Ms. Swan's Bookstore

Posted by Pb

Having lost everything in life, Bella has no one to turn to - both emotionally and physically. After some unfortunate miscarriages, she finds herself betrayed by her husband Emmett and feels like all of her hopes and dreams are crashing down. To make matters worse, Bella barely manages to earn enough money to run the rent of her house - the only thing Emmett left behind - and is even unable to buy the necessities needed in life. Her job as the assistant of rich and brooding Edward Cullen, CEO of Cullen Enterprises, is only temporary and she will have to leave the position once the actual assistant comes back from her maternity leave. In order to survive Bella takes on a night job as a waitress in her cousin James' bar. To her surprise, she finds out that Edward stops by at the bar after work, always sitting at a corner table, staring at her with a beer in hand. As her boss never talks to her unless he has to, Bella starts wondering why he would show up night after night, observing her carefully...

When her days at Cullen Enterprises come to an end, Edward approaches her and makes her an offer she can't refuse. Bella agrees to work as Edward's personal assistant, obligated to do everything he wants - no strings or emotions attached! And so the two begin a physical relationship and soon develop feelings for each other. As neither wants to break the "rules" (according to Edward), neither of them says anything though and both are left to deal with their thoughts on their own. In the meantime, Bella learns more and more about her Edward, who seems to have nothing and no one but her. Betrayed by his own family, Edward had decided to turn off his emotions and withdraw from the world as much as possible. With a dangerous past looming over him and his dominant insecurities, will Edward and Bella be able to survive as a couple?

Mamasutra does an excellent job in portraying each character's emotions in the story. Although a drabble fic and filled with multiple grammatical mistakes, the story is easily understandable and you can immediately connect with what Edward and Bella are going through. Emmett's role in the fanfic is a rather negative one, but the reader will eventually learn about his situation and come to some kind of closure where he is concernec. In addition, one of the most unique characters that you will find in this story is, surprisingly, Tanya. She plays Edward's good sister and is very understanding with regards to what goes on in his head.  On the other hand though, characters Alice and Carlisle will bring out completely opposite feelings as  those compared to Tanya. Despite unique characters, the story is rounded perfectly and keeps you held till the end. Will Bella and Edward be able to overcome their pasts and learn to accept love? I strongly encourage this fanfic, it will not disappoint you!

Covenant of Ashes consists of 147 chapters and 110,064 words. The story is rated M for lemons and language.

COMPLETE