It was ok, not one of my favorites from this author. I enjoyed the mystery, we could have seen more lengthy parts with that.
What was annoying was the It was ok, not one of my favorites from this author. I enjoyed the mystery, we could have seen more lengthy parts with that.
What was annoying was the lack of relationship development between the guys. Yes, there is history, but we do not get to see that. And the sex scenes seemed just that --- sex. I felt no emotional connection between the characters.
Not bad, but not awesome.
Merged review:
It was ok, not one of my favorites from this author. I enjoyed the mystery, we could have seen more lengthy parts with that.
What was annoying was the lack of relationship development between the guys. Yes, there is history, but we do not get to see that. And the sex scenes seemed just that --- sex. I felt no emotional connection between the characters.
I enjoyed this book, it has such a dark appeal to it. There was just enough angst that it kept me on edge, but not enough that it overwhelming.
What diI enjoyed this book, it has such a dark appeal to it. There was just enough angst that it kept me on edge, but not enough that it overwhelming.
What did bother me was the tropey uptight religious Mother who is trying to change the son. I am sure that it really happens, but it just seemed a bit overdone in this case. I found the ending with them to be a bit convenient, although I understand the symbolism of it.
Overall, I liked this book.
Merged review:
I enjoyed this book, it has such a dark appeal to it. There was just enough angst that it kept me on edge, but not enough that it overwhelming.
What did bother me was the tropey uptight religious Mother who is trying to change the son. I am sure that it really happens, but it just seemed a bit overdone in this case. I found the ending with them to be a bit convenient, although I understand the symbolism of it.
Rock Star romance books are rather hard to find, and if you do find some there is rarely any good story around the "hot sex" and "oh he's a star!" menRock Star romance books are rather hard to find, and if you do find some there is rarely any good story around the "hot sex" and "oh he's a star!" mentality.
But this book actually has a plot and I enjoyed how we get to see the band as it is discovered and make makes their way into stardom.
I will not go into detail, but what was really unique was the reason for Parker's secret. I have not seen that perspective yet in any of the male/male romances I have read.
Overall, a good book and a good romance.
Merged review:
Rock Star romance books are rather hard to find, and if you do find some there is rarely any good story around the "hot sex" and "oh he's a star!" mentality.
But this book actually has a plot and I enjoyed how we get to see the band as it is discovered and make makes their way into stardom.
I will not go into detail, but what was really unique was the reason for Parker's secret. I have not seen that perspective yet in any of the male/male romances I have read.
Fan-Fiction. It has become something that I read 75% of the time now. I keep going back to my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ list of to-reads and no of my published books Fan-Fiction. It has become something that I read 75% of the time now. I keep going back to my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ list of to-reads and no of my published books look interesting enough to spend money on. Maybe I am getting burned out.
So, I have been checking out Archive of Our Own, checking out my favorite worlds: Sterek, Larry, and Drarry. I found a historical royalty AU for Sterek and it looked very interesting, it is always great when we get to see our characters in a new setting (and actual plot). For some other Sterek fan-fiction recommendations see this review.
Basic Plot:
The kingdoms of McCall, Hale, and Argent are in a battle for control and land. The tentative treaties are not holding and war is imminent. Now there is a possible treaty between McCall and Hale � the solution? Marriage between Stiles and Derek. But can this loveless marriage truly be happy and can it stop war?
Stiles Stilinski:
The personality of Stiles is consistent with the character on the TV show. Stiles love his father and his brother (actual brother in this universe), Scott. Stiles is the illegitimate brother of King Scott and acts as his advisor and magician.
The reminder stung, and Stiles bit his lip and turned away. He and Scott had been not-so-subtly playing matchmaker ever since Queen Melissa’s official mourning period had ended, and Stiles didn’t want to take that chance at happiness away from Scott’s mother or his own father. But� “So you’d ask me to be trapped in a marriage instead?�
Scott had the decency to look a little guilty. “I know what I’m asking, � he said, “and I swear I wouldn’t be asking it if I didn’t think you’d be at least content in the end.�
So we see Stiles sacrificing his own personal happiness for the good of the country. This action demonstrates his sense of duty and integrity.
Derek Hale:
Derek’s character has alway been a complex one. In A Desperate Arrangement, Derek is the second son who already had a horrific engagement to Kate Argent which ended with Derek’s father’s death. The guilt has beaten down Derek so much that he is a shell of the man he was before. It certainly does not help that his brother, the King is a big ‘ol A-HOLE that I want to beat silly. But to Derek, pack is everything and he is willing to destroy his life (based on his experience in the previous betrothal) to save his country.
Now, he rested in the corner of the courtyard after a grueling training session, doing his best to burn off excess energy and get his mind off everything. Like his father, who would be scarcely three months dead when Derek was married. Or the getting married, which reminded him of the rules Stiles had set down. Or Stiles himself, whom Derek had done an equality good job of avoiding because he didn’t trust himself to be around his betrothed for five minutes without attempting something abominably stupid, like tracing the outline of those blue tattoos with his tongue.
I feel badly on how Derek has been treated, like an asset to be used, even by his family. You get the feeling of how trapped he feels, which is even more powerful due to the werewolf nature. The author does an excellent job of describing the inner animal and his PTSD reactions.
Strong Points:
The world building in A Desperate Arrangement had me turning the page to learn more. I loved how the author turned the Teen Wolf tension and character profiles and made it into an alternate world. The author did a great job of describing the action scenes:
Derek immediately went on the defensive, but the captain seemed to know how to turn each parry into another attack. If Derek pinned the staff to the ground, the captain slid forward to kick Derek’s knee. If he knocked the staff to one side, the captain rolled it across his back and came at him from the other. And when Derek aimed his staff at the captain’s legs, trying to knock him off-balance, the captain slammed his staff into the ground and used the momentum to swing himself around and kick Derek in the hip.
I also enjoyed the chemistry between Stiles and Derek and their dialogue.
What could be better?
The only improvement I would suggest is that the mystery/adventure plot was to be expected and was tropey. To be fair, this is due to the fact that all of the characters are from the TV show, so we can expect certain people to behave in the way that they did. It did not dampen my enjoyment of the story, but I could see that if it was not so much fan-fiction the author would have had room to create more original side characters.
Conclusions:
Overall, I enjoyed the book, it was different that many of the other Sterek fan-fiction out there. I will certain keep this author in mind for other works. ...more
About 5 years ago I found the webpage Archive of Our Own and found the world of fanfiction. There are those fan fictions that really feel more like poAbout 5 years ago I found the webpage Archive of Our Own and found the world of fanfiction. There are those fan fictions that really feel more like porn with plot, and there are others that take the original world and build an even more varied and elaborate world. One such amazing writer is DebsTheSlytherinSnapeFan.
She has finished 5 full-length novels there and there are many that I still have bookmarked and refresh the page every day to see if there are any updates. In a time where you think that “every possible trope and Harry Potter storyline� has been explored, she manages to provide original content. I have actually begged her to write original work � she’s that good.
Basic Plot: Harry Potter is the twin of the “Boy-Who-Lived�, Nick Potter. Pushed into the corner of his family, Harry learns that he is invisible to his family and struggles to find his own indignity and future. He finds his passion � potions and finds another family through a chosen family made of friends and advisors. As the threat of Tom Riddle appears again, will he be able to avoid destiny and find his own path?
Harry:
Much of the Harry Potter we see in cannon and other fictions is bashed on his experience in the Dursley’s household. His stature and need of approval and “rescue� is one that sets him up as gullible and susceptible to the machinations of Dumbledore. But in this version, we see an independent Harry, one that thinks for himself from the very beginning. Yes, there is a level of abandonment, but we have someone who has the strength of character to believe in himself.
By the time Harry and Nick were three, Harry had learned to do what few other children at the tender age of three should have had to do: he had learned to look after himself, bathe himself, and look after what toys he had. He could, and did, read the books their parents had gotten Nick, who didn’t read them if he could help it. Harry hid them under his bed so nobody could take away from him.
Harry learns at an early age to rely only on himself, adult will always let him down.
Severus Snape:
Early in on this novel, we only see Severus as an instructor and mentor. This is not a novel that deals with under-age romance, so never fear about that. This version of Severus is one that while, still made a poor choice as a youth, he has the love of his mother. We can see in those story, that Severus having that positive influence, keeps him from being the bully he becomes in the novels.
He was startled when he read the register and realized Harry Potter was in his class. Looking for the boy as he called his name for roll-call, he found him in the corner of the room, ready to take notes after having written down the potion’s instructions. Severus kept an eye on the boy all through the note-taking after roll-call, and right into the brewing after that. The younger Potter twin was brewing his potion with a patience he had only known himself to show for the subject, but was still not sure what to think of the boy.
Severus learns how to be a mentor first, and then as the years pass, he finds he admires the man Harry has become. As the world around them falls apart they learn to trust and lean on each other.
Theme Summary:
The biggest theme that I get out of this is that your past and family does not define who you are and can be. If you have a rough childhood, instead of letting it control your future, learn from your pain a grow stronger. Both Severus and Harry learn that their past does not define them.
Yes, life despite its tremulous start, had been very good to him in later life, he wouldn’t trade it for anything. He wasn’t invisible anymore…he was loved.
Strong Points:
One of the strength of novel is the ability the author has in building a world. The way she adds the layers of the potion world (not see in the movies) is fantastic and keeps it from being like every other Harry Potter fan fiction.
What could be better?
Because there is no editor, there are times within the 580,840 words that a good editing could move the story along. There are some grammar issues as well, not enough to harm my enjoyment, but enough to know that this is not a professional book. Considering that she is doing this for the love of writing, I certainly am not complaining.
Conclusions:
This is a Harry Potter fan fiction that have on repeat. If I feel the need to immerse myself into a world for hours at a time, this is my go-to book. And I can say that any of her work should be considered the height of Harry Potter fan fiction....more
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