All for One and One for All by cmshaw (NC-17)

Fandom: Tanya Huff's The Fire's Stone
Pairings/Characters: Aaron/Darvish/voyeur!Chandra
Rating: NC-17
Wordcount: 3,300
Author: cmshaw
Website: cmshaw's Fanfic
Summary: Turn your back and off they go.
Why: I love this take on the relationship between Darvish, Aaron and Chandra after the book. It really seems like the perfect follow up for me. I loved seeing them watching out for each and the hints of where their relationship may go in the future were lovely. Also, the sections with Chandra's nurse add just the right touch of humor and a nice look at the three of them from the outside perspective of someone who doesn't know everything we do.

All for One and One for All by cmshaw

Long Shot by Xylodemon (NC-17)

Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings/Characters: Harry/Hermione/Ron
Rating: NC-17
Wordcount: 4,400
Author: Xylodemon
Website: none
Summary: A fool and his money are soon parted.
Why: Interesting that I should have two recs involving voyeurism in a row. Probably says something about me...

Anyway. This is just such a cute idea that I couldn't resist reading it when I saw it recced (I believe at crack_broom, although I'm not sure now). Two mysterious someones are taking bets on how the Trio will sort themselves out romantically, with the assumption that no one will be able to guess and so they'll be able to keep the money for themselves. The scenes that follow are various bets that various people make, with a graphic demonstration of why in each case. I loved how people kept stumbling over the three of them in various permutations and seeing how these different people reacted to the experience. Even better, however, was how everything worked out in the end. I'm such a sucker for a good ending. ♥

Long Shot by Xylodemon

Bond of Honor by Tirinwe (NC-17)

Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Pairings/Characters: Eomer/Haldir
Rating: NC-17
Wordcount: 24,400
Author: Tirinwe aka Meri
Website: Other Oddities of Fiction
Summary: When Eomer agrees to a healing bond in order to save Haldir's life, he has no idea that it's going to end up having such a profound effect on his own.
Why: So, a short while ago I came down with a longing for Lord of the Rings fic. However, as is sometimes the case, I wasn't willing to wade through miles of bad just to find something good. So I went trawling through painless_j's LotR recs, and I eventually settled on reading this. It's based on the idea that Eomer volunteers himself to take part in a healing bond that will save Haldir's life. Only the bond has some unexpected consequences, and Eomer and Haldir end up spending a lot of quality time together. Romance ensues.

I liked this story for a variety of reasons. A big one is that I like forced bonding stories a lot. I like seeing how the characters learn to deal with each other and what kind of compromises they have to make to do so, and I think this story does a really good job of that. I was really convinced by both the issues that rise up between Eomer and Haldir and the resolutions to those issues. I also liked this because I like unconventional pairings. Sure, classic is great, but new and intriguing is great as well. Finally, I just really liked the way that Tirinwe handled things. She satisfied both the romantic and the realist in me, which is sometimes pretty hard to do. With all those things in its favor, is it any wonder that I loved this story?

Bond of Honor by Tirinwe