Trash Tuesday | New Obsessions

Hey fam, welcome to my newest thing. Before we get into things, I wanted to acknowledge the definition of TRASH that we’ll be using. Thanks to Urban Dictionary, I didn’t need to come up with my own explanation, so to make it easier here’s what it means to be trash. Example: I am complete trash for Shadowhunters…but I digress. 

This topic came about when I was discussing my current obsession (hot lumberjack Bear Shifters) with the squad – @Loretta & @Jess. I was jokingly mentioning how I should start a blog theme about all the weird randomness I become trash for and they were super into it. So, here we are! (Shoutout to Loretta for making the awesome banner & logo.)

We’re hoping to make this into a weekly thing with weird open-ended prompts and all (like non-book related things we’re trash for, bad boys, ridiculous covers), so please let us know in the comments if you’re interested in joining the trash mob. To get a feel for what these would be like, keep reading. My first Trash Tuesday is all about T.S. Joyce and her Shifter Series! So, without further ado, here is the latest trash that I am currently trash for. 

*Disclaimer: All mentions of “trash” are made in a super loving manner. I love trash books and don’t actually think they’re trash, so haters please move along.

SHIFTER WEREBEARS ARE A THING YOU NEED IN LIFE

T.S. Joyce writes paranormal romance novels about hot lumberjacks and firemen…who turn into bears (and lions, and gorillas and dragons OH.MY.) Seriously, I never thought I needed these in my life but I ended up binging 23 books within the matter of a month. I repeat TWENTY THREE BOOKS IN ONE MONTH. I’m KILLING my Goodreads challenge thanks to this series, and I’m not even done yet. There are like fifty something books that span multiple generations of shifters and you get hot, steamy vibes in them all. What am I doing with my life now? Trying to figure out which shifter I love the most.

I’m also going to take a moment to appreciate the fact that Joyce actually keeps a consistent timeline and plot throughout the entire series and focuses on actual problems/villains  they run into instead of just the smut. Don’t get me wrong, the fluff and smut is great, but there’s depth in this series, too. Don’t mind me while I start a fan casting page dedicated to hot lumberjacks.

Please join me in my love for all things shifters. I need a crew and more people to obsess because AKSHDFDKJHSG. I have no words for how trash I’ve become for shifters.

Talk To Me

How do you feel about paranormal romances? Do you think you’d read T.S. Joyce? Are you looking forward to more Trash Tuesdays?

Review | The De Vincent Brothers Need to Be A Thing

The De Vincent Series

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Overall Rating: ★★★★

Devlin, Gabriel, and Lucian De Vincent are the wealthiest of the wealthy in New Orleans. The amount of money they have is probably only one-uped by the family problems and drama they deal with. Their father has just passed away, their sister randomly shows up at home after she’s been missing for 10 years, reporters and law enforcement are trying to “bring them down” for who knows what. Each book follows a different brother and a different leading lady as we slowly start to unravel the haunting mysteries surrounding the family.

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TL;DR:

Am I total trash for romance novels with hot brothers now? Yup! Thanks Loretta and Fiction No Chaser – I blame you for my new found obsession. These books are intense, dramatic, funny,  full of smut and I could not put them down. If you’re into romance with mafia family undertones, some ghost vibes, murderous/slightly crazy fiancés, and a creepy dead dad then these books are for you.

The Good

The Ladies

When I think of romance I think of damsels in distress waiting to be saved, but Julia, Nicolette, and Rosie do not disappoint in the independent lady vibes.

• Julia: The divorcee nurse with high-levels of wit and sass. She loves Old Navy and beignets…but who doesn’t love beignets.
• Nic: The 22-year old, llama loving, Southern Belle. She wear Vans and ripped jeans to work, is kind of awkward, and she is a vibe. 
• Rosie: The widower. Super into paranormal investigations. Even more into having an arsenal of spitfire comebacks for anyone who tries to mansplain to her.

The Brothers

Let’s just say there’s enough strong personality to last a lifetime between these three.

• Lucian: The artist. If you love high levels of sarcasm and the ability to turn any serious situation into a joke, you’re going to love him.
• Gabe: The woodworker. He’s My least favorite of the three, but still fun in his own way. He’s the “thoughtful, caring” brother that’s good with his hands. *wink, wink*
• Devlin: The eldest. He’s a snob who speaks his mind, but I would not mind if Dev talked bossy to me.

Drama for Days

Someone needs to make this series into a show or a movie trilogy or something. The amount of drama this family has gives the Kardashians a run for their money. Grab your popcorn and get ready to snuggle up with some messed up, horny,  man-child De Vincents. They do not disappoint in the drama department. And just when you think you’ve figured it all out…nope, you actually haven’t.

The Bad

The Cheese Factor

Okay, okay – I know romance novels are full of scenarios that wouldn’t happen in real life, but I still found myself laughing and eye-rolling at some of the crazier moments. CAN people hook up in a random parking structure, out in the open, where there are probably cameras galore (and also probably people looking for their cars)? Yes, they can. Is it likely? DEFINITELY NOT. There are plenty more examples where that came from, but I’ll leave it at that and let your imaginations run free.

The Ugly Truth

I’m not a big reader of contemporary romance, but I might have to start reading more of Jennifer L. Armentrout. These books are fun and full of drama. Pick these up if you love romance, New Orleans, rich family drama, and/or cheeky love stories!

Talk To Me

Have you read these books? If so, what did you think of it?

Review | Why Is The Winner’s Trilogy So Hyped?

The Winner’s Trilogy

By: Marie Rutoski

Overall Rating: ★★★

Kestrel is the daughter of the Valorian Military General. Arin is a Herrani slave turned rebel. Their paths cross, they struggle with their feelings for each other, and they obviously hate that they’re both Slytherins who want to live in a better world. Without going into spoiler territory you’ll run into: A d-bag Emperor who wants to rule the world, lots of moody, spoiled white aristocrats, and some weirdly specific bug-related metaphors.

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TL;DR:

I did not enjoy this series as much as I wanted to. Kestrel and Arin had sooooo much potential as characters and as love interests, but they fell short. The story was a jumbled mess full of miscommunication, lies and deception – which usually I find really appealing in stories. If you’re into insta-love or simplistic YA novels, you might want to give these a try, but overall I’d say stay away if you have other TBR options.

The Good

*It was really hard for me to not just put “NOTHING” in this section. But, being as unbiased as I can…here it goes. I may end up ranting at some point. Who knows.

(Some of) The Supporting Characters

You know you’re in for a bad time when you fall in love with the unimportant secondary cast, but here I am, telling you that the main characters suck and you will live for all the supporting characters (except for Jess. She can go die in a ditch). They have personality, swagger, and stick to their motives and goals, unlike some characters, which I will get to shortly. I loved  Prince Verex and I wish he was in more of the story. I also lived for Eastern Prince’s sass and wit. But that’s not saying much since not many of the other characters have an ounce of personality. Even the Emperor, regardless of how evil and cruel he is, was a more developed character than Arin or Kestrel.

The Battles

The war and battle scenes were the only thing keeping me going while reading these books. No joke, it was a struggle to get through 300 pages and if there weren’t a handful of good fighting scenes I would not have survived. If there’s one thing this series got right, it’s the war and the battle strategy.

The Bad

The Main Characters

KESTREL WAS MY GIRL. I had SO much hope for her as a heroine. She started off as the Slytherpuff I never knew I needed. She was cunning and smart and tried to use her talents to help those around her…but then she had to go and ruin it. She doesn’t grow or develop through the entire series. Instead, she slowly regresses into someone you would have met on page one, book one – second-guessing herself, and not trusting her instincts. Not to mention that really unnecessary memory-loss moment she has, which only works if you’re Peeta Mellark and have a cute game you can play to remember what is real and what isn’t.

…And then there’s Arin. Talk about a tall, dark and handsome Slytherin who’s perfect on paper but sucks IRL. He’s set on freeing his land and his people from the Valorians and his inner monologue tells us he thinks he’s clever enough to see truth from lies. BUT, he proves again and again and again that he CLEARLY DOESN’T KNOW WHAT A LIE IS. He’s kind, he sings, he can fight, and he’s beautiful. But there is no depth to Arin or his motives and he is a bit of a wet noodle.

The Love Story

Okay, so let’s start of with the disclaimer that this starts off as insta-love but then takes a turn into weird, angry “I don’t know if I want you” love. It’s frustrating and annoying and not at all something I enjoyed. Book One, Kestrel and Arin hate each other. They spend like 5 afternoons together and then all of a sudden they’re in love. Don’t forget that at this point, Arin is still a slave, owned by Kestrel, and he’s planning to overthrow her father and taking over the city…so like WTF ARE YOU THINKING ARIN? This just ping pongs out of control in books two and three, with Kestrel and Arin both denying then not denying their feelings. It’s eye-roll worthy. Then there are some weird romance vibes going on between the Eastern Prince and Arin. Then some weird romance vibes between Arin and the Eastern Queen. Apparently, everyone has the hots for Arin, but Kestrel is the only one who lies to herself about it. It was like a really bad car crash that you can’t look away from.

The Ugly Truth

I wouldn’t recommend this series unless you are really patient with your main characters and have some free time you’re willing to throw around. There isn’t much depth to the story or the characters, but you may like the warring bits like I did.

Talk To Me

Have you read this series? If so, what did you think of it? Will you be adding this to your TBR?

Review | I Need More Kingmaker Chronicles ASAP

The Kingmaker Chronicles

By: Amanda Bouchet

Overall Rating: ★★★★

Cat and Griffin meet at a traveling circus when he kidnaps her for her “special” powers. She’s the Kingmaker, he’s an ambitious warlord and together along with is Beta Team they travel the world looking for a way to unseat all the corrupt rulers (including Cat’s mom). The gods get involved, people fall in love, others die, battles ensure, and you will be taken on a rollercoaster ride of prophecies, epic quests, and to-die-for love stories.

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TL;DR:

I don’t normally do romance books, but The Kingmaker Chronicles are full of wit, sass, and overall fun. If you enjoy Greek mythology, feisty main ladies, and magic – you’ll love this series!

The Good

The Characters

Cat is a SASS QUEEN, who also happens to be a baddass fighter full of awesome magic. Griffin is a main man you will love. He’s strong, witty, loyal and also pretty good looking. Beta Team – Kato, Flynn, and Carver – are the warrior buddies you didn’t know you needed in your life. And if the main crew isn’t enough, Griffin’s entire family will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. They’re loving, intelligent and always try to do the right thing. The entire cast of this series will make you swoon.

The Magic and Mythology

GUYS I LOVE MYTHOLOGY SO MUCH. This entire series is centered around the gods and Ares, Persephone, Hades, Zeus (and probably some I’m forgetting) make an appearance. We even get to see a version of the underworld and purgatory and I was LIVING FOR IT. The personalities Bouchet gave to the mythical characters and creates in her series are to die for. Not to mention we get special Demi-god powers and oracular prophecies and visions. I was getting adult Percy Jackson vibes and I’m not complaining.

The Bad

The Macho Man Vibes

Guys, I love Griffin, but he can sometimes take his overbearing, jealous macho man vibes to an extreme. I’m all for strong leading ladies BUT they should be backed by level-headed partners who aren’t going to “growl” or think about hurting their friends just for joking with their love interest. I could have done with more feminist vibes and less “you belong to me”.

The Ending of Book 3

Heart of Fire’s ending was disappointing, it was just very underwhelming. I was hoping for more battles, more epic character arcs/reveals, and just a lot more of something in general. There was so much epicness, and I hoped the ending would have been just as amazing. HOWEVER, I’ve got confirmation that there will be more stories set in the same world, so I’m hoping the story arcs that weren’t wrapped up and the end of book 3 come into play in Book 4. Knowing there will be more of Beta team is keeping me going. I need more Carver, Flynn and Kato in my life!!

The Ugly Truth

While the ending of book 3 was a bit disappointing, I still really enjoyed the series as a whole. I’ve had confirmation from Amanda herself that there are going to be more books, and I CANNOT wait to get my hands on more stories with Beta Team!

Talk To Me

Have you read this series? If so, what did you think of it? Will you be adding this to your TBR?