Official Description: Bella thinks military men are arrogant womanizers. That is, until she meets Edward, a hot and unpredictable Navy SEAL who quickly deploys for six months. Will he change her mind or leave her brokenhearted? Rated NC-17 for language and lemons. BxE.

Don’t miss the Outtakes.

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Hey, Whitney Love here, and can I just say how flattered I am to be asked by the ladies of The Fictionators to be a guest reviewer? This is such an awesome opportunity and I’m thrilled to no end about being able to profess my love for an amazing story. I was an avid reader of wandb’s story Love on the Seine, and when it was completed, I was praying for another full-length story from her. I’m a huge fan and A Word Away has only made my admiration of her talents increase. Originally written as an o/s for the PPSS’s An Officer and a Gentleman Contest, this story won the award for Judges’ Pick, as well as the most luscious non-lemon. After reading this story, you’ll know why.

A World Away is the story of Bella, a shy girl who reluctantly accompanies her best friend Alice to a Navy bar. Alice is trolling for a Navy man, and though Bella doesn’t like it, thinking that all military men are arrogant womanizers, she’s along for the ride. Alice soon meets Jasper and they hit it off, but Bella refuses to give his best friend Edward a chance. As the story continues on, Alice gets closer to Jasper, Bella and Edward begin to form a friendship. wandb gives us a glimpse at Bella’s gracefulness, or lack thereof, and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The boys are getting ready for deployment and decide to keep in touch with the girls through email. Bella soon realizes that her feelings for Edward might not be purely platonic.

“It broke my heart that Edward didn’t have anyone else except for the people that would be on board the ship with him. I wanted to be that person he could come home to; the person waiting for him as they unloaded the ship. He deserved to have someone at home for him.”

While Edward is away, he and Bella get to know each other through sweet and fun emails, and their relationship gradually grows as time goes by. Neither of them is sure what will happen when he returns, and wandb does an amazing job showing that Bella doesn’t normally act this way and that Edward had become more important to her than she ever thought possible. Bella’s inner monologue will make you laugh and Bella is adorable, especially as they reunite in a sweet and wonderful way that will have you screaming, “Are you stupid Bella? Jump his bones!”

“We got to his house and I watched him unpack. Actually, I stared at him as he unpacked.
Was he always this attractive? Holy crap!”

One of the things that I love most about this story is that the characters don’t get physical too quickly. Edward treats Bella with respect, he takes her on a date, brings her a present, is the epitome of every girls dream. You’ll fall in love with Navy SEALward a little bit more because of it, as does Bella. They quickly become inseparable and the love they feel for each other leaps off the page. Sooner than you want it to happen, Edward has to leave again because that’s the nature of his job. They continue to keep in touch, fall more and more in love, all the while being A World Away. Their emails are filled with excitement and their relationship doesn’t stop just because they are apart. Each time he leaves her, it gets harder and harder for both of them. The beautiful thing about it is that even though the goodbyes will break your heart, the hellos are so sweet, they will make you forget all about the tears you’ve shed.

I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that the entire story is fluff, and that there were not any times that wandb didn’t make me want to pull my hair out. There were – the woman is a master of the cliffie, but she’s always amazing at bringing you back down afterwards and giving you the perfect balance of give and take.

This story is told through both Bella and Edward’s POV’s, and while some authors have trouble with that, wandb does it effortlessly. We even get chapters from both perspectives, which I found really wonderful and fun. The lemons are amazing. The emotions are conveyed through each and every touch plus there’s no lack of hot and steamy. The reunion lemons are hot and leave you wanting more then she throws in one of her signature shower lemons and you are like “Thank you wandb, you are awesome!”

This story is so beautifully written and the emotions from the characters rock you to your core. There are very few stories that can bring tears to my eyes and this has done that. I’ve gone through the whole separation from my man because of the military so this story really hit home for me. If I could ask wandb for anything I would ask for more of this awesome story and not just the Epilogue which is all that’s left. Can you say sequel? Please?

I can’t help it; I just want to start this rec out with an epic swoony sigh.

If you are a hardcore Edward/Bella shipper who loves a story that is primarily focused on their relationship, the way their love develops, and a plot that weaves it into realistic circumstances, A World Away is the absolutely perfect story for you.

First and foremost, this story is extremely well written. I can be a fic snob when it comes to finding stories that have few flaws and are able to be read seamlessly, and wandb is truly a good writer. Srs bsns. This story makes me remember why (almost) all of us got into fanfic: for more Edward/Bella love. (Well, lemons too, but we’ll get to that.)

I let my guard down and allowed myself to just live in the moment. Whatever fears and concerns I had went right out of my mind. It was just Bella and me. It felt so amazing to be so free with her. Our bodies moved so well together and the sensation of being inside her brought out unfamiliar feelings that I didn’t quite know how to handle. She brought out a softer side of me that few people ever saw.

In that moment, as we made love, I realized that this was where I was meant to be. All the loss and heartache that I’d suffered in my life led me to this place, with this woman. All the loneliness that I’d felt after my mother’s death was gone when we were together. Bella had filled a void in my heart and I would be forever altered because of it.

There are no extreme circumstances in this story. Edward is pretty much a normal guy, with a bit of a sad past, who is a fairly typical military man. Bella is a woman who lives in an area heavily inhabited by military but doesn’t want to get involved with one…until she meets Edward and finds the world around her changing. Sure, they’re human, and they have to deal with their pasts and the way they function in a relationship, but they’re just…people. I love that.

On top of it all, I truly respect and appreciate that wandb set out to write a story about people, not plot devices that would garner attention. I kinda want to hug her. Here’s why (from her A/N in Chapter 3):

If you are looking for any of the following in your fanfic: aliens, super weird neighbors that no one understands, mafiosos, unexplained murders, paranormal activity, psycho ex-girlfriends who show up unexpectedly, super secret past lives, smut for the sake of smut, finding out your parents aren’t who you thought they were, time travel, high school BS, or characters with a history of drug abuse, then you’ve picked the wrong story.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for the men and women of the military and really wanted to write an honest look at the challenges that they face every day. Separation, jealousy, loss and fear. But also, bravery, love, the joy of reuniting, and dedication. I hope I can capture all of that.

Simply put, I adore this story. Things aren’t perfect for the characters, but they’re not necessarily tied up with pretty little bows either. And daaaaaaamn, the lemons are hottt, too! (But don’t just read it for that; you’ll love the story!)

I’ve loved wandb ever since I read Love on the Seine, but this story makes me want to invite her to my house for a sleepover so I can paint her toenails and bake brownies for her.

Simply put, I love this story. I love that it’s fluffy and romantic and Edward makes me swoon. I love that it has a plot and a lovable Bella and it’s so fucking hot that I want to scream sometimes.

With each thrust, I moved deeper and deeper within her, feeling her love and giving her mine.

She pressed her hand to my chest, pushing me off of her slightly as she looked at me, her eyes dark with lust. “Can I be on top?”

Fuck yes, you can.

Of course, I love this story for more than that. Check it out, you need a little NavySealward in your life.