man-crush monday – Page 2 – Zakiya N. Jamal

Man Crush Monday: Thresh

Posted on August 10, 2015September 6, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

I know all The Hunger Games fans are freaking out right now. “HOW COULD YOU NOT DO PEETA?” Don’t worry Peeta’s chance to shine will come … just not today. Today is Thresh’s day.

Poor Thresh didn’t have a big role in The Hunger Games, however his role was still important. Besides coming from the same district as my homegirl Rue (and let’s be real District 11 was obviously the “black district” but I digress) he also saves Katniss’ life. He only does this because of what Katniss did for Rue but still Thresh is a BAMF for reals.

He pretty much stays scarce during the games and his biggest appearance was saving Katniss’ life. Still in that moment I loved Thresh’s sense of loyalty to Katniss via Rue. In the games a lot of those kids are ruthless (the Careers) or sneaky (Foxface) but Thresh wasn’t a part of that. He stayed above the fray and although it can’t really be confirmed I believe he didn’t kill anyone unless he had to. Besides who could be mad at him for killing Clove after she mocked Rue’s death and tried to kill Katniss.

In conclusion, Thresh was a boss and let’s be real he’s also hella fine which is why he’s this week’s MCM.

I always respected [Thresh]. For his power. For his refusal to play the Games on anyone’s terms but his own.– Catching Fire

Man Crush Monday: Tobias “Four” Eaton

Posted on July 27, 2015July 26, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

If you don’t know who Four is that means you’ve never read Divergent and that’s a real shame. I’m currently reading Four, a collection of short stories about Four and I love it. Honestly, he was my favorite part of the Divergent trilogy and learning that Veronica Roth originally planned to do the trilogy from his point of view isn’t surprising.

Four is great because he’s such a sweet, dork who’s also really strong, brave, and kind of intimidating. Raised in the Abnegation factor by a terrible father, Four grew up with no friends and was used to being quiet, respectful, and selfless. Although being selfless is great there’s a big difference between being selfless and being pushed around and thankfully Four realizes this.

Of course, he’s also attractive but this isn’t something he capitalizes on. He’s not the hot flirt with a smirk. He’s kind of shy and doesn’t really know how to even talk to girls, much less put the moves on them. This only makes him more adorable.

The Divergent trilogy definitely has it’s faults but Four isn’t one of them. Check him out in the books (not the movies, although Theo James is very attractive) and prepare to fall in love.

“My name is Four,” I say. “Call me ‘Stiff’ again and you and I will have a problem.” – Four: A Divergent Collection

Man Crush Monday: Cooper Cartwright

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Cooper Cartwright is the hottest landlord a woman could ask for, which makes Heather Wells, the protagonist of the Heather Wells Mysteries, the luckiest woman alive.

Cooper owns the brownstone that Heather is renting, now that she’s no longer a pop star and single since she and Cooper’s little brother broke up. Cooper’s also a private investigator and wants nothing to do with his famous brother and his star studded lifestyle, which makes him the perfect match for Heather.

Cooper, of course, is super attractive but not in a pretty boy way. He’s a tough and self-made man who rejects the rich, privileged lifestyle he grew up in (not that he doesn’t benefit from it, of course, but he doesn’t flaunt it either). He’s a really chill guy who cares about and respects Heather for who she is not what size she wears.

This post has now made me want to reread the whole Heather Wells series because honestly it’s been too long and I love Cooper and Heather respectively. If you haven’t read this series yet it’s one of Meg Cabot’s best and you should definitely check it out.

“As you pointed out, I should have left well enough alone. But… well, it’s not in my nature. Let’s face it, though: It’s not in your nature, either, Heather. That’s why we make such a perfect pair. We’re lucky to have found each other. I feel sorry sometimes for people like your mom. Maybe her problem isn’t that she’s a dirty, no good, whatever-you-were-going-to-call-her. It’s that she was never lucky enough to find her soul mate, like we were.” – The Bride Wore Size 12

Man Crush Monday: Jace Wayland

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Jace is your typical cool boy with an ice cold demeanor but a secretly kind heart that’s still wounded by past grievances. He’s scarred by his past but doesn’t want to talk about. He’s the dark brooding type that you want to help but also know you should probably stay away from because he’ll probably break your heart. And he’s hot.

What makes Jace stand out from the rest, however, is his quick wit. He has the one liners to end all one liners. He’s funny and brutally honest in a way that makes you know you can trust him. My favorite description of Jace is only ask him a question if you’re ready to hear an honest answer.

Jace’s best quality, although it could also be seen as a flaw, is his fear of love. He believes it’s bad to be loved or to be in love, which is understandable considering who his father is. This fact makes Jace scared to give into his feelings for Clary, the protagonist of The Mortal Instruments novels, while also confusing him and making him into an adorable character you just want to help.

All in all, Jace is a keeper. As long as he’s not your long lost brother, of course.

“Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?’
Jace said, “Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself.”
…”At least,” she said, “you don’t have to worry about rejection, Jace Wayland.”
“Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.” – City of Bones

Man Crush Monday: Daemon Black

Posted on June 29, 2015July 11, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Although I love Katy, my favorite part of the Lux series is Daemon Black, the hot alien that she inevitably falls in love with.

Sassy, funny, and such a flirt he kind of reminds me of Damon from The Vampire Diaries. He’s also hot which is always a plus. What really makes Daemon such a man crush is his over protective tendencies. He puts everyone else in his life ahead of himself and does whatever it takes to protect the people he cares about. Also, the way he calls Katy “Kitten” is ridiculously adorable.

That’s why I’m super excited that Jennifer L. Armentrout is doing another Lux series book called Oblivion, which will be the first three books of the series in Daemon’s point of view. When we finally got books with his POV I loved them. I found his POV to be more interesting than Katy’s, honestly, and I’m excited to see everything from his POV.

If you haven’t checked out the Lux series yet you definitely need to. The first book wasn’t the best but it gets so much better after that if you just push through. One of my favorite series that is way underrated. Also, who doesn’t want a hot alien in your life?

“So I was thinking, there’re eighty-six thousand, four hundred seconds in a day, right? There’re one thousand, four hundred and forty minutes in a day…There’re one hundred and sixty-eight hours in a week. Around eighty-seven hundred and then some hours in a year, and you know what?…I want to spend every second, every minute, every hour with you…I want a year’s worth of seconds and minutes with you. I want a decade’s worth of hours, so many that I can’t add them up.” – Origin

Man Crush Monday: Hector “Jesse” De Silva

Posted on June 8, 2015June 7, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Take a hot, Mexican gentleman from the early 19th century and place him in the 21st century and you not only have a genuine nice guy but I’d say a diamond in the rough. Too bad this guy is a ghost.

Jesse, the male lead in Meg Cabot’s Mediator series is everything you could want in a guy. He’s charming, funny, hot, and your knight in shining armor when you need him (although he totally understands that you can kick butt on your own). Unfortunately, Jesse is dead. And not hot vampire type dead, I mean really dead.

Which makes it very interesting that he’s clearly the love interest for one Ms. Susannah Simon but that’s what makes these books awesome (besides the crime fighting and other amazing plot points).

Although the Mediator series isn’t new I’m surprised by the amount of people that have never heard of it much less read it. If you’re one of those poor unfortunate souls please pick up these books and fall in love with Jesse ASAP. You won’t regret it. Trust me.

‘I may have been dead for the past hundred and fifty years, Susannah,’ Jesse said, ‘but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how people say good night. And generally, when people say goodnight, they keep their tongues to themselves.’ – The Ninth Key

Man Crush Monday: Charles Carrington “Chubs” Meriwether IV

Posted on June 1, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Photo Courtesy Of imgbuddy.com — Photo Courtesy of imgbuddy.com

Oh Chubs. I feel for Chubs. He’s given so many nicknames in The Darkest Minds trilogy I won’t dare try to list them all.

There’s so many reasons to love Chubs. First of all, he’s a cute nerd with his glasses and random knowledge. He knows how to sew because his father, a doctor, taught him just in case Chubs or someone he knew got wounded on the road. Besides that, Chubs just knows a lot of medical stuff in general, which makes him a very useful friend to have when you’re on the run, which is almost all the time for kids in this dystopian trilogy.

Additionally, Chubs is sassy and overprotective. When newcomer, Ruby, joins his tight knit group, Chub’s is the opposite of welcoming. He doesn’t want anything to do with her and would prefer their group leader, Liam, toss her back on the road where she came from. Unfortunately, or luckily depending on how you look at it, Chubs is ignored and Ruby becomes part of the group.

Chubs sass is unparalleled, however. He let’s his opinions be known throughout the novels and rarely sugarcoats things. If Liam is an optimist, Chubs is a realist. He knows his dystopian world is jacked up and he fully acknowledges that. All the same, Chubs provides comic relief throughout the books dropping the best one liners I’ve ever read.

Lastly, Chubs is my MCM this week because not only can he make people laugh, he’s also the glue that holds his group together. Chubs doesn’t have time for the drama, all he cares about is the survival of his newly constructed family. Chubs is brave when he needs to be and speaks up when he knows one (or two) of his friends are in the wrong. Although he’s often not seen as the leader of the group, I don’t think their group would’ve survived if they didn’t have Chubs.

To see Chubs sass in all it’s glory read, The Darkest Minds trilogy ASAP.

‘That is physically impossible,’ Chubs groused. ‘He’d be–‘
‘Actually,’ Liam began, ‘Cole once did try to–What?’
‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Chubs said, ‘apparently the middle of my sentence interrupted the beginning of yours. Do continue.’ – Never Fade

Man Crush Monday: Raffe

Posted on May 25, 2015May 24, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Books

Stoic, brooding, and cocky are just three words to describe the angel, Raffe. A warrior angel, Raffe has been through some things in his immortal life. Being in charge of The Watchers, angels living on Earth, he is forced to deal with their half human/half angel children, the Nephilim, who are seen as abominations that eat human flesh.

Besides that Raffe is an archangel putting him a step above other angels and in line to become the next Messenger of God. In summary, Raffe is a boss with a lot of enemies. He’s courageous and strong but he also has a sense of humor and a soft spot for a certain human. He likes crack to corny jokes and knows exactly what to say to make people feel better when they’re moping.

What makes Raffe great is even though he tries to hide his feelings he can’t help but care. This is best evidenced by his friendship/something else with Penryn. He doesn’t want to care about a human but he just can’t seem to help himself.

More than that, Raffe is just plain attractive. He’s got the body of an angel, literally. With abs, strong arms, dark brown (black?) hair, and a hint of danger, he’s the definition of hot. Who wouldn’t want to jump in his arms and have him fly you away?

You can fall in love with Raffe by reading the Angelfall trilogy and trust me you really want to.

Man Crush Monday: Adrian Ivashkov

Posted on May 18, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

When I think about Adrian Ivashkov I immediately picture a hot guy with a bad boy attitude who’s too cool for school leaning against a wall, smoking his cigarettes. Adrian is the definition of swag. He’s a rich boy who’s basically had everything handed to him his whole life.

Normally, this is the kind of guy I would hate but Richelle Mead doesn’t make one-dimensional characters so there’s more to Adrian than first meets the eye. The truth is Adrian is a very caring guy who loves hard. He’s an artist who sometimes lets his emotions get the best of him but it’s his inability to keep his feelings in control that makes him so lovable. When he falls for someone it’s not an easy fall. He gives the person he loves everything he has and then some and that’s both breathtaking and heartbreaking, depending on how it works out for him.

Besides that Adrian is a funny guy. He brushes off serious topics with little quips and is always flirting. Even so, when it’s time to step up and help his friends and family, Adrian is there doing what he needs to do. He goes above and beyond to help out when he can, sometimes pushing himself too far in terms of using his abilities (he’s a vampire with an affinity for spirit; if you don’t know what that is read the books!).

Overall, Adrian is an attractive guy with a great, loving personality who provides comic relief in serious situations. He often speaks in poetry and is one of the most loving characters I’ve ever read about. Check him out in the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series.

[Adrian] was too perfect, despite being one of the most imperfect people I knew.’ – The Indigo Spell

Man Crush Monday: Dimitri Belikov

Posted on May 11, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

If you haven’t figured this out yet I’m obsessed with the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. It’s no surprise then that the male lead in the series, Dimitri Belikov, is today’s man crush Monday.

He’s hot, strong, protective, and extremely loyal. As a dhampir guardian he’s considered a god with his great strength and speed. Beside that he’s the quiet, brooding type of guy. He walks around wearing a cowboy duster and loves old westerns but he’s also fierce and a force to be reckoned.

What I love most about this character, however, is underneath all of that is this really sweet, loving guy who cares deeply about people. This is most clear in his relationship with Rose Hathaway but it’s also seen by how fiercely he tries to protect the people he guards. Dimitri is also the kind of guy that wants to be married and have a family. He’s the only boy in a family of women and he’s protective of his family and loves them dearly.

I could go on and on about how perfect Dimitri is but honestly you should read these books and see for yourself. Trust me, you’ll be in love with by the end of the first book if not sooner.

“My immediate associations with Dimitri were always intense and fierce; it was his sexy, battle-god persona that came to mind. Yet, it had been Dimitri’s gentleness and thoughtfulness mixed with that deadliness that made him so wonderful.” – Blood Promise