Posted by Pb

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Bella Swan is an extremely eccentric woman, who enjoys every moment of her life to the fullest. Though she has been through a lot in the past and even fears what lies ahead for her in the future a bit, she takes every day on its merits. Forty-year old Bella believes that not much can ruin her life, except maybe for herself. As an artist, the woman spends a considerable amount of her time painting beautiful portraits of couples that seem deeply in love - something she's never experienced herself. A one night stand back in the days brought her her son Jacob, who now works as a doctor in another state, but the man she thought she had feelings for didn't stay. One day, when Bella is sipping her coffee on her balcony, she hears the most beautiful voice she's ever heard. A voice, which instantly brings tears to her eyes. Being rarely moved by something, Bella cannot believe what the music she just listened to did to her. She is determined to track down the person that voice belongs to and meet him. Enter Edward Cullen.

Edward is the polar opposite of Bella. In his forty-two years, he has witnessed some pretty terrible things and lives a life in sorrow and melancholy, constantly wondering about 'what ifs'. His only love is music and he spends endless hours composing and singing, putting all of his emotions in it. As a professional musician, he is booked for private and public functions. One day, Edward gets a phone call from an overzealous woman, who wants to hire him for a whole month - just to listen to his music. Never in his life has Edward ever received an offer like this, yet due to the persistence of the woman with the loud and happy voice as well as the good payment he'd receive, the musician agrees to her terms. Needless to say, when the two meet each other for the first time, they immediately realize that they've never encountered someone like that before. Edward is slightly overwhelmed and hesitant to talk to the extremely vibrant woman. And Bella is incredibly empathetic towards the sadness in his eyes, wondering what the man has been going through. Neither of them can deny the electric energy flowing between them, especially when Edward plays and sings while Bella dances. Will the two of them find a way to be together or will their different personalities keep them from falling in love?

A fantastic story that should NOT be missed! Not for nothing, is the fanfic very popular in the Twilight fandom - writing style of abstract way is amazing and you cannot help but get sucked right into the story. Edward and Bella are both in their forties, so the level of maturity in the language as well as in their understanding of each other and the world is much more sophisticated than that in other fics. The characters, in addition to their intellect, are very OOC with an eccentric Bella Swan and a shy, blue-eyed (!) Edward Cullen, who will melt your heart! The story is very realistic and showcases a perfect example of how opposites attract to each other. But be forewarned, this story is rated M because it deals with mature content, hot lemons, as well as discussion of an illness. I highly recommend this fanfic and have no doubts that you will love it as much as I do; it will definitely surprise you and bring a number of emotions out of you. abstract way has done a phenomenal job writing this story and creating such a well-developed plot - one that is unlike anything I've ever read and that made me want to read the story even more. You will be hooked from chapter one - I promise. A MUST MUST MUST read - I can't emphasize it enough! :D

Dodge and Burn consists of 34 chapters and 176,021 words. The story is rated M for language and sexual content.

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Posted by Pb

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The first time Bella Swan meets hot and famous Edward Masen, she is completely mesmerized. The way he naturally charms her with his sexy crooked smile and talks with his swoon-worthy voice has her dazzled to the point where she starts imagining a future with him. But all her infatuation comes crashing down in the blink of an eye when she finds out that Edward isn't just charming her but pretty much every woman crosses paths with! Shocked, Bella has to realize that he is far from being what he appears to be; but who is he? His had and arrogant exterior mask is all he shows to others. Even though he is an extremely talented abstract painter, his focus on partying and hooking up with art-whores, jeopardizes his promising career. Seeing how much trouble Edward is, Bella decides to stay away from him as much as possible; ignoring the impossible attraction she feels towards him. The last things she wants to be is another one of his flings. Yet destiny seems to have other plans as it forces her to work with Edward over and over again...

One night, when Edward causes yet another havoc at one of his parties, Bella comes to his rescue; pulling him away from the chaos and bringing him to his hotel safely. All the while, Edward seems to be in a catatonic state and when Bella's fingers weave through his soft hair, he finally come out of it. He hugs he fiercely and repeats, "Please don't leave me, Bella. Please don't leave, angel, please." That is the first time that Bella sees a glimpse of the real Edward and she can't help but let her caring nature come out. She wants to help this beautiful, broken man. With the help of a few close friends the young woman manages to uncover the mysteries behind him. Bella learns that Edward has gone through a severe heart-break; leaving him in a dark place; trusting absolutely no one. How can she possibly get him out of his personal hell-hole when he refuses to fully give her a chance? Moreover, Edward soon becomes 'obsessed' with Bella; calling her his angel and savior. She has no idea what causes him to see her like that but she ignores it for now and starts working with him. Because she intends to write a novel about Edward as an artist she is forced to interact with him more and more, helping her figure out who he really is. And though the two of them feel this strong pull between each other, Edward just can't seem to come of his shell. The couple literally takes one step forward before going two steps back. Will they overcome their severe problems or will Bella give up on him?

Get your seat-belts on, folks, because this story is unlike anything you have ever read before! It will take you on an emotional rollercoaster: where there is adorable chemistry between Edward and Bella in one chapter, there's the angst waiting for you in the next. You'll find yourself laughing about their cuteness, become sweaty and start panting from the wonderful lemons, and cry and get angry over their hot-headedness! But believe me, the story is SO WORTH all of that!
Abstract Way has really incorporated a great deal of artistic knowledge into the story and the you will feel as though you were in LA, experiencing great art shows and perusing through art galleries. The way she has intricately portrayed Edward in the fanfiction is really the highlight of the entire piece. She shows how he turned into the person we meet and how Bella manages to get him back on track. The story is also extremely realistic with regards to the development (and setbacks) of the couple's relationship. It takes time for Bella and Edward to walk over all the bumps and obstacles which were thrown in their way and it is quite long and frustrating for both of them. They try to smoothen out the multiple rough edges that each of their character's has but things don't always work well right away. Yes, they make mistakes along the way - some which you may not like to read, but it is amazing to read how they both acknowledge them.
Although the story is entirely in Bella's point of view, the readers gets all the information he needs to get in order to understand the story. Everything just reveals itself slowly as the chapters fly by. And yes, the fanfic does seem slightly longer than what you may be used to, but trust me when I say that you won't realize how the chapters fly by once you start! A MUST READ NO ONE SHOULD MISS OUT ON!!!

Work of Art consists of 63 chapters (including 2 outtakes from EPOV) and 334,477 words. The story is rated M for content, language, and hot lemons!

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