PenguinMerchant
Fandoms
Recent works
-
Tags
Summary
Laurent de Vere, handsome, clever, and rich, with a moderately comfortable home and an immoderately bratty disposition, seemed to break up some of the worst matches in existence; and had lived nearly twenty-four years in the world with very little to distress or vex him.
-
Tags
Summary
Auguste sets Laurent up on a blind date. The universe — and Damen — have other plans.
“I am on a blind date,” the man says, holding up his hands to forestall any more explanation from the too-helpful Ancel. “My brother set me up and I just—I wasn’t entirely listening when he told me what the guy’s name was. It was something that sounded like Brayden, that’s all I remember.”
“Could it have been—was it Damen?”
Damen’s not entirely sure what makes him offer up that lifeline. He—obviously—isn’t waiting here for a blind date, and he doesn’t know this man’s brother from Adam. Even the smallest amount of questioning would show him to be a liar, and maybe even get security called on him.
Still, as the man takes a moment to size him up, look him up and down appreciatively, Damen can hardly work up the effort to care.
-
Tags
Summary
The shadows did nothing more than highlight Laurent's steely grace, the knife sharp definition of his cheekbones, the devastating fall of his hair. Damen had the brief thought that even if they did somehow make it out of here without any permanent injuries, the memories of Laurent's face would scar him for the rest of his life.
"Why did you come here today, Damen?" Laurent asked.
To negotiate a truce with your organization and make my father proud, was the first answer that came to mind. It's what he should say—straight, to the point, with a bit of sentiment thrown in at the end in case the logical part didn't hit hard enough. The second answer came unbidden, and he kept this one quiet too: I wanted to meet the only other man as steeped in his own mythology as I was. I wanted look behind that facade to see if there was something in him that I recognized.
-
Tags
Summary
Damen said, “I’m not sure what it is you’re asking me to do.”
“It’s simple enough,” said Laurent. “Come to my games, cheer me on in the stands. Be my date to a few networking events. And most importantly, let the press see how blissful domesticity with you has softened me.”
-
Tags
Summary
Betrayed by his brother and bound by a magic he can’t even see, Prince Damianos finds himself overthrown and trapped in Veretian territory. Help comes in the form of Laurent, a Calligrapher who is specially suited to help Damen—for a price, of course. Safe passage to Ios is the payment, and together they strike out across the Veretian wilderness, dodging pursuers and finding help in the most unexpected places. Trust comes slowly, and Damen finds himself falling for his stubborn and intractable traveling companion. And sure, Damen hasn’t told him he’s a prince yet, or that he's heading to Akielos to reclaim his crown, but what’s a secret between friends? Or, as their journey goes on, lovers?
But Laurent is hiding a few secrets of his own, and eventually Damen will be forced to deal with the fact that the magic that binds them can also divide them.
Recent series
-
- Words:
- 55,850
- Works:
- 4
- Bookmarks:
- 53
Recent bookmarks
-
Tags
Summary
Damen was staring at him when he looked up again, a warm slow sweep of his eyes that made Laurent tingle down to his toes.
You are drunk, he told himself sternly. Do not say something stupid.
Bookmarked by PenguinMerchant
20 Aug 2024
Bookmarker's Notes
Lovely snappy dialogue, possessive Damen
-
Tags
Summary
Laurent felt his mouth twist. “You want me to stay, but not enough to do anything about it.”
Damen’s expression softened. “I wouldn’t make you stay,” he said, “for the world.” He said, “Laurent, it would be such a sacrifice.”
Series
- Part 2 of selkieverse
Bookmarked by PenguinMerchant
30 Sep 2023
Bookmarker's Notes
The most beautiful fairy tale I've ever read.
-
Tags
Summary
Damen makes an enquiring noise. Laurent imagines saying to him, I needed something to do with my hands while you tried to talk about sex, and then pretends not to have heard.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 3,041
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 57
- Kudos:
- 666
- Bookmarks:
- 98
- Hits:
- 5,935
Bookmarked by PenguinMerchant
21 Apr 2023
-
Tags
Summary
Where Johnny goes, the Devil follows; where Johnny goes, the Devil is already there.
Series
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 32,602
- Chapters:
- 3/3
- Collections:
- 4
- Comments:
- 955
- Kudos:
- 7,316
- Bookmarks:
- 2,576
- Hits:
- 118,888
Bookmarked by PenguinMerchant
24 Jan 2023
Bookmarker's Notes
This has no business being this good, what the hell (heh)
-
Tags
Summary
No one in their right mind would ever seriously try to woo Lin Ronghu, the Emperor's infamously ruthless (if unofficial) spymaster.
Not that that's stopped the local legend, a (self-described) beautiful detective with peerless martial arts. His crush is a major inconvenience - at least until there's a murder that puts Lin Ronghu's most hated political nemesis straight in the frame. Since Lin Ronghu can't believe that anyone would be that stupid, he decides that maybe having a private detective around might be good for something after all...
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 38,617
- Chapters:
- 9/9
- Collections:
- 2
- Comments:
- 253
- Kudos:
- 1,023
- Bookmarks:
- 487
- Hits:
- 15,833
Bookmarked by PenguinMerchant
13 Dec 2022
Bookmarker's Notes
Every single word in this is like a perfectly placed stone in a perfectly maintained rock garden. I don't think I've read traditionally published works that have this kind of careful surety to them. The mystery within is satisfying and resolves well, the characters are so charming and likeable, the world is fleshed out and believable. THIS is what I want from my political intrigue books, and I have no idea why it's so hard to find or why the best one I've ever read is squirreled away on AO3 and not on the NYT bestseller list.