Control

Control by Cordelia Kingsbridge

When Control agent Joaquin Castillo finds himself unintentionally bound to a brainwashed sex slave, he vows to restore the boy's memories and set him free. Then he discovers the boy's true identity, and everything goes straight to hell. 
Banner Credit: Rory

Rosie Thinks: Cordelia Kingsbridge is definitely up there in my top 5 favourite slash authors. Everything I've read from her has been consistently really good, and Control is no different. The summary doesn't quite do this story justice - honestly, I wasn't exactly sold on it just from that, but I gave it a go anyway because of the authors track record. And, what do you know, I loved it!

This is set in a futuristic world that is still heavily grounded in what we know today, but with the addition of a lot of really cool inventions and gadgets. I normally don't like sci-fi, but Control didn't confuse me with long, technological-based explanations and didn't seem too far-fetched and ridiculous. The way Kingsbridge writes detail is one of the reasons why I love her. She explains things so well, and if she ever tells rather than shows, she intersperses it with plot and character development. And she seriously knew what she was talking about. I feel like you can tell when an author hasn't done their research, so it was gratifying to read about stuff that the author really knew through and through, like all the neurological and psychological things.

Another thing I love about this author is her ability to always create the most intriguing of characters. Seriously, her characterisation is 10/10. Joaquin, the Control agent, could easily have fallen into a huge amount of stereotypes. His strength is balanced with his brains, and he has a determination and strong sense of honour that I liked. He was kept by becoming like every other 'hero' with these characteristics by his flaws and how Kingsbridge truly allows us into his head and his thoughts. Mischa was . . . well, he was fantastic. He starts out as a brainwashed sex slave, and a lot of the action at the beginning comes from the characters trying to find out who Mischa really is behind the brainwashing. And his true personality was just woah. It was definitely worth the buildup and from then on, the action takes off.

This story does feature a lot of sex and the author warns of some triggers at the beginning of her story, but she deals with a lot of sensitive issues like dubious consent and rape and ambiguous morality really, really well. It isn't used as a plot device, which is one thing that can truly turn me off a story. She gives these issues the analysation and thoughts that they're deserved.

All in all, if you like action-packed slash with fantastic characters and writing, this is for you. The twists are fantastic and kept me guessing, and it was more like watching a well-directed action movie!

A Year Full of Days

A Year Full of Days by seventhswan
Being cautious is one of the only things Nate is well and truly good at, but the new guy at work calling him 'sweetheart' makes him want to do something stupid. 
Banner Credit: Annie

Rosie Thinks: This story is the sequel to 'The Side Effects of Forgetting', but you honestly don't need to read that to understand this story. It's about Nate and picks up where the other story left off: (SPOILER ALERT FOR TSEoF) Kellan and Will together, and Nate struggling with himself and his jealousy. I wasn't overly keen on this story at first, because straightaway there's a love triangle (and I HATE love triangles!). But in the end? I actually seriously loved it (don't get too excited though, I haven't changed my views on love triangles as a whole!). The story spent a lot of time at the beginning detailing Nate's struggle in getting over Kellan, and of course it was messy and painful and beautifully, heart-renchingly depicted, but it is so so worth it in the end.

I left off TSEoF with not good feelings for Nate - he's all twisted up inside, struggling to come to terms with who he is and what he wants. He describes himself perfectly: "a closeted gay boy with daddy-issues and a slight drinking problem". And this is exactly the way he seems at the beginning, until seventhswan begins to take you into his psyche and explore his character in more depth, until you come to seriously adore him. Honestly... I found myself liking Quentin and Nate (especially Nate) more than Kellan and Will, and I didn't think that was a possibility! She also uses brackets to take you back in time and give short snippets of memories from Nate's past. They fit in perfectly with the prose, flowing together with an ease that shouldn't be possible with an abrupt flashback!

This is another super long one-shot at almost 35k words, but it is so worth it. My emotions were everywhere and overflowing, and I found the entire plot to be consistent, realistic and complete. It's wrapped up in a way that isn't overly corny like many romantic endings, but each plot line is tied off neatly. I know I'm repeating myself but I am honestly, seriously mystified that I loved this story so much. I probably never would have read this on my own, but I guess that's the beauty of ADoR!

The Side Effects of Forgetting

The Side Effects of Forgetting by seventhswan

Kellan can't remember how he's supposed to act, but he thinks it probably doesn't involve making friends with the lunatic girl-next-door and letting his best friend put his hand down his pants.

Banner Credit: MajordlyFantastic

Rosie Thinks: Last year, I went through a stage where I lived and breathed seventhswan's stories, and read pretty much every one of her stories. So I'm pretty pumped to be reviewing one of them! This story is technically a one-shot, because it has only one chapter - but don't let that fool you. It has 32k words, so I think 'novella' is a more accurate term! Don't let this turn you off - some of the best slash stories I've read on FP have been super long one-shots!

Seventhswan says at the beginning that she's not a fan of the number of cliches she's included in this story. And yes, there are a few, but seventhswan makes each of them her own. I've read quite a few amnesia stories, but this one stands out among the others. I love the way it's started, how Kellan doesn't realise at first that he can't remember his name, let alone why he is in hospital. He assumes, at first, that everything is fine - and from my own experience, this rang so true. You don't realise at first that there are huge gaps in your memory, until you try and actually remember! So what I'm getting at is that despite her use of cliches, seventhswan's fantastic writing makes them into something new and something that I'm eager to read. Then again, the story didn't go the cliche way I thought it would, which was a very nice twist!

The writing is incredibly easy to read. It flows perfectly and is straight to the point, giving a great characterisation to Kellan within the first few minutes of reading. I like how the characters are flawed. They have no idea what they really want, which is exactly like real life! They're fumbling through life, trying to make the most of it, and it was fantastic seeing each one of them come into their own and develop. I read this all in one sitting and enjoyed it the whole way, not bored once throughout the whole thing!

Touch of Fever

Touch of Fever by Laura Stargazer
Unseen and unheard, she walks around the kingdom, touching people who do not feel her until it is too late. "I hate who I am sometimes. I hate what I do. I hate my very existence."
Banner Credit: Marta

Rosie Thinks: One of my favourite story tropes of all time is when the author takes us into the mind of someone who is widely
considered evil or the villain, and shows us their true nature (Maleficent, anyone?). This is what Lauren Stargazer has done here - she's taken on the myth of Pestilence (at least, that's my interpretation of it). In this story, Pestilence is a lonely woman who none can see, but all feel the effects of her touch.

The narrative is fairly simple, but this story doesn't need flowery words to convey its message. Instead, the simplicity enhances the sadness the story contains. I really loved how she has woven a number of stories into the one narrative. Each of her victims has a backstory and while some of them were cliche, the detail and care given to each one really showed the narrator's character. Just the mood the author created was melancholy yet beautiful. Another fantastic one-shot that's worth a read if you're looking for something different!

Crosswords

Crosswords by Mad for Figs
He was just the creepy dude who insisted on hovering over my shoulder every morning while I tried to drink my coffee. Obviously the only reason I let him keep doing it without punching him in the face was because he always helped me finish the daily crossword. That had to be the only reason... right?
Banner Credit: Anita

Rosie Thinks: I'm not going to lie to you - if a guy came up behind me in a cafe and told me the answer to the crossword I was working on, I would run screaming for the woods. Luckily, this didn't happen to me and this one-shot isn't

about how the MC got so freaked out she never left the house again (ergo, she's not me). Instead, Mad for Figs takes a completely unique and freaky situation, and turns it into something magical (as per usual). Seriously, within the first segment, I went from 'omg he's scary' to 'awww ok that's kind of cute', and my feelings just progressed into cuteness from there.

I really did enjoy the uniqueness of this story. It's not long, but makes for a nice interlude between heavier reads. The only mistake I saw was 'weary' instead of 'wary' (I'm sorry, it's one of my pet hates!) but other than that, there were no errors to break up the flow. So all in all, 'Crosswords' tells the tale of what happens when you look outside your small, comfortable circle and take notice of what's right in front of your nose.

Nude Model Needed

Nude Model Needed by MaeMaes

What's a girl to do when she wants to get her crush's attention? Dress up like a boy? Sneak into his shower stall? Pray for divine intervention?
Banner Credit: Melissa

Rosie Thinks: Chelsea has a New Years resolution that is truly unique (at least, I've never heard of anything like it before!) - I'm not going to say what it is, but I will say that it is something involving her crush, Kenneth. And it is completely G-rated (A-okay for kids, folks).

At 4.5k, this one-shot makes for a light, fluffy read and is a fantastic way to get your quick fix of romance. It's hilarious, and Chelsea's voice is quirky and strong. It is sure to make you laugh and leave you feeling happy. My only problem with it is that the title doesn't seem to fit well with the story for me, but other than that, everything else is fine - spelling, grammar, punctuation. All in all, it's a great one-shot about a very strange situation!

In the End

In the End by Noellesco
She was grateful for him. He was important to her. She loved him. And in the end, she had tried to destroy the world before it could take him away.
Banner Credit: Marta

Rosie Thinks: Wow. In under 2000 words, Noellesco captured my attention, told an entire story, and finished it all off with a powerful ending. I thought the summary was arresting but that doesn't compare to the rest of the story. Noellesco's writing isn't overly flowery or poetic - it's actually fairly straight forward. The true magic was in the story she told so well and the way she utilised the words to capture exactly her meaning.

This one-shot is unlike any other that I've read. It's fantasy, but very short. There isn't much information given about the world and the entire story is just one scene with some recollections. However, by the end of it you understand the characters and their motivations, but I just wish I could read their entire story, before and after this one-shot!

Alessandra, Protector of Man

Alessandra, Protector of Man by star123
What's the point of being mildly magical if no-one, not even your deliciously handsome best friend, appreciates it? Especially when said best friend has invited you to meet his new girlfriend under the strict instructions that you're not to be weird...
Banner Credit: Atramento

Rosie Thinks: This summary really caught my attention - how many times have I been told not to be weird when meeting new people? I can sympathise. But I'm not weird like our protagonist Aly is. When the summary says she's 'mildly magical', it's very much literal. Aly can sense when someone is about to get very mildly injured, which is one of the strangest powers I've ever heard of!

'Alessandra, Protector of Man' starts off with Aly being brought along to meet her best friend's new girlfriend. Unfortunately, Aly is in love with her best friend WIll and has been for many years, so this is definitely somewhat painful for her. Some girl/best friend stories can get so repetitive that I know the general storyline, but not in this story's case. This one has a totally sweet ending and the added element of strange superpowers just added on to this story's uniqueness.

This story isn't complicated or angsty or dark at all - it's short and so very sweet, and I think star123 tied the whole thing together so neatly. It all happens in pretty much one scene but if you want a one-shot to make you feel like rainbows and bubbles, this is where you'll find it. And, of course, star123 writes brilliantly and I can't fault one thing in her writing.

Cold Turkey

Cold Turkey by Zebbie
If there were groups for this, I know exactly what I’d say. “My name is Thom Oliver, and I’m addicted. It’s been six months, 3 days, 14 hours since my last one night stand. Please keep Evan Llewellyn away from me. I think I’m going to rape him.” 
Banner Credit: Helen

Rosie Thinks: Thom Oliver has a history of using people - he'd draw them in, sleep with them, then ditch them, all because he was lonely and wanted a connection to the world, as well as having a few lingering issues from a past boyfriend. The story takes place when he's up to the six month mark of not using anyone for a one night stand and he's beginning to struggle, all because of Evan Llewellyn's perfect body. He also sees himself in Evan - the loneliness and the preying on others.

Thom really can't stand Evan at the beginning while simultaneously being strongly attracted to him. Thom thinks that Evan is completely fake and utterly vain, making it his job to be as gay as possible and flaunt it in everybody's faces - something that Thom is firmly against. Thom is not your every day protagonist. He's rude, irritable, has a few issues, isn't a very reliable narrator, the list goes on. And yet somehow I still really liked him. He has a habit of over-analysing every single thing and I think Zebbie portrayed this really well. I am a bit bias, however, as I love all of Zebbie's stories and think she does an amazing job at characterisation.

This story was filled with drama that sent my emotions on a roller coaster. I found the plot and the characters to be utterly original and a refreshing change to some of the stereotypes you see in slash stories. It is very narrative heavy at times - what with all of Thom's over analysation - which can make it look intimidating but the monologue gives a great insight into his mind and the way he thinks. Plus, it's pretty funny. There were a lot of funny and witty one-liners, but my favourite has to be: "It's like Queer as Folk went to Candy Land via Japan and puked up his personality."

As for mistakes, there aren't many spelling/punctuation errors but I did find that there were some words omitted. However, it was rare and didn't break up the flow of the story too much. Other than that, it was incredibly well-written with some beautiful worded scenes. And I honestly really loved the ending. I've become fairly jaded with endings and always skim over them due to the extreme corniness of many of them. However, in 'Cold Turkey', there was drama right up until the finish and the ending was low-key and perfect for the characters.

It's Greek for Love

It's Greek for Love by judevanderhall
On a beach in Corfu, Helga meets Kit. She’s preoccupied with her past and he’s anxious about the future, but maybe for one night they can live in the present. A story about love found, love lost, and finding it all over again. A one-shot in four parts.
Banner Credit: Marta

Rosie Thinks: I really love the setting for this story: we start off in Corfu, then go to Paris, Sydney and all the way back to Corfu again. It sets it apart from the many, many stories that are set in America. Maybe I'm such a sucker for this story because I love travelling and seeing the rest of the world, and that is exactly what Helga and Kit are doing. At the beginning, they're drifting around Europe, both wanting a break from their lives back in Canada or Australia when they met each other on a deserted beach in Corfu.

Each chapter is set a few years apart, in different places each time. You can argue that this story is completely improbable, and you could be right. However I think it worked and it didn't seem overly farfetched to me - I saw a friend I haven't talked to in years in Venice of all places, when we both live in Sydney. It can be an incredibly small world. And I like the Aristophanes twist in it, about how two people can be two halves of a whole.

judevanderhall truly has a way with words. There isn't too much description, but I like the whimsical quality that her writing gives the story. There are no long info dumps, just straight into the characters and showing rather than telling. There are a few mistakes, but overall it is very well written and the punctuation is spot on. One line that truly struck me was: 'For what is love without friendship? And what is love and friendship without longing?' How beautiful is that?! It also sums up the story really well. The two have an incredible bond but real life seems to get in the way every time.

It's not very long, only 11k words and four chapters long. However, a story spanning eight years was told in a way that wasn't in the least bit rushed or hurried. It was beautiful and by the end of the third chapter, I wanted to cry for these two. Enthralling, heartbreaking, deep - I could go on forever, but I strongly recommend this story!

Scrapyard Sally

Scrapyard Sally by Findus

Pinstriped yuppie scumbag Felix Hern is scheming to get his greedy lily-whites on Sally's debt-ridden scrapyard. But Sally Sullivan eats snooty city-boys for breakfast. Or she would, if he weren't already all over her bacon. 

Banner Credit: MajordlyFantastic

Rosie Thinks: From reading just the summary, I could tell that this story was going to have personality - and I was right. Sally is such a well characterised MC, utterly hilarious and so unique. The story opens with Sally and her Sun Tzu-spouting friend Dino playing 'fat-boy smackdown', and that definitely set the tone for this truly one-of-a-kind story. Sal Sullivan (ie, Sally) is the proud owner of a scrapyard inherited from her late father. Unfortunately, thanks to her dad's debts, it's about to go into forclosure - and this is where Felix Hearn comes in, with his city slicker ways. Sally, very concisely, describes him as a 'blood-sucking corporate sleazebag'. Their interactions are amazing, superbly written, and I just love how Felix deals with Sally.

Every character in this story stands out to me. Honestly, Findus is brilliant at characterisation and manages to create unique personalities for even the minor characters. Sally's character is out-of-this-world-amazing, and so Findus without a doubt deserves the SKoW award won for Best MC Portrayal (Judge's Pick).

I love how this story avoids so many overused cliches. Example one: hot girl dresses MC up for a date, MC astounds everyone with hidden beauty. This cliche starts off, but definitely does not end in the usual way. The only problem I found was that for some strange reason, chapter 5 was posted again as chapter 8. Everything else - the writing, grammar, punctuation - was pretty much spot on. The writing is super quirky but it certainly draws you in and makes sure you may attention to the smallest details. This story is hilarious, eccentric, and so distinctive - I'll definitely be following it from now on!

Why Not Me?

Why Not Me? by S.J. Maas

A short story retelling of Hansel and Gretel through the eyes of the Witch.
Banner Credit: Melissa

Rosie Thinks: This story is truly amazing. As it says in the summary, this is a twist on the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale, with the witch's life as the focus. By reading the summary, I thought that it would be a fairly light read about how the witch wasn't actually evil etc, but I was wrong. This is a dark story, but I absolutely love the way S.J.Maas has taken you into the mind of the witch and examined the workings of her mind. The story is pretty much a recounting of the witch's life, starting off with the crazy crone who raised her to how she began to feel that eating children would bring her closer to God and that it was the right thing to do.

One thing I love in stories is when the author has managed to make the villain into a three dimensional character - i.e., he/she has reasons for their actions, not just because they're pure evil. This is done perfectly in 'Why Not Me'. I actually felt sympathetic towards the witch, regardless of her terrible actions at times.

Despite the fact that I was sickened by parts of this story, I couldn't stop reading. S.J.Maas' writing is beautifully descriptive and fluent, portraying the scenes and emotions with ease. I found it interesting that, looking back on it, not one scene break was used by the author. This shows how fluid her writing is and that the entire story flowed, rather than being disjointed or interrupted. I will honestly never think of Hansel and Gretel the same after this amazing retelling!

Magnetism

Magnetism by xoxoluurve

So she was the lowest in a film’s hierarchy. He was at the top. See, they kind of were in love... and then they kind of destroyed each other. Six years ago. Still, players don't easily forget that one girl who changed them.
Banner Credit: marta

Rosie Thinks: I love how xoxluurve always manages to take a cliche that's been done numerous times before and make it completely original and her own. In this case, it's the high school hate/love one. During school, Leo was the unrepentant player and Arianna was the girl who stood up to him - they fell in love, of course, but grew to hate each other due to circumstances that the author is vague upon until the end. This story takes place six years later, when the two meet again in the workplace, both deeply resenting the other.

This one shot was written for a challenge, wherein some of the criteria was that they must genuinely dislike each other for a good reason, then eventually fall in love. I find it's hard to find a story that truly portrays the transition from true hate to love well, but 'Magnetism' is it. The way that Arianna and Leo's relationship evolved was realistic and true to their characters.

This one shot may be lengthy, but it's well worth the read. It's like a full length story packed into a one shot that isn't rushed. Plus, the background of the characters and the setting wasn't brushed over - I didn't find any aspect of this story lacking in any way.

Falling Away

Falling Away by DancingChaChaFruit
Katie and Jessica have been friends forever. But then the party happened.
Banner Credit: Brenda

Rosie Thinks: This is one of DancingChaChaFruit's few stories that doesn't revolve around romance. Instead, it is centred around the friendship of Katie and Jessica. They've both been friends since they were little, but Jessica seems to be the more popular, 'fun' one with another group of friends, while Katie is more introverted. Unfortunately, this has caused Jessica's friends to name her 'Jessica's bitchy friend'.

I liked how the author combined anecdotes of the past to make the present more understandable. In a fairly short space, she has managed to portray the disintegrating friendship of the two girls and Katie's emotions. It's incredibly realistic about the way that people change, and made me evaluate some of my own friendships. It was bittersweet and self-reflective, and made for a well-written, interesting read.

The Encounter

The Encounter by DancingChaChaFruit

“He keeps talking to you, and you flash him your irresistible smile. Your eyes are on his face. His eyes are on yours.” A guy hits on you. What about your friends?
Banner Credit: Marta

Rosie Thinks: I don't think I've ever read a one shot like this one.

It is written very beautifully. DancingChaChaFruit uses different sentence structures to make it flow better and make her writing even more interesting. Despite being told in detail from the friends' perspective, it still feels natural and I could easily relate to a situation like that. I'd be surprised if someone hadn't been in a situation like it! Overall, 'The Encounter' is a short read that is easily relatable and can leave you thinking.
It's more of a short drabble of 600 words, detailing a flirtatious encounter between a guy and a girl. But, in a strange twist, it is told from the friends' perspective. The story depicts the intricacies of what the friends are feeling while describing the encounter in almost poetic detail. I loved how the author really portrayed the complex, conflicting emotions - the nasty ones you don't want to feel and would never admit aloud to having.

Knowing Audrey

Knowing Audrey by Wallflower.x

She runs her black nails through her blonde hair and rests her arms over her head for a moment. She could tell him the truth, she could blurt out that she's really only three years older than he is. She sighs, "How old do you want me to be?"
Banner Credit: Casey

Rosie Thinks:  Daniel is sitting on a pier, looking for inspiration for his story, when he meets mysterious, beautiful and broken Audrey. Audrey is completely shattered inside, letting life pass her by rather than living in it. Her house is a mess, she works as a stripper, her ex-boyfriend is abusive, yet she can't help but start up a tentative friendship with the boy she dubs Daniel. Daniel's growth throughout the story is slow but there, and amazing to watch. The way he develops both physically and mentally, from a boy into a man, was superbly written and gradual.

This story is utterly beautiful and only got more bewitching as I read on. I was obsessively glued to it for the last few chapters! I love how the story unfolds before your eyes. You're told nothing upfront. Instead, Wallflower.x slowly gives it away, showing and not telling. In her writing, the author has found a perfect balance between poetic and straightforward. At times, the words flowed and created beautiful images, while at others it was to the point and blunt. This suited the story unbelievably well - it's a poetic story about a not so poetic topic.

Wallflower.x has a knack of really getting inside a character's head and translating their feelings onto paper. Her writing is so beautiful and emotive that I was utterly engrossed and felt her character's emotions as if they were my own. The plot is completely unique and unpredictable, which kept me hooked on what was happening, especially since the author had a knack of ending a chapter at a crucial point. I can really only describe this story as beautiful - the plot, the characters, the writing - and urge anyone looking for an emotional read to give it a chance.

The Perfect Picture Kind

The Picture Perfect Kind by justmaybe

Who knew that the embarrassingly awkward photo of me dressed as Tinker Bell would lead to the best worst first date ever?
Banner Credit: marta

Rosie Thinks: I was a bit confused by the summary, at first - why would this be a romance if it was the worst date ever? Well, it was definitely the worst date I've ever heard or read before. As in, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Ollie gets pretty much pushed by her sister into going on a date with one of her coworkers, who is intrigued by her after seeing a not so flattering photo of Tinker Bell Ollie. A little bit creepy, Ollie thinks, but she eventually agrees to it. And from there, everything bad happens, but Ryan (her date) remains utterly loveable from start to finish.

I really liked how well Ollie is characterised in such a short space of time. She's selfless, doesn't take herself too seriously, and is open-minded. I would honestly love to see more of her and was quite sad when the story ended. The punctuation, grammar and spelling was perfect, with nothing ruining the flow of the words. The humour in this story was derived from the situations, which honestly had me laughing loudly out loud and everyone around me giving me strange looks. This story was cute, not dramatic, and utterly heart-warming. Definitely going on my list to re-read!

Meet the Sheldricks

Meet the Sheldricks by Quill-and-Blood

When you have a crazy, rather insane family, introducing them to the person of your dreams isn’t the smartest idea. Too bad my siblings never actually give me a choice.
Banner Credit: Melissa

Rosie Thinks: This story just reminds me of those overprotective older brother stories, except on speed - Lettie has ten siblings, five of which are overprotective, older brothers. She rightly refers to them all as a 'circus'! Lettie has always had a crush on Brandon, but has been too scared of her circus of a family to do anything about it. When he makes the moves on her, however, she can't resist. She still tries harder than anything to keep him from meeting the other 14 members of her family! This makes for lots of hilarious encounters as Lettie struggles to keep Brandon from realising just how mental her family is.

There are a huge amount of characters for just a one shot (since there are so many people in the family, of course) but I really liked how Quill-and-Blood didn't try to info dump them on the reader. Probably my favourite part in the story was the names of the characters - that part will definitely be staying with me for a long time! The whole story is cliche, but so wonderfully original with the huge family. I honestly would love to read side-stories about the entire family, they seem so hilarious. Brandon was also a bit different from the other love interests you see - he was definitely incorrigible, but still loveable. 'Meet the Sheldricks' was completely hilarious and definitely stands out for me.

Sly Dog

Sly Dog by Lainiee

Winning her over had nothing to do with flowers, chocolate or suave dance moves. He only kept barging through her door to harass her.
Banner Credit: Marta

Rosie Thinks: 'Sly Dog' is up there with my favourite one-shots on fictionpress. Honestly, I was surprised that it wasn't already on the site and so eagerly snatched up the opportunity to rectify that! The whole thing flows so beautifully, from beginning to end, so I barely noticed the passing in time as they went from strangers to more. The love interest is very much a stray dog - slowly taking over our MC's apartment and life. I couldn't help but fall in love with him a little bit - his actions were just so hilarious and goofy.

The story is very much description heavy, with very little dialogue, but this is definitely not a bad thing. It makes this story even more unique for me, giving it a much different feel. It's cute, romantic and the ending is just so utterly adorable I couldn't help but 'aw' aloud. It was just so fluffy, but it didn't make me feel sick from all the happy/romantic feelings - a perfect balance! The sentences are all generally quite long and do run-on, but this added to the overall feel of the story. I actually think it helped the flow of it and gave the reader the feel of really being inside the MC's mind. The author, at the end, makes a note that she thinks there are some awkward sentences in there. If you haven't noticed, I don't agree with this at all. There were no jolting sentences and no mistakes, as far as I could tell. Overall, this is definitely a one-shot great and deserves its almost 300 reviews.

With Intent

With Intent by Zebbie
Adam's got the Spidey Sense but he'd rather be The Invisible Man. Your regular Marvel Action Hero minus lycra and enthusiasm for saving the world, he'd rather just ignore it and his dormant to extinct love life. Going nuts is more of a problem.

Banner Credit: Melissa

Rosie Thinks: The thing that makes this story really stand out is the main character, Adam. Adam has a strange power - he can see 'bad intentions', as he calls it. As in, he can see an act of extreme violence that's already happened or someone who is thinking about it. It's an absolutely horrible power to have, but I just couldn't stop reading about it. It was just so enthralling and addicting to find out what Zebbie throws at you next.

I like how there are reasons why Adam is the way he is - introverted, careful, likes to keep his head down - mainly because of this crazy power of his. Zebbie really got into his head and explored the possibilities and roads this power could take one down. His OCD-ness was a surprising part of his character, but fit in with his personality well and was consistent plus intriguing.

Adam meets Joe at the cafe where he works, but they truly come into contact when Joe finds and arrests Adam at a crime scene. Adam ends up helping Joe find his daughter as Joe struggles to understand him. Things develop between them slowly, with Adam thinking Joe is 'Mr Perfectly Straight', but this isn't the sole focus of the story. It is equally character motivated as it is plot motivated, and the reader is at the edge of the seat wanting to solve the mystery.

There is a lot of long chunks of description that can look a bit intimidating. However, I didn't find any of it long-winded, boring or hard to get through. It wasn't an info dump either, even though the start is mainly description. It actually showcases Adam's personality in a way that is interesting and realistic. Zebbie has created a totally original and intriguing plot that is sure to draw you in. She writes beautifully and both the dialogue and the narration flows well. 'With Intent' has a great concept and an amazing story-line, I highly recommend!