"Love Like Winter" by MandyLeigh87

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There were multiple rumors about Edward Cullen being a 'deformed freak' but Bella never took them seriously. All she knew about this mysterious and rich guy was that he lived up in the hills in his family's huge mansion and hasn't been seen out in public ever since his parents died a couple of years ago. Bella, however, couldn't have cared less about the small town gossip when she was standing in front of his huge house. The young woman was on her way to the airport where a plane was supposed to take her to her new hometown London. As Forks didn't offer her the jobs she was hoping for and because to live in the cold capital of Great Britain had always been a dream of hers, Bella decided to uproot her life and say goodbye to the Unites States. She didn't expect to be stopped on her way by a nasty blizzard. Her worn-down truck stops and when she thought life couldn't get any worse, she noticed that her cell phone battery had died and she was standing right in front of Edward Cullen's mansion. He couldn't be that bad, right?

The house is eerily quiet when she steps in and as she looks around, a blond man approaches and introduces himself as Jasper. Bella immediately recognizes him as the guy who often comes into town to buy Edward his daily necessities. She is lead into the house and notices that Edward doesn't seem to have any electronics that connect to the outside world. She opts to use the outlet in his house to charge her phone hoping to call her father later on to pick her up. Yet once again, fate steps in the way as Bella realizes that she most probably left the charger in her car. With the blizzard going on full force, there is simply no way she can go back outside and try to search for it. That leaves her with only one choice: to stay at Edward's house until the damn blizzard is over. Because he has been living in isolation for so long, it comes as no surprise that Bella and Edward's first few meetings don't go over all too well. Due to his parents' murder, Edward has turned completely into himself, absorbed by sorrow and grief. Even though he doesn't want any contact with other people whatsoever, Bella's caring personality and her ability to understand his feelings make him open up and reevaluate his life. Maybe what he feels for her could be the beginning of a new life, one in which he finally finds some peace - with Bella. What happened to Edward's parents and will real life allow Edward and Bella to stick together or will their love be conquered by fears?

In just 22 chapters, MandyLeigh87 manages to portray a wonderful story about overcoming weaknesses through the power of love; as she puts it: "This is my version of beauty and the beast". I was captured by this fanfic from chapter one; the way Bella simply ignores all the hypes about Edward without ever having seen him is quite fascinating. What is kind of sad, however, is that Love Like Winter is shockingly realistic. How many times do we gossip about others? And how many times do things happen the exact same way we want them to? This story depicts not only the importance of discovering true love, but also portrays what it means to have a great friendship (Edward and Jasper). It was very heartwarming for me to read the story and see the enormous change in how Edward views himself throughout the story. The fanfic taught me that there are many hardships in life, some small, others big, but there is always another door that opens up to a brighter light and you shouldn't hesitate to approach the door, because it was meant to open up as a result of the one that closed. Give this fanfic a try and I promise you won't be disappointed!!

Love Like Winter consists of 22 chapters and 77,729 words. The story is rated M foul language and angst.

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