I nominate any of the Dorothy Koomson books: The Cupid Effect; The Chocolate Run; My best friend's girl; Marshmallows for Breakfast; Goodnight Beautiful; The Woman he loved Before.
Or any of Adele Parks' books (there are too many to list, but they're awesome)
I don't know if any of them are fandoms, but even if they aren't, they're brilliant books that I highly recommend.
~ 'I didn't mean to, honest to goodness I didn't. It just happened.'
Amber Salpone doesn't mean to keep ending up in bed with her friend Greg Walterson, but she can't help herself. And every time it 'just happens' their secret affair moves closer to being a real relationship, which is a big problem when he's a womaniser and she's a commitment-phobe.
While Amber struggles to accept her new feelings for Greg, she also realises that her closeness to Jen, her best friend, is slipping away and the two of them are becoming virtual strangers. Slowly but surel, as the stark truths of all their lives are revealed, Amber has to confront the fact that chocolate can't cure everything and sometimes running away isn't an option... ~
This book isn't the usual romcom fairy tale romance that authors try to spin (though she does get her man in the end), and it's one that I've re-read quite a few times. It's well-written with characters that grow and evolve as their story plays out. When reading, I wanted to laugh, and cry, and even slap a couple of the characters from pure frustration! It's most definitely a good book that I'd recommed to anyone.
If this type of story isn't your cup of tea, Dorothy Koomson also has six other books; The Cupid Effect, My Best Friend's Girl, Marshmallows For Breakfast, Goodnight Beautiful, The Ice Cream Girls and The Woman He Loved Before. They all, like this one, have a strong thread of romance and sometimes humour, yet also leave you with a strong reminder about the reality others live in. Her writing doesn't shy away from what may be considered taboo subjects, while she isn't afraid to write a lighter, happier story.
All in all, these books leave you feeling satisfied, yet somehow wanting more!
The author I want to rec is untamed00notbroken and her fan fiction. Its summary is: We all know of werewolves... but what of werecats? This is about Savannah Colman and her life as a tabby in the Pride. Rated M for language, violence, and later chapters lemons for those who aren't interested in that kind of thing do not read.
Why do I want to rec her fic? Firstly, because she’s a brilliantly talented, yet under-recognised fanfiction writer. Her first and only fan fiction story (at the moment) is titled, The Pride: Savannah’s Side, and is based mainly off of the Pride series by Rachel Vincent. However, she also takes inspiration from other authors Kelley Armstrong, Sherilyn Kenyon, Trisha Baker, Jessica Anderson, Tami Hong, Sergei Lukyanenko as well as her own original ideas to blend them all into a story that has romance, action, humour and in the later chapters, a whole heap of angst and plot twists that keep you on your toes. I only found out that she was a fan fiction author because she started reading one of my fan fictions, and it took me a few months to build up the courage to read her fic, since I’d never even heard of the series before. But I’m so glad that I did.
It follows approximately six months to a year in the life of Savannah Colman, as she’s called back from college by her family to be protected by the Pride. Someone, or something, is taking tabbies, and her family, and Pride don’t want her to be next. She has to leave behind her human boyfriend Josh, and back home she understandably ends up spending time with her ex-fiancĂ©, Marc. Deeply buried sparks begin to fly, and though they try to deny it, with the danger that threatens Savannah, one thing soon leads to another, especially when the threat begins to strike a little too close to home.
Her chapters are enthralling and mesmerising, and suck me deep into her story each time. She has a way of intertwining subtle sub-plots in a way that leaves you anxious and needing more, whilst sometimes still being left reeling from the events that transpired in the chapter you just finished reading. The feelings and emotions she evokes with her words are indescribable. On more than one occasion I’ve found myself choked up and teary, both with sadness and happiness alike. I’ve wanted to laugh, cry, grin like a fool and ‘awwwwwwwwwwww’ as I read this story. The motivations for each of the characters is specific according to their personalities, and at times you want to strangle them, or just knock their heads together to make them see sense!
It’s mainly narrated by Savannah, and we soon become accustomed to her caring, yet slightly sarcastic tongue as we progress through the story. However, there are a few chapters in Marc’s POV where we gain some insight into what he’s thinking and feeling about the events that unfold in the later chapters. The story has only just been completed (the epilogue was a fantastic Christmas Day treat and the perfect ending to a beautiful story), but thankfully she has a plan in the works for a sequel that’s due to be started in January!
Untamed00notbroken is a fantastic author, and writes for the enjoyment she gains from having people enjoy her work. This fic sadly doesn’t have a high review count, even though it deserves more, but her simple, yet effective writing style has a huge impact.
On top of being a fantastic writer, she’s also an extremely talented artist (check her work out on DeviantArt under the same name!) a great friend and a lovely person to boot. She takes on board the suggestions that are offered up by her readers, and also helps those who need a little bit of support, encouragement or advice with their fics and the direction they want to take. I guess I want to rec her because not only does she deserve it as an author, but also as a person. She’s one of the kindest, nicest people I had the good fortune to meet through fan fiction, and while she definitely writes for an unusual and under recognized fandom she truly deserves a lot more recognition for her fic.
The link is:http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6957532/1/The_Pride_Savannahs_side
And her profile link is:http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2508593/untamed00notbroken
