Fiction:
Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis is fantasy romance novella set in an alternate nineteenth century England (Angland) where women do politics and men do magic. Humans have an uneasy truce with the powerful Elves. The protagonist Cassandra Harwood, a unique woman who formally trained in magic until suffering an accident, has broken up with her magician betrothed, but her beloved brother and pregnant sister-in-law drag her to a house party where, you guessed it, her former betrothed is also a guest. The story has romance, but is more focused on a terrible bargain Cassandra is forced into with a elf lord, and how she finagles her way out of it and also figures out a path forward for her life without using her magic.
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne, from newish Romantasy line Bramble, was a very lowkey novella that owed a lot to Travis Baldree’s Legends and Lattes and Bookshops and Bonedust, in that a warrior leaves their past behind to open a teashop that also sells books. Reyna, a former guard for a cruel queen, and her powerful mage lover Kianthe, who feels trapped not by her role in the Magicary but by the other mages, hide out in a border town where they easily make friends and set up a thriving business. But of course, Reyna is wanted for treason, and the town suffers from repeated dragon attacks. It was a fluffy book with an established romance that, to me, felt a little flat, probably because the relationship didn’t have much tension or conflict. A secondary couple is set up in the course of the story, and there’s an open-ended plot element that seems destined for a sequel.
A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas is eighth in the Lady Sherlock Series, and I think you need to have read at least book three, The Hollow of Fear, to get the most of out it. This installment had a lot of poignant moments relating to murder victims and their loved ones, which I appreciated. The plot has more moving parts than I can accurately sum up, as well as some jumping forwards and backwards in time, something Thomas excels at. I loved the range of costumes Charlotte Holmes wore this time around, and her lover Ash played the role of a couple of old men that amused me greatly. Livia played a smaller role this time but characters from book three play a major part relating to murders both old and new.
Fanfiction:
skate the line with me (let’s fall in love) by andromedabennet is a figure skating alternate universe featuring characters from The 100, a show I’ve never seen. I enjoyed it anyway! There were a few small skating-world things that didn’t ring true to me, but nothing too obvious. Clarke Griffin is an excellent singles and pairs skater with a pushy mother; after being badly injured, she shifts to ice dance with her childhood friend, Bellamy Blake. Eventually, romance ensues between them, but I felt the focus is more on the skating and Clarke figuring out what makes her happy, at least until the final chapters, which are very romance-y. I was impressed the writer kept me interested despite knowing nothing about the canon.
Cadena Base by Mireille is a Blake’s 7 “Post-Gauda Prime” story, which in B7 parlance means after the end of the series. It’s interesting because it eliminates the most popular character, instead focusing on my personal favorite, Vila Restal.
The Soul Is An Idiot by impertinence is a really long, really great threesome story about Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Bruce Wayne. It’s so fun. Go read it.
Do Every Stupid Thing by thepartyresponsible is another DCU story, this one from the point of view of Jason Todd/Red Hood, except it’s the early 1990s and he ends up interfering in the assassination of Howard Stark. Things change from there as he interacts with Bucky Barnes and Tony Stark. This story has a terrific narrative voice; the writer is clearly having fun with their wish-fulfillment mashup.
