Story: Hands All Over 
Sequel: Overexposed
Author: Love-Ink
Fandom: Sons of Anarchy
Ship: OC/Juice

Status: Completed
Chapters: 130

Summary: 
Once Angela gets a job offer in the funerary house in Charming, it doesn't take long before the Sons show up. She isn't exactly ignorant to the MC world; she has some history with bikers. That is precisely why she doesn't want to get too involved with them at first. However, when she meets Juice there seems to be a spark between them immediately, and soon she will discover that it's impossible to stay away from the MC.

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Writing style ​​☆☆☆☆☆
Originality ☆☆☆☆☆
Characters ☆☆☆☆☆
Flow and tension ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot ☆☆☆☆☆

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Writing style

I've rarely came across a writing style that drew me so deep into the story with the first chapter. All sentences are written smooth and even though the chapters are long, you lose every sense of time once you're reading. One of the author's many talents is the description of people's emotions, making you feel really connected to the characters. Furthermore she pays a lot of attention to details in general; in a subtle way she puts forward little details, giving you the opportunity to imagine the spaces and characters very well. Although some authors fill pages with descriptions, this author likes to be concise and always knows to find exactly the right words.

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Originality

Since this story is sticking to all seven seasons of the show, one would think it doesn't score high on originality. Yet, that's not true. There aren't a lot of tv shows in which 'dead' is such a hot topic, by which it is a genius move to give the main character a job in that branch. In a natural way she comes into contact with the Sons over and over again. 

Furthermore, Angela has a very extensive background, giving the author the opportunity to add a lot of new things to the original story line. By making use of very well developed characters, wonderful dynamics between the characters and the addition of a bit more drama here and there, the author managed to let this story rise above most (if not all) other fanfictions. By taking ingredients from the show and kneading them to her own insight, she created a story that can compete, or even might be better, than Kurt Sutter's work. She would have been a great addition to the screenwriting crew ;)

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Characters

The driving force of this story are the characters. Those are very well developed, better than in the show itself. I dare to state that many author will feel inspired by Love-Ink's work, because you get to know the characters better than during the show. What makes it even better is that you don't even notice: it feels very natural and only when you analyze your thoughts about the characters after reading the story, you will notice that your opinion is largely influenced by the author of this book. 

Love-Ink does not only lift the side characters of the show to a higher level; she also introduces some characters herself. Those are very well developed as well; with elaborate background stories, an interesting personality and even - which I don't see in a lot of books - an own voice. I have only good things to say about the characters Love-Ink created; you learn to love them, want to slap them in the face now and then and they really, really feel like real persons.

The characters are so well developed that there's a separate book with one shots from Angel's past. Never before I read about such a well developed character; it feels like you're reading about a friend. One of the things that surely contributed to it, is the fact that the author knows what she's talking about; she does her research and uses her own experience in the field her character is working in. It gives this story a deeper dimension; it feels all so real!

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Flow and tension

Let me tell you this first: it's a long story. 130 chapters are a lot, but they are also very long. All the more admiring that it never bores. I'll admit that I'm not a binge reader; I'm easily bored. But while reading this book, I wasn't bored for a single minute. Whether it's about romantic, thrilling or emotional scenes; it's always good, it always reads smoothly. Even the slower chapters are a great read because of the humor in it or the interesting insights in Angela's past. 

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Plot

One might think the plot is predictable because of the close connection to the original story line. However, you empathize so much with Angela and the other characters that it only makes you more curious about how they will deal with certain situations, creating a new level of tension. 

Towards the end of the story, there's a big twist (what we Juice fans obviously all hope for), but even when the author takes charge of the storyline itself and abandons Sutter's work, it's super exciting and all you want is read more and more and more. It's a story that you might want to read over and over again, there's just so much in it!

I will honestly tell you that I'm so impressed by this series that Love-Ink really is my favorite author ever, and that she isn't inferior to the famous authors publishing fiction. In case I wasn't clear enough: Hands All Over is an absolute must-read for every SOA fan! The only bit of criticism I can think of, it's the abundance of drama. But let's face it: SOA is one of the most dramatic shows ever created, so I can't imagine readers truly have a problem with that. ;)

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