It's that time again, folks: Random Romance's bi-monthly review! Since last month's winner was announced so late, we ended up having to use a backup plan. Today's review is for Late to the Party's entry for the June OctaviaXLuna contest, Café Luna! Why that one? Why, because it was the runner up for the contest, that's why! and from here on in, once all winning entries are completed, runner ups will be targeted for reviews.

But enough of the boring intro stuff, let's get to the good stuff! Our reviewers today are TimeLord_Whooves and... me.

Here's what TimeLord had to say:

After a normal performance with the quartet, Octavia and her fellow musicians visit a café, run by Princess Luna, where she instantly develops a crush for the princess. Octavia then attempts to quell her crush by learning more about Luna as she begins visiting the café, daily, which only causes her to fall completely for the princess.

I found this story to be a rather good read. The only grammar problems I found were a few missing commas. The story had a nice flow, though it was kind of weak starting out, it finished strong and didn’t leave the reader disappointed. I liked the bit about the apartment, though it didn’t have really anything to do with the main plot, it gave relief from the tension of the rest of the story.

All in all, I thought this was a really good story, it builds up to the end really well and it keeps the reader hooked all the way through. The grammar is almost perfect and the story is formatted well. I would recommend this story.

Guess it's my turn.

Café Luna is a quiet and generally calm piece focusing on the unlikely relationship that forms between everyone's favorite cello-playing pony and the beloved Night Princess. Starring Octavia, it begins with a small synopsis of a day in the life of a pony who has devoted herself to her music. But then she and her fellow musicians decide to visit a new restaurant, the titular café, and find that the Princess of the Night herself owns the establishment. In a moment of crush-at-first-sight, Octavia finds herself finding excuses to meet the Princess, leading to a rapid escalation of unfamiliar emotions.

Overall, this story was quite pleasant. It reflected a tender romance, which seems far more appropriate to the characters at hand. While Princess Luna's choices in the story may be called into question - her entirely nonsensical reasonings may leave the readers scratching their heads - this does not by any means subtract from a story well-told. It built up to a pleasant crescendo of shared affection and by no means leaves the reader unsatisfied. It was a pleasure to read back in June, and it remains so now.

And so ends the reviews for this period. The next batch comes at the end of the month!