A River Bends by Neko (NC-17)
Title: A River Bends by Neko
Fandom: Without A Trace
Pairing: Danny/Martin
Categories: Romance, Angst
Length: Long - An arc of nineteen short stories totalling 37,500+ words
Warning: Author warns for 'sexual content'
Rating: NC-17
Author on LJ: this is love, this is porn
Website: nekosmuse. Click on 'fanfic' and 'Without A Trace' and scroll down the menu; the A River Bends series is listed separately.
Summary: He can almost taste the gunpowder.
Review: It wouldn’t be giving too much away about the plot of A River Bends to say that this is an example of the kind of story which starts off with sex and ends up with love. Danny is watching Martin at a firing range one day when he is overwhelmed with lust for him and before either one of them has time to work out what's happening they're having sex right there and then. Moreover, they go on to have sex in and around their workplace several more times throughout the first half of the story.
I need to be honest here and say that in my opinion this indiscretion is the least satisfactory aspect of the story. I can just about buy them getting it on at work once, but they are both sensible adults and FBI agents into the bargain and that means that they should know the value of self-control. In this respect, A River Bends almost strays over the line into porno movie territory where everybody humps everybody anywhere they like and never considers the consequences.
Fortunately, however, at around the mid-way point the author and her characters see sense. Or, rather, sense is seen on their behalf. They have been caught on a security camera - as they should have expected, of course - and everybody in the building knows what they've been doing. They are suspended from duty, and Martin pulls strings with his father to make sure Danny isn't punished unduly - although, inevitably, they have to be separated.
The remainder of the story deals with how they cope with this development, and how it affects their feelings for one another. The sex is still mind-blowingly wonderful whenever they are together, but there is a good deal of angsting when they are apart. None of it is given very much context, and the remainder of the characters - Jack, Samantha, Vivian and Martin's father - only wander through long enough to make the occasional relevant remark.
I have a feeling this started out as one steamy hot sex story and grew a plot at a much later stage, and considering that it was published in 2004 it would be interesting to know if the author would take the same approach now. Nevertheless for all its flaws this is one of the classics of the fandom; it could have done with a little more character development and some indication that the guys had more in common than just the sex, but the conclusion is a satisfying one and the whole story arc will very well reward the attention of the reader.
Link: Squeeze and Release - the first story in the sequence.
NB: I accidentally (briefly) posted the wrong version of this rec last week but was kindly saved from my folly by our illustrious mod, Jane. This is the correct version, thank goodness! (Saved by 'Recapalooza'!)
Fandom: Without A Trace
Pairing: Danny/Martin
Categories: Romance, Angst
Length: Long - An arc of nineteen short stories totalling 37,500+ words
Warning: Author warns for 'sexual content'
Rating: NC-17
Author on LJ: this is love, this is porn
Website: nekosmuse. Click on 'fanfic' and 'Without A Trace' and scroll down the menu; the A River Bends series is listed separately.
Summary: He can almost taste the gunpowder.
Review: It wouldn’t be giving too much away about the plot of A River Bends to say that this is an example of the kind of story which starts off with sex and ends up with love. Danny is watching Martin at a firing range one day when he is overwhelmed with lust for him and before either one of them has time to work out what's happening they're having sex right there and then. Moreover, they go on to have sex in and around their workplace several more times throughout the first half of the story.
I need to be honest here and say that in my opinion this indiscretion is the least satisfactory aspect of the story. I can just about buy them getting it on at work once, but they are both sensible adults and FBI agents into the bargain and that means that they should know the value of self-control. In this respect, A River Bends almost strays over the line into porno movie territory where everybody humps everybody anywhere they like and never considers the consequences.
Fortunately, however, at around the mid-way point the author and her characters see sense. Or, rather, sense is seen on their behalf. They have been caught on a security camera - as they should have expected, of course - and everybody in the building knows what they've been doing. They are suspended from duty, and Martin pulls strings with his father to make sure Danny isn't punished unduly - although, inevitably, they have to be separated.
The remainder of the story deals with how they cope with this development, and how it affects their feelings for one another. The sex is still mind-blowingly wonderful whenever they are together, but there is a good deal of angsting when they are apart. None of it is given very much context, and the remainder of the characters - Jack, Samantha, Vivian and Martin's father - only wander through long enough to make the occasional relevant remark.
I have a feeling this started out as one steamy hot sex story and grew a plot at a much later stage, and considering that it was published in 2004 it would be interesting to know if the author would take the same approach now. Nevertheless for all its flaws this is one of the classics of the fandom; it could have done with a little more character development and some indication that the guys had more in common than just the sex, but the conclusion is a satisfying one and the whole story arc will very well reward the attention of the reader.
Link: Squeeze and Release - the first story in the sequence.
NB: I accidentally (briefly) posted the wrong version of this rec last week but was kindly saved from my folly by our illustrious mod, Jane. This is the correct version, thank goodness! (Saved by 'Recapalooza'!)