3 Mini Reviews | The United States of Cryptids, White Horse, The Confidence of Wildflowers

February 27, 2023February 28, 2023 ChapterMalliumpkin1 Comment

Hi there, friends! Today I’m going to be posting some mini reviews… mini thoughts… on some books I’ve recently read. I’ll be honest, I’ve been sitting on these for a hot minute because I wasn’t too sure how I wanted to convey my thoughts, feelings or if I even had enough notes compiled to even make my typical reviews. While I’m not sure how this post will turn out, the one thing never changing is the fact that the content/trigger warnings I’ve found during my time reading these books will always be listed at the top of each review. Also, these reads are ranked from my best read to my least favorite read. I hope this will help anyone out there who’s looking for some new books to pick up!

➸ The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters by J. W. Ocker

“Wherever cryptids are celebrated, the story is so much more important than the science.”

As a lover of all things spooky, creepy, Halloweeny, and yes, being the monster loving, cryptid fanatic that I am, this book has been on my radar for a hot minute. I will say, trying to track down a physical copy was a tad difficult and I was so eager to read this book that I caved an got the ebook form. Though, the way this was written has me wondering if the audiobook would have been a better choice. That’s besides the point! I had a really fun time reading this and lets be real, anytime I get to read about monsters or cryptids is always a fun time!

“Cryptids are hopeful concepts: hope that the world is still a diverse place full of discovery.”

This book is a bind-up of all the various places in the United States that have cryptid tales to tell the world. Various cryptids are grouped by area along with some other details about that cryptid. Laced with the narration that almost comes off as some cryptid television show, the stories in here vary from the most famous of cryptids like Mothman or Bigfoot, all the way to lesser known cryptids like the Giant Sky Clam or Derry Fairy. This covers the whole United States and the fantastic cryptids that you may know or… not know about it.

As I mentioned, this was a really fun read. While I didn’t really care too much for the narration of the book, the stories about each cryptid kept me going. Call it a curious mind, but I wanted to know what cryptids this book had to share. I was pleasantly surprised that there were quite a few cryptids in here that I didn’t already know about and even the ones I did know about, there were some things that I had no idea about. Plus, for some of the stories there were actual images to go along with it that really helped paint the picture of what certain cryptids would look like, which was a nice touch to add in, might I add.

However, I have sat on this review for a hot minute and in that time, I’ve had time to come to terms with certain feelings about this book and why my rating for this book has changed. Though I still enjoyed this book quite a bit, I still found some issues with this book. As a Mescalero Apache Native, I found the way the Native/Indigenous creatures were handled in this book caused a bit of yucky feelings for me. For starters, I don’t consider the Native/Indigenous creatures mentioned in this book to be cryptids, first and foremost. Secondly, the whole chapter dedicated to the SW or what I like to refer to as The Mimic, gave me big icky feelings. This was probably my least favorite part of the entire book. The author states they had a Navajo guide who was even quoted, “We don’t talk about these creatures” and yet the book states the author pressed for information on this creature despite the guide being uncomfortable. This comes off as highly disrespectful to not only Native culture and beliefs, but to the fact that, the guide was not only uncomfortable, also told the author ‘no’. As I said, huge icky feelings for me as a reader and as a Apache Native. No means no and even more so if someone is obviously uncomfortable, end of story. The internet is free, libraries are free. Also, for many Native Tribes, we don’t talk about SWs/Mimics for various reasons. Granted, this can vary from Native person to Native person, but boiling it down to tribal beliefs and culture, there are many that are uncomfortable addressing these creatures. This is the same thing for the entire Wendigo chapter, as well. There are many Native/Indigenous Tribes that don’t talk about the Wendigo. It just wasn’t the vibe and honestly, I don’t feel these are creatures the author should have been talking about in the first place. There was just a lot of disrespect when handling these creatures and I wish I could say this was a surprise, but I can’t. I say this a lot, but I’m going to say it probably for the millionth time, sometimes I wish non-Native/Indigenous authors just don’t.

“In the end, the charge of cryptozoology is not, “I swear I saw something,” as it is often portrayed, but “keep searching!” Even if you don’t find Bigfoot, you’ll find something worthwhile. Guaranteed.”

Overall, I still enjoyed the book despite my feelings about the Native/Indigenous creatures represented. I loved the pictures, I loved discovering cryptids I didn’t know about, and I was really grateful that they were all categorized to area. It’s always a fun time when I get to read about cryptids and anything involving monsters. Plus, the cover was so stunning that it was practically begging me to read it. I highly recommend this to my monster loving, cryptid lover friends who are looking for their next read filled with any of these creatures. And if you’re a quote lover, like myself, quotes upon quotes!

➸ White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

Buddy Read with Ashley ♥

Content/Trigger Warnings: Abandonment, alcoholism, mentions of automotive accident, loss of a loved one, grief, drug use, mentions of overdose (in the past), trauma/PTSD, brief mentions of genocide & colonization, ableism, depictions of blood, themes of MMIWG2s, toxic relationships, violence, gun violence, scene of domestic violence, brief mentions of molestation/pedophilia

Let me be the one to say, this isn’t a bad rating. I know when readers see ratings like this, many tend to think, “Oh, this means this book is bad” when it’s not. I enjoyed a lot of things about this book, but there were a lot of things that made finishing this book hard. To be honest, I’m a little upset this read didn’t go the way I thought it was going to go. I still enjoyed this book though and more importantly, it’s a love letter to the urban Native community, to Native culture, and to those on their healing journey. Also, this book isn’t necessarily scary, but more so about a compelling journey that’s messy, at times suspenseful, and feels like you’re almost living it yourself.

Kari James’s mother disappears when she’s just two-years-old and now in her thirties, she’s working two jobs and taking care of her disabled father. Until one day Kari is given a bracelet that had belonged to her mother. With the ghost of her mother now lurking around every corner, Kari becomes determined to find some answers. Dark secrets waiting to be uncovered, truth waiting to be set free, and the path to healing along the way.

If there’s one thing I can tell you about this book, let it be the fact that this is a love letter to the Native community. If you’re like me, a Native/Indigenous reader, then the themes laced throughout this book will be all too familiar to you. Wurth has written this book for the “urban” Natives who struggle far too often with their identity, walking the tightrope of familial traditions, the vices in public spaces, and being themselves. When I tell I can’t emphasize enough how important Kari’s character is, I mean it with my whole dang chest and then some. Kari is not only an Indigenous main character, but multiple times the book has stated that Kari feels less Native (or less “traditional” Native) because she equates her Native-ness to practicing old, traditional customs/celebrations. This, THIS is important representation, everyone! There are some many multi-tribal Natives out there, there many Native/Indigenous people who are disconnected reconnecting Natives or even just reconnecting Natives (like myself) out there. Not to mention, the full weight that comes from the privilege of being a white-passing Native and then everything that comes with blood quantum. Having a main character like Kari who constantly faces that internal struggle of ‘am I Native enough‘ is so huge and when I tell you I sobbed, I was ugly crying. Being a reconnecting Native myself and reading a character like Kari, who’s independent, a bit of a firecracker, a loner, but also struggles around her Native identity was everything to me. Not to mention, the way the author wrote Kari’s journey throughout this book. The author wrote Kari’s journey so that by the end of the book, Kari has some form of understanding and almost acceptance that every Native/Indigenous identity is complex, contains multitudes of layers, and while individual people many have similarities, each Native/Indigenous person is different. Then I cried even more after I realized that because it made me see parts of myself and just made my heart a bit soft and mushy over it.

This book is also a love letter to Native/Indigenous who are healing and those on their healing journey. Which lets be honest, all Native/Indigenous communities, as a collective, are still healing and surviving. One of the biggest themes throughout this book is the main character’s personal trauma and then her family trauma on top of it. Add the themes that run rampant among Native/Indigenous communities/rez such as MMIWG2s, drug addiction, generational trauma, gentrification in Indigenous communities, and so much more. Many of these themes are unapologetically discussed throughout this book and the reader is just thrown into it. I think this is one of the most unapologetically Native/Indigenous books that I’ve every read outside of nonfiction. It truly has everything that I can think of when it comes to thinking about a what an Indigenous-led book would look like.

However, despite the things I loved about this book, there were still things that just made it a harder read. The biggest thing was the many subplots that were going on along with the main storyline. I was really invested in the mother’s disappearance and I wanted to solely focus on that. It was really captivating and my curiosity was hyper-fixated on that. With the other two subplots that were happening, the backstory with the ex and then the whole marital issues that were happening with Kari’s best friend, it was a bit of a double-whammy for me. Not only did these make it hard to keep my focus on the story, but it also impacted the pacing for me as well. Anytime I would get sucked back into the story, invested on what would happen next, some issue with the best friend and her husband would happen, pulling me right out of the story and taking away from the reading experience. While all these subplots do come together by the end and add to Kari’s growth, the subplots just weren’t it for me. They were a bit mentally and emotionally draining, and they messed with reading pace a lot, which is why it took me longer to read this book than it should have.

Overall, this isn’t a bad book and I truly loved so many things about this it. I think this is such an important book just on the representation alone and I think there will be many Native/Indigenous readers like myself who feel a heavy mental and emotional pull to this book. I do think this book is worth your time, I do encourage others to pick this book up and give it a chance, and I hope I see more readers falling in love with this book. Again, I think this is the most unapologetically Native/Indigenous books I’ve read that isn’t straight from the nonfiction genre or from an elder’s mouth. Plus, this book is even more special because the author is part Apache and as a Mescalero Apache reader myself, I’m always looking for more Apache authors to read from!

➸ The Confidence of Wildflowers by Micalea Smeltzer

Content/Trigger Warnings: Death of a parent (to cancer, in the past), childhood abuse recounted, mentions child molestation (in the past), trauma/PTSD, depictions of night terrors, depictions of anxiety & panic attacks, mentions of toxic relationship, mentions of manipulation, cheating (emotionally & physically), mentions of domestic violence (in the past), talk of breast cancer, scenes of emesis, slut shaming, death of child (by drowning), grief, explicit sex scenes, blowjob scene

Oh jeebus, friends… I don’t know how I did it, but I finally found the energy to write this review. After spending a lot of time going through a whole mixture of emotions, talking things out with friends, and just sitting down to reflect on my reading experience – it’s been a wild ride of a time. It’s safe to say that this book was good… until it wasn’t. I’m going to do my best to keep this spoiler free, but also addressing the few things I like and the things that flopped, royally.

Recently graduated, eighteen-year-old, Salem who’s just trying to live her life and figure things out for herself. Not having anyone or anything dictate what she should or shouldn’t do. With her boyfriend preparing for college and a best friend leaving for New York, Salem is set on hanging around to make her candles and help her mother run their antique store. Until Thayer arrives, becoming her grumpy next door neighbor, and suddenly asking her to be a babysitter for his six-year-old son. Salem will find it almost impossible not to fall in love with this father-son duo.

“Following someone else’s desires sounds like a one-way ticket to my version of hell – I’ve already been there and I’m not going back.”

Let me start off by talking about the best part, the cat! Yes, Salem’s cat, Binx is absolutely precious. I love how the cat is given room to have his own personality in this book and it stands out. I adored it with my whole chest. Of course, I have to talk about Thayer and his son, Forrest. I loved both of them, so freaking much. Ever scene with them, every interaction is just so wholesome and makes the heart turn to mush. The way the author wrote Forrest and Thayer is so beautiful and I love the fact the author didn’t shy away from Thayer’s ex-wife being abusive, manipulative. I talk about this a lot, how in media and literature, far too often we see it from the other side where the man is abusive. We don’t often see the man being a victim of abusive relationships and it’s almost considered taboo or nonexistent, but reality is that yes, men and really anyone can be in an abusive, toxic relationship. I’m really glad the author didn’t shy away from that and stood by that throughout the entire book.

This book has one of my favorite tropes, as well. Grumpy x sunshine tropes are probably one of my favorite tropes in my romance. I always say that I unknowingly seek out books that reflect my own marriage, that grumpy x sunshine is very much alive here. So it’s something I often find myself gravitating to even when I don’t think I am. Upon first introduction, we get a sweet taste of Thayer being super grumpy and I couldn’t stop giggling because it was just so good. Salem isn’t really overly bright, but she’s warm and has the personality of someone who always tries to find the good in everything.

And kind of circling back to what I talked about Thayer’s past with his ex-wife, I want to talk about Salem’s past. Salem had some really great PTSD/trauma portrayal and representation. As someone with PTSD, I always make it a habit that when I see good representation for trauma/PTSD, to speak about it. I thought it was handled well and done well. Reading those sections with her especially the moments where she’s waking up early to run or to sit on the balcony because she can’t sleep, they were moments that completely sucked the air right out of me. It was so relatable and probably one of the few things I appreciated about Salem as a character. If it wasn’t already made clear, there’s on page discussions of Salem’s trauma, her abusive past, and discussions surrounding domestic violence. Please make sure you’re checking content/trigger warnings before picking this book up and please make sure you’re in a good head space, too!

“I don’t tell him, but everyone worries so much about monsters lingering outside they forget about the ones that can hurt you behind closed doors.”

Despite these good things and how much I loved them, they weren’t enough to make me love this book as a whole. If I’m being honest, things were going good until the 50-60% mark. Majority of my issues come from the second half of the book, but we’ll get into that. Since we’re on the topic of Salem, I didn’t like her. Salem as a whole character, she wasn’t my cup of tea. While there were some things I appreciated about her, there were a lot of times where I was fully disconnected from her. There were too many times where she was trying to act older than she was, I wasn’t a fan of a lot of her actions especially surrounding how she handled things with Caleb, and even more so near the end of of the book, I really didn’t like how she chose to handle things with Thayer. The author writes her in a way that by the very end of this book she looks like a terrible person. Not a fan, at all.

One of my biggest issues in this book was the cheating trope, though. Now, typically I don’t mind emotional cheating. Everyone has different preferences and what they consider cheating, what bothers them in terms of cheating tropes, etc… I was willing to look past all of Salem’s emotional cheating and I had the audacity to think that the author was going to make sure Salem does the right thing. That was a big ole’ nope. Salem cheats on Caleb and then waits like a week or so to break up with him. I’m sorry, I don’t roll with this kind of nonsense. Speaking of Caleb, I completely despised his character. I found nothing redeemable about him and actually, found him to be a creep. The fact that Caleb kept referring to Salem as ‘babe’ the entire time after they broke up just felt weird and icky. Even more creeped out once you find out that Caleb knows about Salem cheating on him and all that jazz. This ties in with Salem’s flip-flopping back and forth between Caleb and Thayer. It’s just some serious drama llama nonsense, friends and I’m telling you, not worth the headache.

If this doesn’t bother you, then this bit will. I’m going to try to keep this vague because it surrounds the plot twist, but in all honesty, I think it needs to be full out mentioned. My biggest peeve about this book and the most unredeemable thing is what the author does to Forrest’s character. Now, I’m not so much upset about what happens because it’s something that, unfortunately, many people have had to experienced. No, my issue is with things surrounding Forrest consist of two things. For starters, there is no clarification on whether what happens was on purpose or a tragic accident. There are about one to two moments where it seems like this was on purpose and the fact that there’s no clarification is devasting. What’s even more devastating and aggravating, is the fact that the author not only writes out that whole incident with Forrest’s character, but sets things up for him to be replaced by a whole new character for book two. Yeah, if you’re upset, so am I. This was the thing that ruin the book for me. There was no logical reason for the author to do this and not only that, but to make it a plot point. I’ve seen this happen in the horror genre because it works. It doesn’t work for an adult romance. I think in certain circumstances, yes, it could work, but not in this case. It was completely unnecessary and I’m still upset about it.

Overall, I cannot in good conscious recommend this book to anyone. This book threw me into a horrible reading slump (that I’m just now climbing out of since writing this review). No, I will not be picking up the second book either. And from what I hear, things don’t improve much in the second book of this duology. I wanted to love this book, I really did. I had high hopes because so many people I trusted recommended this book to me. This just wasn’t it, on so many levels, friends.

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Mini Reviews | Warts & Claws Inc. Series by Clio Evans

February 15, 2023February 22, 2023 ChapterMalliumpkin1 Comment

Greetings Chapterlings! SURPRISE! If you noticed me talking about a secret project and thought it was related to this series, then you would be correct! At the end of 2022, I started working on this secret project (this post) and started reading this series. This shouldn’t be anything new for those who have been here for a while, but if you’re new, from time to time I like to do series reviews. I’m once again returning to my series review posts, with a twist, but this time I’m bringing you monster romance. It should be no surprise that I’m a lover of all things monster, cryptids, things that go bump in the night – whatever genre it may be, I’m shortly following behind.

I’m so excited to finally, FINALLY be talking about this series, sharing my thoughts with all of you, and officially announcing that this might just be my favorite series I’ve ever read, thus far, this year! Without further delays, I hope you enjoy this series post with all five reviews for each book in this series with their content/trigger warnings!

Quick note: Props to the author for providing some their own content/trigger warnings at the beginning of these books!

✨ Not So Kind Regards (Warts & Claws Inc. #1) by Clio Evans

Content/Trigger Warnings: BDSM, explicit sex scenes, slut shaming, violence, kidnapping, captivity, death, mentions/depictions of blood

Look, let me be the first one to tell you that this book, the first book in this series, will either make you love this series as a whole or you’re not going to vibe with it at all. I don’t see anyone going to the in-between when it comes to this series. For me, I absolutely loved it! I’m trash for some good polyam, monster wham bam thank you Sam (no idea who Sam is) fun times. And that’s what I got out of this book. Some fun, polyamorous, monster smexy times with some plot on the side. Yes PLEASE!

“Fuck, the way she set boundaries and rules was beyond sexy.”

Our story begins on a Monday and all hell is about to break loose when Inferna rolls into work only to find out her coffee pot has been stolen by the witches on the floor above. Only when she burst in to retrieve her coffee pot does she find the head witch, Art and a coworker, Calen, in some naughty affairs. That’s not the only spicy thing happening in the office, with a merger happening and forcing the two departments together, these three will find themselves in some heated encounters, but they’ll soon notice something is off in the office when strange things begin to happen and threatening everything these three have come to cherish.

“I had been alone for a very long time and it was uncomfortable to think of relying on others. But… It also felt good. It felt like magic, the kind that was used to heal.”

Can I just take a moment to emphasize the representation in this book? Not only do we have polyamory, but almost every character in this book has to be either bisexual or pansexual. I am living for every little bit of it! Even in side character mentions, Inferna has two fathers, there’s brief discussions of being attracted to various genders and different types of monsters. It’s so good and this is a continuous theme throughout the entire series. I really loved the fact the author went all out because we truly don’t see enough bi, pan, and polyam representation in books, truly. It just made my heart so full and have a lot of appreciation.

Character wise, I thought the way Inferna, Art, and Calen’s personalities came together was beautifully done. I love when opposite personalities balance each other out and we see that with these three. I also want to say that this is a common theme throughout the series as a whole. A lot of the characters you’ll be introduced to have various personality traits and when you see them with their mates, including in this book, they just have a good balance with one another. Almost like they ground each other in their own ways. I really loved it and loved seeing these characters get intimate with one another and I mean that in all aspects, not just spicy times.

Let’s be real though, I know why you’re here on this review, you want the juicy details of the steamy, smexy times. Oh there are a plenty of steamy, smexy times, but… I feel like I should warn you that Inferna’s vajayjay has teeth and if that’s something that throws you out of the experience, well, I’m sorry. Not to mention, there’s also a storyline plot that’s happening along with the smexy times. So if you’re someone who’s only here for the spicy, this could potentially pull you out of the steamy monster fun. Neither of these were an issue for me. When I went into this book and the series as a whole, I knew I just wanted to have a fun time whether that be with spicy times or story plot times, and that’s what I got. I had a lot of fun reading both aspects of this book.

Overall, I don’t want to spoil anything so this is a very short, vague review. As I mentioned before, this book is the stepping stone of whether or not you’re going to vibe with the rest of the series. For me, I truly loved this series as a whole. This book made me eager to read the rest of the series and I found it really hard to put it down. My only struggle was flying through them so fast and having to wait for the last two books in the series to release. It was a fun time though and I think if you love monster romances then you should give this book a chance.

✨ Not So Best Wishes (Warts & Claws Inc. #2) by Clio Evans

Content/Trigger Warnings: BDSM, explicit sex scenes, violence, kidnapping, captivity, mentions/depictions of blood, mentions of toxic/abusive relationship (in the past)

This is probably my favorite book out of the whole series! I fell in love with Lora, Mich, and Cinder so hard. I think I read this within twenty-four hours after picking it up, potentially a little less than that. There was just something about these three that really hit parts of my soul and even now I’m tempted to pick it up again just to reread it. I also want to point out that the cover hit the mark of what I envisioned all three of them looking like and it’s just everything!

“Damn it. It was too early to be in the elevator with someone this pretty.”

Like all the books in this series, it’s once again a Monday morning. Book one delivered us some chaos and now, book two is here to make things a lot more interesting. Starting with our goth fae/demon, Lora, who’s having a pretty rough morning, but ends up sharing an elevator with the tall and handsome manticore, Mich, and the new HR representative, Cinder. The chemistry between these three is thick like soup and that one moment in the elevator spurs a whirlwind of events into motion. Secrets, blackmail, and love are sure to ensue with this trio.

“Fuck, I had a thing for goth pixie girls.”

Whew, where do I even begin with this book. There’s so much I loved about it. Sure, the spicy times were great, but for this particular book, there was so much more. There was so much trust building between these three characters. Not just continuing the trend from book one of setting boundaries, asking for consent, setting safe words, etc… but these three characters really worked on trusting each other, being vulnerable with each other about their pasts and the things happening to them, and protecting one another. It was probably my most favorite thing of this entire book. Even more so in the regards of Lora because the pieces we get about her backstory, her past relationship, I felt so connected to her and I was rooting for her to get the happy ending that she truly deserved. Seeing everything play out the way they did, I cried a lot. I was really emotional, soft and squishy about it all.

Also, let me say that I love that we have a non-binary character getting the spotlight. Cinder is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns in this book. I loved how the author, right out of the gate, the first time these three characters are getting to know one another, have this conversation and just filled my chest with so much warmth to see it respected immediately. Of course, this happened while they were discussing boundaries and things for spicy times, but honestly, I think the timing for it was really good and natural. All things about this book considered, I can’t picture this conversation happening at any other time in this book, and that includes the beginning with the elevator scene.

“Being vulnerable was hard. Being honest was hard. But with the two of them, it was safe.”

Speaking of spicy times, again, the theme of the story plot continues throughout this whole series. So don’t be surprised about that happening with all the books. However, the tone in the smexy times in this book is different compared to most of the books in this series. For me, these scenes, despite how spicy and hot they were, felt very raw and almost have a vulnerable tone to them. Yes, there were moments where they were just wham bam, but there were moments that felt more soft and delicate. It was a good combination and balance especially for these three characters. It felt well written and just complimented these characters particularly well.

Overall, I could probably talk for hours about this book and jabber on about all the notes, the many quotes, all the foreshadowing and little details we get, but I’m going to restrain myself. I’m keeping my secrets and you’ll just have to read the series yourself. Again, this is probably my favorite out of the whole series and the one I felt very emotionally attached to.

✨ Not So Thanks in Advance (Warts & Claws Inc. #3) by Clio Evans

Content/Trigger Warnings: BDSM, explicit sex scenes, stalking, kidnapping, isolation, mc with low self-esteem, depictions of anxiety and panic attacks, trauma/PTSD, mentions of night terrors, home invasion recounted, captivity recounted

“It was a hellish environment to work in, but I liked hell. I was a demon, after all. A monster. A creature that craved a little chaos in the morning with my eggs and toast.”

Honestly, this book took me by surprise. There was a lot packed into this book and so much caught me off guard, in a good way. The story plot gets really thick in this book and the romance, the spice… Wow, wow, WOW. I had a lot of fun, but also I got really emotional. I thought I was soft and squishy with book two, but this one, it was a wild ride that made me feel all the things. I don’t know what else to say except buckle up and get ready for a wild ride.

“The possibility that I had stepped into an elevator with the two individuals in the world who were my mates, was impossible.”

Monday once again and we’re in the parking garage stalking our crush with Billy, a shadow demon. But that’s not all, in this office, the elevator is magic where our omega witch, Jaehan meets his mates, not only in Billy, but the invisible tentacle monster, who shows up to work shirtless every day, Charlie. One full of chaos and spice, the other soft and lonely, the perfect fit for a healing omega witch. This is their story of haunting pasts, vulnerability, love, and chaos.

“It was nice to be seen, I realized. My heart squeezed in my chest. The hole of loneliness I had lived with for so long felt like a stitch had just pulled it closed a little.”

If I thought book two made my heart soft and gooey… this book came out of nowhere and hit me in all my feels. With this being the third book in the series, there’s so much to unpack, not just story wise, but character wise. Holy French toast, there’s so much I want to talk about, but don’t want to spoil it for you, dear reader. Okay, let me gush about Jaehan for a minute. If I thought I was attached to Lora from book two, nothing prepared me for how much I would feel for Jaehan’s character. I would move mountains and destroy their enemies, Jaehan must be protected at all cost. We not only have healthy conversations surrounding Jaehan’s PTSD/trauma, but the nest, the freaking nest! As someone who has PTSD, seeing the whole conversation about the nest and Jaehan making it a center point of comfort, it was EVERYTHING! It was the most emotional, validating thing I’ve ever seen in a book when it comes to those who suffer from trauma/PTSD because I never see this mentioned in any book and it just made my heart so full. Also, I want to slide in here that Jaehan is Korean-American and we get some little bits and pieces about their family. It’s very sweet and wholesome when Jaehan talks about it.

Charlie was a big surprise, as well. I didn’t expect to come to love him as much as I did. I knew I would like his character, but again, another character that must be protected at all cost. Let me start by saying Charlie is a virgin and I can’t begin to express how lovely it was to watch Charlie express this part to Billy and Jaehan, but also watch them give Charlie the space to explore what it means to be sexual and intimate with your partners. I thought it was very well written and handled very well. Sometimes the way a virgin character is handled can be a flop for me sometimes, but Charlie’s character really stood up to my expectations. Not only this, but Charlie is a character who has very much experienced great deals of time being isolated and feeling unseen. There are a few conversations around the very complex feelings of being alone all your life to suddenly having people care about you, wanting to support you, and just overall love you. And it made my heart so mushy and I cried a few times because it was so well written and handled with care.

“This is where the loneliness ended. This was where my new life would begin. One where I wasn’t an invisible monster lurking in the shadows. One where I had two people who could see me, who cared.”

As I mentioned, there’s a lot to unpack with this book because it’s the center point of this series. We get an escalation in the story plot and whew, there were a lot of twists and turns. If you’re in this series for the storyline then buckle up because this one was wild. So much happens from secrets to fighting scenes, to some messed up mind game stuff. It’s coco bananas, friends! If I wasn’t invested in the story before, this book made me even more invested. Not to mention, we get to see more of Anne and she easily became one of my favorite characters from this whole series. Seriously, I was keeping my toes and fingers crossed we’d see more of her. With this book being a bit of a turning point or climax of this series, the ending was chef’s kiss! We get more details about Alex, we learn more about Alfred, the enemy who’s been causing so much mayhem, and we get to see more of Ember, who’s Cinder’s sister, and get some details about her, as well!

Overall, this book was packed with all the goodies! There’s action, there’s romance, emotional conversations, and escalation in the storyline! Just so many good things packed into one! I think my only issue with this book was the fact that the smexy times felt shadowed by the things happening with the story. Which is kind of sad because some of the spicy scenes were scrumptious! Despite this, I had a fun time and it kept me invested enough in the series that waiting for the fourth book was devastating.

✨ Not So Truly Yours (Warts & Claws Inc. #4) by Clio Evans

Content/Trigger Warnings: BDSM, mentions of knife play, explicit sex scenes, depictions of blood & blood consumption, vague depictions of trauma, imprisonment recounted, stalking, graphic violence, captivity, depictions of experimentation

“Monsters who were simps for their mates were adorable.”

Out of all the books in this series, I expected this one to absolutely wreck me and turn me into gravel. I was hoping that after book two and book three of this series, by some miracle, the fourth book would be about Cinder’s sister, Ember. I wanted to know so much more about her and with all the little bread crumbs we were getting, I just wanted more. And look, we got the girl! The cover is everything because we get to see Ember and the two giant women; Minni the vampire, on the left, and Lea, the bodyguard orc, on the right. Oh, it’s everything!

As usual, it’s a Monday and the magic of this office is in full swing! Ember is finally free to live her life and has her eyes set on a new promotion, however, there’s just a few things that are getting in the way. A protective older sibling, who insists that she move in with them and their mates, and the cherry on the cake, getting saddled with a body guard, one whom she feels is absolutely unnecessary despite what her bosses say, and lastly, going into heat because the ever attractive vampire security guard and her orc body guard are her mates. Just a typical start to a Monday, right?

“I’d never seen an orc woman before, but she was gorgeous. A crush-you-like-a-watermelon-between-her-thighs type of gorgeous.”

Never in this whole series or my wildest dreams, did I expect to get the ‘two giant women smooshing a short, curvy woman’ dynamic. Look, am I simping really, really hard for all three of these characters? Yes, yes I am and I have zero regrets. ZERO REGRETS! I have waited so long to see this kind of dynamic and it just adds ten years onto my life. I also want to mention, because I see no one talking about this, Ember is plus-sized/curvy and it’s just so good, fills my heart with so much joy. Truly, all the joy for this character existing! Lea, the orc bodyguard, also cross-dresses. There’s a whole conversation about how Lea prefers to present more masculine and wearing more masculine clothes, but doesn’t mind wearing dresses and presenting more feminine from time to time. It was such a great little detail to add in and then to see the reaction of Minni and Ember after that dialogue was chef’s kiss. Again, I mentioned this in some of the other reviews for the books in this series, but lots of diversity.

“There were so many desks in the place, and all I could think about was hoisting her up onto one, making her lie back, and helping her forget all her troubles for a while.”

One thing I will say is this relationship between these three is far from perfect and very, very different from all the other relationships you see in this series. It’s super messy and flawed, a lot of trust has been/is broken, there’s anger and frustration, there’s the whole thing with Minni and Lea being exes, this isn’t like the other books where you see the main three characters building up their bonds. The relationship between Ember, Minni, and Lea is supposed to be one of healing, but also pain, frustration, and a little bit of heartbreak. Actually, one of my biggest issues with this book was how we don’t really see these three mending from key moments of trust being broken or really seeing any of them being vulnerable with each other. A lot of the vulnerability either happens internally or in some situations when we’re in one of the characters’ pov, it’ll happen off-page. And that was really frustrating because I think if the time and effort would have been put into the mending of trust and the vulnerability with the characters, it would have solidified that these three characters are mates. But with those details lacking, it was hard for me to believe that these three were fated to be mates and actually have a healthy relationship with each other.

I do have to point out, that even though this isn’t a perfect relationship between these three characters, there is a lot of good. Like all the other books, there’s a lot of discussion around boundaries, safe words, and giving Ember control to set the pace how she’d like it. Minni and Lea really cater to the fact that Ember needs to have some control in the relationship. Even though both Lea and Minni have dominant personalities and assume the dominant role often in the bedroom, they really take what Ember wants and needs into consideration.

Speaking of trust being broken, my other issue with this book was Ember’s character, which makes me so sad to say, as a whole. I have spent so much time eagerly hoping for Ember to get her own story, to see more for her, to hopefully watch her get her happy ending and by the end of this book, her character flopped for me. In the beginning, I thought Ember was a very strong character, very smart and independent, wanted to have her freedom and prove she can do things, that she’s more than the things she’s had to endured. That maybe we’d see character development of her being vulnerable and letting others see the cracks in her armor. However, that was not the case, at all. There’s a moment in this book where Ember faces a choice, she can either do the responsible, smart thing or she could be an absolute fool and do the worst choice. It’s the fact that Ember is built up to be a very intelligent, responsible character and then she breaks the trust of her mates, goes behinds everyone’s back, and makes a fool’s choice. It was the most frustrating thing I’ve read in this whole series and it shocked me that all of Ember’s characteristics were just thrown out the window for that one choice. Honestly, I think I would have preferred some sort of a kidnapping or mind/dream manipulation over this.

“This one was soft and lovely. Her skin started to glow a little brighter, casting a golden hue over Lea and me. It reminded me of the sun right before it set, washing over the world with its warmth.”

As for the spicy scenes, I think these were some of my favorite moments in this whole book. I don’t want to spoil too much with these, but they were good. I had a fun time reading them and I think out of all of them, the mating/bond scenes were the strongest and best ones. I really enjoyed them and still remember the details from those scenes. The spicy scenes definitely stood out more compared to the main story plot.

There’s some foreshadowing for the final book, as well. We’re introduced to a new character, Sylvia, who helps Ember out and later on become good friends. I was very interested in Sylvia and the few details we received weren’t enough, but I knew we’d probably be seeing her in the final book. One doesn’t simply introduce a new character so close to the closing of a series without having a bigger role in-store for them. There’s some glimpses into what Alfred has been up to and hints to what he plans for the finale, as well. Which to be honest, I didn’t really care too much about because at this point, if you made to this book in the series, we all know that Alfred is doing this out of some lovesick revenge.

“All of us were exhausted, traumatized, and surviving off the donuts and coffee Anne had ordered.”

Overall, this felt like the weakest book in the series and definitely feels like the shortest. This book could have been a bit longer to give extra details. And, as I’ve mentioned, I really would have loved seeing extra details of healing trust and seeing the main characters being vulnerable with one another instead of it feeling like those things were internalized. To me, it just painted an unhealthy relationship dynamic with these three characters even though I do love them individually. I still think this book is still worth reading especially if you’ve come this far in the series. And three stars isn’t a bad rating or review. I still had a lot of fun reading this book and still enjoyed the progression of the story. I mean, come on, giant women with a curvy, short cutie! How could I not still enjoy this book?!

✨ Not So Much Appreciated (Warts & Claws #5) by Clio Evans

Content/Trigger Warnings: BDSM, explicit sex scenes, knife play, vague depictions of trauma/PTSD, stalking, kidnapping, hostage situation, graphic violence, scene of giant spider form, mc with very low self-esteem, explosions

Friends, we have come to the end. It’s such a bittersweet thing when a series concludes and this one is no exception. And to be frank, this was the book I was most eager about. Waiting for this book was terrible because I couldn’t stop thinking about how this series would conclude. I also want to briefly mention this, as I don’t know if this is triggering for anyone, but one of the main characters, Sylvia, is an arachnid woman. If this is triggering or if spiders in general are triggering for you, you may want to heed caution with this book.

“Even with all the terrible events that had occurred, monsters and witches were still finding their happy endings.”

The final Monday and Alex rolls into the office feeling terrible than ever. Monsters and witches alike have been hurt by his actions. The guilt is slowly eating him alive on this Monday. What Alex isn’t expecting on this Monday is his gorgon secretary, Anne rolling into the office with the new employee, Sylvia for her interview, for a full blown omega heat to happen. Frazzled and horrified, everyone, but Anne scatters like leaves on the breeze. Determined to get her happy ending, Anne takes things into her own hands and fetches her mates, one way or another. Who would have thought Mondays could be so full of surprises?

“Anne looked angry. Her eyes were golden with diamond-shaped pupils, and they burned like hellfire.”

I had been hoping every since we were introduced to Anne that she would get her own story. Even though she plays a side character role throughout the entire series, the things she does stands out compared to a lot of side characters and she does so much for the main characters of the other books in the series. I wanted her to have her own book so badly because she’s just too good not to have her own book. And we got it. We got it and we get Alex, and Sylvia on top of it, too! Chef’s kiss! Their whole dynamic was like honey and I am the bee because it was sugar sweet, friends. There’s so much dominant and sub energy between these three characters, and it’s delicious. Also, just in case you’re not a fan, there is a daddy kink in this. Sylvia and Alex have daddy kink scenes, and I just wanted to throw that in here in case that’s not your vibe, but I had a blast! It was just great chemistry between all three.

Speaking of chemistry, the way Alex and Sylvia become vulnerable in the relationship, and the way Anne refuses to bend or shying away from anything, literally everything. They just compliment one another so well and I think the author did a good job at setting these three characters up to being in a relationship with one another. The moments where they have really deep conversations and they work through things, that really got me. I love when characters can sit down and work through the really difficult things, even if it hurts or it feels scary. Not to mention, the boundary setting and making sure one another is comfortable with plans for spicy times, we love to see it! However, like the fourth book, this relationship isn’t perfect. There are moments where Alex does emotionally hurt Sylvia and Anne, but they talk it out and express their feelings, and it’s a process of going from having to do everything by yourself to having people in your corner, who love and support you. It was really great to see such good communication between all three and I loved seeing those moments.

“I was in the mood to fuck around and find out. Being a brat was apparently my new full time job, and I was taking that seriously.”

There’s some really great themes in this book too. Out of all the themes, not just for this book, but the whole series, is the theme of going from feeling like you’re alone and have no one in your corner to suddenly having people who care about you there to support you, who care about you. While I mentioned that Anne and Sylvia are there for Alex and this is something new to learn, we see the entire office come together to rally behind Alex and support him. That’s right, all the characters we meet in all the previous books are here to support Alex and to help protect, not just their loved ones, but also Alex and his two mates. It made me so soft and mushy to watch everyone come together in this final book, to finally watch them all put an end to Alfred. It was such an sweet, emotional way to conclude this series.

“There has been a lot of goodness that has come from it,” Ember said. “Look around you, Alex. All of us have found our mates because we ended up working at the office. All of us were brought together because of the mistakes that were made. And Alfred was the one who went crazy, not you.”

Overall, I don’t want to say anymore on this book because it is the finale to this series. A very bittersweet ending, but a series I can see myself rereading when I need to be reminded of all the characters I fell in love with. My only complaint with this book was it ending too soon. Honestly, I think this is my second favorite book in the series and even though it’s the last book, it really went off with a bang.

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3 Mini Reviews | Below, Muscles & Monsters, Garlic and the Witch

October 18, 2022October 18, 2022 ChapterMalliumpkin2 Comments

Salutations friends! I haven’t done any mini reviews in a hot minute, but I’m finally doing one after ages! I think the last one I did was in the winter of 2021. I’m currently on a really strong reading kick and I’ve been cruising through so many great books. This may be due to November looming over my shoulder or it just may be from finding my spark again in books after a month slump. Either way, here are three mini reviews of three recent reads that I loved! ♥

🕯️ Below by Laurel Hightower

Content/Trigger Warnings: Depictions of anxiety & panic attacks, misogyny, talk of divorce, on page vehicle accident, death, talk of grief, talk of nyctophobia (fear of the dark), depictions of blood, graphic injuries, gore, violence scenes of emesis, scene of drowning

“Keep you head down and get out, remember? Doesn’t matter how, just take it and run.”

It has been a week and I’m still thinking about all the ways this book haunts my thoughts. When I heard someone say this has Mothman in it, you bet your sweet booty that I jumped on this train immediately. Plus, seeing my friend’s review for this book also had me running for it immediately. However, I want to state that Mothman isn’t the main focus of this novella. Mothman kind of takes very to the sidelines despite the fact that we have a few select moments with them. But despite knowing this, I was hyped and super excited to dive into this book as soon as my claws were wrapped around this book.

We follow Addy who is recently divorced and is currently traveling through the West Virginia mountains to meet up with her friends. However, her journey goes from okay to pure chaos as a bad snow storm rolls in and the truck driver she met at the diner get into a sudden vehicle accident. Now Addy must decide if she’s just going to spend her time in fear or attempt to help her new friend, even if it means battling her inner monsters, and potentially something more realistically frightening.

“Came outta of nowhere, didn’t it?”

I liked Addy and how imperfect she was. She was angry, anxious, fearful, but also trying to find herself again in the aftermath of this divorce. She’s also very distrusting of men because of all the poor treatment she has had to deal with, not only in life, but in her marriage as well. So we see Addy start off as very anxious, weary, and hurting, but that quickly changes because things in this book escalate rapidly and all you can do is hold on for the ride as we see Addy grow and change.

I’m not kidding when I say thing escalate rapidly. Things pick up pretty fast and I think you’ll find yourself pretty hooked. Even when I wanted to put this book down, I couldn’t because I constantly was wondering what was waiting to happen. However, I did have to stew on this book and my thoughts for a day. Reading this book in less than two hours and you would need to sit on your feelings too.

Overall, I had a really great time with this book and I recommend going in not knowing too much about it. I think a lot of the twists and turns will be better enjoyed that way. If I had to really give issue with this book, it was the lack of Mothman. I think I would have liked Mothman playing a bigger role in this book than was given, but despite that I still loved the author’s interpretation of Mothman. It’s a great atmospheric read and one that I recommend for the fall season!

🕯️ Muscles & Monsters (Leviathan Fitness, #1) by Ashley Bennett

Content/Trigger Warnings: Abusive/toxic relationship (in the past), depictions of anxiety, bullying (in the past), mentions of & scene of fatphobia, body shaming, scene of prejudice towards monsters

“A moment of discomfort is nothing compared to a lifetime of unhappiness. Knowing that it led me to you, I’d make that choice again and again”

Holy cow did I enjoy my time reading this book! I have thirty-seven notes on this book and I’m still thinking about how delightful this was. Wow, wow, WOW. My expectations were blown out of the water for this. I thought it was going to be straight up monster erotica, but there’s so much more to it than that and I enjoyed every second of it.

We get duel perspectives from Tegan, a plus-seized baker, who got tasked with making a wedding cake that’s supposed to be delivered for the mayor’s daughter’s wedding only her assistant called out and now Tegan is struggling until she drops the cake. Enter Atlas Oberon, the werewolf owner of the gym down the street, Leviathan Fitness. Atlas had been on his way into work when he stumbled across Tegan and offered to assist with the cake. Who would of thought a wedding cake would blossom into a romance between these two?

“Well I’m glad you chose what was best for you, Atlas Oberon. And I happen to like that stupid fucking tail of yours. Very much.”

There were so many great elements to this read that made these characters so likeable and almost real. I think Tegan is my favorite though. The way the author chose to write Tegan really made the biggest impression with me. Tegan is very body positive in being plus-size, but we also see moments where she has doubts and questions herself. This was handle so well and in a way that I felt was realistic. Being plus-sized myself, I have my moments of ups and downs and seeing that represented in Tegan in this book was really nice to see. Speaking of body positivity and different views of bodies, I thought the way Atlas was handled was a great way to show the opposite spectrum of how you can be healthy, have a well toned body, and still have insecurities about the way you look. I think if anyone were to make this a book club pick, this would be a great way to open the floor to bigger discussions on body positivity, body image and societal views, and learning to love oneself.

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about the sexy times. The sexy times were actually really great and I mean that in the sense of the before, during, and after. Tegan and Atlas have really strong communication with one another, they care for each other in their own ways, and do what they can to protect each other. And sexy times aren’t excluded from any of that. Tegan is human and Atlas takes such good care of Tegan in the aftermath even when they go to the gym, after their romp, he keeps the routine of the day light and calls it early for Tegan. It was all really sweet and the open communication is fantastic. Plus, there’s a scene that involves icing and I think readers are going to have a blast with it.

Overall, this was a fun time and I read it a lot faster than I thought I would. I wasn’t expecting to get through it as fast as I did and I wasn’t it expecting to have so many different elements stirred in. If you’re a lover of monsters, you definitely want to add this to you list. Plus, the second book recently came out and I’m really excited to continue on with this series!

🕯️Garlic and the Witch by Bree Paulsen

🍄 Garlic and the Vampire ★★★★★

Content/Trigger Warnings: Depictions of anxiety, brief mentions loss of a loved one

I had no idea I was this excited about this sequel until I was ordering it. I fell madly in love with the first book because of the characters, the story, the layers, and just everything, truly. So waiting for this to release felt like trying to run through syrup. And honestly, now that I’ve read the sequel I’m kind of sad that this has come to a close. I don’t think this author has plans for anymore books in this world and just having the chance to read Garlic’s story in this duology feels like such a blessing altogether. All I know is that Bree Paulsen has become a favorite author of mine and I need to keep my eyes peeled for more of their work!

Our story takes place with a step back in time. We get to see how everything began and see how Garlic and the other veggie-people came to be in this world. This is a little treat for us as the reader, as we never get to see this bit in the first book. However, we quickly resume where the first book left off, only this time there are some changes, some unexplainable changes and Garlic seeks the truth of what’s happening to her, to everyone. Witch Agnes has no choice but to reveal her secret, they’re becoming humans!

As with the first book, Garlic is embarking on another adventure, two if you count them becoming human. Garlic must travel to the Magic Market with Count to retrieve some goodies for Witch Agnes and along the way she’ll learn to cope with her anxiety, to have faith in herself and the people who surround her, and trust that everything will turn out okay even if it all seems a little scary. We also find out a little more details about Count throughout this whole story too. Truly, Count just deserves all the love and is such a precious character.

Overall, this was one of the easiest reads I’ve rated all year. I absolutely loved the first book and so it was impossible for me not to fall in love with the second book. How could I not fall in love with these characters, this world, the representation we see?! It was all lovely and I truly mean it when I say I’m truly going to miss these characters and this world if there aren’t any books in this series. I’m not sure what those books would look like considering how this book (and the fact of how hard I sobbed), but if there are more books, then I can’t wait to see the adventures of these characters continue on. If you haven’t checked out the first book or perhaps you’re debating whether or not to get the second book, let this be the sign you need to go pick them up. I promise, you won’t regret it!