Official Summary:
In the midst of war, will blind greed be the greatest weakness? Or blind love? Bonds, families & the vampire race will be strengthened or utterly ruined. All Twilight Chars. Lemons. WARNING: Rape/Sodomy.
Review:
In Love and War is one of the more unique mid-New Moon Alternate Universe stories I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. It picks up exactly one year after the Cullens leave and Bella is in much better emotional shape than when Edward first left. She has friends and family in the Quileutes and is making the choice to move on with her life.
Chapter 1 starts off action-packed at the top of a familiar cliff; though this time Bella jumps as a symbolic fresh start to wash off the pain of heartbreak; not because of a depression-induced hallucination. Of course, this jump doesn’t go any better than the one in New Moon. In fact, I would say that it’s decidedly worse.
Just as I was about to resurface, I saw her and did a double take.
I gasped involuntarily, which was a very bad move on my part; I was now choking on water.
Oh God, it really is her.
Victoria.
She was smiling wickedly and in front of me in a second. She roughly grabbed my arms. I tried to scream, but only choked more.
Dear God, my lungs are burning.
Victoria started swimming as she pulled me along. Almost instantly, I felt her pounding the shit out of my back. I was coughing up a lung and more water than I thought possible.
Then I wondered what she was doing and I looked at her questioningly. Did she really just save me?
She explained herself. "That's right; you're not dying on me. Not yet. I have so much planned for you, and I will get to play with you first. I've been waiting a while, and I intend to savor all of our time together."
Naturally the Quileutes want to immediately go to Bella’s rescue. However, they are stopped by an unlikely ally: the Volturi. We learn that there is a secret pact - more significant and more enduring than that between Carlisle Cullen and Ephraim Black - between the Quileutes and the Volturi. I won’t give details of the pact, but I will promise that the details of the how’s and why’s and who’s are quite surprising.
You’re probably wondering about that whole “Bella learns that Edward is not her mate” bit in the summary. You’re probably wondering if not Edward, then who?? Well, if you’ve checked the database or have looked at the story info on FFn, you already know the answer to that question. It’s Caius. That’s right - Caius. As in Caius of the Volturi; 3,000 year old vampire royalty.
I’ll let that sink in for a minute.
Honestly, I was a little off-put by the idea of a Bella/Caius pairing at first myself. RaindropSoup weaves such a distinctly different tale from the source material that it is relatively easy to get on board with this pairing. Especially when Caius experiences the unmistakable pull of one’s mate.
It was Isabella's eyes that caught me, that bid me to act out of character. They alone spoke volumes. . . . I felt the beginnings of a pull, and my priorities began to shift. That meant only one thing . . .
Caius fights the pull just like Edward did at first, but, unlike Edward, he never runs away, which earns him big points in my book. No, Caius is a fighter. He is protective without being a creepy stalker (you all know what I’m talking about) and truly does have Bella’s best interests in mind. It’s also easy to like Caius because he voluntarily works with the Quileutes. He recognizes just how important the wolves are to Bella and she to them.
Now for the warning: this is not a light-hearted romp. Victoria tortures and abuses Bella before she can be rescued by the Quileute/Volturi cavalry. We don’t experience it along with Bella, but RaindropSoup paints the picture when Bella is later examined and her injuries treated. There is no gratuitous violence, but RaindropSoup doesn’t shy away from a fight either. The battles are real and merciless, and no character is safe.
RaindropSoup does an amazing job of weaving Canon elements in with her own spin on Quileute legends and Volturi history. The first few chapters are full of twists and turns where, refreshingly, the reader is usually unable to predict what is going to happen next. There are only 9 chapters so far, but each one is packed with action and intrigue. We’re at a pivotal point in the story (no, I’m still not giving details) and I cannot wait to see what’s to come.
Author’s Interview:
What gave you the idea for this story?
Tons of things, but mainly SM. After reading Twilight multiple times, I wondered what happened to certain characters, especially the Volturi and some of the Quileute. SM gave us info on the Cullens, but not a lot on the other players. She..."humanized" that family and bound them together using different aspects of life: love of all types, personal history and beliefs, circumstance and choice, fear, doubt—everything. I wanted to show they weren't the only ones molded—governed—by their experiences and surrounding relationships, but even the so-called villains were. Everyone has a similar story to tell, yet it doesn't always end the same. Sometimes, we don't get the happy ending. Most times, the ties that make and bind us...are also the ones to break us. And I don't know about you, but I wanted a battle in BD; so there's going to be an all out war...with obvious and unforeseen, tangible and intangible enemies.
Are their any FF authors that inspire you?
I would say taoist elf, The Joker's Daughter, MeraNaamJoker, and the woman who owns me—wonderwoundedhearers. Each one inspires me for different reasons, but no matter what, they're amazing authors who think outside of the pretty little box and can pull me into their world. They're also all around wonderful to their readers.
What was your main inspiration for your lead characters?
How SM portrayed the Cullens, particularly Carlisle. The series has so much depth, so many contradictions—with the supernatural and just like real life. "Creatures of the Night" who believe in God and sparkle. O.o A vampire that falls in love with his singer. Villains can have a softer side—Caius. Goody-goodies can be horrid, *cough* Bella. Unforgiving jackasses can have admirable principles. The heroine...she needs to have a dark side, at least once in a while. Like every story has two sides, every character does as well.
What do you think it takes to make a story special and stand out to a reader?
Originality— the kind that makes you open your mind to other possibilities. As a reader, I have preferences; but occasionally, you find a fic that pops your...literary cherry, so to speak. ;D You're so surprised and drawn in-moved-you fall in love...and maybe for the first time. It's beautiful, life-altering, becoming. And when it's over, you're left heartbroken and wanting, to the point you go searching for more, yet can never forget that...honorable first. (Gawd, did I really just say that? Too late now, I'm not redoing my answers.)
What do you find the hardest about writing this story?
Remembering that I started writing this for me--that I can't please everyone. I'll include things because I can and have a reason to, like enemies becoming friends, different POVs. I can't try too hard, otherwise it'll be forced and not me. I'll make mistakes—this is my first Fan Fic, and I'm learning as I go. I don't have to redo the first few chapters, even with it beta'd. I know all this, it's just remembering it that's the hardest.
Why do you think people should read this story?
I'm told how original it is—not just the pairing, but also the twists and turns, and the relationships that come from those twists. Umm...honestly, if you can be open-minded, not adhere to rules or expectations, then head on over. There's a bit of everything for everyone—the wolves, Volturi, Cullens, romance, angst—but it's what you take from it and share with others that matter.
What cliches do you feel authors should avoid while writing fanfic?
Making Edward and Alice the bad guys when you write non-canon pairing fics; I think everyone expects them to be. Other than that, I don't know. Fanfiction is supposed to fun and an escape from real life. I think those common notions and cheesy lines, especially when in context with the story,can still make you smile, laugh or feel good all over. Ultimately, you should write your story how you want to.
Do your RL friends and family know about your love and obsession with all things Twilight?
*groans* Yes, and I'm constantly in pain because of it. Most of the women in my family love Twilight, but they don't read Fan Fiction or understand my obsession with it. When my husband and our guy friends found out, I made the mistake of comparing my love for it to their obsession with Star Wars and Call of Duty. *laughs* Gawd, I still get hounded for the comment. Everyone supports my writing, but I do get shit for it since it's Twilight and Fan Fiction.
Do you have any other projects going on? Any planned for the future?
I have "The War Within," which is Jasper's story from "In Love and War" tied in with canon Jasper. He's a character that can be so complex because of his gift and history; I think we can overlook different aspects of him and how deep it goes, especially when he's with the Cullens. As a soldier and Texan, he has a large sense of duty and honor, yet it's more than just lost to him because of what he's done. I want to show how his empathy is bittersweet—to be able to share not just emotion, but pieces of himself. It's become somewhat of a project because I'm trying to capture every little bit of him, going as far as researching the accent (with the help of my Texan beta), his human life in that era and so on. But sadly, I've agreed to make a no accent version that can be found on TWCS since a couple readers requested it. So I've got my hands full. Still, I want to share this Jasper. I'm also working on an AH married Demetri and Bella, and I plan on a fun AH Demetri and Leah—I need an escape from the angst. Those won't be posted until I'm almost done with them and ILaW though.
Do you have anyone that you'd like to thank for helping and supporting you through this fic?
My betas, Twimarti and DreaC. They've more than beta'd my fic, but also supported my choices when others brought me down and I started to doubt myself. CareMarie, wonderwoundedhearers, and Blue Fox—for their encouragement. These five women have become my rock when it comes to writing ILaW and TWW. And of course, the readers and reviewers...you make my eyes water and lift my spirit when you tell me how much you enjoy the story.
When you aren't writing, which fics are you reading right now?
"Be Like Water" by taoist elf; "Feral Blood Saga" by The Joker's Daughter; "One Night Only" by Shirley007 and "White Blank Page" by beavoicenotanecho. I'm also pre-reading wonderwoundedhearers' "Coming To Terms." It's not posted yet, but when it is... Watch out! It features a very hot Aro.
How were you introduced to the fandom? Do you remember which FanFic was your first to read?
I was looking for more info on the Vampire Academy and then stumbled upon FanFiction.net. I read steffy2106's awesome fic "Expect the Unexpected" (Rose and Adrian). I only started reading Twilight Fan Fics a little over a year ago, and the first was MOTU.
Is there any information that you would like to share that was not already covered?
I think your site is awesome. The staff of TwiFic sites and blogs need more credit. ;D
Any additional information you would like posted???
"In Love and War" has a blog, where you can find pictures of the characters, teasers, and playlists, etc.; http://www.inloveandwar.raindropsoup.com
Project Team Beta has a poll for the fic with the Best Non-Canon Pairing and "In Love and War" is one of the potential picks. It's a huge surprise since the other authors are beyond awesome and include one of my favorite authors, The Joker's Daughter. You don't have to vote for me, but go vote!
Thank You for reading!!
TwiFicDataBase Staff
@sapphirescribe
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