Monday, December 19, 2011

Turn Me On 12/19/11 Open Up Next to You


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We want to know what turns you on, ladies! Which fics are rocking your world and are must reads for us Pervs? We want you to tell us what you like, what turns you on about this fic. Let’s talk about it over a glass of wine and get everyone reading it.





Author: LJ Summers
Status: Complete
Chapters: 20
Word Count: 59,659

Summary: Expanded from my Heartbreak drabble. Ten years after the events of Eclipse, Edward meets his true vampire mate; Bella is left desolate. Alice and Jasper take her in with them to help her through her heartbreak. Rated for mature relationship issues.

Guest Perv Stefanie - LJ Summers is the master of bittersweet romantic drama. She often breaks hearts and leaves her readers wanting more. In Open Up Next to You, she weaves a story full of angst & longing.

Although married to Bella, Edward finds his true mate. He must leave a devastated Bella.
Jasper & Alice take in Bella to help her heal. Eventually, the love between Jasper, Alice & Bella transforms. Their relationship grows into something less familiar, something more romantic, something carnal.

The three, especially Bella, are
confused by these new desires.
Neither the couple, nor Bella want to proceed at the risk of their new coven. No one wants to be hurt or cause pain. The unresolved sexual tension grows to such a fevered pitch that at one point I felt I wouldn’t be able to continue to read. But continue I did and was GREATLY rewarded. LJ doesn’t often journey into the land of rated M but when she does, we, her readers are more than gratified. The lemons in Open Up Next to You are intense, deeply romantic & sexy as hell. The very idea of the poly relationship titillates. The desire shared among these three is incendiary. Jasper’s ability to fully sense his lovers’ lust then project it back upon them results in an explosion of sexual frenzy. Bella’s relationship with Alice & Jasper is based on love and trust. I believe these elements make for sexier romance.

This is definitely one of my all-time favorite stories. LJ Summers surpassed herself with this one. She combines all the right elements to make a heart breaking, romantic, erotic story that fully satisfies…until the sequel.

Guest Perv NinaQ - I was drawn in by the drabble style of the first couple chapters of Open Up Next to You. I’ll admit to having a weakness for drabble, but that’s not what made me love this story.

One of the things I enjoy about LJ Summers’ writing is that she works with universal emotions, but you feel them in an entirely new way. Bella’s discussions with Edward about his new mate are heart-wrenching, but completely realistic. While this could have been a story about the angst of a failed relationship, you are rooting for this mature, complex Bella to learn and grow past her time with the Cullens. Every step she takes feels like a victory. You cheer her on as she works through the emotional and physical problems of being single, including her frustrations living with a happily mated, very sexual couple!

The affection canon Alice and Jasper had for Bella follows into Open Up Next to You. Building a life away from the Cullens is not always easy, but with their care, Bella blossoms and moves on. There is no instant healing, and there are bumps along the way, including unexpected admirers eyeing the newly single Bella.

Alice and Jasper’s love for Bella is a constant through the story, but it’s not a love that
detracts from their bond. Her presence strengthens them, and the love that develop
between these three seems inevitable and right. By the time they have figured out what
you already knew, It’s the most natural thing in the world=The evolution of their love includes an intense physical reaction. I always have trouble
talking about sex scenes without sounding like I’m gushing, so I’ll just say this is the best description of Jasper’s power in the bedroom I’ve ever read! Here is a tiny example from chapter 17:
Bella's nerves dissolved into the pulsating desire Jasper was
projecting, so that her eyes grew heavy and her skin tightened.
The next fic I read where Alice and Jasper run into the woods for some sexy times will have me thinking about how his power affects her, and what it does for anyone who happens to be in close range!

LJ Summers has woven a lovely story with complex characters where there are no true villains.
It’s a love story for three that stretches the traditional definition of relationship. I followed this trio and cheered them on while built something wonderful. By the time the story was over, I realized there is no other way it could have ended.



Jen - Open Up Next to You explores a nearly unthinkable ‘what if’ for E/B shippers --what if Bella was not actually Edward’s mate? LJ Summers’ story explores Bella’s future after learning that Edward has met his true mate.

I enjoy nearly every Twi pairing and every genre from angst and tragedy to fluff. While I’m always surprised by the intensity of my sadness when an AU Edward and Bella don’t get their HEA for whatever reason, I also LOVE the burn of the angst. LJ Summers does angst so, so well. In the early chapters we fully feel Bella’s sadness and astonishment at what has just happened in her perfect, eternal life. Edward’s pronouncement hurts so, so badly. Bella was not changed until she was 21; she seems a lot more mature and more likeable than many a canon Bella.

Unwilling to force Edward away from his family, Bella decides
that she will leave the Cullens. Alice and Jasper decide that they could use time away from the family, and leaving with Bella has the added benefit of making sure she’s ok. Bella is open to the idea of being intimate with someone new, but she turns down the opportunity for sex with a nomad and then later with Felix. NGL, I was wishing hard for some Bella/Felix loving.

While Bella and Alice had always been close, Bella and Jasper’s relationship blossomed as they learned more about one another. As they become settled in their new lives, Jasper notices how protective he feels of Bella. Bella notices that she sometimes feels a frisson of something more than love for friends or siblings. And Alice, well as she will, Alice sees things in the future but only shares a cat-ate-the-canary smile with her mate and her friend.

Bella struggles when Alice and Jasper get it on, and usually makes herself scarce when they do. Things change, though, and Bella starts to stay in and pleasure herself while Alice and Jasper are together sexually. Alice suggests that Bella join them in their room, so that Jasper’s talent increases all of their pleasure. She feels awkward about it, but pushes herself to take the chance, and the room becomes kind of a lust pinball machine.



Jasper roared his pleasure. The sudden increase in sound and desire compelled Bella to reach out and grab on to the first thing she could to anchor herself.

It was Jasper's ankle. And when she touched it, she felt such a burst of lust from him that it drove her right over the edge, so that she climaxed with a cry of her own. Which reverberated back to him and Alice and the cycle seemed almost too intense.


Open Up Next to You is Bella’s story, but Jasper is the center of the story, for me. He’s the head of their small coven. Alice loves Bella, and wants her present during sex, but she isn’t interested in making love to Bella, while Jasper very much is. He feels the weight of responsibility for Bella, not just because he’s their coven leader, but also because of his talent.

Their journey to shared physical intimacy takes a detour or two, but it is worth the wait when they finally get their. They don’t fully understand this love they share, and they know that Bella may someday find her mate, but they all want to explore this love between them.

LJ Summers plans to write a sequel in which Bella does in fact find her mate. Part of me is so curious as to who it could be. I also wonder about the emotional fallout between the three of them. On the other hand, I am more than content to imagine Bella living with Alice and Jasper for all time, loving in their special way.

Chele - I’m so glad that a talented author tackled the possibility
of a little threesome loving in a post -canon AU. Open Up Next to You is an erotic introspective journey for Bella, who is learning to build a life for herself after her husband (poor Edward) meets his true mate. Though her travels find her the subject of desire for several sexy vamps, Alice and Jasper provide a soft place to land, first with their steadfast friendship and camaraderie, and later with the passion she so desperately needs.

I love Jasper in this fic. The fullness of his empathy is so well described. Considering his past, I’ve always felt that canon Jasper would have a hard time in a coven without taking a leadership role. Seeing him in a position to act protective, and a bit possessive, was a bit of a vindication. His dominance is a subtle thing, and so sexy.

The transformation of their love from a friendship to an intimacy is slow but cathartic. The pace let me believe it, and want it for them, so much

I hope this is just the first we’ve seen of poly-love from LJ Summers. I would love to see some more of these lovers as their lives move forward. Is it too soon to ask for a super-smutty outtake?



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1 comments:

LJ Summers said...

Wow. Thank you so much for the lovely rec, ladies. I am blown away over here. :) Glad y'all enjoyed this story. *beams*