Title: Don't Imagine You're Too Familiar
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Categories: AU, romance
Length: Long (34,533)
Warnings: Infidelity, romantic/sexual (though not explicit) Kurt/Rachel

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

Summary: Kurt and Rachel are a Broadway power couple. When they start to have relationship problems, they seek the guidance of marriage counselor Blaine Anderson.

Review:

As soon as I see that the marvelous missbeizy has posted a new fic I proceed to freak out a little then immediately start reading it. And this one certainly rewarded my eagerness, gripping from the get-go and constructed in a way that is guaranteed to have you hanging on the edge of your seat while reaching for the nearest glass of ice cold water.

You're being a little dramatic aren't you, you say, for a modern-day non-fantasy action romance fic? You're wrong, I reply. This demands drama. Being, after all, a fic about a Broadway star.

(I'm sorry; that was awful. Those Christmas crackers made me full of bad jokes.)

This is searingly hot and well-packed with missbeizy's usual armfuls of sexual tension and angsty romance. A highly-recommended read!

Read on Tumblr or AO3

(P.S. Sorry about the slightly late posting time, it appears I was getting a little too comfortable on hiatus!)

Title: Expectation Fails
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Categories: bdsm, AU, age difference, romance, soulmates
Length: Epic (62,529)
Warnings: BDSM in a D/s universe (but no hard kinks), age difference, teacher-student relationship

Author on LJ: lilinas
Author's website: lilinas on tumblr

Summary: This was originally written as a fill for a Glee Kink Meme prompt. In a D/s AU where your soulmate's name appears on your wrist (left for dom, right for sub) during puberty, Kurt and Blaine are marked with each other's names. But Kurt, the dom, is a 16-year-old high school student and Blaine, the sub, is his 27-year-old history teacher.

Review:
Sometimes, when you're reading, the story gets so very very good and gripping and overwhelming that you just have to switch tabs and breathe.

Needless to say that happened a lot the first time I read this. (And the second, and the third, and the fourth as well.).

Expectation Fails is a beautiful woven twist on both the soulmates trope and the D/s universe, merging the two together so flawlessly that, when I resurfaced from reading, I was disappointed to find was not the actual state of the real world. The backstories, the little hints and snippets of a much wider world, the histories and subsequent rules are excellently thought-out and expertly thrown in.

And of course, the main subject matter. Kurt and Blaine's characterization here is perfect -- especially important in a fic where their dominant or submissive natures may easily overshadow the core of the character, Lilinas can build those natures into who they are. The build of being soulmates and the growth of their non D/s relationship is beautiful, as is the more... kinky side. Kurt is a perfectly and convincingly empowered Dom, and Blaine's initial reluctance followed by his complete submissiveness is so cleverly played out. This fic is searingly hot, yet remains emotional, mind-stirring and heart-wrenchingly good.

The pace and writing are remarkable, and the balance between scenes of tenderness and affection and the slightly tenser ones is flowing and controlled. Lilinas knows just how to use words that send butterflies all through your stomach or all the blood out of your face, and I was hooked from the moment I started reading.

Expectation Fails
and on AO3

Title: The Sidhe [pronounced "shee"!]
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Categories: AU, adventure, drama, fantasy, romance, angst, fluff
Length: Super Epic (112,601)
Warnings: Heavily implied rape, other instances of noncon, some violence, slavery and abuse

Author on LJ: n/a
Author's website: chazzam on tumblr

Summary: Epic romantic fantasy adventure, seriously AU, with angst and fluff in equal measure.
The Sidhe are a powerful race of elves that have been weakened and enslaved by humans.  Blaine has always hated the practice, but over the years he has grown resigned to it as a social reality.
But everything changes when he finds himself falling in love with one of the creatures, and becomes determined to help him escape.

Review:
I feel like all the fics I'm reccing at the moment are core fics in the fandom, and this one is no different. When I saw that the theme for this week's recs was Alternative Universe, I didn't even have to think twice about what I was going to do. Because this is the kind of AU that you never forget.

For someone like me who dreams and writes about and absolutely lives in a world of fantasy, reading this story was like I had finally found the one fic that could bring together my love for Klaine and my love for other worlds. It's dramatic, romantic, well-crafted and will haunt you with emotion at the most innaproppriate of times. It's clear how deeply the author understands and knows the world she's created -- important in any story, certainly, but definitely more so in an entirely new world to our own. It's with that knowledge and the precision it brings that Kurt and Blaine fit in so neatly, as two people from entirely different backgrounds, drawn together by the power of fate. And love, obviously.

Although fate definitely deserves a mention when talking about this fic. The brilliantly detailed faerie culture in this world relies heavily on it, and (being Kurt's background) seeps through into the story and the relationship between the two as well. Not only in this fic, but an extremely powerful scene towards the end validates the way Kurt and Blaine always come together, no matter what circumstances or what world, because they were meant to be. And if you're up to date on watching Glee, you'll see how that idea was even adopted in canon.

Fate, magic and love, all stirred together with a healthy dose of angst and adventure: you've got yourself a story that will absolutely blow your socks off.

The Sidhe on FF.net or on S&C

Title: Little Numbers
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Categories: AU, Romance, Humor
Length: Long (38,688)
Warnings: None

Author on LJ: iknowitainteasy
Website: imaginegoats on tumblr

Summary: Blaine sends a text message to a wrong number by accident.Things progress from there.

Review: I think that this fic is probably one of the most well-known and well-loved in the fandom, and rightly so, because it is heartwarming, funny, fluffy, and touching.

One of the most remarkable things about the fic is that it is entirely written in texting format (and some over-the-phone dialogue towards the end), meaning that there is no narration or description at all. But that's what makes it work so well -- the way we have to work out what is going on through Kurt and Blaine's text conversations doesn't make it harder to read but surprisingly easier. And it goes to show just how good iknowitainteasy's writing is that we can still read their emotions even through a few simple words of a text.

This was the first ever piece of fanfiction I read, and it set the bar high. It's one of those fics where you'll see something mundane and think, Oh, that reminds me of something, then realise that the something you're reminded of is Little Numbers. Kurt and Blaine's story here, while simple and cute, is the kind that sits in a little corner of your heart and lights up when you're feeling low. It's the story that you want to reread the most, just to have that little smile and feeling of yes, I love this that really brightens your day.

All in all this is a fabulous fic and comes highly recommended. And be warned, after reading it, you'll never see the name Bradshaw the same way again!

Little Numbers
On S&C (Klaine fanfiction archive)

Title: Tasting Flight
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Categories: Romance, angst, AU, slavery
Length: Epic (68,471)
Warnings: Violence, mentioned kidnapping, non-con, dub-con, sexual slavery, sexual Blaine/Sebastian, Kurt/Sebastian and Kurt/Blaine/Sebastian, basically all the situations you would get from Sebastian having a harem of boys

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

Summary: Blaine has been a slave in Sebastian's household for ten years. But never in that time has he met someone like Kurt, who is now his duty to train for Sebastian.

Review:
This fic definitely isn't for the faint-hearted, and especially not if you can't stand reading about Sebastian Smythe.

In a modern setting where slavery, sexual and otherwise, is very much the norm, a wealthy man owning a harem of boys to use for his pleasure is completely ordinary. While I'm not normally one to enjoy reading a fic in which Sebastian features prominently, his dark possessiveness and underlying humanity really made me understand him as a character. Don't be put off!

Of course, the fic mainly centres around Blaine and his relationship with Kurt. In a situation where most sex is non-romantic, the way these two are pulled towards each other completely draws your attention, demanding that you laugh and cry when they do. It's sweet and emotional and the tension is sexy as hell. Kurt and Blaine's characterizations fit together extremely well, which I felt really added to the romance.

Only the second piece of fanfiction I read by this wonderful author, this fic has stuck with me for a very long time, and I like to go back to it again and again just to experience it all over. And I hope it will do the same for you too.

Tasting Flight on AO3
Fic on Scarves and Coffee (Klaine fanfiction archive)

Title: The Muse
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Categories: Romance, au, slight angst, drama
Length: Epic (47,075)
Warnings: Age difference, brief mention of dub-con, detailed mentions of mistreatment and medical abuse

Author on LJ: cimmerians
Website: the-cimmerians on tumblr

Author's Summary: An AU that shamelessly thieves giant pieces of plot from Anne Rice's novel Belinda. Blaine is thirty-four. Kurt is sixteen. Stuff happens (not exactly the same stuff as is in the book, jsyk).

Review:
There a few fics in this fandom that have to be read and reread over and over, and then read just one more time, and this certainly qualifies as one of them.

This really is the creme de la creme of age difference fic. Kurt's blunt yet seductive innocence is so perfectly contrasted with the dark, wanting tones of Blaine's sexuality, enough that when they finally do get together after the slow burn of sexual tension the results could melt your skin off. And that long stretch of underlying (and overlying) sexual tension is absolutely perfectly crafted.

But it's not just Kurt and Blaine's chemistry that makes this fic so delectable; the sense of waiting and foreboding that something bad is going to happen just forces to you to keep on reading until sunrise. Kurt's past is shrouded in uncertainty, and may I say, that sense of mystery really suits him. The build to the pinnacle of the plot and then the following excitement of making plans and carrying them out had me squealing in my seat.

And Cimms' writing is so clever and well-crafted, too: she knows just which word to use to make you gasp and giggle and grab the nearest box of tissues. And a special shoutout to her smut-writing talent, because it definitely deserves one.

The Muse (part 1 on LJ, following parts are linked at the bottom of each section)
1st half on tumblr, 2nd half on tumblr

Title: Until My Dying Breath
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Categories: AU, future, angst, drama, romance, supernatural elements
Length: Super Epic (140,000 words)
Warnings: Violence, grotesque descriptions, dark setting, fear, minor past character death, vampirism.

Author on LJ: emilianadarling
Author Websites: emilianadarling on tumblr, EmilianaDarling on AO3

Author's Summary: On his way home from campus to his apartment on the Upper East Side, Blaine Anderson happens to come across a beautiful young man with bewitching blue eyes. It doesn't take long, though, for everything Blaine thought was real to fall to pieces. For his world to dissolve into a twisted dance of fear and heat and blood.

Review: Kurt is a dark, sexy vampire, Blaine is a helpless college student -- could it work any better? This story is as gripping and scary as it is weirdly hot, and it certainly fits this week's dark theme.

As in everything she writes, Emiliana handles the pace of the story admirably: the slow burn up to the breaking point, the terror and excitement of what follows, and a very well performed ending. It's always very refreshing to read something written by someone with a true knack for storytelling, and fortunately, that's what we have here.

Despite the violence and fear and, well, vampirism, the true heart of the story lies in the development in Kurt and Blaine's relationship. From flirty to stalking to terrified to strangely caring, every emotion is pulled right into our throats alongside our beating hearts as we watch the characters move around each other. Kurt is dark, brooding, predatory and downright scary; Blaine is just the right balance of resourceful and vulnerable. Together, they're can't-close-the-tab (as opposed to can't-put-the-book-down) brilliant.

The flow of language and plot will keep you absolutely riveted to this creepy, nocturnal romance. Go read it. But just remember to keep an ear open for any strange scratching at the door whilst you do!

Until My Dying Breath