spots, except for those times she just didn’t feel like it for some reason or another.

FATAL FLAW!  /  YOU’RE TOO CLEVER BY HALF. Your intelligence is unmatched, but your smart mouth is going to get you into trouble one of these days. Everyone says so. Odds are you’ll make one witty remark too many and meet a tragic, easily preventable end that surprises no one in the least. You’ll be mourned, of course, but we all saw it coming, and you kind of deserved it. I skipped Laura on this bc the result I got just like, wasn’t right at all. 

GREEK MYTHOLOGY DEATH!  /   YOU GOT MAULED BY A WILD BOAR.   See, here’s the thing—someone sent that wild boar. It might have been Artemis, because she was jealous of your skill with a bow and arrow; it might have been Ares, who hated you; or it might have been Apollo, because your girlfriend blinded his son. There’s really no telling. You made enemies. This is just what happens when you’re too beautiful to even exist. Either way, you got mauled by a pig and are now dead, but you died in Aphrodite’s arms as she wept, so at least you've got that going for you. YOU’RE MURDERED BY ACCIDENT IN ACHILLES’ ARMOR. One day, during the Trojan War, Achilles decides to just up and quit. He’s the greatest warrior apparently ever, so this is something of an issue. You can’t bear to watch men die in battle for Achilles’ pride, so you don his armor yourself and lead his men into battle. Everyone thinks you are Achilles, and morale is high. You die, however, because somewhere in there you remember that you’re actually terrible at fighting. Silver lining: Achilles avenges your death something FIERCE. So that's something.

LITERARY SETTING!  /   YOU GOT HOGWARTS! We all wish we were Hogwarts students, but you seriously belong there. You’re a quirky, creative, and magical person, and you were born to wander Hogwarts’ expansive grounds, use its secret passageways to sneak into Honeydukes, and take whimsical Hippogriff rides into the sunset. Just imagine walking past the Room of Requirement with Sunday brunch on your mind (brunch food + Hogwarts magic=RIDICULOUS foodstagrams). You'll need to look out for trolls, giant spiders, basilisks, cursed necklaces, evil students, booger-flavored beans, etc, but in the words of the late, great Sirius Black, what's life without a little risk? YOU GOT JULIET’S HOUSE IN VERONA! Not only is Verona one of the most beautiful places in Italy, it’s also the setting of one of the most iconic love stories of all time—perfect for a hopeless romantic like yourself. You can walk the old-fashioned cobblestone streets, eat your weight in deliciously photogenic gelato, and look out from your balcony at night, waiting for your lover to climb up the wooden trellis and profess their undying affection. Just don’t get caught up in any ancient grudges/new mutinies—for your sake, and for the sake of students in English classes for centuries to come.

TAGGED BY:  no one! i took this one into my own hands!

TAGGING:  @nevivorona, @inlecebrae / @magikae / @realisangre, @dnawield, @codadamaged, @impenetrableshiield​, @recoverlies​, @redeemlove​ for leaf! && for you, whoever is looking at this!