WEBVTT 00:00:11.300 --> 00:00:13.519 Welcome to your safe space. The podcast, your 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:15.160 partner, friends, parents, whoever thinks it's 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:17.219 dirty. Don't have time to read books? Want to 00:00:17.219 --> 00:00:18.859 understand all the jokes and the TikToks? We 00:00:18.859 --> 00:00:21.300 got you fam. We're the spice traders and we deal 00:00:21.300 --> 00:00:23.839 in spicy books. I'm Katie and I need it to make 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:27.710 sense. I'm Liz and I'm hypercritical. Before 00:00:27.710 --> 00:00:29.510 we get to today's episode, we want to encourage 00:00:29.510 --> 00:00:31.250 you to check out our Patreon, where we publish 00:00:31.250 --> 00:00:33.490 extra episodes every other week, as well as ad 00:00:33.490 --> 00:00:35.170 -free versions of our regular feed episodes. 00:00:35.729 --> 00:00:37.549 Also, any series we read past the first book, 00:00:37.689 --> 00:00:39.670 all that coverage is Patreon only, so think series 00:00:39.670 --> 00:00:42.850 like Akatar, Fourthwing, Guild. Anyway, we really 00:00:42.850 --> 00:00:44.649 appreciate the support and encouragement to continue 00:00:44.649 --> 00:00:46.450 doing something we love and sharing it with you. 00:00:46.910 --> 00:00:49.369 Thanks in advance for checking that out. As always, 00:00:49.429 --> 00:00:51.590 we start this episode with three things. First 00:00:51.590 --> 00:00:53.869 is a generic trigger warning. You can find specific 00:00:53.869 --> 00:00:55.549 triggers for this book in our show notes, so 00:00:55.549 --> 00:00:57.850 please check those out. We also use foul language 00:00:57.850 --> 00:01:00.049 and talk a lot about sex. If you have sensitivity 00:01:00.049 --> 00:01:02.090 to either of those things, our podcast probably 00:01:02.090 --> 00:01:05.049 isn't for you. Second, our episodes talk about 00:01:05.049 --> 00:01:06.689 books, the whole book, nothing but the book, 00:01:06.790 --> 00:01:08.450 so help me goddess. If you don't want something 00:01:08.450 --> 00:01:10.590 spoiled, don't listen to this episode. And finally, 00:01:10.810 --> 00:01:12.469 we acknowledge that a good book can hit you at 00:01:12.469 --> 00:01:14.849 the wrong time. Our views discussed in our episodes 00:01:14.849 --> 00:01:16.730 are our opinion, and we don't want to diminish 00:01:16.730 --> 00:01:18.609 the work or the talents of the authors in our 00:01:18.609 --> 00:01:33.379 community. That said, we have some notes. So 00:01:33.379 --> 00:01:35.760 what are we talking about today today? We're 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:37.939 talking about bride by Allie hazelwood This is 00:01:37.939 --> 00:01:40.659 part two of two and so if you didn't read the 00:01:40.659 --> 00:01:42.459 book or you know listen to part one You're gonna 00:01:42.459 --> 00:01:45.780 be confused This part's gonna cover chapter 16 00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:48.700 and onward and then at the end of our coverage 00:01:48.700 --> 00:01:52.579 of the book. We will do our readings So let's 00:01:52.579 --> 00:01:56.659 jump into it And we pick up right after like 00:01:56.659 --> 00:01:59.180 the morning after misery scratched lotus group 00:01:59.180 --> 00:02:02.840 to sleep which sounds Unpleasant, but it wasn't 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:05.420 like it reminded me a lot of like when my mom 00:02:05.420 --> 00:02:08.759 used to scratch my back when I was a kid Yeah 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:15.120 It sounds nice Yeah, it was nice. It was it was 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:17.120 very sweet. They slept in the closet. I don't 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:21.860 know why It's fine. It's I I will never accept 00:02:21.860 --> 00:02:25.840 the closet of it all so low isn't immediately 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:30.270 there But he does come back Pretty soon thereafter 00:02:30.270 --> 00:02:32.250 sweaty and shirtless remember run with one of 00:02:32.250 --> 00:02:35.870 his lieutenants And this guy actually I'm not 00:02:35.870 --> 00:02:39.250 sure if this is a lieutenant or not. It's Cohen 00:02:39.250 --> 00:02:43.349 I Read it as cone and then I thought maybe it 00:02:43.349 --> 00:02:47.789 was Cohen, but it also wants my brain wants to 00:02:47.789 --> 00:02:53.509 say Korea, so Yeah Also, I totally forgot that 00:02:53.509 --> 00:02:56.659 they're in the Emory visit I thought they were 00:02:56.659 --> 00:02:59.039 back home like I am NOT oriented to where we 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:02.159 are in this book at all I wasn't sure either 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:03.819 because I was like wait a minute. Why is cone 00:03:03.819 --> 00:03:06.860 there? Because they're still at Emory's house 00:03:06.860 --> 00:03:10.080 after getting it on on the plane Right. I mean 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:13.080 so Cohen if you guys remember is the the leader 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:15.879 of the Pacific Northwest pack And the reason 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:17.719 that he's there with them at Emory's place is 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:20.759 because he and Emory are like related anyway 00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:27.400 So they went for a run. That's great. But then 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:31.039 Cohn fucks off and Lo kind of joins Misery in 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:34.500 the bathroom and she's like in the bathtub. And 00:03:34.500 --> 00:03:37.819 they just get into a nice like scene. They don't 00:03:37.819 --> 00:03:40.240 go all the way again, but they do fool around. 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:44.620 And that's enough for me, honestly. The scene 00:03:44.620 --> 00:03:47.900 was great. It's really sweet. I like the like 00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:50.599 lingering touches and then the escalation of 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:54.659 it. Yeah, and they're also doing that thing that 00:03:54.659 --> 00:03:56.319 I really like where they're having like intimate 00:03:56.319 --> 00:03:58.099 touch But then they're also just talking about 00:03:58.099 --> 00:04:00.740 like germ like I was gonna say germane That's 00:04:00.740 --> 00:04:03.599 not the right the right word, but just like pedestrian 00:04:03.599 --> 00:04:06.319 things like he's talking about the plan for the 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:09.360 night like Yeah, she's wondering about like what 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:11.979 color his fur is when he shifts like it's just 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:15.800 very it feels realistic when they do that Yeah, 00:04:15.800 --> 00:04:18.589 and it's a good way to deliver information while 00:04:18.589 --> 00:04:20.009 still giving me something that I'm interested 00:04:20.009 --> 00:04:24.029 in, like them fooling around. Right, exactly. 00:04:24.730 --> 00:04:26.930 So not long after they start to head home, they 00:04:26.930 --> 00:04:29.329 really only came there for one thing. On the 00:04:29.329 --> 00:04:31.610 surface, it was to like make peace with Emery, 00:04:31.649 --> 00:04:33.589 but really they planted that surveillance software 00:04:33.589 --> 00:04:36.670 from the end of part one. And Misery is thinking 00:04:36.670 --> 00:04:39.769 about what it took to plant that surveillance 00:04:39.769 --> 00:04:43.589 technology. And that is when she fed. not just 00:04:43.589 --> 00:04:45.829 from Lo for the first time, but from a person 00:04:45.829 --> 00:04:48.930 for the first time, like all the other times 00:04:48.930 --> 00:04:51.350 in her entire life before she's been eating from 00:04:51.350 --> 00:04:53.930 blood bags. And it's like not a thing for vampires 00:04:53.930 --> 00:04:56.930 in this world to feed from living people at all. 00:04:57.709 --> 00:05:01.490 Which I thought was interesting, no? I thought 00:05:01.490 --> 00:05:03.730 that was interesting, too, because, I mean, we'll 00:05:03.730 --> 00:05:08.370 get into the mates with the wares, but vampires 00:05:08.370 --> 00:05:12.550 from, like, start... Don't have like monogamous 00:05:12.550 --> 00:05:14.949 relationships and so there isn't really like 00:05:14.949 --> 00:05:17.850 a Mate bond so to speak because that I would 00:05:17.850 --> 00:05:19.610 associate with like feeding from that kind of 00:05:19.610 --> 00:05:21.350 like cyclical feeding that we get in other vampire 00:05:21.350 --> 00:05:24.370 books Mm -hmm, but I did think it was weird that 00:05:24.370 --> 00:05:27.410 I mean she kind of alludes to it I think of like 00:05:27.410 --> 00:05:30.350 sometimes it happens during sex, but it's not 00:05:30.350 --> 00:05:33.949 like It's not a primary source of food. I thought 00:05:33.949 --> 00:05:37.420 it was strange the vampires in this book honestly 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:39.259 don't need to be vampires. Like she could be 00:05:39.259 --> 00:05:43.100 anything. Right, yeah. That's why it struck me 00:05:43.100 --> 00:05:45.560 as a little odd. I don't think I've ever read 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:47.899 a vampire book where it's like, because it's 00:05:47.899 --> 00:05:50.360 described like you were saying, like it's taboo, 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:54.060 right? Like it's not, it's frowned upon by vampire 00:05:54.060 --> 00:05:57.120 society to like feed from a live human. I've 00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:00.079 never encountered a vampire book like that. And 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:04.000 it's, I kind of like it in this. Context because 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:06.199 it makes like what they did and like how she 00:06:06.199 --> 00:06:10.939 felt about it like Forbidden in some ways. Yeah, 00:06:10.939 --> 00:06:15.259 I Didn't mind it, but it was an odd. It's an 00:06:15.259 --> 00:06:16.920 odd choice to write a book about vampires and 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:22.759 make them not feed Yeah And not have superpowers 00:06:22.759 --> 00:06:25.360 they have they have nothing but sharp teeth and 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:29.600 pointy ears. Yeah a bunch of wet noodles a bunch 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:31.839 of wet noodles. That's why they're threatened 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:33.720 by the werewolves. Not because they're dying 00:06:33.720 --> 00:06:35.699 out, but because they're basically humans with 00:06:35.699 --> 00:06:38.519 pointy teeth. Yeah, that's really the thing. 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:42.360 Anyway, Misery is feeling some type of way about 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:44.180 it. And so as soon as they get home, she calls 00:06:44.180 --> 00:06:46.279 her brother Owen. Remember, Owen is her twin 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:49.279 brother. He's still living large in vampire society. 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:52.480 He's like their father's heir or whatever. And 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:57.420 she's like, this thing happened. What do? What 00:06:57.420 --> 00:07:00.430 it do? And he's like, look. If you keep doing 00:07:00.430 --> 00:07:05.269 that, you will catch feelings. Not only will 00:07:05.269 --> 00:07:07.970 you catch feelings, you'll develop a deep bond. 00:07:09.790 --> 00:07:11.870 And this is when we get a little bit more information 00:07:11.870 --> 00:07:16.769 about why it was discouraged. Because you form 00:07:16.769 --> 00:07:20.110 those attachments, it's discouraged in vampire 00:07:20.110 --> 00:07:22.930 society because they should be out reproducing, 00:07:23.230 --> 00:07:27.000 not like... Supporting monogamy right like they 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:28.600 should be fucking with everybody trying to see 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:32.040 if they can get literally anybody pregnant Yeah, 00:07:32.060 --> 00:07:40.600 which is Fine, I guess Yeah, so I It's so strange. 00:07:40.660 --> 00:07:43.500 It's it's it's especially strange in the context 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:46.420 of like This is the only way for vampires to 00:07:46.420 --> 00:07:50.060 reproduce is through like a natural birth Without 00:07:50.060 --> 00:07:52.579 like turning someone into a vampire. It's very 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:54.819 It's a very weird interpretation of vampires, 00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:57.800 I think. Yeah, I'm with you on that. And just 00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:00.680 like, OK, they're out fucking everyone to make 00:08:00.680 --> 00:08:04.379 babies. But couldn't you argue that if you have 00:08:04.379 --> 00:08:05.740 a deep bond with someone, you could just like 00:08:05.740 --> 00:08:09.600 fuck them a lot and make babies? Yeah, right, 00:08:09.660 --> 00:08:13.800 like. It's like a biological thing. You get to 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:16.759 find the fertile one like I don't I don't get 00:08:16.759 --> 00:08:22.779 it. Yeah. So. Owen ends the conversation by saying 00:08:22.779 --> 00:08:26.720 don't do it. Of course misery doesn't really 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:29.220 take that into advisement But we're not quite 00:08:29.220 --> 00:08:32.879 there yet. She's like sure Jen Sure sure Jen 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:37.620 The next thing that happens is that Anna Lowe's 00:08:37.620 --> 00:08:41.639 sister baby sister ostensibly Gets violently 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:44.559 ill and it's the first time that she's ever shown 00:08:44.559 --> 00:08:47.600 like fully human symptoms because where children 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:50.909 just like don't get sick like this And she's 00:08:50.909 --> 00:08:53.789 described I kind of inferred it to be like a 00:08:53.789 --> 00:08:56.629 bad flu because she's got like fever But she's 00:08:56.629 --> 00:09:00.950 also like throwing up Lethargic like all of those 00:09:00.950 --> 00:09:03.870 things. Yeah, I read just like a flu to me too 00:09:03.870 --> 00:09:08.409 a bad one, but a flu and So this happens immediately 00:09:08.409 --> 00:09:10.169 after they get back from the visit with Emory 00:09:10.169 --> 00:09:11.870 and like low is panicking and they don't know 00:09:11.870 --> 00:09:14.009 what to do and they don't Understand like human 00:09:14.009 --> 00:09:15.970 medicine because like I said, they don't need 00:09:15.970 --> 00:09:20.470 it. And so misery steps in and is like look I 00:09:20.470 --> 00:09:23.490 have this stuff. It's magical. It's called Dayquil. 00:09:23.789 --> 00:09:28.090 We should use that. Tamiflu. Maybe an antibiotic. 00:09:29.210 --> 00:09:33.950 Right. But thank you for this. And Anna recovers, 00:09:33.990 --> 00:09:39.850 which is great. Kind of crisis avoided. I was 00:09:39.850 --> 00:09:41.690 going to say, it was such a non -event. I thought 00:09:41.690 --> 00:09:44.289 this was going to be so much more serious. And 00:09:44.289 --> 00:09:47.779 really, I think. It serves to just make people 00:09:47.779 --> 00:09:50.539 trust misery more and that she cares about Anna, 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:52.840 but I think that was already established when 00:09:52.840 --> 00:09:54.720 she saved her from being literally kidnapped. 00:09:56.019 --> 00:09:59.000 Right. Like we already know that she's a liability. 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:05.840 Right. What this does serve is to give misery 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:11.370 and low like medium for them to develop closer 00:10:11.370 --> 00:10:15.529 emotional like intimacy because Lowe is a wreck 00:10:15.529 --> 00:10:19.470 like he is very obviously concerned that Anna 00:10:19.470 --> 00:10:21.090 is gonna die and he just doesn't know what to 00:10:21.090 --> 00:10:22.470 do with that information and he doesn't know 00:10:22.470 --> 00:10:24.730 how to act because he can't actually do anything 00:10:24.730 --> 00:10:27.889 to help her and so one night misery and lower 00:10:27.889 --> 00:10:32.389 staying up while Anna is sick and Lowe kneels 00:10:32.389 --> 00:10:36.259 in misery's lap and has his face just like Buried 00:10:36.259 --> 00:10:38.360 against her and is devastated and scared in a 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:41.039 way that he can't like carry alone and misery 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:45.399 gets to be there for him right and This is one 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:48.419 of the first times that they've But especially 00:10:48.419 --> 00:10:51.919 after the the bite that they are really truly 00:10:51.919 --> 00:10:54.940 acting like a partnership Yeah, and it's really 00:10:54.940 --> 00:10:57.519 nice to see I do like in the back half this book 00:10:57.519 --> 00:11:00.960 seeing their Relationship actually grow and seeing 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:03.620 their moments like just together not doing political 00:11:03.620 --> 00:11:09.100 things Right, exactly. So speaking of Anna, in 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:11.639 kind of the between times, like even before they 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:14.220 went to go see Emery and then also while Anna's 00:11:14.220 --> 00:11:18.779 kind of convalescing, there's like these interspersed... 00:11:18.730 --> 00:11:23.129 like investigation kind of montages with misery 00:11:23.129 --> 00:11:26.529 kind of working with the computer Ken that low 00:11:26.529 --> 00:11:30.429 has to Hack into systems and try to back their 00:11:30.429 --> 00:11:33.450 way into finding out who Anna's father could 00:11:33.450 --> 00:11:36.629 be and they finally do get kind of a hit here 00:11:36.629 --> 00:11:40.950 They've been cross -referencing like even vampire 00:11:40.950 --> 00:11:43.690 records and human records with werewolf records. 00:11:44.169 --> 00:11:48.669 And they've come to a name, which is Thomas Gelakis. 00:11:49.129 --> 00:11:52.129 And he's a man who appeared in Serena's interview 00:11:52.129 --> 00:11:55.470 records for a financial crime story, and who 00:11:55.470 --> 00:11:57.330 also turns out to have had a brief relationship 00:11:57.330 --> 00:12:01.350 with Lowe's mother years ago. He looks remarkably 00:12:01.350 --> 00:12:04.570 like Anna. They have the same dimples, the same 00:12:04.570 --> 00:12:07.450 wide mouth, the same hair color, and the resemblances. 00:12:07.740 --> 00:12:10.740 undeniable that Lo is like, this is the guy. 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:15.940 There he is. That's daddy. Yeah, the problem 00:12:15.940 --> 00:12:21.039 is Thomas has died in what is framed as a car 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:24.259 accident. But given given everything else is 00:12:24.259 --> 00:12:26.740 going on, that's not really something that the 00:12:26.740 --> 00:12:29.179 crew believes, especially because this happened 00:12:29.179 --> 00:12:35.220 like recently. Yeah, very suspicious. very suspicious, 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:40.159 but I also really liked how there was kind of 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:44.740 this whodunit through line here. Yeah, I liked 00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:47.580 that too, especially because, I mean, you confirmed 00:12:47.580 --> 00:12:51.059 this in part one, but my assumption about Serena 00:12:51.059 --> 00:12:54.679 and Anna's connection was not accurate, but I 00:12:54.679 --> 00:12:58.840 liked getting exactly that whodunit. Like, why 00:12:58.840 --> 00:13:01.159 does it matter? Why is Serena looking for Anna? 00:13:01.519 --> 00:13:04.490 And then... Why is this guy mysteriously dead? 00:13:05.669 --> 00:13:08.490 Right. And I liked that it was even more personal 00:13:08.490 --> 00:13:10.590 than I was starting to suspect. I was like, OK, 00:13:10.669 --> 00:13:13.230 well, maybe Serena is doing a story on it. Cool. 00:13:14.350 --> 00:13:16.389 She's a journalist, right? Are we silencing the 00:13:16.389 --> 00:13:18.950 media? Why is this one the thing that you're 00:13:18.950 --> 00:13:22.370 deciding to do that in? But I think we get a 00:13:22.370 --> 00:13:25.549 really satisfying answer to that. And I didn't 00:13:25.549 --> 00:13:28.970 see that coming. So even with my assumption that 00:13:28.970 --> 00:13:32.200 they were somehow related, they They're not related 00:13:32.200 --> 00:13:33.720 in the way I thought they were. And that was 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:38.899 a fun surprise. Right. Yeah. So in order to learn 00:13:38.899 --> 00:13:41.620 more information about this, they decide to get 00:13:41.620 --> 00:13:44.279 some time with Governor Davenport. You'll remember 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:47.759 from like the very beginning of part one, Governor 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:52.169 Davenport is the like exiting mayor and the humans 00:13:52.169 --> 00:13:54.830 have, you know, essentially elected this new 00:13:54.830 --> 00:13:58.250 woman to come in who's much more open to peace 00:13:58.250 --> 00:14:00.289 and like kind of shaking up how the status quo 00:14:00.289 --> 00:14:02.690 has been. Governor Davenport was very much a 00:14:02.690 --> 00:14:05.429 creature of misery's father. And it turns out 00:14:05.429 --> 00:14:07.610 he worked very closely with this Thomas guy. 00:14:08.210 --> 00:14:11.009 So Lowe secures them a dinner resi at the governor's 00:14:11.009 --> 00:14:20.000 house. He gets them this. Plan under the guise 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:22.519 of like bringing him a gift for some reason that 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:26.659 was not clear to me, honestly But there's this 00:14:26.659 --> 00:14:30.220 really cute irrelevant but cute montage of low 00:14:30.220 --> 00:14:32.840 and misery like looking for a gift for someone 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:34.720 that neither of them particularly like and it's 00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:37.519 just a cover story anyway, and I really enjoyed 00:14:37.519 --> 00:14:41.500 that scene I did too. I also found it relatable 00:14:41.500 --> 00:14:45.330 because like Hostess gifts are like one of those 00:14:45.330 --> 00:14:48.309 things that I love to give but I hate figuring 00:14:48.309 --> 00:14:54.230 out what it is Because it's hard It's hard. Yeah, 00:14:54.610 --> 00:14:56.870 because you want it to be like thoughtful, but 00:14:56.870 --> 00:14:59.610 not too much and you want it don't want it to 00:14:59.610 --> 00:15:02.129 be like Overbearing in a way that then makes 00:15:02.129 --> 00:15:03.870 the hostess uncomfortable, but you also don't 00:15:03.870 --> 00:15:06.830 want it to be a nothing burger. It's uncomfy 00:15:07.669 --> 00:15:09.649 Yeah, I think it's especially hard for people 00:15:09.649 --> 00:15:12.889 that I don't particularly know like I have a 00:15:12.889 --> 00:15:15.570 friend that lived nearby and every every time 00:15:15.570 --> 00:15:17.769 I would get her the same hostess gift Which was 00:15:17.769 --> 00:15:19.590 a bottle of champagne, which was her favorite 00:15:19.590 --> 00:15:23.149 thing It's so easy easy. That's not hard. Yeah, 00:15:23.149 --> 00:15:25.289 but like no bottle of wine is like my go -to 00:15:25.289 --> 00:15:27.750 Yeah, but like when you have a new neighbor and 00:15:27.750 --> 00:15:29.610 they invite you over or like you've met a new 00:15:29.610 --> 00:15:32.289 couple friend or whatever and you're like I know 00:15:32.289 --> 00:15:34.610 Negative amounts of information about these people 00:15:34.610 --> 00:15:37.500 like I don't know If you drink at all, because 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:39.299 like alcohol is my go -to because it's the easiest 00:15:39.299 --> 00:15:40.720 one. But like, what if you don't drink or what 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:43.240 if you don't like wine? Like, I'm not going to 00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:44.960 bring you an assortment of booze. Like, that's 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:48.460 weird. Right. And I can bring you apple juice, 00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:51.159 soap, or candles. But I don't know, like, what 00:15:51.159 --> 00:15:54.159 you like to smell. Exactly. And I also don't 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:56.059 want to bring you soap because then I think about 00:15:56.059 --> 00:15:58.340 it like, do you think I think you're stinky? 00:15:59.340 --> 00:16:03.259 Yeah, you need to bathe. Use this. It's just 00:16:03.259 --> 00:16:09.720 awkward. Anyway, back to the dinner. Davenport 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:13.639 is drunk and insufferable, as usual. But he does 00:16:13.639 --> 00:16:15.679 confirm that Thomas died in an accident. But 00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:19.039 then he doubles down on being an asshole by making 00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:21.539 a deeply misogynistic comment about Lowe's mother. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:24.620 And that prompts Lowe to slam him against the 00:16:24.620 --> 00:16:26.860 wall. And then we start getting a little bit 00:16:26.860 --> 00:16:29.519 more information. Governor Davenport says that 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:31.860 Thomas was killed to cover up financial crimes 00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:34.679 that he was investigating. And Lowe is just like, 00:16:34.750 --> 00:16:37.049 Thank you very much. That's all we needed. And 00:16:37.049 --> 00:16:42.909 they leave. Governor Davenport is such a strange 00:16:42.909 --> 00:16:45.210 character in this whole book. But I did like 00:16:45.210 --> 00:16:48.909 seeing Lo actually be Alpha. Like we haven't 00:16:48.909 --> 00:16:53.049 seen him be aggressive at all in any way. And 00:16:53.049 --> 00:16:55.210 it was satisfying to get like this. No, I can 00:16:55.210 --> 00:16:59.529 kill you. Right. Like this is a courtesy that 00:16:59.529 --> 00:17:04.660 you're alive. Yeah, exactly. Remember that. So 00:17:04.660 --> 00:17:07.440 on the drive back, Lowe floats the possibility 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:11.160 to Misery that Serena might have known about 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:13.559 Anna from another source and was just using that 00:17:13.559 --> 00:17:16.180 as leverage against Thomas for information on 00:17:16.180 --> 00:17:17.940 the financial crimes that he was committing and 00:17:17.940 --> 00:17:20.420 then she deliberately disappeared to protect 00:17:20.420 --> 00:17:23.000 herself. Misery considers this. She considers 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:25.079 the context of their last fight and she also 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:27.039 thinks about Serena's habit of dropping off the 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:30.589 radar. Not necessarily for like disappearing, 00:17:30.750 --> 00:17:32.329 she would always come back every once in a while, 00:17:32.390 --> 00:17:34.210 but she wonders if these were like test runs 00:17:34.210 --> 00:17:36.289 for her to eventually go into permanent hiding. 00:17:38.549 --> 00:17:41.690 She also then thinks about the fucking cat that 00:17:41.690 --> 00:17:43.769 Serena got three days before she disappeared, 00:17:44.049 --> 00:17:46.250 and she can't help but feel like that was either 00:17:46.250 --> 00:17:48.630 left behind as a deliberate signal or indicates 00:17:48.630 --> 00:17:51.490 that Serena didn't disappear by herself. Misery 00:17:51.490 --> 00:17:55.420 can't fully accept Lowe's... Hypothesis based 00:17:55.420 --> 00:17:57.980 on that information. She can't entirely deny 00:17:57.980 --> 00:17:59.599 it either. She just feels like it's not quite 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:04.680 the right fit and it's It isn't it isn't because 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:06.339 she's disappearing on purpose, right? But this 00:18:06.339 --> 00:18:08.259 one isn't on purpose But I still didn't make 00:18:08.259 --> 00:18:10.440 the connection until I was told as to why she 00:18:10.440 --> 00:18:16.059 disappears about once a month. I Know like we 00:18:16.059 --> 00:18:20.160 get told that at least twice and I It didn't 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:23.170 occur to me. Like I didn't clock it at all No, 00:18:23.230 --> 00:18:25.309 it was really well done because she's an investigative 00:18:25.309 --> 00:18:28.029 journalist. It makes sense that she would take 00:18:28.029 --> 00:18:30.170 a weekend here. They're like, go investigate. 00:18:31.170 --> 00:18:32.750 Right. I'm like, that's just you're traveling 00:18:32.750 --> 00:18:38.119 for work. Makes sense. Yeah. So a couple days 00:18:38.119 --> 00:18:41.319 later they meet Owen at a field near the vampire 00:18:41.319 --> 00:18:44.079 human border and he doesn't come alone He brings 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:46.440 Gabby who's the where collateral and remember 00:18:46.440 --> 00:18:49.420 Gabby is positioned as being Lowe's mate So misery 00:18:49.420 --> 00:18:52.319 spends the entire interaction like bracing herself 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:54.759 for the moment when Lowe is gonna be like Reunited 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:57.200 with his mate and that's gonna like really hurt 00:18:59.650 --> 00:19:03.750 Except that doesn't happen, and by now, anybody 00:19:03.750 --> 00:19:05.829 with eyes and two brain cells to rub together 00:19:05.829 --> 00:19:08.769 can understand why. But Misery doesn't really 00:19:08.769 --> 00:19:12.170 understand why, because Lo doesn't run for Gabi 00:19:12.170 --> 00:19:14.049 and embrace her. He stands staunchly next to 00:19:14.049 --> 00:19:16.329 Misery the whole time. And he goes further. He 00:19:16.329 --> 00:19:19.410 holds her hand. And he barely even knows anything 00:19:19.410 --> 00:19:23.569 about Gabi. He doesn't know. He misquotes what 00:19:23.569 --> 00:19:25.940 Gabi's going to school for. Which is something 00:19:25.940 --> 00:19:28.359 you would know about your mate, even if you weren't 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:30.759 together. Like, he barely notices Gabby. Like, 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:32.039 she wasn't even supposed to be in this meeting. 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:35.299 The meeting wasn't about them at all. And he's 00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:37.119 like, how are you doing? She's like, good. He's 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:38.240 like, all right, cool. Let me know if that changes. 00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:41.640 Toodles. Yeah, bye. He's checking in as, like, 00:19:41.700 --> 00:19:44.119 she's a member of his pack, and that's it. Yeah, 00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:48.119 that he's maybe met a couple times. Right. They're 00:19:48.119 --> 00:19:52.130 not even particularly close. No. And it's interesting, 00:19:52.230 --> 00:19:54.289 too, because the entire meeting is to talk about 00:19:54.289 --> 00:19:56.569 kind of where they're landing with this information, 00:19:56.609 --> 00:19:58.609 because they've decided to bring Owen into the 00:19:58.609 --> 00:20:00.049 fold on the information, because they think that 00:20:00.049 --> 00:20:03.529 he can get more information for the vampires, 00:20:03.750 --> 00:20:05.710 help them out in some way, that kind of thing. 00:20:06.009 --> 00:20:08.029 So they're talking about, like, other stuff, 00:20:08.049 --> 00:20:11.130 right? And Lo just does it, could not be bothered 00:20:11.130 --> 00:20:13.029 with Gabby. No, not at all. And so on the way 00:20:13.029 --> 00:20:16.650 home, it's here that Misery is finally like, 00:20:16.750 --> 00:20:20.200 OK, Gabby is clearly not his mate. And she finally 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:23.980 lets herself consider whether she's his mate 00:20:23.980 --> 00:20:26.980 instead. She does get to that a lot faster than 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:29.740 I thought she would. I mean, it's so painfully 00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:31.940 obvious, but I'm glad that she gets to it pretty 00:20:31.940 --> 00:20:35.740 quickly. Yeah, me too. I'm glad that she didn't 00:20:35.740 --> 00:20:37.660 spend the rest of the book still second guessing. 00:20:38.059 --> 00:20:41.279 Even when what's about to happen happens, she's 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:45.279 like, OK, he's just a dick. Yeah. Like what I 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:47.319 think is still probably true, he's just an asshole. 00:20:48.220 --> 00:20:51.779 Yeah, mm -hmm. Also because it comes up later 00:20:51.779 --> 00:20:55.779 part of that conversation is that Owen wants 00:20:55.779 --> 00:20:59.359 to take over their dad's Chancellor's seat and 00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:03.759 basically like take over control Which surprised 00:21:03.759 --> 00:21:07.460 me because he's been framed as this Dumbass this 00:21:07.460 --> 00:21:09.900 whole time, but he's actually pretty shrewd. 00:21:09.900 --> 00:21:11.759 I like knows what he's doing and cares about 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:17.329 people Yeah, I mean We should be clear too because 00:21:17.329 --> 00:21:19.509 like he is his father's heir, but he wants to 00:21:19.509 --> 00:21:23.769 like He wants to do a coup about it. He wants 00:21:23.769 --> 00:21:27.190 it now and he wants to do it differently right 00:21:27.190 --> 00:21:28.910 because he thinks his father's an idiot which 00:21:28.910 --> 00:21:36.200 like Agree. Yeah his father's the worst So they 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:38.160 continue on and they don't go home immediately 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:40.319 because since they're this close to the human 00:21:40.319 --> 00:21:42.839 territory They decide to check out misery's old 00:21:42.839 --> 00:21:44.640 apartment to see if they're they can have any 00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:47.400 other find any other clues About where Serena 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:51.539 might have gone But also low wants to see where 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:56.400 she used to live and Like this is kind of positioned 00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:57.859 as like he just wants to know all the things 00:21:57.859 --> 00:22:02.720 about her, but no you Really? It's just a setup 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:05.220 to get them alone in a place that smells like 00:22:05.130 --> 00:22:08.650 misery that drives Lowe nuts. He can't handle 00:22:08.650 --> 00:22:12.809 it. So Lowe is having a reaction to the space 00:22:12.809 --> 00:22:15.809 being completely like flooded with her scent 00:22:15.809 --> 00:22:19.089 and they end up finally consummating their relationship 00:22:19.089 --> 00:22:22.309 against the wall. Just a wall. I don't even know 00:22:22.309 --> 00:22:25.809 what wall it is and there's a couple of things 00:22:25.809 --> 00:22:28.470 about the scene that like don't really work for 00:22:28.470 --> 00:22:31.609 me. One of them is the fact that like Lowe's 00:22:31.819 --> 00:22:34.900 Personality just turns into kind of like a teddy 00:22:34.900 --> 00:22:39.039 bear frat boy thing like he's he's trying to 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:42.059 resist fucking her and he just says I can't just 00:22:42.059 --> 00:22:45.519 fuck you against this wall and I'm like Says 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:50.660 who? Also my gosh, she doesn't have a bed. So 00:22:50.660 --> 00:22:55.740 I Don't know what the options are There were 00:22:55.740 --> 00:22:58.400 you're fully like able to change the position 00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:02.009 if you wanted to there's a couch There were a 00:23:02.009 --> 00:23:04.069 few things I didn't like about this too. Mostly, 00:23:04.490 --> 00:23:06.829 I'm not actually not sure if it's here or a previous 00:23:06.829 --> 00:23:08.450 scene, but it doesn't really matter. They have 00:23:08.450 --> 00:23:11.250 this like, I think it's here. Before they get 00:23:11.250 --> 00:23:15.009 into it, they have this too long of a conversation 00:23:15.009 --> 00:23:17.490 about condoms and why they don't need them, which 00:23:17.490 --> 00:23:19.549 honestly didn't make any sense to me at all because 00:23:19.549 --> 00:23:21.809 Lo is like, we don't need condoms because we 00:23:21.809 --> 00:23:25.170 can't procreate even though we know that that 00:23:25.170 --> 00:23:27.349 is a thing, but also like we're never gonna have 00:23:27.349 --> 00:23:29.089 sex again, cause this was a mistake. It just 00:23:29.089 --> 00:23:34.269 doesn't. It went on for so long. Also, also, 00:23:34.329 --> 00:23:35.930 the other thing that I have to bring up here 00:23:35.930 --> 00:23:38.970 is, again, I don't remember if I've seen it earlier, 00:23:38.970 --> 00:23:41.930 but it's relevant later. She learns about his 00:23:41.930 --> 00:23:47.769 knot, which is not how I. Pictured it. OK, so. 00:23:48.970 --> 00:23:51.589 Wait, how did you picture it? I can't handle 00:23:51.589 --> 00:23:54.630 it. OK, so. You're blushing. Gentle reader. I 00:23:54.630 --> 00:23:57.250 know, I know. OK, so gentle reader, you've probably 00:23:57.250 --> 00:23:58.990 heard about nodding. We haven't covered any books 00:23:58.990 --> 00:24:01.950 with nodding in on this book before this book. 00:24:02.430 --> 00:24:05.069 I don't know how I pictured it, but it's not 00:24:05.069 --> 00:24:08.130 what it was explained to be in this book. And 00:24:08.130 --> 00:24:12.170 it is solely because of one word that Ali Hazelwood 00:24:12.170 --> 00:24:15.690 uses. It's like, OK, and maybe I'm wrong, but 00:24:15.690 --> 00:24:18.490 she uses the word inflates. And so that forced 00:24:18.490 --> 00:24:22.099 me to picture. a fucking pool ring around the 00:24:22.099 --> 00:24:25.519 bottom of his dick. So I'm just picturing this 00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:28.400 ring that inflates because of the word inflate 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:31.680 and I couldn't handle it for the whole rest of 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:35.359 the book. Yikes, yeah, no, that's, look, I get 00:24:35.359 --> 00:24:39.259 it. I also didn't love the word inflate. Inflate 00:24:39.259 --> 00:24:43.619 is a terrible word. It could have been like swell. 00:24:44.740 --> 00:24:47.720 Swell would be better. Swell would be better. 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:51.480 Yeah. and inflate just, it gives me the like, 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:54.400 like blowing up a balloon. I'm sure blowing in 00:24:54.400 --> 00:24:57.140 the mic wasn't super nice to hear. But I just, 00:24:58.259 --> 00:25:02.019 and I guess I pictured it, cause it's called 00:25:02.019 --> 00:25:03.920 a knot. So I guess before this, I pictured it 00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:08.619 like as like a little nubbin and not like a ring. 00:25:10.380 --> 00:25:15.559 Is it a ring? Okay. I pictured it as a nubbin. 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:17.240 Is it described as a ring in this book? Cause 00:25:17.240 --> 00:25:20.880 I don't remember. I don't know. I don't think 00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:25.079 it's clearly described. OK. Because I always 00:25:25.079 --> 00:25:29.299 pictured it as kind of like a hook. Just this 00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:32.380 under bulge thing that kind of just fills the 00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:37.579 space. Yeah. And then I think I don't think it's 00:25:37.579 --> 00:25:39.859 clearly described. That's probably how it's described. 00:25:39.980 --> 00:25:44.480 But inflate just made me think of a pool floaty. 00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:48.339 And then the way it's described later of like 00:25:48.619 --> 00:25:51.319 The purpose of it is so like he can't withdraw 00:25:51.319 --> 00:25:53.680 right, but that it's like inflates on the inside 00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:55.420 So it's like a seal and then I pictured like 00:25:55.420 --> 00:25:57.579 a gasket which also makes it a ring and I just 00:25:57.579 --> 00:26:05.539 couldn't get past it Yeah, very sorry Not not 00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:11.980 ideal pardon the language But I will say that 00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:15.000 like it is a good scene like besides all of the 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:17.079 stuff that we just complained about like It's 00:26:17.079 --> 00:26:20.599 hot. Yeah. And he doesn't he doesn't use his 00:26:20.599 --> 00:26:22.400 not right. Like he pulls out before that's a 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:26.380 thing. Yeah. It's just a thing later. But no, 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:29.299 it's great. I wasn't mad about it. I was just 00:26:29.299 --> 00:26:31.880 taken aback by my own mental imagery and I had 00:26:31.880 --> 00:26:35.160 to share it with everybody else. Yeah, no, I 00:26:35.160 --> 00:26:37.400 get it. And I know that our listeners appreciate 00:26:37.400 --> 00:26:41.359 it, too. Something they can't unhear. Yeah, I'm 00:26:41.359 --> 00:26:42.640 really sorry. Don't yell at me in the comments. 00:26:42.859 --> 00:26:45.440 Or do. I don't care. I like comments. Whatever. 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:49.359 Never read the comments. Yeah. So then, like, 00:26:49.359 --> 00:26:51.480 they're kind of in this afterglow. But then, 00:26:51.480 --> 00:26:54.720 like, Lo is acting weird immediately. And so 00:26:54.720 --> 00:26:57.599 Misery uses this as her golden opportunity to, 00:26:57.599 --> 00:27:01.000 like, accuse him of, like, Gabby not being his 00:27:01.000 --> 00:27:03.980 mate. And then she goes further and is like, 00:27:04.220 --> 00:27:07.880 is it me? Am I your mate? And then Lo just does 00:27:07.880 --> 00:27:10.700 the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Like, he 00:27:10.700 --> 00:27:15.440 does the false Like communication miscommunication 00:27:15.440 --> 00:27:17.819 trope thing where he's like you have the wrong 00:27:17.819 --> 00:27:20.400 impression of what's going on here Like you shouldn't 00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:22.660 talk about things like mate that you can't understand 00:27:22.660 --> 00:27:25.400 because you're not a werewolf and I'm like, oh, 00:27:25.440 --> 00:27:31.079 bruh rude He's fucking rude Not only does he 00:27:31.079 --> 00:27:35.309 say all of that, but then he just leaves Well, 00:27:35.309 --> 00:27:37.210 and he gets meaner before he leaves, too. He 00:27:37.210 --> 00:27:39.529 basically is like, you like the idea of a mate 00:27:39.529 --> 00:27:41.130 because you've been abandoned your whole life 00:27:41.130 --> 00:27:43.069 and no one's ever loved you, so that's why you 00:27:43.069 --> 00:27:46.289 want this from me, but you're wrong. Like, he's 00:27:46.289 --> 00:27:48.609 so mean, and then he's just like, you can't stay 00:27:48.609 --> 00:27:49.990 with me anymore, we'll find someone else for 00:27:49.990 --> 00:27:53.289 you. I gotta go, bye. Okay, the other thing he 00:27:53.289 --> 00:27:55.630 says, speaking of him getting meaner, is he's 00:27:55.630 --> 00:27:57.490 like, we should stop seeing each other. I'm like, 00:27:57.670 --> 00:28:01.750 you're married. Okay, that's the thing where 00:28:01.750 --> 00:28:03.799 he's like, well, you can't. You're going to have 00:28:03.799 --> 00:28:05.640 to just stay somewhere else. I'll find somewhere 00:28:05.640 --> 00:28:12.059 to put you, essentially. What? OK, thanks. Like, 00:28:12.099 --> 00:28:15.079 what the fuck? I just, it was so weird. It was 00:28:15.079 --> 00:28:18.059 such a choice. Like, it was definitely a vehicle 00:28:18.059 --> 00:28:20.759 to, like, add more tension and, like, put her 00:28:20.759 --> 00:28:23.160 on the back foot for what happens next. But even, 00:28:23.559 --> 00:28:25.599 even as he's doing this, like, she's in denial 00:28:25.599 --> 00:28:28.119 in her head. She's like, he doesn't mean this. 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:31.160 He's just like, Being a jerk and I don't know 00:28:31.160 --> 00:28:34.900 why but that's like he's lying right now. I Would 00:28:34.900 --> 00:28:37.079 have liked it better if she had because he gets 00:28:37.079 --> 00:28:40.779 a phone call which he's an excuse to leave I 00:28:40.779 --> 00:28:42.559 would have liked it better if she like asked 00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:44.319 the question Am I your mate and then he gets 00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:46.640 a phone call and leave suddenly without like 00:28:46.640 --> 00:28:50.119 gaslighting her I know because this this makes 00:28:50.119 --> 00:28:52.700 it very intentional and I just don't believe 00:28:52.700 --> 00:28:57.500 that His character would leave her alone Like, 00:28:57.680 --> 00:28:59.940 no, not with how protective he is, and especially 00:28:59.940 --> 00:29:03.200 now that, like, we do get confirmation later, 00:29:03.319 --> 00:29:05.259 like we thought in part one, that when that mate 00:29:05.259 --> 00:29:06.920 bond happens, like in all the other books, they 00:29:06.920 --> 00:29:10.039 kind of can't let their mate out of their sight. 00:29:10.099 --> 00:29:11.640 So the fact that he can like fuck her and just 00:29:11.640 --> 00:29:16.259 bounce doesn't make sense to me. No, not at all. 00:29:17.880 --> 00:29:21.059 So anyway, he leaves and he has one of his other 00:29:21.059 --> 00:29:24.630 guys, Mick, pick her up and. Mick has been in 00:29:24.630 --> 00:29:26.730 the story before we haven't named him yet, but 00:29:26.730 --> 00:29:31.609 he's like kind of an older werewolf like Like 00:29:31.609 --> 00:29:33.630 not general lieutenant is what this the word 00:29:33.630 --> 00:29:35.930 I'm looking for. He's like an older lieutenant 00:29:35.930 --> 00:29:40.630 in Lowe's kind of pack, but importantly he used 00:29:40.630 --> 00:29:45.210 to work for the old alpha the one that Lowe Challenged 00:29:45.210 --> 00:29:49.029 and like eventually defeated but he's like Presented 00:29:49.029 --> 00:29:51.730 is trustworthy. And so he picks her up and in 00:29:51.730 --> 00:29:56.690 the car like They're heading back to the werewolf 00:29:56.690 --> 00:30:00.730 territory, but they don't get very far when Mick 00:30:00.730 --> 00:30:04.009 like literally injects something into misery's 00:30:04.009 --> 00:30:12.849 neck. Oh I know this this felt I I felt the like 00:30:12.849 --> 00:30:15.730 The jacuz with this one because I did not see 00:30:15.730 --> 00:30:18.890 this one coming either. No because from the um 00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:21.839 Whenever misery first gets to the like where 00:30:21.839 --> 00:30:23.539 compound Mick is the only one who's immediately 00:30:23.539 --> 00:30:27.380 nice to her So right the betrayal is really well 00:30:27.380 --> 00:30:29.940 done because I I thought Mick was trustworthy 00:30:29.940 --> 00:30:34.420 I Did too and like I I thought because you know 00:30:34.420 --> 00:30:36.200 he had that other lieutenant in part one who 00:30:36.200 --> 00:30:38.980 was like Kind of a betrayal. I thought maybe 00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:42.880 computer Ken would also be a betrayer But I didn't 00:30:42.880 --> 00:30:45.720 see it coming from Mick Mick felt very much like 00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:49.440 Aaron's guard in the Plated Prisoner series Exactly. 00:30:49.440 --> 00:30:53.240 He's a Digby He's a Digby if Digby were a fucking 00:30:53.240 --> 00:30:59.819 traitor So this guy makes a fucking traitor and 00:30:59.819 --> 00:31:02.059 like this thing that he injected into misery 00:31:02.059 --> 00:31:04.160 makes her pass out And when she wakes up again, 00:31:04.180 --> 00:31:07.279 she's in an what's described as an attic which 00:31:07.279 --> 00:31:10.000 to me like and I'm gonna be fully honest listener 00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:12.200 like maybe I wasn't reading super closely but 00:31:12.200 --> 00:31:14.859 the impression that I have is like this is the 00:31:14.859 --> 00:31:19.839 home alone or like Christmas vacation like house 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:22.900 attic. That's exactly what I was picturing and 00:31:23.069 --> 00:31:25.690 Maybe we didn't read it closely enough, but I'm 00:31:25.690 --> 00:31:27.349 with you. The fact that they end up where they 00:31:27.349 --> 00:31:30.650 actually are doesn't make any sense. I know, 00:31:30.690 --> 00:31:34.390 I know. But besides being in an attic, she's 00:31:34.390 --> 00:31:40.589 not alone. Serena's there too. Which was shocking 00:31:40.589 --> 00:31:47.750 to me. Yeah, I... Gosh, I still have a lot of 00:31:47.750 --> 00:31:51.470 questions about where we land, but like, I did 00:31:51.470 --> 00:31:54.799 not see... Misery being taken and then held in 00:31:54.799 --> 00:31:59.140 the same place as Serena It turns out like it 00:31:59.140 --> 00:32:01.640 just seems like a bad idea on the captor part 00:32:01.640 --> 00:32:06.380 to put them together It's super is super is But 00:32:06.380 --> 00:32:08.220 like the other thing that's super weird about 00:32:08.220 --> 00:32:10.759 this is like Serena's been in this attic for 00:32:10.759 --> 00:32:16.940 months Yeah Maybe six months. I don't know a 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:20.740 long time It's a long time. It's it feels like 00:32:20.740 --> 00:32:22.779 the equivalent of being in solitary confinement 00:32:22.779 --> 00:32:26.160 to me. Yes. Yeah, because she has nothing to 00:32:26.160 --> 00:32:29.200 do. There's like books, but she basically says 00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:31.279 like, I'm not I haven't been out of here since 00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:35.160 I was put in here. Right. They've just no one 00:32:35.160 --> 00:32:38.480 talks to me like food through the door and like. 00:32:38.680 --> 00:32:40.619 I've been carving tally marks into the bookshelf 00:32:40.619 --> 00:32:43.619 based on how long I think I've been here. But 00:32:43.619 --> 00:32:45.700 there's no windows or anything in this room, 00:32:45.720 --> 00:32:47.640 so I don't know how she's telling time. Maybe 00:32:47.640 --> 00:32:50.319 just by the meals. Maybe just by the meals. It 00:32:50.319 --> 00:32:55.480 sounds horrendous. She's honestly fine for being 00:32:55.480 --> 00:32:58.039 in isolation for six months, three months, whatever. 00:32:58.180 --> 00:33:01.279 Yeah, mentally very sound and doesn't have any 00:33:01.279 --> 00:33:03.680 physical atrophy either. She's very resilient. 00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:08.519 Yeah, she's fine. So she doesn't know where they 00:33:08.519 --> 00:33:11.400 are, but she does know that they're high up and 00:33:11.400 --> 00:33:16.339 that the guards are werewolves. And they won't 00:33:16.339 --> 00:33:19.000 come inside. So immediately I was like, okay, 00:33:19.240 --> 00:33:22.660 Emory slash like the old alpha faction, right? 00:33:23.160 --> 00:33:25.220 Yeah, that makes sense to me. It's the loyalists 00:33:25.220 --> 00:33:27.500 or whatever they're called. So they catch up 00:33:27.500 --> 00:33:30.059 on what's been going on. Misery tells Serena 00:33:30.059 --> 00:33:32.519 that she's been kind of following her trail and 00:33:32.519 --> 00:33:35.359 she found the name L .E. Moreland and so she's 00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:37.579 kind of like filled her in on the fact that she's 00:33:37.579 --> 00:33:41.240 now married to an alpha named Lowe Moreland and 00:33:41.240 --> 00:33:43.759 that she knows about Anna and all of this stuff. 00:33:44.519 --> 00:33:46.160 Serena says that's great because she knew that 00:33:46.160 --> 00:33:48.259 Misery would come looking and she purposefully 00:33:48.259 --> 00:33:52.119 left that as a signal. So they hatch a plan, 00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:54.319 like a really quick plan to escape despite the 00:33:54.319 --> 00:33:57.319 fact that they haven't really talked about Like 00:33:57.319 --> 00:34:02.140 why Serena has left those breadcrumbs? Yeah, 00:34:02.339 --> 00:34:04.500 that was a this is where the Scooby Doo of it 00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:08.800 all starts. Yeah, because they're like, OK, great, 00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:10.860 good catch up. We can we can catch up later. 00:34:10.940 --> 00:34:12.619 Like, let's get out of here. And so they lure 00:34:12.619 --> 00:34:16.159 one of the guards like into the room claiming 00:34:16.159 --> 00:34:19.760 that misery is dying. And so then Serena like 00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:22.159 jumps in and then misery attempts to put a thrall 00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:25.639 on him like she did for that other guy who the 00:34:25.639 --> 00:34:28.559 other werewolf who tried to kidnap Ada or Ana, 00:34:29.199 --> 00:34:35.380 Ana, Ana, Ana, Ana. What's her name? So she partially 00:34:35.380 --> 00:34:38.260 gets, she partially is able to throw this guard, 00:34:39.420 --> 00:34:42.119 but it's not completely worked. So Serena has 00:34:42.119 --> 00:34:46.179 to go like full torture chamber and start snapping 00:34:46.179 --> 00:34:49.400 his fingers, like breaking them in order to get 00:34:49.400 --> 00:34:54.269 him to cooperate. Yeah, that was wild. Don't 00:34:54.269 --> 00:34:57.530 really know why she even needed misery to be 00:34:57.530 --> 00:35:01.389 part of this Yeah, she seems like she could handle 00:35:01.389 --> 00:35:04.750 it just fine So they get the guard to go further 00:35:04.750 --> 00:35:06.929 into the room and they end up locking him in 00:35:06.929 --> 00:35:11.409 there Poor guy has a handful of broken fingers 00:35:11.409 --> 00:35:14.969 Yeah, good luck. Sorry Bob So they're out in 00:35:14.969 --> 00:35:16.690 the hallway, right? And they're immediately in 00:35:16.690 --> 00:35:19.170 a recognizable building to misery and she realizes 00:35:19.170 --> 00:35:22.139 that they are in the vampire headquarters that 00:35:22.139 --> 00:35:24.940 skyscraper that's like on the edge of human territory. 00:35:25.719 --> 00:35:27.739 Which is weird because they were described as 00:35:27.739 --> 00:35:32.460 being in like a wooden attic. Yeah, and being 00:35:32.460 --> 00:35:36.559 kept by werewolves. Yeah, that's the other thing 00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:38.179 that I don't think we ever really get to explain. 00:35:39.900 --> 00:35:46.599 No, no. So they're like, okay weird we still 00:35:46.599 --> 00:35:48.300 have to leave but before they can get to the 00:35:48.300 --> 00:35:51.420 exit Vanya steps out and like is going to detain 00:35:51.420 --> 00:35:55.059 them and remember Vanya is Misery's dad's like 00:35:55.059 --> 00:36:00.179 right -hand vampire woman person Yeah, she's 00:36:00.179 --> 00:36:01.860 terrible I'm glad she's dead I think she's dead 00:36:01.860 --> 00:36:05.079 who knows Yeah, a lot of people die. I don't 00:36:05.079 --> 00:36:08.639 I don't really keep close Close track. No one 00:36:08.639 --> 00:36:14.440 dies Yeah so vania takes them to misery's father's 00:36:14.440 --> 00:36:19.360 office and He does like the quintessential like 00:36:19.360 --> 00:36:23.840 evil mastermind like long monologue speech Because 00:36:23.840 --> 00:36:25.480 that's just how he operates and that's how he 00:36:25.480 --> 00:36:27.679 set up in this book But it's super annoying and 00:36:27.679 --> 00:36:29.719 even in misery's internal monologue. She's like 00:36:29.719 --> 00:36:37.030 here we go He's insufferable So we get some answers. 00:36:37.269 --> 00:36:40.170 We learned that Governor Davenport has been under 00:36:40.170 --> 00:36:44.690 his thrall for decades. And that's how he's been 00:36:44.690 --> 00:36:46.670 able to keep the human vampire alliance stable, 00:36:47.010 --> 00:36:49.650 which is just through manipulation and planting 00:36:49.650 --> 00:36:51.730 seeds of discord between humans and werewolves 00:36:51.730 --> 00:36:56.130 wherever it seemed convenient. He has known about 00:36:56.130 --> 00:36:59.889 Anna for years through Davenport because Davenport 00:36:59.889 --> 00:37:03.230 knew Thomas. What we also learn is that Serena 00:37:03.230 --> 00:37:08.019 is like Anna, too. Not her sister, but just half 00:37:08.019 --> 00:37:12.159 -ware, half -human. And Misery's father knew 00:37:12.159 --> 00:37:14.659 about that. And so he specifically planted Serena 00:37:14.659 --> 00:37:17.940 with Misery as a friend, but also to monitor 00:37:17.940 --> 00:37:20.420 her. Because they were really sure. He doesn't 00:37:20.420 --> 00:37:22.000 know, since there's only two instances of this, 00:37:22.000 --> 00:37:23.480 and we talked about that at length in part one, 00:37:23.940 --> 00:37:26.179 why now? Why just two? I don't know. I wish I 00:37:26.179 --> 00:37:29.280 could tell you. But they don't know if, like, 00:37:29.280 --> 00:37:31.699 these human -ware hybrids are like... going to 00:37:31.699 --> 00:37:33.199 do anything, right? Like, they don't even know 00:37:33.199 --> 00:37:35.619 how long they're going to live, really. Yeah, 00:37:35.659 --> 00:37:39.860 or if they have any power at all. Right. And 00:37:39.860 --> 00:37:41.940 so we learned that the car accident that Thomas 00:37:41.940 --> 00:37:44.800 and his dad was in was not an accident. It was 00:37:44.800 --> 00:37:48.460 orchestrated by Misery's father through the governor 00:37:48.460 --> 00:37:51.380 directly, through this thrall connection that 00:37:51.380 --> 00:37:54.190 he's had with them. We also learned that he tried 00:37:54.190 --> 00:37:56.690 to have misery killed on at least one occasion, 00:37:56.769 --> 00:37:59.110 and the plan there was he wanted to send Lo into 00:37:59.110 --> 00:38:01.869 so much grief that he could grab Anna himself. 00:38:02.369 --> 00:38:05.809 Thereby confirming that they are mates, and Daddy 00:38:05.809 --> 00:38:08.789 knew that. Somehow? Yes, exactly. Why does Daddy 00:38:08.789 --> 00:38:11.409 know that? Somehow? Well, I think Daddy knows 00:38:11.409 --> 00:38:13.369 that because of Mick, right? Because Mick is 00:38:13.369 --> 00:38:17.329 acting under... Oh, yeah, yeah. Or for him, right? 00:38:17.769 --> 00:38:21.980 Yeah. And everyone can see it. Well, yeah, I 00:38:21.980 --> 00:38:24.739 mean if you have eyes you could see it except 00:38:24.739 --> 00:38:29.000 for misery this whole this whole explanation 00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:31.900 honestly lost me and I didn't really care but 00:38:31.900 --> 00:38:37.659 It was it was a lot Yeah, and so like one of 00:38:37.659 --> 00:38:39.960 the things that we get to understand is that 00:38:39.960 --> 00:38:44.119 the only reason that Mick is working with Misery's 00:38:44.119 --> 00:38:47.099 dad is because of something that he thought happened 00:38:47.099 --> 00:38:49.679 to his son, but like that whole thing was orchestrated 00:38:49.679 --> 00:38:51.960 by Misery's dad anyway, and it doesn't make sense 00:38:51.960 --> 00:38:54.420 that he would be like genuinely trying to work 00:38:54.420 --> 00:38:57.360 against Lo, but that's how it's presented. And 00:38:57.360 --> 00:38:59.820 so like the motivation for Mick and honestly 00:38:59.820 --> 00:39:02.639 some of the other werewolves that are like working 00:39:02.639 --> 00:39:08.280 for Misery's dad didn't make sense to me. Yeah, 00:39:08.280 --> 00:39:10.219 that's where it lost me too. I didn't understand 00:39:10.219 --> 00:39:13.510 why there were so many werewolves. in this plot. 00:39:14.929 --> 00:39:18.150 Yeah, like there doesn't you could you could 00:39:18.150 --> 00:39:20.250 have just paid me to bring you misery and then 00:39:20.250 --> 00:39:22.989 the other guards could have been human, you know. 00:39:23.590 --> 00:39:29.389 Yeah, or vampire. Right. Yeah. But anyway, this 00:39:29.389 --> 00:39:31.449 speech is interrupted because Lowe comes in. 00:39:31.449 --> 00:39:34.369 He's being let in by Owen and he's also in handcuffs, 00:39:34.409 --> 00:39:37.730 which seems like how did we get here? Right. 00:39:39.099 --> 00:39:42.280 But this is where it feels like Owen is in on 00:39:42.280 --> 00:39:45.360 the plan with his dad and like betrayed both 00:39:45.360 --> 00:39:49.119 of them. And maybe that also happened. And it's 00:39:49.119 --> 00:39:51.840 like it's a double betrayal because at some point 00:39:51.840 --> 00:39:55.619 he just lets Lo go into the fray too. This is 00:39:55.619 --> 00:39:57.360 where I read it too fast and I was like, I'm 00:39:57.360 --> 00:40:02.300 sorry. What side is Owen on? Yeah, because he's 00:40:02.300 --> 00:40:06.219 like. The Owen and misery's dad is very much 00:40:06.219 --> 00:40:08.599 like, oh, yes, thank you for doing this thing. 00:40:09.050 --> 00:40:12.670 But, like, we learn later that, like, Owen and 00:40:12.670 --> 00:40:14.489 Lo were in on this plan together. So, like, I 00:40:14.489 --> 00:40:15.929 don't... That didn't make a whole lot of sense. 00:40:16.789 --> 00:40:20.329 But... No. So now that Lo has entered the chat, 00:40:21.570 --> 00:40:23.349 Misery's father uses this as an opportunity to 00:40:23.349 --> 00:40:25.750 try to get his hands on Anna once again. He threatens 00:40:25.750 --> 00:40:28.889 Misery's life so that Lo will choose his mate 00:40:28.889 --> 00:40:32.610 over Anna. But this is where kind of things go 00:40:32.610 --> 00:40:36.210 crazy pretty quickly, because Lo doesn't want 00:40:36.210 --> 00:40:40.269 to make a decision. But Serena is just kind of 00:40:40.269 --> 00:40:42.190 over in the corner. She's being held by a different 00:40:42.190 --> 00:40:47.969 vampire, but she is apparently She's been using 00:40:47.969 --> 00:40:50.329 the last couple of months that she's been in 00:40:50.329 --> 00:40:52.409 prison to like practice her werewolf abilities 00:40:52.409 --> 00:40:55.389 and remember at this point We don't know if she 00:40:55.389 --> 00:40:59.050 or Anna can shift but she mouths the the words 00:40:59.050 --> 00:41:03.110 I can shift to misery and Misery like signals 00:41:03.110 --> 00:41:07.230 to low that something's gonna happen And then 00:41:07.230 --> 00:41:09.570 all hell breaks loose, right? Like, Owen lets 00:41:09.570 --> 00:41:14.769 Lo go. Serena shifts into a werewolf. Misery 00:41:14.769 --> 00:41:17.409 gets away from her father. Owen starts fighting 00:41:17.409 --> 00:41:20.269 his father. Werewolves, like, shift from other 00:41:20.269 --> 00:41:22.550 places and start fighting vampires, and vampires 00:41:22.550 --> 00:41:25.489 are fighting werewolves. Like, it's just... It's 00:41:25.489 --> 00:41:27.849 chaos out here, Tom. It's chaos when it's over 00:41:27.849 --> 00:41:31.710 so fast. Like, she cues Lo in, and then they 00:41:31.710 --> 00:41:33.510 both shift, and then the walls are covered in 00:41:33.510 --> 00:41:35.489 blood, and then it's, like, four hours later. 00:41:36.960 --> 00:41:41.280 Yeah. Yeah, it's like four hours later. It's 00:41:41.280 --> 00:41:45.380 like four hours later. And like, we see so much 00:41:45.380 --> 00:41:48.099 of the aftermath cleanup that I wish we didn't. 00:41:48.219 --> 00:41:52.079 We see so, so much of it. I did like the way 00:41:52.079 --> 00:41:55.260 it was revealed that I like this back to back 00:41:55.260 --> 00:41:57.119 that not only is Serena werewolf, but she can 00:41:57.119 --> 00:42:00.340 shift. And I liked the way that Misery reveals 00:42:00.340 --> 00:42:05.139 that too low without being like, she can shift. 00:42:05.340 --> 00:42:08.219 Like, it's pretty selfie, and I enjoyed that. 00:42:09.219 --> 00:42:11.980 Yeah, I liked that too. I also, one of the things 00:42:11.980 --> 00:42:13.940 about the aftermath cleanup that I really liked 00:42:13.940 --> 00:42:17.840 was that we get information, we don't see this 00:42:17.840 --> 00:42:19.880 happening, but we get information that Serena 00:42:19.880 --> 00:42:22.059 is having trouble shifting back into her human 00:42:22.059 --> 00:42:23.679 form because she just doesn't know how to do 00:42:23.679 --> 00:42:26.039 that yet. And so she's with one of the other, 00:42:26.039 --> 00:42:28.739 like, female werewolves, and she's trying to, 00:42:28.980 --> 00:42:31.599 like, talk Serena through, like, how to get from 00:42:31.599 --> 00:42:34.619 one form to the other. Yeah, because she's not 00:42:34.619 --> 00:42:40.280 super fluent on it yet. Yeah. I liked that. We 00:42:40.280 --> 00:42:44.119 also get confirmation in this wrap up that some 00:42:44.119 --> 00:42:45.940 of the vampires in the room were on Owen's side, 00:42:45.960 --> 00:42:49.559 and that's why they were easily able to overpower 00:42:49.559 --> 00:42:53.019 their father and some of the loyalists. And going 00:42:53.019 --> 00:42:54.440 back to the conversation that they had in the 00:42:54.440 --> 00:42:56.739 field with Gabby, Owen's been planning this for 00:42:56.739 --> 00:42:58.599 a while now, and this was the coup that he was 00:42:58.599 --> 00:43:01.900 trying to put together. It just all happened 00:43:01.900 --> 00:43:06.980 to work out. Yeah, so Owen takes misery to see 00:43:06.980 --> 00:43:11.099 their father and Lo is there too and this is 00:43:11.099 --> 00:43:14.400 essentially when we get like the closure scene 00:43:14.400 --> 00:43:19.500 because Misery and Owen essentially tell their 00:43:19.500 --> 00:43:22.639 dad like you suck and Owen in particular is like 00:43:22.639 --> 00:43:24.599 I'm gonna take your speed your spot I'm gonna 00:43:24.599 --> 00:43:27.039 undo every single thing that you've done. Like 00:43:27.039 --> 00:43:29.900 I'm gonna broker real alliances. I'm gonna dismantle 00:43:29.900 --> 00:43:32.420 like all of your bullshit. I'm going to scatter 00:43:32.420 --> 00:43:36.880 your ashes at all of the borders. And like, no 00:43:36.880 --> 00:43:38.659 one's going to remember your name or if they 00:43:38.659 --> 00:43:39.940 do, they're going to remember what an asshole 00:43:39.940 --> 00:43:46.139 you were. Nice. When Owen finishes his speech, 00:43:46.139 --> 00:43:48.500 he asks Misery if she has anything else to add. 00:43:49.059 --> 00:43:51.739 And she gives her father a long look and realizes 00:43:51.739 --> 00:43:53.420 that it's just not worth her time. And so she 00:43:53.420 --> 00:43:56.219 says, no, I'm good. And just walks out of the 00:43:56.219 --> 00:44:02.500 room. She's like, no, bye. Yeah. Which I appreciated. 00:44:03.760 --> 00:44:05.599 I appreciated that too, because I think it's 00:44:05.599 --> 00:44:08.219 like, like she's been controlled by him for her 00:44:08.219 --> 00:44:09.820 entire life. I just think that it's beautiful 00:44:09.820 --> 00:44:13.940 that she got to make that choice. Exactly. So 00:44:13.940 --> 00:44:16.579 later that night, or I guess it's the early morning 00:44:16.579 --> 00:44:20.000 because they're technically nocturnal, Misery 00:44:20.000 --> 00:44:21.619 goes to sleep in her childhood bedroom because 00:44:21.619 --> 00:44:25.360 remember they're in the vampire nest situation. 00:44:26.079 --> 00:44:28.039 And she wakes up at some point and Serena is 00:44:28.039 --> 00:44:31.000 next to her. they have like a real conversation, 00:44:31.139 --> 00:44:33.199 not like a, hey, we should get out of here conversation, 00:44:33.420 --> 00:44:34.940 hey, our lives are in danger conversation, but 00:44:34.940 --> 00:44:38.659 like a conversation about why Serena kept everything 00:44:38.659 --> 00:44:41.880 a secret, the fight that they had when she disappeared, 00:44:42.699 --> 00:44:45.760 and about the fear that like, not just misery 00:44:45.760 --> 00:44:48.099 had when Serena left, but that Serena had figuring 00:44:48.099 --> 00:44:50.019 out all of the stuff about herself because she 00:44:50.019 --> 00:44:53.510 was essentially doing it alone. Yeah, this is 00:44:53.510 --> 00:44:55.050 when we get confirmation that when she would 00:44:55.050 --> 00:44:57.329 disappear for a couple days at a time every month 00:44:57.329 --> 00:45:00.610 that that was when she was feeling those the 00:45:00.610 --> 00:45:02.769 where side of her come out it was in Congress 00:45:02.769 --> 00:45:07.489 with the the full moon and the moon cycles and 00:45:07.489 --> 00:45:09.849 Misery eventually asks her like why didn't you 00:45:09.849 --> 00:45:14.570 confide in me and Serena's like I didn't know 00:45:14.570 --> 00:45:17.789 what to tell you Right. Like I wasn't even sure 00:45:17.789 --> 00:45:20.230 for a long time what was happening. And then 00:45:20.230 --> 00:45:22.329 when I did know what it was, I was afraid to 00:45:22.329 --> 00:45:24.110 say it, which is why they got into that fight. 00:45:24.730 --> 00:45:26.230 Serena was feeling cornered. She was feeling 00:45:26.230 --> 00:45:29.329 like she had to tell misery and she wasn't ready 00:45:29.329 --> 00:45:34.030 to. And that's why she stormed off. I appreciated 00:45:34.030 --> 00:45:35.670 that, because I'd be pretty mad if you were a 00:45:35.670 --> 00:45:37.429 werewolf and you didn't tell me. But I felt like 00:45:37.429 --> 00:45:40.670 that was a valid reason. Yeah, I would, too. 00:45:40.869 --> 00:45:42.650 I mean, she essentially is saying, like, I just 00:45:42.650 --> 00:45:44.210 wasn't ready. Like, it's not that I wasn't going 00:45:44.210 --> 00:45:46.289 to tell you, I just wasn't ready to. Like, I 00:45:46.289 --> 00:45:47.650 didn't even know what to say, because I didn't 00:45:47.650 --> 00:45:49.329 even know if that's what really was happening. 00:45:50.469 --> 00:45:54.590 Yeah, exactly. In the following days, there's, 00:45:54.590 --> 00:45:57.090 like, business happening, right? And misery doesn't 00:45:57.090 --> 00:46:00.070 see much of Lo at all. Remember, they're still 00:46:00.070 --> 00:46:02.110 operating from the last time they really talked 00:46:02.110 --> 00:46:04.030 to each other was right after they had sex, and 00:46:04.030 --> 00:46:06.349 he told her that, like, she's got it wrong, like, 00:46:06.449 --> 00:46:08.929 they're not in love, and they're not mates. And 00:46:08.929 --> 00:46:11.750 he hates her. He never says that, but listen. 00:46:12.960 --> 00:46:15.679 Mean effectively and like I just like can y 'all 00:46:15.679 --> 00:46:17.380 just have a fucking conversation like low you 00:46:17.380 --> 00:46:19.300 can't take five minutes out of your busy fucking 00:46:19.300 --> 00:46:23.039 schedule Right to talk about this especially 00:46:23.039 --> 00:46:24.679 because this girl doesn't even know where she 00:46:24.679 --> 00:46:28.559 is allowed to be anymore Yeah, like she doesn't 00:46:28.559 --> 00:46:30.860 want to stay in the nest like Owen legitimately 00:46:30.860 --> 00:46:33.820 asks her like hey Do you want dad's spot like 00:46:33.820 --> 00:46:36.949 I don't have to have it like you could? be a 00:46:36.949 --> 00:46:39.190 symbol for vampires. And she's like, no, girl, 00:46:39.269 --> 00:46:42.989 I don't like you guys. Like, I don't want to 00:46:42.989 --> 00:46:46.829 be anywhere near any of you. Yeah. But then also, 00:46:47.909 --> 00:46:52.590 like, Lo just, like, leaves the nest or, like, 00:46:52.690 --> 00:46:55.369 the vampire headquarters. He just, like, goes 00:46:55.369 --> 00:46:58.690 home. And so she's like, I guess I'm going to 00:46:58.690 --> 00:47:01.670 go back to the house that I was living in for 00:47:01.670 --> 00:47:05.250 the last couple of months with Lo and, like, 00:47:05.289 --> 00:47:12.630 See what's up there Yeah Am I really kind of 00:47:12.630 --> 00:47:15.010 a sad internal monologue because she's like you 00:47:15.010 --> 00:47:17.210 said like she doesn't know where she belongs 00:47:17.210 --> 00:47:18.969 anymore She doesn't even know where she's allowed 00:47:18.969 --> 00:47:23.670 to be Yeah, it's really sad and I feel like I 00:47:23.670 --> 00:47:26.849 Really didn't like low for a while in here because 00:47:26.849 --> 00:47:29.590 he leaves that even like telling her he's leaving 00:47:29.590 --> 00:47:34.250 Right exactly. He just poofs God goes away. Like 00:47:34.250 --> 00:47:38.750 I guess we Broke up. Even though we're married. 00:47:39.909 --> 00:47:41.389 Even though we're married. I mean, I guess you 00:47:41.389 --> 00:47:42.909 get it. You should serve me with divorce papers 00:47:42.909 --> 00:47:45.429 at least. Like, come on. Just have a conversation 00:47:45.429 --> 00:47:51.130 at the very least. Yeah. So she gets back to 00:47:51.130 --> 00:47:53.449 the house and she goes to her room and she finds 00:47:53.449 --> 00:47:56.050 that, like, all of her shit is packed up in boxes. 00:47:56.550 --> 00:47:59.150 And she's like, cool. So I am getting kicked 00:47:59.150 --> 00:48:02.190 out. This is awesome. I love this. I love this 00:48:02.190 --> 00:48:05.579 for me. But she goes. But she goes to find Lo, 00:48:05.820 --> 00:48:09.639 and when she finds him, he explains that he's 00:48:09.639 --> 00:48:11.880 not kicking her out. He's having the windows 00:48:11.880 --> 00:48:14.219 treated with UV glass so that they don't have 00:48:14.219 --> 00:48:17.300 to have the windows boarded up during the daytime, 00:48:17.619 --> 00:48:19.780 much like the skyscraper where the vampires live 00:48:19.780 --> 00:48:23.139 in the city. He was packing up her things because 00:48:23.139 --> 00:48:26.760 he wanted to protect her belongings. Oh, I didn't 00:48:26.760 --> 00:48:30.659 think that was cute. I thought it was cute, too, 00:48:30.659 --> 00:48:35.960 but I was like, can you just say that? before 00:48:35.960 --> 00:48:38.519 Like you left this girl thinking that she doesn't 00:48:38.519 --> 00:48:42.599 even have a home to go home to I'm waiting for 00:48:42.599 --> 00:48:47.400 to show us like it's weird It's very weird. I 00:48:47.400 --> 00:48:50.260 just I was like, okay, it's I know it's for the 00:48:50.260 --> 00:48:53.099 plot It's for the angst, but I was like, but 00:48:53.099 --> 00:48:55.719 also this is happening like the last chapter 00:48:55.719 --> 00:48:57.840 of the book So it's for the angst, but I also 00:48:57.840 --> 00:49:01.739 wanted to get figured out Yeah, I wanted it to 00:49:01.739 --> 00:49:05.239 get figured out So one thing that I really liked 00:49:05.239 --> 00:49:07.619 about this conversation is that misery isn't 00:49:07.619 --> 00:49:10.179 like Asking for permission anymore. She's like 00:49:10.179 --> 00:49:12.480 she confronts low and she's like look I'm in 00:49:12.480 --> 00:49:14.380 love with you and I'm staying and like I'm gonna 00:49:14.380 --> 00:49:17.460 be in Anna's life and like You can stop being 00:49:17.460 --> 00:49:19.980 an idiot about it, please Yeah, like take it 00:49:19.980 --> 00:49:24.119 or leave it Right and then low after about a 00:49:24.119 --> 00:49:26.760 book's worth of trying to like deny this and 00:49:26.760 --> 00:49:29.900 like do it the wrong way He's like, okay. Yeah, 00:49:29.900 --> 00:49:31.619 you're right. You're my mate. Let's be in love 00:49:35.340 --> 00:49:37.480 Stupid. Just feel like we didn't have to have 00:49:37.480 --> 00:49:42.199 quite so much angst. Right. And this is where 00:49:42.199 --> 00:49:44.380 he says that the things that he said in the apartment 00:49:44.380 --> 00:49:48.059 were to protect her from the weight of being 00:49:48.059 --> 00:49:52.079 his mate. And he didn't want her to feel like 00:49:52.079 --> 00:49:54.980 she owed him anything. And I'm like, OK, there's 00:49:54.980 --> 00:49:57.019 a different way to do this, guys. I promise. 00:49:57.579 --> 00:50:01.019 You could acknowledge. You could just say that. 00:50:01.079 --> 00:50:03.920 Right? Like, yep, you're my mate. But like, I 00:50:03.920 --> 00:50:05.280 can live without you. Like, you don't have to 00:50:05.280 --> 00:50:07.920 be part of this. Like, you can just say that. 00:50:07.980 --> 00:50:12.159 You can just say the truth. Yeah, I just... You 00:50:12.159 --> 00:50:14.099 don't have to pull out her deepest insecurities. 00:50:15.260 --> 00:50:17.880 I know, right? You didn't have to go so deep. 00:50:18.360 --> 00:50:22.119 Like, so low. Jesus Christ. They make up, and 00:50:22.119 --> 00:50:25.900 we do get some really nice, like, we're basking 00:50:25.900 --> 00:50:28.219 in the glory of our love sex scenes, which is 00:50:28.219 --> 00:50:30.320 really great, especially because we get a roof 00:50:30.320 --> 00:50:34.630 of... revisiting of the nodding. Yes. And despite 00:50:34.630 --> 00:50:37.530 the fact that they use the word inflate, they 00:50:37.530 --> 00:50:40.190 were great scenes, I got to say. They were really 00:50:40.190 --> 00:50:43.210 great. I was so glad we got it. Because we get 00:50:43.210 --> 00:50:44.869 the like angst of he's so afraid he's going to 00:50:44.869 --> 00:50:47.269 hurt her, but he doesn't. And she thinks it's 00:50:47.269 --> 00:50:50.050 really rad and that they are meant to be together. 00:50:51.510 --> 00:50:55.780 Yeah, it's just great. And like. We always say 00:50:55.780 --> 00:50:58.920 that we feel like books like they finally say 00:50:58.920 --> 00:51:00.880 like look I love you and then like that's where 00:51:00.880 --> 00:51:03.320 it ends But this one made good on its promise 00:51:03.320 --> 00:51:05.719 of like yes, we're together now and this is what 00:51:05.719 --> 00:51:09.480 our life is gonna be like Exactly, and I I'm 00:51:09.480 --> 00:51:12.800 so glad we got to see that And it's pretty long 00:51:12.800 --> 00:51:15.880 to a point on the nodding. It doesn't go away 00:51:15.880 --> 00:51:19.179 for like 30 minutes like they're just together 00:51:19.179 --> 00:51:25.690 Yeah that That's the kind of thing that sounds 00:51:25.690 --> 00:51:27.550 great in a romance novel, but I think in real 00:51:27.550 --> 00:51:29.530 life, I would be like, okay, I got things to 00:51:29.530 --> 00:51:33.389 do. I know, and this is where we get the, like 00:51:33.389 --> 00:51:36.230 now they've officially mated, so now he can't 00:51:36.230 --> 00:51:38.309 let her bathe or anything, and she's like, no, 00:51:38.309 --> 00:51:41.010 I'm gonna shower, like you can come, but I'm 00:51:41.010 --> 00:51:46.730 gonna go do that. Yeah, exactly. And it takes 00:51:46.730 --> 00:51:48.289 so long that she's like, we're gonna have to 00:51:48.289 --> 00:51:50.269 schedule having sex. And he's like, all right, 00:51:50.329 --> 00:51:55.679 two hours every day. So then we get an epilogue, 00:51:55.800 --> 00:51:57.599 and this is from Lo's point of view. And we're 00:51:57.599 --> 00:52:00.500 basically just seeing a bunch of domestic bliss. 00:52:02.860 --> 00:52:05.599 Sparkles, the cat, is still there. Ada's happy 00:52:05.599 --> 00:52:08.420 and healthy. Serena is also there, and she's 00:52:08.420 --> 00:52:13.719 really getting to explore her wear side and spend 00:52:13.719 --> 00:52:15.800 some time with the pack. And it turns out that 00:52:15.800 --> 00:52:17.539 she's going to actually stay there with them, 00:52:17.559 --> 00:52:20.380 so that she and Misery are going to... be able 00:52:20.380 --> 00:52:22.320 to retain their friendship while she explores 00:52:22.320 --> 00:52:25.900 outside of her. Interestingly, though, Cohen 00:52:25.900 --> 00:52:28.000 arrives. Remember the Pacific Northwest pack 00:52:28.000 --> 00:52:32.699 leader? He takes one look or whiff or whatever 00:52:32.699 --> 00:52:37.260 of Serena and their mates, which I think is the 00:52:37.260 --> 00:52:40.139 setup for book two. It is. And so I feel like 00:52:40.139 --> 00:52:42.739 we kind of misquoted the start of this is that 00:52:42.739 --> 00:52:45.739 it's a series, but the book's like, I don't think. 00:52:46.769 --> 00:52:48.449 They directly follow each other. I think the 00:52:48.449 --> 00:52:50.349 next book just follows Serena. So like you could 00:52:50.349 --> 00:52:53.829 maybe read them out of water Yeah, which is nice. 00:52:53.889 --> 00:52:56.570 That's right. And I would be so hated that Okay, 00:52:56.570 --> 00:53:00.250 good. I want to read it. I Wouldn't read it but 00:53:00.250 --> 00:53:02.730 I think like with the like the viciously yours 00:53:02.730 --> 00:53:04.369 series like if they follow completely different 00:53:04.369 --> 00:53:07.110 people like those That's not a series to me. 00:53:07.190 --> 00:53:08.989 No, I wouldn't put it as a sequel I would put 00:53:08.989 --> 00:53:11.230 it as a main which is nice because it's essentially 00:53:11.230 --> 00:53:14.469 a standalone and we could use more of those Yeah, 00:53:14.570 --> 00:53:20.849 exactly And that's where the book ends. So let's 00:53:20.849 --> 00:53:27.170 get into our ratings. All right. So how did we 00:53:27.170 --> 00:53:30.530 rate the spice? We both give the spice a four. 00:53:31.510 --> 00:53:34.030 The spice is really good. I mean, from the start, 00:53:34.030 --> 00:53:36.849 they have such heavy like tension that's really 00:53:36.849 --> 00:53:40.570 satisfying. It takes a while to get to the actual 00:53:40.570 --> 00:53:43.690 like sex scenes, but all of the buildup is really 00:53:43.690 --> 00:53:45.809 nice. And then the payoff is really satisfying. 00:53:46.780 --> 00:53:48.420 But we get the connection that we like. We get 00:53:48.420 --> 00:53:50.400 the communication that we like. We get some fun 00:53:50.400 --> 00:53:52.760 things like nodding that we haven't read before, 00:53:52.960 --> 00:53:57.340 even though it wasn't what I expected. It was 00:53:57.340 --> 00:53:59.320 great. It was great. The only reason why it's 00:53:59.320 --> 00:54:02.219 not a five for me is that like it's I can always 00:54:02.219 --> 00:54:05.280 use more. And except for the nodding, which is 00:54:05.280 --> 00:54:07.320 honestly pretty benign, it's pretty vanilla. 00:54:08.420 --> 00:54:10.119 Yeah, it's pretty vanilla. And we don't even 00:54:10.119 --> 00:54:15.579 get like that much variation within. the vanilla, 00:54:16.159 --> 00:54:19.519 because most vanilla books that we get will have 00:54:19.519 --> 00:54:21.639 some good penetrative scenes, but then will also 00:54:21.639 --> 00:54:23.659 have some good foreplay and oral scenes, and 00:54:23.659 --> 00:54:28.119 we don't get, we get basically no oral, and we 00:54:28.119 --> 00:54:33.039 get maybe one or two teasing scenes. Yeah, and 00:54:33.039 --> 00:54:37.840 okay, we didn't say this before, but in real 00:54:37.840 --> 00:54:39.960 life it's fine, so I'm not saying this to knock 00:54:39.960 --> 00:54:44.139 any humans, but. Every time they get it on low 00:54:44.139 --> 00:54:46.360 comes like immediately like he can't handle it 00:54:46.360 --> 00:54:48.900 every single time I know he even says it he's 00:54:48.900 --> 00:54:50.699 like I'm gonna come right away, and I'm like 00:54:50.699 --> 00:54:53.219 okay, but this is a fantasy novel like can you 00:54:53.219 --> 00:54:56.719 not I know And I think the one -line fixer for 00:54:56.719 --> 00:54:58.840 that is like he's he's basically a virgin like 00:54:58.840 --> 00:55:01.340 he we get the impression that either He's never 00:55:01.340 --> 00:55:03.019 had sex with somebody or it's been like very 00:55:03.019 --> 00:55:06.420 few times so like yeah that makes sense But I 00:55:06.420 --> 00:55:09.329 just I'm with you. It's like okay Don't need 00:55:09.329 --> 00:55:14.869 you bring attention to it though, right? Yeah 00:55:14.869 --> 00:55:17.170 Cuz even I think misery even couple times is 00:55:17.170 --> 00:55:22.250 like no Right or at least make it feel like he's 00:55:22.250 --> 00:55:24.710 not gonna like it's not immediate based on like 00:55:24.710 --> 00:55:28.630 the you know The pacing of it like just yeah. 00:55:29.190 --> 00:55:39.230 Yeah Okay So that brings us to Writing style 00:55:39.230 --> 00:55:42.929 which we also gave before And I think there's 00:55:42.929 --> 00:55:46.010 a couple of reasons for that It was you know, 00:55:46.250 --> 00:55:49.170 very accessible like well written well structured 00:55:49.170 --> 00:55:51.510 when we got a point of view shift It was clear 00:55:51.510 --> 00:55:54.469 who was talking For the most part the characters 00:55:54.469 --> 00:55:56.090 were pretty consistent except for that one thing 00:55:56.090 --> 00:55:57.690 that we called out that one time there weren't 00:55:57.690 --> 00:56:02.030 any like typos or like egregious editing errors 00:56:02.030 --> 00:56:05.219 like that You know, I think the only thing that's 00:56:05.219 --> 00:56:07.000 not making it a five is like it's not I don't 00:56:07.000 --> 00:56:09.320 feel evangelical about the writing. That's how 00:56:09.320 --> 00:56:11.940 I feel. Like there aren't any stunning quotes 00:56:11.940 --> 00:56:15.519 or anything. It's not particularly lyrical. It's 00:56:15.519 --> 00:56:16.960 just right. Exactly. It was easy to read. It 00:56:16.960 --> 00:56:20.840 was nice. It was fine. Yeah, it was just a nice, 00:56:21.019 --> 00:56:24.280 well -written book. Yeah. Which brings us to 00:56:24.280 --> 00:56:25.760 quality of the storytelling. How did we rate 00:56:25.760 --> 00:56:28.719 that? We also gave it a four because there's 00:56:28.719 --> 00:56:33.179 a theme. It makes sense. There aren't any plot 00:56:33.179 --> 00:56:36.099 holes. I think the only reason it's not a five 00:56:36.099 --> 00:56:38.639 for me is kind of the wrap up gets a little Scooby 00:56:38.639 --> 00:56:40.800 Doo and confusing. We didn't mention in our coverage 00:56:40.800 --> 00:56:43.179 because it's kind of a nothing burger. But like 00:56:43.179 --> 00:56:44.579 there's kind of two things happening. There's 00:56:44.579 --> 00:56:48.059 figuring out Anna's parentage. Then there's finding 00:56:48.059 --> 00:56:51.739 Serena. And then there's also the loyalists with 00:56:51.739 --> 00:56:58.110 Emery. Is that her name? Yeah. Okay. Which at 00:56:58.110 --> 00:56:59.309 the end, there's a one line fixture of like, 00:56:59.309 --> 00:57:01.829 oh, Emery is actually a problem. She like bombed 00:57:01.829 --> 00:57:03.670 a school or something. And we just drive right 00:57:03.670 --> 00:57:11.750 by that. Yeah. And I was like, OK. Yeah. And 00:57:11.750 --> 00:57:13.909 they're like, oh, because because we bombed like 00:57:13.909 --> 00:57:15.429 she bombed a school and we planted that evidence 00:57:15.429 --> 00:57:17.650 where like she's just we arrested her or whatever. 00:57:17.829 --> 00:57:20.389 And it's like not a problem anymore. And I just 00:57:20.389 --> 00:57:22.429 all of the things that happen at the end, I felt. 00:57:22.599 --> 00:57:25.679 were a little too quick. I also docked it a little 00:57:25.679 --> 00:57:28.219 bit because of the unnecessary angst between 00:57:28.219 --> 00:57:30.599 low and misery. I get it, but it didn't need 00:57:30.599 --> 00:57:33.820 to be. I didn't like how it was delivered, and 00:57:33.820 --> 00:57:36.019 it kind of took me out of the jantasy. Because 00:57:36.019 --> 00:57:38.699 he is so mean, and they don't even talk about 00:57:38.699 --> 00:57:42.300 that. Exactly. Yeah, no, I'm with you on that 00:57:42.300 --> 00:57:46.719 one, too. But it's great. But it's great. I mean, 00:57:46.840 --> 00:57:49.599 so do we recommend this book? Yeah, we do. And 00:57:49.599 --> 00:57:52.690 we'll read the next one. Yeah, I'm ready. Look, 00:57:52.690 --> 00:57:55.949 I'm here for the next one. So yeah, we did it. 00:57:55.949 --> 00:57:58.929 Those are our thoughts on Bride by Ali Hazelwood. 00:57:59.230 --> 00:58:00.949 Thank you, as always, for joining us on this 00:58:00.949 --> 00:58:02.610 journey. Let us know what you thought on the 00:58:02.610 --> 00:58:05.190 socials. You can find us on TikTok, Goodreads, 00:58:05.309 --> 00:58:08.630 and Patreon. And hey, speaking of Patreon, if 00:58:08.630 --> 00:58:11.170 you like our content and want more, consider 00:58:11.170 --> 00:58:14.469 becoming a patron. We release Patreon -exclusive 00:58:14.469 --> 00:58:16.730 episodes on our off weeks. And if you really, 00:58:16.989 --> 00:58:18.869 really like us, drop us a review wherever you 00:58:18.869 --> 00:58:22.920 listen. Until next time. Bye! Bye!