Title: A Misstep on the Cobb.
Fandom: Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
Pairing: Frederick Wentworth/Anne Elliot.
Categories: Hurt/Comfort, Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: n/a

Review: 
During the trip to Lyme, it is Anne, not Louisa, who falls from the Cobb, prompting some unexpected reactions from one member of the party and changing the course of events of the novel.

“A Misstep on the Cobb” is not your usual Persuasion fic. Its central focus is its narrator, Louisa Musgrove, and how she is affected by the alteration of one of the novel’s key events. Believing herself to be in love with Captain Wentworth, Louisa finds out that the man who has been paying marked attentions to her was once engaged to none other than Anne Elliot. His reaction to Anne's accident also makes it quite clear that he still loves her, causing Louisa to feel a lot of resentment. She then has to struggle with her own feelings and decide if she will release him from the implicit understanding his unguarded behavior towards her has created.

A great narrator and good character and plot development make this an interesting “what if” fic.

A Misstep on the Cobb.

Title: A Misstep on the Cobb.
Fandom: Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
Pairing: Frederick Wentworth/Anne Elliot.
Categories: Hurt/Comfort, Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: n/a

Review: 
During the trip to Lyme, it is Anne, not Louisa, who falls from the Cobb, prompting some unexpected reactions from one member of the party and changing the course of events of the novel.

“A Misstep on the Cobb” is not your usual Persuasion fic. Its central focus is its narrator, Louisa Musgrove, and how she is affected by the alteration of one of the novel’s key events. Believing herself to be in love with Captain Wentworth, Louisa finds out that the man who has been paying marked attentions to her was once engaged to none other than Anne Elliot. His reaction to Anne's accident also makes it quite clear that he still loves her, causing Louisa to feel a lot of resentment. She then has to struggle with her own feelings and decide if she will release him from the implicit understanding his unguarded behavior towards her has created.

A great narrator and good character and plot development make this an interesting “what if” fic.

A Misstep on the Cobb.

Title: A Misstep on the Cobb.
Fandom: Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
Pairing: Frederick Wentworth/Anne Elliot.
Categories: Hurt/Comfort, Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: n/a

Review: 
During the trip to Lyme, it is Anne, not Louisa, who falls from the Cobb, prompting some unexpected reactions from one member of the party and changing the course of events of the novel.

“A Misstep on the Cobb” is not your usual Persuasion fic. Its central focus is its narrator, Louisa Musgrove, and how she is affected by the alteration of one of the novel’s key events. Believing herself to be in love with Captain Wentworth, Louisa finds out that the man who has been paying marked attentions to her was once engaged to none other than Anne Elliot. His reaction to Anne's accident also makes it quite clear that he still loves her, causing Louisa to feel a lot of resentment. She then has to struggle with her own feelings and decide if she will release him from the implicit understanding his unguarded behavior towards her has created.

A great narrator and good character and plot development make this an interesting “what if” fic.

A Misstep on the Cobb.

Title: A Misstep on the Cobb.
Fandom: Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
Pairing: Frederick Wentworth/Anne Elliot.
Categories: Hurt/Comfort, Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: n/a

Review: 
During the trip to Lyme, it is Anne, not Louisa, who falls from the Cobb, prompting some unexpected reactions from one member of the party and changing the course of events of the novel.

“A Misstep on the Cobb” is not your usual Persuasion fic. Its central focus is its narrator, Louisa Musgrove, and how she is affected by the alteration of one of the novel’s key events. Believing herself to be in love with Captain Wentworth, Louisa finds out that the man who has been paying marked attentions to her was once engaged to none other than Anne Elliot. His reaction to Anne's accident also makes it quite clear that he still loves her, causing Louisa to feel a lot of resentment. She then has to struggle with her own feelings and decide if she will release him from the implicit understanding his unguarded behavior towards her has created.

A great narrator and good character and plot development make this an interesting “what if” fic.

A Misstep on the Cobb.

Title: A Misstep on the Cobb.
Fandom: Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
Pairing: Frederick Wentworth/Anne Elliot.
Categories: Hurt/Comfort, Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: n/a

Review: 
During the trip to Lyme, it is Anne, not Louisa, who falls from the Cobb, prompting some unexpected reactions from one member of the party and changing the course of events of the novel.

“A Misstep on the Cobb” is not your usual Persuasion fic. Its central focus is its narrator, Louisa Musgrove, and how she is affected by the alteration of one of the novel’s key events. Believing herself to be in love with Captain Wentworth, Louisa finds out that the man who has been paying marked attentions to her was once engaged to none other than Anne Elliot. His reaction to Anne's accident also makes it quite clear that he still loves her, causing Louisa to feel a lot of resentment. She then has to struggle with her own feelings and decide if she will release him from the implicit understanding his unguarded behavior towards her has created.

A great narrator and good character and plot development make this an interesting “what if” fic.

A Misstep on the Cobb.

Title: A Misstep on the Cobb.
Fandom: Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
Pairing: Frederick Wentworth/Anne Elliot.
Categories: Hurt/Comfort, Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: n/a

Review: 
During the trip to Lyme, it is Anne, not Louisa, who falls from the Cobb, prompting some unexpected reactions from one member of the party and changing the course of events of the novel.

“A Misstep on the Cobb” is not your usual Persuasion fic. Its central focus is its narrator, Louisa Musgrove, and how she is affected by the alteration of one of the novel’s key events. Believing herself to be in love with Captain Wentworth, Louisa finds out that the man who has been paying marked attentions to her was once engaged to none other than Anne Elliot. His reaction to Anne's accident also makes it quite clear that he still loves her, causing Louisa to feel a lot of resentment. She then has to struggle with her own feelings and decide if she will release him from the implicit understanding his unguarded behavior towards her has created.

A great narrator and good character and plot development make this an interesting “what if” fic.

A Misstep on the Cobb.

Title:  Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series
Fandom:  Ouran High School Host Club, crossover with: Fruits Basket, Gravitation, Yami no Matsuei, Love Mode and Skip Beat
Pairings:  gen, although some hints of canon pairings like Yuki/Shuuichi
Categories:  crack, humor, crossover
Length:  Medium [10,000+ words]  Bonus rec!
Warnings:  hints at (canon) incest


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Her page on Fanfiction.net

Review:  What Ouran Academy really needed to become even crazier than it already was, were week-long visiting lecturers.  

I'm a little leery about reccing the entire series, simply because I am only familiar with the first three crossover canons.  Nevertheless, each chapter stands comfortably on its own, and I do recommend the first three chapters without reservation.  To summarize: 
Chapter One: Fruits Basket is such a shoujo series, that having it collide with Ouran (which may be shoujo but certainly spends more time parodying it than playing the tropes straight) was a stroke of genius.  Shigure's interactions and musings about the Ouran students were delightfully in-character, as were their reactions to him.  I particularly liked his attempts to bring out "Black Mori".
Chapter Two: Yuki as a willing guest lecturer is a harder sell, but his more cynical nature acts as the glass of cold water to the face that Ouran characters desperately need.  Plus, it's at this point that a certain thematic repetition starts to become apparent.  Namely, that the lecturers will a) determine that Haruhi is a girl, and b) be able to tell that the twins are faking their incestual relationship.
Chapter Three: Muraki should never have been allowed past the doorstep of a high school.  The reader knows just what he's like, and there's a dark humor in seeing the Ouran students get creeped out while remaining ignorant of his crimes.
 
I am confident that the remaining two chapters are also comedy gold, and personally enjoyed reading them, but I can't be certain that the crossover characters are as in-character as the first three lecturers were.  Then again, the series does not have an ongoing plot as such, and the first three chapters stand as a great medium-length story.

Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series

Title:  Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series
Fandom:  Ouran High School Host Club, crossover with: Fruits Basket, Gravitation, Yami no Matsuei, Love Mode and Skip Beat
Pairings:  gen, although some hints of canon pairings like Yuki/Shuuichi
Categories:  crack, humor, crossover
Length:  Medium [10,000+ words]  Bonus rec!
Warnings:  hints at (canon) incest


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Her page on Fanfiction.net

Review:  What Ouran Academy really needed to become even crazier than it already was, were week-long visiting lecturers.  

I'm a little leery about reccing the entire series, simply because I am only familiar with the first three crossover canons.  Nevertheless, each chapter stands comfortably on its own, and I do recommend the first three chapters without reservation.  To summarize: 
Chapter One: Fruits Basket is such a shoujo series, that having it collide with Ouran (which may be shoujo but certainly spends more time parodying it than playing the tropes straight) was a stroke of genius.  Shigure's interactions and musings about the Ouran students were delightfully in-character, as were their reactions to him.  I particularly liked his attempts to bring out "Black Mori".
Chapter Two: Yuki as a willing guest lecturer is a harder sell, but his more cynical nature acts as the glass of cold water to the face that Ouran characters desperately need.  Plus, it's at this point that a certain thematic repetition starts to become apparent.  Namely, that the lecturers will a) determine that Haruhi is a girl, and b) be able to tell that the twins are faking their incestual relationship.
Chapter Three: Muraki should never have been allowed past the doorstep of a high school.  The reader knows just what he's like, and there's a dark humor in seeing the Ouran students get creeped out while remaining ignorant of his crimes.
 
I am confident that the remaining two chapters are also comedy gold, and personally enjoyed reading them, but I can't be certain that the crossover characters are as in-character as the first three lecturers were.  Then again, the series does not have an ongoing plot as such, and the first three chapters stand as a great medium-length story.

Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series

Title:  Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series
Fandom:  Ouran High School Host Club, crossover with: Fruits Basket, Gravitation, Yami no Matsuei, Love Mode and Skip Beat
Pairings:  gen, although some hints of canon pairings like Yuki/Shuuichi
Categories:  crack, humor, crossover
Length:  Medium [10,000+ words]  Bonus rec!
Warnings:  hints at (canon) incest


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Her page on Fanfiction.net

Review:  What Ouran Academy really needed to become even crazier than it already was, were week-long visiting lecturers.  

I'm a little leery about reccing the entire series, simply because I am only familiar with the first three crossover canons.  Nevertheless, each chapter stands comfortably on its own, and I do recommend the first three chapters without reservation.  To summarize: 
Chapter One: Fruits Basket is such a shoujo series, that having it collide with Ouran (which may be shoujo but certainly spends more time parodying it than playing the tropes straight) was a stroke of genius.  Shigure's interactions and musings about the Ouran students were delightfully in-character, as were their reactions to him.  I particularly liked his attempts to bring out "Black Mori".
Chapter Two: Yuki as a willing guest lecturer is a harder sell, but his more cynical nature acts as the glass of cold water to the face that Ouran characters desperately need.  Plus, it's at this point that a certain thematic repetition starts to become apparent.  Namely, that the lecturers will a) determine that Haruhi is a girl, and b) be able to tell that the twins are faking their incestual relationship.
Chapter Three: Muraki should never have been allowed past the doorstep of a high school.  The reader knows just what he's like, and there's a dark humor in seeing the Ouran students get creeped out while remaining ignorant of his crimes.
 
I am confident that the remaining two chapters are also comedy gold, and personally enjoyed reading them, but I can't be certain that the crossover characters are as in-character as the first three lecturers were.  Then again, the series does not have an ongoing plot as such, and the first three chapters stand as a great medium-length story.

Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series

Title:  Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series
Fandom:  Ouran High School Host Club, crossover with: Fruits Basket, Gravitation, Yami no Matsuei, Love Mode and Skip Beat
Pairings:  gen, although some hints of canon pairings like Yuki/Shuuichi
Categories:  crack, humor, crossover
Length:  Medium [10,000+ words]  Bonus rec!
Warnings:  hints at (canon) incest


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Her page on Fanfiction.net

Review:  What Ouran Academy really needed to become even crazier than it already was, were week-long visiting lecturers.  

I'm a little leery about reccing the entire series, simply because I am only familiar with the first three crossover canons.  Nevertheless, each chapter stands comfortably on its own, and I do recommend the first three chapters without reservation.  To summarize: 
Chapter One: Fruits Basket is such a shoujo series, that having it collide with Ouran (which may be shoujo but certainly spends more time parodying it than playing the tropes straight) was a stroke of genius.  Shigure's interactions and musings about the Ouran students were delightfully in-character, as were their reactions to him.  I particularly liked his attempts to bring out "Black Mori".
Chapter Two: Yuki as a willing guest lecturer is a harder sell, but his more cynical nature acts as the glass of cold water to the face that Ouran characters desperately need.  Plus, it's at this point that a certain thematic repetition starts to become apparent.  Namely, that the lecturers will a) determine that Haruhi is a girl, and b) be able to tell that the twins are faking their incestual relationship.
Chapter Three: Muraki should never have been allowed past the doorstep of a high school.  The reader knows just what he's like, and there's a dark humor in seeing the Ouran students get creeped out while remaining ignorant of his crimes.
 
I am confident that the remaining two chapters are also comedy gold, and personally enjoyed reading them, but I can't be certain that the crossover characters are as in-character as the first three lecturers were.  Then again, the series does not have an ongoing plot as such, and the first three chapters stand as a great medium-length story.

Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series

Title:  Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series
Fandom:  Ouran High School Host Club, crossover with: Fruits Basket, Gravitation, Yami no Matsuei, Love Mode and Skip Beat
Pairings:  gen, although some hints of canon pairings like Yuki/Shuuichi
Categories:  crack, humor, crossover
Length:  Medium [10,000+ words]  Bonus rec!
Warnings:  hints at (canon) incest


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Her page on Fanfiction.net

Review:  What Ouran Academy really needed to become even crazier than it already was, were week-long visiting lecturers.  

I'm a little leery about reccing the entire series, simply because I am only familiar with the first three crossover canons.  Nevertheless, each chapter stands comfortably on its own, and I do recommend the first three chapters without reservation.  To summarize: 
Chapter One: Fruits Basket is such a shoujo series, that having it collide with Ouran (which may be shoujo but certainly spends more time parodying it than playing the tropes straight) was a stroke of genius.  Shigure's interactions and musings about the Ouran students were delightfully in-character, as were their reactions to him.  I particularly liked his attempts to bring out "Black Mori".
Chapter Two: Yuki as a willing guest lecturer is a harder sell, but his more cynical nature acts as the glass of cold water to the face that Ouran characters desperately need.  Plus, it's at this point that a certain thematic repetition starts to become apparent.  Namely, that the lecturers will a) determine that Haruhi is a girl, and b) be able to tell that the twins are faking their incestual relationship.
Chapter Three: Muraki should never have been allowed past the doorstep of a high school.  The reader knows just what he's like, and there's a dark humor in seeing the Ouran students get creeped out while remaining ignorant of his crimes.
 
I am confident that the remaining two chapters are also comedy gold, and personally enjoyed reading them, but I can't be certain that the crossover characters are as in-character as the first three lecturers were.  Then again, the series does not have an ongoing plot as such, and the first three chapters stand as a great medium-length story.

Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series

Title:  Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series
Fandom:  Ouran High School Host Club, crossover with: Fruits Basket, Gravitation, Yami no Matsuei, Love Mode and Skip Beat
Pairings:  gen, although some hints of canon pairings like Yuki/Shuuichi
Categories:  crack, humor, crossover
Length:  Medium [10,000+ words]  Bonus rec!
Warnings:  hints at (canon) incest


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Her page on Fanfiction.net

Review:  What Ouran Academy really needed to become even crazier than it already was, were week-long visiting lecturers.  

I'm a little leery about reccing the entire series, simply because I am only familiar with the first three crossover canons.  Nevertheless, each chapter stands comfortably on its own, and I do recommend the first three chapters without reservation.  To summarize: 
Chapter One: Fruits Basket is such a shoujo series, that having it collide with Ouran (which may be shoujo but certainly spends more time parodying it than playing the tropes straight) was a stroke of genius.  Shigure's interactions and musings about the Ouran students were delightfully in-character, as were their reactions to him.  I particularly liked his attempts to bring out "Black Mori".
Chapter Two: Yuki as a willing guest lecturer is a harder sell, but his more cynical nature acts as the glass of cold water to the face that Ouran characters desperately need.  Plus, it's at this point that a certain thematic repetition starts to become apparent.  Namely, that the lecturers will a) determine that Haruhi is a girl, and b) be able to tell that the twins are faking their incestual relationship.
Chapter Three: Muraki should never have been allowed past the doorstep of a high school.  The reader knows just what he's like, and there's a dark humor in seeing the Ouran students get creeped out while remaining ignorant of his crimes.
 
I am confident that the remaining two chapters are also comedy gold, and personally enjoyed reading them, but I can't be certain that the crossover characters are as in-character as the first three lecturers were.  Then again, the series does not have an ongoing plot as such, and the first three chapters stand as a great medium-length story.

Ouran Academy Guest Lecturers Series

Title:  And How Was Your Weekend...?
Fandom:  From Eroica With Love
Pairing:  Klaus/Dorian
Categories:  action, romance, drama; slight AU
Length:  Long [18,000 words]
Warnings:  n/a


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Kadorienne's Belladonna Archive

Review:  The Major's mission is to protect the Christopher Street Parade floats.  In doing so, he learns a little about homosexuals, and about himself.  As a consequence, he decides to give Eroica a chance.

This fic is slightly AU, in that the Cold War background has been discarded for a more modern setting.  While that does take away one of the core elements of canon, in the end it may well be necessary; I can understand why Klaus would be reluctant to relax and have relationships when Communist spies keep sneaking about.  I didn't even notice the change until the fifth re-reading, so I certainly wouldn't say that the setting was a problem.  As for the characters - well, it's usually Klaus's POV, and Heather Sparrows sold me on the premise that Klaus could gracefully admit in his head to being homosexual, so that's certainly proof of her talents at characterization.  The Alphabets, Eroica's men and Dorian himself all had their own opportunities to shine.  As a plus, I also enjoyed the OCs, who were the civilians running the Cologne parade, and who use a mixture of tact and toughness to get Klaus to let go of his homophobia. 

And How Was Your Weekend...?

Title:  And How Was Your Weekend...?
Fandom:  From Eroica With Love
Pairing:  Klaus/Dorian
Categories:  action, romance, drama; slight AU
Length:  Long [18,000 words]
Warnings:  n/a


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Kadorienne's Belladonna Archive

Review:  The Major's mission is to protect the Christopher Street Parade floats.  In doing so, he learns a little about homosexuals, and about himself.  As a consequence, he decides to give Eroica a chance.

This fic is slightly AU, in that the Cold War background has been discarded for a more modern setting.  While that does take away one of the core elements of canon, in the end it may well be necessary; I can understand why Klaus would be reluctant to relax and have relationships when Communist spies keep sneaking about.  I didn't even notice the change until the fifth re-reading, so I certainly wouldn't say that the setting was a problem.  As for the characters - well, it's usually Klaus's POV, and Heather Sparrows sold me on the premise that Klaus could gracefully admit in his head to being homosexual, so that's certainly proof of her talents at characterization.  The Alphabets, Eroica's men and Dorian himself all had their own opportunities to shine.  As a plus, I also enjoyed the OCs, who were the civilians running the Cologne parade, and who use a mixture of tact and toughness to get Klaus to let go of his homophobia. 

And How Was Your Weekend...?

Title:  And How Was Your Weekend...?
Fandom:  From Eroica With Love
Pairing:  Klaus/Dorian
Categories:  action, romance, drama; slight AU
Length:  Long [18,000 words]
Warnings:  n/a


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Kadorienne's Belladonna Archive

Review:  The Major's mission is to protect the Christopher Street Parade floats.  In doing so, he learns a little about homosexuals, and about himself.  As a consequence, he decides to give Eroica a chance.

This fic is slightly AU, in that the Cold War background has been discarded for a more modern setting.  While that does take away one of the core elements of canon, in the end it may well be necessary; I can understand why Klaus would be reluctant to relax and have relationships when Communist spies keep sneaking about.  I didn't even notice the change until the fifth re-reading, so I certainly wouldn't say that the setting was a problem.  As for the characters - well, it's usually Klaus's POV, and Heather Sparrows sold me on the premise that Klaus could gracefully admit in his head to being homosexual, so that's certainly proof of her talents at characterization.  The Alphabets, Eroica's men and Dorian himself all had their own opportunities to shine.  As a plus, I also enjoyed the OCs, who were the civilians running the Cologne parade, and who use a mixture of tact and toughness to get Klaus to let go of his homophobia. 

And How Was Your Weekend...?

Title:  And How Was Your Weekend...?
Fandom:  From Eroica With Love
Pairing:  Klaus/Dorian
Categories:  action, romance, drama; slight AU
Length:  Long [18,000 words]
Warnings:  n/a


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Kadorienne's Belladonna Archive

Review:  The Major's mission is to protect the Christopher Street Parade floats.  In doing so, he learns a little about homosexuals, and about himself.  As a consequence, he decides to give Eroica a chance.

This fic is slightly AU, in that the Cold War background has been discarded for a more modern setting.  While that does take away one of the core elements of canon, in the end it may well be necessary; I can understand why Klaus would be reluctant to relax and have relationships when Communist spies keep sneaking about.  I didn't even notice the change until the fifth re-reading, so I certainly wouldn't say that the setting was a problem.  As for the characters - well, it's usually Klaus's POV, and Heather Sparrows sold me on the premise that Klaus could gracefully admit in his head to being homosexual, so that's certainly proof of her talents at characterization.  The Alphabets, Eroica's men and Dorian himself all had their own opportunities to shine.  As a plus, I also enjoyed the OCs, who were the civilians running the Cologne parade, and who use a mixture of tact and toughness to get Klaus to let go of his homophobia. 

And How Was Your Weekend...?

Title:  And How Was Your Weekend...?
Fandom:  From Eroica With Love
Pairing:  Klaus/Dorian
Categories:  action, romance, drama; slight AU
Length:  Long [18,000 words]
Warnings:  n/a


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Kadorienne's Belladonna Archive

Review:  The Major's mission is to protect the Christopher Street Parade floats.  In doing so, he learns a little about homosexuals, and about himself.  As a consequence, he decides to give Eroica a chance.

This fic is slightly AU, in that the Cold War background has been discarded for a more modern setting.  While that does take away one of the core elements of canon, in the end it may well be necessary; I can understand why Klaus would be reluctant to relax and have relationships when Communist spies keep sneaking about.  I didn't even notice the change until the fifth re-reading, so I certainly wouldn't say that the setting was a problem.  As for the characters - well, it's usually Klaus's POV, and Heather Sparrows sold me on the premise that Klaus could gracefully admit in his head to being homosexual, so that's certainly proof of her talents at characterization.  The Alphabets, Eroica's men and Dorian himself all had their own opportunities to shine.  As a plus, I also enjoyed the OCs, who were the civilians running the Cologne parade, and who use a mixture of tact and toughness to get Klaus to let go of his homophobia. 

And How Was Your Weekend...?

Title:  And How Was Your Weekend...?
Fandom:  From Eroica With Love
Pairing:  Klaus/Dorian
Categories:  action, romance, drama; slight AU
Length:  Long [18,000 words]
Warnings:  n/a


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Kadorienne's Belladonna Archive

Review:  The Major's mission is to protect the Christopher Street Parade floats.  In doing so, he learns a little about homosexuals, and about himself.  As a consequence, he decides to give Eroica a chance.

This fic is slightly AU, in that the Cold War background has been discarded for a more modern setting.  While that does take away one of the core elements of canon, in the end it may well be necessary; I can understand why Klaus would be reluctant to relax and have relationships when Communist spies keep sneaking about.  I didn't even notice the change until the fifth re-reading, so I certainly wouldn't say that the setting was a problem.  As for the characters - well, it's usually Klaus's POV, and Heather Sparrows sold me on the premise that Klaus could gracefully admit in his head to being homosexual, so that's certainly proof of her talents at characterization.  The Alphabets, Eroica's men and Dorian himself all had their own opportunities to shine.  As a plus, I also enjoyed the OCs, who were the civilians running the Cologne parade, and who use a mixture of tact and toughness to get Klaus to let go of his homophobia. 

And How Was Your Weekend...?