Bride (Pt. 1)

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to B and C Book Club. I'm Kristen. [00:00:04] Speaker B: And I'm Summer. The purpose of B and C Book Club is to bring you all the comfort and gossip of a regular book club. But just between you, me, and her. [00:00:13] Speaker A: And you may be wondering what the B and the C stands for. Well, the B stands for blonde and. [00:00:19] Speaker B: The C stands for confusion. [00:00:21] Speaker A: And the reason the B stands for blonde today is because I just recently got my hair done and I have a lot more blonde highlights. [00:00:27] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, yeah, your hair is up right now, so it, like, just looks brown. Oh, I see the blonde. I see the blonde. [00:00:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:00:36] Speaker B: So I recently had a blonde mishap this week as well. [00:00:39] Speaker A: Oh, really? What happened? [00:00:41] Speaker B: We were just, like, touching up my roots where my blonde already was, and I. I guess the heat or something, like, she kept her products in the garage. So, like, the chemicals reacted and it started turning my hair black. [00:00:57] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. [00:00:58] Speaker B: Yeah. On my blonde. And we, like, immediately, like, freaked out and washed it out, but it already turned it, like, a weird brown color. So then we did another bleach wash, like, in panic, and we washed it out, and it was just pure peach pink orange. So I put a blue toner on it. I did, like, 20 developer and let it stay for, like, 20 minutes. And then I hopped in the shower and I did a. A blue purple shampoo and conditioner. And then, like, it's this blonde now. [00:01:32] Speaker A: So, I mean, that one doesn't look too bad. Although I'm not in person, so. [00:01:37] Speaker B: No, it's not too bad. It's not too bad. I like it a lot better, especially way more than I like that orange. I was, like, crying at the orange that it was. Yeah. [00:01:50] Speaker A: We are doing a new book today. [00:01:53] Speaker B: Yes. A new book. And this is kind of different for us because we haven't done a book where neither of us have read it before. [00:02:02] Speaker A: That's not true. Neither one of us has read the Fellowship of the Rings. I thought you said you had listened not to. I only listen to the Hobbit. [00:02:15] Speaker B: Oh, okay. That makes more sense. [00:02:17] Speaker A: I never read the Fellowship of the Rings before. [00:02:21] Speaker B: Interesting. I. I don't know why I was convinced you had read it before, but. Well, it is still different for us because it's. It's. It's such an easy read, too. We haven't really done, like, an easy, breezy read like this before. Even with Fourth Wing, I feel like it was. It wasn't as easy and, like, light as all the material in this one. [00:02:45] Speaker A: Yeah. Also, it's. I had to Read two times the page amount. [00:02:50] Speaker B: Huh. [00:02:51] Speaker A: I had to read twice the amount for Fourth Wing. Like, there's more things for us to talk about and there's more plot to go through is. Because it's twice the size. [00:03:00] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. [00:03:02] Speaker A: I guess we should get into it. Do you want to talk overall thoughts before we talk about anything else? [00:03:07] Speaker B: What? Yeah, what are your overall thoughts going into the book? Because the reason I chose it was I had heard that it was a good book, a good fantasy read, and people really liked it, and I didn't really know more than that, so I just. I just bought it blindly. And then we were thinking of a book, and I was like, well, that one's been sitting on my shelf for a while. [00:03:28] Speaker A: Yeah. So you haven't read any Ali Hazelwood? This is your first time reading her? [00:03:33] Speaker B: No, I haven't. I haven't read any Ali Hazelwood yet. [00:03:37] Speaker A: Okay. I have read Ali Hazelwood. I have read the Love Hypothesis. The Love Hypothesis, which was her first love, hypothetically. She has multiples that are very close to the same title. The one that's on the front cover of this is Love Hypothetically. That's the one that I have not read. [00:03:57] Speaker B: Okay. [00:03:58] Speaker A: Her first one that she wrote. [00:03:59] Speaker B: Oh, you're right. You're right. Love Theoretically and the Love Hypothesis. [00:04:05] Speaker A: Yes. So I read the Love Hypothesis, and that was actually a Reylo fanfic. It used to be a Reylo fanfiction, and then she changed the name slightly and then made it that. Did you know that? [00:04:17] Speaker B: I did not. I don't even know what a Reylo fanfic is. [00:04:20] Speaker A: It is Kylo Ren and Reylo. Yes. So, like, the way. Yes. Look. Okay, you need to look up. I swear to God, this was, like the rage during when this book came out. This is during 2020 when, like, that whole thing was, like, blown away. [00:04:38] Speaker B: Which book was it? [00:04:39] Speaker A: The Love Hypothesis, her first one. So the origins of it was that it was a Reylo fanfic. Like, it was on, like, AO3 or it was on, like, Wattpad, and she ended up changing it. So if you look at the. If you look at the COVID it's like a tall guy with dark hair. [00:04:58] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:04:59] Speaker A: Like a prominent nose. And then like, a little petite woman. [00:05:03] Speaker B: Well, obviously, I'm gonna have to buy this book. [00:05:06] Speaker A: That one's not bad. That one's pretty good. It's cute. But it's a cute. It's just like a rom com cute. They're in stem. They're both scientists. [00:05:14] Speaker B: Oh, that's cute. [00:05:16] Speaker A: She normally does Stem. This is her first, like, paranormal. Normally she does things in stem. That's why it's like the Love hypothesis. Love theoretically. The other one that I read that was hers is Love on the Brain, which is also about. I think they're like NASA scientists or something like that. [00:05:30] Speaker B: That's cute. So she does like romance. She hasn't really done fantasy before, but she does really good on. At romance. [00:05:38] Speaker A: From what I know about her, from the things that she has written, it's not. It's not bad. It's romance. It's cute. It's. It's very cute. It's romance. [00:05:47] Speaker B: Easy. [00:05:48] Speaker A: Yes. Easy read and, like, slightly cliche, but just different enough that you're like, okay, yeah, this works. [00:05:58] Speaker B: I. I will say some of my notes were talking about that kind of writing style. [00:06:04] Speaker A: I wasn't sure what this is about. I mean, I knew that she was coming out with something that was paranormal. Ish. And obviously there is a wolf and a vampire on the front cover, and so I assumed it would have to do with that. And it's also called Bride, so all. [00:06:19] Speaker B: I knew was forced marriage. Right. When it was forced marriage. Trope and vampire and wolf. That's it. [00:06:29] Speaker A: Okay. [00:06:30] Speaker B: Yep. So prologue. [00:06:34] Speaker A: Turns out Misery is our protagonist, and she's getting married, and it apparently fix things. [00:06:40] Speaker B: Which the. The name Misery in general was an interesting choice. I was like, that's so mean. [00:06:49] Speaker A: It is. And they do explain it later. [00:06:52] Speaker B: Yes. [00:06:53] Speaker A: But just. Yeah, right off the gate. Misery is her name. [00:06:57] Speaker B: I was like, oh, okay. That's how we're starting this. [00:07:01] Speaker A: She is a vampire and she is marrying a Were. Like a Were wolf, I guess. And it's supposed to fix things between them. They. But they've never met before. She also has a twin named Owen. And everyone knows that the wedding is going to be tense because they used to intermarry in order to be okay with each other. But the last time they tried this, there was a huge massacre and they. [00:07:27] Speaker B: Haven'T done it in a while. [00:07:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:07:31] Speaker B: Yeah. And we end the chapter with a kind of a weird area where they're at the end of the altar and he, like, smells her and is like, why do you smell like that? [00:07:45] Speaker A: Yeah. And so he, like, grabs her and she tries to get away, and then she almost kind of falls, and then he grabs her and they get married. And I'm like, oh, my God. He's literally obsessed with her already. Wow. [00:07:57] Speaker B: Wow. And then that's why I was like, oh, we're heavily playing into this trope. Like, heavily. [00:08:06] Speaker A: Yeah. Prologue, you already know that this is who. I mean, obviously you go into the book and you know who's going to be the main characters right away. Right. [00:08:15] Speaker B: And who are going to fall in love with each other. [00:08:17] Speaker A: Right? And so you're like, okay, obviously if you've read any type of werewolf, anything is, you know that, like, smell and all those things usually have to do with your mate and all of those. So I'm like, number one, he's. This is his mate. He's shocked that it's because she's a vampire. Like, how is this Nate? But I'm like wondering why this is already happening. [00:08:41] Speaker B: Me too. And I, at this point, I'm like, not even, like, sure if I like this book yet or not. And I was like, okay. So you're like, you have to give it a minute. [00:08:52] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. You're like, you're getting to finish this book. You're like, this is the book we're reading. And then like five pages into. Yeah, we're going to have to change the book. I don't really like this one. [00:09:01] Speaker B: I was like, this is not it. And then like, we immediately go to this six week before area where she's in human territory, she's doing terrible at work. [00:09:17] Speaker A: I'm just gonna say, I don't know why you had to split it up with like, prologue. Chapter one is six weeks before, and then chapter two is just a regular timeline. I'm like, we should have back to prologue. [00:09:27] Speaker B: Isn't the prologue before everything? [00:09:31] Speaker A: Yeah, so I don't know, it was like a weird gap. I was like, why did we do that? Okay, okay, whatever. [00:09:36] Speaker B: Anyway, I'm sure she had like a vision when she started it, and I'm not gonna like, hate on her for it because I kind of understand her having a vision, but it was very confusing. She also does another jump, like a couple chapters later. And I was like, whoa. Vania comes to find her. She's summoned by her father. Vania, like, gets her fired by flashing her fangs and has exposed her as a vampire. Everybody starts freaking out in the office. And then she goes to meet her dad, clearly already needing to have a new job anyway, and wants to find out what her dad wants her for. He gives her kind of like a rundown of what's going on and asks her to marry, since the humans are getting a new governor and that one doesn't want to align with him and it's making him worried. So he's trying to start an alliance with the wares. I have no idea what you mean by Garcia won't be happy when she finds out about this. [00:10:41] Speaker A: I read the governor. [00:10:42] Speaker B: Okay. I was like. I like, read over this line in your notes for so long. I was like, who the fuck is Garcia? [00:10:52] Speaker A: There's the old governor and there's the new governor. And I'm saying that must. Okay, so the old governor used to talk to the vampires, and now this new governor is coming in and doesn't want to talk to the vampires, doesn't want to make alliance with them or anything. And so he's deciding that he's going to align with the wares because this governor is talking to the warriors, was not talking to the vampires. And I was like, damn, that must. That governor must be mad if she totally was trying to separate the vampires out. And then all of a sudden they swoop in and like, nope, just kidding. Now you have to align with us both. [00:11:25] Speaker B: I mean, that is a good point. This chapter, what really stood out to me was the collateral program. Like, they literally exchange their children to potentially be murdered at the first sign of trouble. [00:11:40] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:11:42] Speaker B: And we're perfectly fine. And her dad gave her up, like, specifically and was like, 10 years. [00:11:48] Speaker A: It's a 10 year collateral program. She was with the humans for 10 years. [00:11:52] Speaker B: And he's surprised why she didn't want to stay with the vampires after that, you know? [00:11:58] Speaker A: Yeah, I. Because I think they said that she moved at eight. So she was with the vampires for eight years, and then she moved in to the human territory and then met Serena and then was there for 10 years. And now it's been a couple years in the human territory and she's going to now live in the weird territory because that's part of the agreement. [00:12:23] Speaker B: And then at the end of the chapter, we get the big cliffhanger where she hears his name and is like, yes, I'll only do it because that's his name. And it leaves us, like, being like, what is happening? Why? And surprisingly, we get the answer before even halfway through the book. Which I was, like, ready to be, like, enthralled and curious about that for the rest of the book and then have it exposed at the end. [00:12:53] Speaker A: I'm so happy it was sooner than that. [00:12:56] Speaker B: I am, too. It was nice. But, like, at the same time, like, I'm used to books making you wait that whole time for just like, a little answer. [00:13:05] Speaker A: That's true. One thing I do like about all of these is that they're standalones, though. So this is just a one and done. And so your entire Plotline should be wrapped up at the end of this book. There is nothing that will go on to a second book. [00:13:17] Speaker B: No questions. [00:13:19] Speaker A: No questions. Hopefully. [00:13:21] Speaker B: Hopefully. We also have not. Yeah, we haven't read a single standalone book so far. Yeah, they've all had sequels. [00:13:31] Speaker A: Right, so chapter two, we are back to her wedding day. This is like right after they get married, we find out that vampires don't have any special powers. And also that vampires get their names from a council. Vampires are very communal people, and so they think as, like, a tribe. They don't think of individuals. And so they. They get named. And because she killed her mother in childbirth birth, they named her Misery. Isn't that just so nice? And her brother's name is Owen. So Misery and Owen. How fucked up is that? [00:14:08] Speaker B: I didn't even think about that, honestly. Like, I didn't put two and two together, but that's hilarious. That's so messed up. Oh, my God. Yeah, that's very messed up. [00:14:23] Speaker A: Anyway, they're at her reception and she runs into the old governor. And the old governor says that, oh, it's kind of crazy that we're giving the councilman's daughter for the Alpha's mate. And she's kind of. She doesn't understand what this means. And then she runs into Low and they kind of get into a spat. And he's like, you don't even care about this. You don't care about these people. Why are you doing this sort of thing? And you're. You've been a clatter all your life. You don't really have allegiance to them. And she kind of like, I have a life. I blah, blah, blah. But she really doesn't. In her mind, she's like, no, I don't. I'm just saying these things. [00:14:59] Speaker B: She's like, I'm lying my ass off. [00:15:02] Speaker A: And then it looks like some kids are gonna get into a fight and Lo goes in between them and kind of like makes them say sorry to each other and everything works out and nobody kills anybody else. And we find out that the reason that Misery is here is because she thinks that something happened to Serena and this is somehow going to allow her to find out what's happening. [00:15:28] Speaker B: Yeah. And it becomes obvious to us that she only agreed to do this because the only hint she had about her friend was his name. [00:15:37] Speaker A: Yeah. And then she almost gets assassinated as they're dancing. [00:15:41] Speaker B: Yeah. And he saves her. [00:15:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:45] Speaker B: Grumpily. [00:15:47] Speaker A: Yeah. I just don't understand why everybody wants to kill her so bad. Because before this, they were Talking about how when she was in human territory, she almost got assassinated all the time. Not even from, like, the people that were taking care of her. Just, like, random people that would come in and try to kill her. [00:16:00] Speaker B: They were just haters, Kristen. [00:16:02] Speaker A: They were just haters. And I'm like, why? Why? Just because she's, like, a symbol for these people, I guess. [00:16:10] Speaker B: Just because she represents vampires. They were like, hatred, I guess. [00:16:16] Speaker A: But I'm like, she doesn't even fit into. She doesn't fit in with the vampires. She doesn't fit into the humans. If you kill her because she has no ties to anybody, nobody would actually matter. Exactly. So, like, why do we keep on trying to kill her when she doesn't matter? [00:16:30] Speaker B: Sorry. [00:16:31] Speaker A: Sorry, babe. Sorry, Misery. Sorry to tell you that. But, like, maybe that makes things better if they knew that so that you wouldn't actually get. I just feel like this is an unnecessary. Unless it turned out to be something. I feel like this is just an unnecessary wrinkle of, like, oh, also in between all this other stuff, she's intermediately going to try and get killed. She was thrown in there. [00:16:52] Speaker B: Which it doesn't look like that's going to be the reason, but. [00:16:56] Speaker A: Yeah. Anyway, he's in love with her already. That's what I think. I'm like, yeah, this is what I. [00:17:01] Speaker B: Like, wrote down, that it's obvious she's just me. I kind of knew it from the beginning, but I was like, okay, we're like. We're, like, making it obvious here. It's not meant to be a surprise in the least bit. And then all of those things right before the chapters, there's, like, little dialogue. [00:17:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:18] Speaker B: From his perspective. And it's like, he's so obviously. [00:17:22] Speaker A: Obviously with her. [00:17:25] Speaker B: And that's what I was like this. This next chapter, I was like, okay, I don't get why we're being so very obvious and plain with this trope here. Because most people dance around it for a while. It's very direct of the author. [00:17:42] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:43] Speaker B: But I. I'm. Is still intrigued because of the introduced mystery element with the mystery missing friend. Um, and with the name being the clue. So I was still kind of into it, but at the same time, like, if we answered one more question about the friend, I was, like, about to be like, okay, I'm no longer interested. [00:18:02] Speaker A: Yeah, I know. I'm like, with it just showing us so clearly that they are going to be together, it does make it a little bit more frustrating of how much they are not together and how much misery Is like, he hates every single part of me. And I'm like, obviously he does it. Obviously he doesn't. [00:18:22] Speaker B: It is a little bit more frustrating as the reader. So chapter three, we'll just breeze right through this. She. She's weak during the day. She can't stay alive in direct sunlight. But, like, it doesn't kill her. Kill her unless she can get blisters. [00:18:41] Speaker A: And it hurts, but it doesn't actually. [00:18:48] Speaker B: She meets Lowe's little sister. Her name is Anna. Juno comes in, super hostile, is telling her not to talk to Anna. We know that Misery has Serena's cat. This is when the cat's introduced. And actually, the cat's kind of, like, alluded to in the beginning chapters. But, like, this is when we're like, she's directly like, I have Serena's cat because Serena's missing, and I hate this damn cat. [00:19:15] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:19:17] Speaker B: And then Anna, like, immediately loves the cat and thinks that it's hers. And then this is where we find out that she agreed to the marriage because of the name, because the name is the only thing that she. She found while looking for clues in Serena's apartment. [00:19:37] Speaker A: I'm like, okay, now we understand why she wants to marry, but why do the wares want to marry? Are they just trying to get aligned with the vampires just because, like, what is it just because Lo is now in charge, he want to suddenly align with anybody? Is there an underlying reason for him to marry? [00:19:53] Speaker B: It's interesting that you're questioning that, because I didn't question the wares at all. I obviously questioned Misery and her intentions and a little bit of her dad's intentions, but I was just like, oh, Lo's just trying to be a dude. Like, he's just trying to be like, hey, hey, we're good here. Everybody's good. Everybody's happy. Let's just all stay alive. Okay. [00:20:18] Speaker A: You did kind of give that vibe. Just like, I'm just. We're just here. We're just hanging out. Everyone knows that I could kick your ass, so just calm down, and we'll be okay. [00:20:28] Speaker B: Just. Just being a dude. Chapter four. [00:20:33] Speaker A: So in their hierarchy, he's in charge. He's the alpha. And then he has 12 seconds. And all of those seconds come from different parts of his territory, and so they all elect the seconds. And so he just has seconds there. And so then she finds out about that, about how, like, he's super powerful and most of them can shift on command, but if you are not powerful and you can't shift on command, this is when she's talking to Alex, I believe, and then they're talking about how, like, Roscoe was killed and how Low came into power. Yeah. [00:21:05] Speaker B: And everything. Yeah. [00:21:08] Speaker A: And then she decides to snoop. And this is when we find out that when she was on the outside, she was also snooping and was trying to find out about Ellie Moreland. Obviously. Because this is we. She found out about that basically, like a long time before. [00:21:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:21:22] Speaker A: If she already knew six weeks before that she was going to marry the guy, she found out a long time before that. Or she found out however long before that. Do you know what I mean? [00:21:30] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:21:32] Speaker A: And so she has been trying to figure out who this guy is. And the only thing she found was she went to the database and saw that an El Morland was going to be with the new governor for a meeting. And so she knows that there's a connection there somehow. But now that she's on the inside, she just needs to find where the computers are and she'll be able to look up whatever she needs to with. [00:21:55] Speaker B: Serena, because she's a computer whiz and. [00:22:00] Speaker A: Past that, she doesn't really have a plan. [00:22:02] Speaker B: Yeah. Basically, at the end of this chapter, we had some young ware who's trying to kill her because all of his relatives are dead and he blames the vampires. So he jumps on her. She uses self defense and makes him submit. But then Lo finds her in the kind of dominant position and like, pulls her off and like, freaks out, even though we all know he believes her immediately. This is when I was like, okay, bouncing between the timelines. In the very beginning, kind of like, was unclear. It took me a second to, like, realize where we were. [00:22:43] Speaker A: But because this isn't really in the. You kind of just have to infer about what she's talking about, if whether or not she's talking about the present or whether or not she's talking about the past. [00:22:53] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. [00:22:54] Speaker A: It doesn't really say, like, oh, when I was thinking about what happened three weeks ago with Serena, blah, blah, blah, happened. You're just gonna have to like, oh, okay, she's here now. [00:23:03] Speaker B: She's back in the apartment. [00:23:04] Speaker A: What? Yeah. [00:23:06] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:09] Speaker A: But are people really gonna try and kill her every other chapter? Because this is. This is gonna be insane if this. That's true. [00:23:15] Speaker B: Just constantly, constantly. [00:23:18] Speaker A: Like, this isn't a very long book. And so far it's chapter. We're about to get chapter five, and she's already been attacked twice. [00:23:26] Speaker B: So then the next chapter, she's like kind of interrogating her Blaming it on her. Misery tells the truth. Juno doesn't believe her, but Lo obviously believes her and is like, okay, we know she's telling the truth and that she didn't attack him. He likes that Misery can fight and hold her own, but she's taking everything the wrong way. She reveals she's a virgin. They talk about Serena and how and why she learned self defense because she had to, like, defend herself from all of the other murderers. [00:24:05] Speaker A: Yeah, because I checked your file and it said that you have been, like, attempted to be murdered 40 times. And she was like, yeah. At one point we just stopped setting those in, so it's actually a lot bigger than that. [00:24:17] Speaker B: Actually, I get attacked almost daily, so. And we just got tired of reporting it. [00:24:25] Speaker A: It's like, no wonder she wants to be living in the human world where nobody knows who she is. Apparently people are trying to kill her on the daily. [00:24:34] Speaker B: Yeah. And then she asks about the cat, and he's like, yeah, sure, she can go wherever. Or actually, he cat's a he. He can go wherever. I do not care. [00:24:45] Speaker A: They're talking. Then he dismisses her. And then she looks back and sees that he's, like, taking inner scent and looks like he's in agony. She thinks that it's because her scent is so bad. [00:24:55] Speaker B: And they. [00:24:55] Speaker A: They talk about her scent being so bad and about how she keeps on taking baths, like, so many times for him to just be like, huh? Yep, Yep. That's totally what I'm talking. You're talking about, huh? [00:25:05] Speaker B: Yep. And she's always the one implying that it's a bad scent. And you're like, huh. [00:25:12] Speaker A: He just. He just doesn't correct her. He's just like, sure, yeah, that's what it is. [00:25:20] Speaker B: My notes for this chapter. I was like, if the heated tension between the budding romance makes me giddy, I'm giggling, kicking my feet. I love a good forced marriage trope. [00:25:31] Speaker A: Me too. [00:25:33] Speaker B: But I already feel like five chapters in. Why am I already, like, in love with him? [00:25:38] Speaker A: Not me too. I was like, wow, this is so effective. [00:25:41] Speaker B: He feels dangerous. [00:25:43] Speaker A: He's perfect. He's never done anything wrong. He just wants to provide for his family. [00:25:48] Speaker B: Okay, we're traumatized by other books. Okay. I'm like, oh, my God. I feel like he's gonna do something. [00:25:57] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. This is when I was like, okay, she is clearly his mate. So what was the governor talking about earlier? This is. That was the one threat that I couldn't let go was like, what are they talking about? [00:26:09] Speaker B: Yeah. And I totally. We still don't know the answer halfway through, so. [00:26:14] Speaker A: No, we don't. [00:26:15] Speaker B: That's going to be the one question we get at the very end. [00:26:21] Speaker A: Currently. Even though it was, like, said weirdly by the governor and it was said directly to Misery, it wasn't like she heard it from somebody else and, like, it was misheard or something. I don't know. I'm like, is he talking about the same person? Did he mishear something? And now he's like, oh, actually, it's both of them. They're. They're the same thing. [00:26:39] Speaker B: What if he traded one of his councilman's daughters for the Alpha Spaded mate? But, like, they're kind of all just talking in third person rather than being like, your husband's for you, you know? [00:26:58] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:26:59] Speaker B: Anyway, that was. That's been my theory since the beginning. [00:27:02] Speaker A: But that makes sense. [00:27:05] Speaker B: Who knows? [00:27:07] Speaker A: Chapter six. She now has somebody accompanying her everywhere and staying outside her door. And she's alone all the time. She has nothing to do. She secretly asks her brother when she's on a phone call about the other collateral because she also wants to know and find out about who this maid is. She finds out the name, which is Gabrielle, and then when she goes back to her room, she finds out that Anna broke in from the roof and came through her window because she wants to hang out with her. And we also find out her age because Misery is a vampire. She doesn't really understand ages, and so. [00:27:40] Speaker B: She like, guesses 10. Ish. [00:27:43] Speaker A: Yeah, she was like, you range from like 4 to 14. [00:27:49] Speaker B: Yes. She turns out to be 6 somewhere. She turns out to be 6, but she says 7. And she names the cat, who's a male, Sprinkles. And we just all accept it and honestly. Valid. Very valid. [00:28:05] Speaker A: And Anna also says that Low is going to pneumonia. And. And he. Well, yes, also that he doesn't sleep well and he has pneumonia, which obviously is insomnia, but it's a good way for us to get delivered. Misinformation. Like, you know, there's something that's right in there, just not what she's actually saying. [00:28:25] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I immediately was like, oh, he has insomnia. [00:28:30] Speaker A: Yeah, same. [00:28:31] Speaker B: But Misery was just straight up like, oh, no, he has pneumonia. [00:28:36] Speaker A: He looked hearty and strong. I wonder why. [00:28:40] Speaker B: Yeah. And then the next chapter, we actually find out a lot of information. She breaks in to his bedroom looking for, like, electronics or something. Doesn't really find much. She finds a locked box with architectural drawings because she did do, like, a little Research on him and found out that he was an architect or he at least studied architecture. And then she finds a drawing of her. She's like, oh, my God. How did he study me so well to get all of these features right? It looks exactly like me. And then she goes back to bed and wakes up to a barbecue. Lo is back having fun. Everybody else is there. She sings Max, who is the guy who attacked her, the young wearer, bring Anna into the woods. She, like, can tell that something is, like, going wrong and that he shouldn't be doing that. So she, like, runs outside in the sun during the day through the woods and, like, tries to grab Anna. Max grabs Anna back, and Anna screams. And everything just kind of, like, goes into little chaos. This is when I was like, this chapter is, like, ridiculous. I was like, are you kidding me? Like, we're just gonna let Max be suddenly the only person watching or the only werewolf watching Anna? And we all know he's a bad guy. I mean, we already saw that. He's gonna abduct her. He's trying to hit her, bro. Anna's brother is right next to them. He's an Alpha. How is he not noticing all this? Okay, whatever. He suspects nothing. Right? Whatever. Okay. And I was like, this is so stupid. And I, like, wrote down all these notes, and then the next one, they're like, actually, it was planned. And I was like, thank God. [00:30:40] Speaker A: Thank God they're not that stupid. This is. I literally wrote, this better not be another miscommunication about what's going on, because I was like, if they think that she did something again and that this is all, I. I was gonna throw fit. But also, we know because the beginning of chapter seven that he's, like, so obsessed with her scent that she brushed past, like, a part of his. Like, I think it was his shirt. And so he cut that part of his shirt out, and now he just, like, carries it around in his wallet all the time. So, like, he's obviously gonna know that she was in his personal space looking for things, because if her scent was that pungent at, like, a brush on a shirt, then he's gonna know that she was sneaking around and looking at her stuff. [00:31:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:24] Speaker A: But also, it was just super funny that we're like, yeah, he saves that little piece in his pocket, and he brings it everywhere with him. If you didn't think that he was down bad already, just know he's down real bad. [00:31:37] Speaker B: Down real bad. So we find out that it's all but a plan. Max is, like, freaking Out. And then we find out when they're trying to interrogate Max, why. Who, like, told him to do this, why he did it. We find out that Misery has this, like, vampire ability to make somebody, like, tell the truth by hypnotizing them with her eyes, which was, like, weird to me. They were like. The other was just trying to explain it away, like, oh, this is just part of their biology. And I was like, you. You can add, like, a little bit of magic. It is a fantasy novel. Like, no one's gonna get upset at you for it. But she was just like, oh, you know, just part of their biology that she's able to do this because their eyes move super quick, and it, like, hypnotizes people. I was like, okay. [00:32:32] Speaker A: It's called the trance, I think. [00:32:34] Speaker B: Yeah. So that was an interesting little tidbit. And then she takes advantage of her guard not being at her door or something and goes into Lowe's office because she knows he's busy and knows exactly where he is. And she tries to go into his office and look for something on their database, and, like, hits a bunch of searches, and then she thinks it's her cat at her leg, but it turns out to be a wolf. And, like, the whole time, I was like, okay, come on. She went into his office, and she didn't think she'd get caught. [00:33:09] Speaker A: And I definitely thought she was gonna get caught. [00:33:11] Speaker B: The cat was just hanging out in there. Come on. Yeah. And then, obviously, the wolf catches her, and we see Low standing at the door. And then the next chapter, we're told it was Cow who was a wolf, which is, like, an interesting. Because I told you I was just watching Teen Wolf, and, like, in Teen Wolf, they don't turn into, like, wolves. They just turn into, like, humans that look like wolves. [00:33:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:33:35] Speaker B: Like, wolf aspects. So I was, like, interested to see that in this world, at least they made them into, like, full wolves and that they, like, look like a dog. Yeah. [00:33:48] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah. So he calls Alex in because he's like, I want to know what you're doing on this computer. And he's also like. And I also know that you were in my room because my bed smells like you slept in it. As I was like, he's hanging on a thread. He's hanging out by a thread. He's about to snap sooner rather than later. Okay. Alex is like, hey. She only had three surges. It was like, the Herald, Serena, and, like, one other thing that I had to do semi with Serena and the Herald. And then she's like, he's like, okay, so why did you do everything right now? [00:34:25] Speaker B: And she's like, okay, yeah, well, he. [00:34:28] Speaker A: She's like, no. And he's like, okay, then it's treason. And everything that your father's been working for and all the alliances we're gonna have is just gonna crumble at our feet, and I'm also gonna have to kill you. And she's like, okay, well, so I'm. [00:34:39] Speaker B: Just looking for my best friend. [00:34:42] Speaker A: She's my sister. Really? She's my sister. [00:34:45] Speaker B: And then we get this, like, cute little scene where she's telling him everything. He's understanding. He's, like, saying, no, I get it. And then Anna comes in and. And we get her, like, babysitter calling from the hallway her full name, Liliana Esther Moreland, which is the Ellie Moreland note that we had found in Serena's apartment. And it kind of, like, sends us in a different direction that I wasn't expecting. I can honestly say I was not expecting for it to be his sister. His little sister's name. So, like, that's when I was like, oh, I'm kind of hooked on this book right now. [00:35:26] Speaker A: Yeah, I was. I was like, a little bit. I feel like it's not him. I felt like he wasn't directed to her at all. Especially when in this conversation, he. He says her name, and she. He's like, I don't know what any of that is. So I was like, I don't think that he's messing around with her with that. Of, like, I don't know who that is. I feel like there could be a part where it. He, like, knows her as, like, a different name, and so he's like, oh, I didn't realize you meant this person. I don't know. You were just talking about her. I don't know what she looks like sort of thing. [00:35:55] Speaker B: Yeah, but. And I. Yeah, I thought the same thing. Like, I didn't know her name. I know what she looks like. [00:36:01] Speaker A: Yeah. So I don't know. But I don't think that he's directly connected to her, that they've actually crossed paths as of right now, is what I'm thinking. I don't think they've crossed paths. [00:36:08] Speaker B: Yeah. And that's not revealed before the half of the book, so. [00:36:12] Speaker A: No. So we're still finding that out. [00:36:15] Speaker B: That's for next week. [00:36:16] Speaker A: Yeah. So they're. They kind of brainstorm. A little bit more happy now that he figures out her motivations. That's kind of, like, in the blurb at the top. And they don't really know how Serena and Anna could be connected. She was thinking that maybe Serena was looking up things for a story because she worked at the Herald, but all of her stuff used to be, like, financial stuff. And so it didn't make any sense why she would actually be looking up a story like this. And we find out that Anna's mother, who was also Lo's mother, was. Is dead now. But Anna's father is actually a human from the human territory. And their mother was overseeing human ware affairs at the border. And one thing led to another, and she got pregnant with a human. [00:36:58] Speaker B: And just so much information in this chapter, like, basically just laying out the playing field for both characters so that they know all the information, which is an interesting. Again, for an author. Yes. Thank God. Like, it makes the read so much easier. And you're not, like, constantly waiting for an answer, but at the same time, like, most authors will make you wait for an answer. [00:37:24] Speaker A: But I just feel like I'm just hoping that this is making the plot more fruitful because if all this stuff is already, like, front loaded, then we can actually get into more things in the back half. And also this brings up. Because if they're just so miscommunication and literally everything can be fixed in one conversation. It is so hard for a couple. And I'm like, just get in a room together and talk, Please, for the love of God, like, just speak to each other. [00:37:48] Speaker B: But this low key, I feel like that's Zaden and Violet in fourth wing. [00:37:54] Speaker A: Yeah, see, that's just. I hate that. I hate that. So this at least is like, okay, they're getting on the same page. They're finally, like, working up to each other. They're figuring out, like, why maybe the loyalists are after them and who all these people are. And because from the very beginning, they knew that Low was going to be powerful. And so Roscoe sent him away. And now everybody that is a loyalist is all the people that went after Low after Roscoe lost his claim. And so they're not actually tough enough to beat him or to start a new pack. They're just kind of, like, wandering out there. And so they just keep terrorizing them and keep trying to take things from them. And so that's why he thinks that Emery and all of them are still doing all these things to him. And he also says that he put the guard on her for safety, because he thought that. [00:38:43] Speaker B: For safety? [00:38:44] Speaker A: Yeah, for her safety. Like, he thought that he. She was going to keep getting people attacking Her. Because obviously they have been attacking her for years and years and years. And so instead of it being like, oh, we're trying to protect people from you. I'm trying to protect you because people are trying to kill you. [00:38:58] Speaker B: Yeah. And then. So, like, now that they're at this understanding, like the guard lessons, she gets to have a weapon. Lowe's like, yeah, sure, whatever. You can keep the knife. It's fine. And then. Sorry, my eyes just caught this note that says, vampires don't drink for pleasure. It's like peeing. [00:39:20] Speaker A: That's what it said in the book. [00:39:22] Speaker B: Yeah, I remember that part. It's just funny when you. Because you wrote it like that. It's like, peeing. It's a need, not a pleasure. And then she, like. But she's. [00:39:33] Speaker A: She's like. But I'm not sure. I actually. Because I was not in society at all. I actually don't know. I'm pretty sure people will bite each other during sex, but. [00:39:44] Speaker B: Just pretty sure. [00:39:45] Speaker A: Just pretty sure. [00:39:48] Speaker B: But I guess she and her brother Owen walked into her dad biting someone once, and he was like, you're gonna be scarred for life. And she was like, why? Yeah, I don't get it, but whatever. [00:40:01] Speaker A: And then she also eats peanut butter here, and she's like, oh, yeah, I'm not supposed to do this. It's weird. And then that's how. [00:40:07] Speaker B: Tell anyone. [00:40:08] Speaker A: That's how they get into. Like, we don't drink for pleasure. Like, we. We're not supposed to eat for pleasure. We don't drink for pleasure. It's more like a bodily function. It's like peeing. That's why they get into that. Until. She likes peanut butter. Serena made her try it when she was little, and now it's something that she likes because she can't eat things, but because it's soft, she can, like. [00:40:28] Speaker B: Yeah. She can't, like, chew something. It has to be like. Like a liquid almost, or. Yeah, like soup, broth. [00:40:36] Speaker A: Right. [00:40:36] Speaker B: Specifically, nothing to chew. [00:40:38] Speaker A: And this is when I was like, okay, how do we think that Serena and Anna are connected? Do you have any theories? Do you have any questions? Do you think it is because Anna is half human? Do you think it's because of something else? [00:40:50] Speaker B: I think it's because someone gave her as a reporter because we miss that. [00:40:56] Speaker A: Right. [00:40:56] Speaker B: She's a reporter for the Herald, which. [00:40:59] Speaker A: Is why I did kind of say that. But I was saying that she also just does stories for financial stuff. [00:41:06] Speaker B: Yeah, but I think she must have gotten, like, an anonymous tip or something to go on this lead and she decided instead of sharing it, she was gonna, like, take the opportunity herself and, like, research it. And that's what got her in trouble, you know? [00:41:21] Speaker A: So where do you think she is right now? Or should I say that for the end of the. Yeah, okay. [00:41:29] Speaker B: That's exactly where I put it. Is at the halfway point is when I put in my theory. [00:41:33] Speaker A: Well, I. I didn't wait till then. My theory right now is my wild card guess. And I'm thinking that is Governor Garcia. She's. Something happened. I think Governor Garcia took her somewhere valid. [00:41:44] Speaker B: Totally valid. Anyway, yeah, it's reasonable. It's not that much of a wild card, if I'm gonna be honest. [00:41:50] Speaker A: Well, now misery has all access to all of the things because Low says that she's access to all the things. And so she just spends her days with Alex trying to figure out where Serena is. And Low checks on them once a day because you simply just cannot keep away from her. Also, Juno can't apologizes because she is saying that she's protective of Anna. And Low has always put. Put the pack above himself. And he had to leave because Roscoe was threatened by him. And then when he came back, he just, like, left everything and never went back to the North America pack because he had to give everything up in order to come back and save his family. So that's what he did. So he never gets anything for himself. [00:42:33] Speaker B: And always sacrificing his own company. [00:42:37] Speaker A: He's always sacrificing his own pleasure. So that's why you can't do anything to hurt him. Okay. And she's like, yeah, no problem. I know about his mate Giselle. I'm not going to get in the way. And then judo's like, I'm rooting for them. Yeah, totally, totally, totally. Yeah. His mate Giselle, I will see you later. That's it. But also, don't go outside because it's about to be full mum soon. But great information. I love. I love you putting pieces together all by yourself. [00:43:05] Speaker B: Yeah. And then we get the full moon. [00:43:11] Speaker A: And I'm just like, I can't believe she did that to her. I can't believe she didn't, like, tell her any information, but whatever. [00:43:17] Speaker B: She hated her like a chapter ago. [00:43:19] Speaker A: I know, but I'm like, who is Giselle? Is there something connected to it? Which is why she's like, oh, yeah. Bye. See you later. [00:43:29] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't know. [00:43:31] Speaker A: So we're at the full moon now and Anna is in misery's room because she doesn't actually shift because she's half human and she's upset because she wants to be part of the pack. [00:43:43] Speaker B: And so she, like, crawls into misery's lap. And misery is like, why am I with this child? [00:43:50] Speaker A: Why do I love this child? [00:43:51] Speaker B: Why will I protect this child and do anything for it? Which is valid. And then low, like, comes back and find, like, freaks out. He came. Like, he doesn't freak out. He came and just, like, opened the door and was like, there are so many people injured outside. Because I saw that Anna was not in her bedroom and kind of flipped out. [00:44:20] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:22] Speaker B: And misery's just like, okay, whatever. [00:44:25] Speaker A: Yeah. It isn't addressed again. I thought something might happen of, like, he was gonna, like, take her in. It was gonna, like, be a moment. And it's like, no, he just saw Anna was in the lap and was like, okay, I guess. I guess we're done. [00:44:36] Speaker B: I guess I owe those people an apology. Yeah. And then just takes her, and she, like, starts thinking that he's falling for her because he put peanut butter in her fridge. [00:44:50] Speaker A: No, she's falling for him. She doesn't think that he's. She's like, he hates my smile so much, but he's still doing all these wonderful things for me, and he just hates me. And, like, I just can't believe that he hates me so much. And I'm about to fall in love with him because he gives me all these things, and I'm like, oh, my God. [00:45:09] Speaker B: My comments during this chapter were, like, I'm gonna be honest. This author is, like, definitely leaning very heavily into all of the different tropes. He's. She's constantly giving the audience exactly what we want. And I've kind of wish she was trying to be a little bit more creative about it. Not really giving in, maybe like, making up her own kind of different situation. A spin on the trope or something. And then I was like, also, like, they keep saying wife and husband sarcastically. Too much for it to land with me anymore. Like, I used to be like, oh, my God. Forced marriage trope. And he just called her his wife. But, like, they do it so much that I'm like, oh, yeah, I get it. They're married. Okay. [00:45:52] Speaker A: They're married. Okay. [00:45:54] Speaker B: He loves her, she loves him. Like, let's move on. [00:45:58] Speaker A: Can we should just be together already. [00:46:00] Speaker B: Exactly. But yeah. So I'm like, I will say, by the end of chapter 15, I'm, like, understanding a little bit more why were going so heavily into the tropes. [00:46:14] Speaker A: We're at chapter 12. And lo doesn't understand computers, but he's trying to figure out coding. And then this is when Mick comes in to get them, because Anna cooked them all dinner, even though it's just, like, candy. Right. [00:46:27] Speaker B: It was like goldfish. And she was like, this is seafood. [00:46:30] Speaker A: Oh, that's what it was. Yeah. And this is Misery's first family dinner. And I was like, dang, that's kind of so sweet. Although I technically feel like her first family dinner you want to, like, would be with Serena, but I guess that's, like, not what we're thinking. This is, like, she actually is, like, married to this person. They're, like, fully that. [00:46:50] Speaker B: And there's, like, more than just the two of them. Right. Because Serena was always just the two of them. [00:46:55] Speaker A: And they have his sister, and they have Meg, and they have Alex, and, yeah. They're all just. And this is when she's like, oh, man. People have been actually being nice to me, and I can be myself, and I kind of. [00:47:06] Speaker B: I kind of feel like a part of this family. [00:47:08] Speaker A: Yeah. And then this is also when we find out that she doesn't have a birthday and that they all just celebrate. [00:47:13] Speaker B: Their birthdays on New Year's as a vampire thing. [00:47:16] Speaker A: Yeah. Because, again, they aren't about the individual. They're about, like, the whole. And you don't need to know when your birthday is. And it's like, okay, so we're gonna throw your birthday this weekend. And I was like, well, I actually have something to do this weekend, so you guys have fun with that. But I'm going to go. And then make is like, no, you don't have to do that. You're already going above and beyond what you need to. [00:47:36] Speaker B: And he's worried. He's. So you can, like, obviously, he see that everybody is worried about it. And honestly, again, valid. [00:47:45] Speaker A: But he's going to California to see Emery because he's trying to figure out if she's the one who actually did this. He. He does think that she's the one who's been doing all these things. So he wants to go and get proof, which is why he's trying to learn about coding, to try and look through her computer in order to find proof. [00:48:00] Speaker B: Yeah. And this is when he kind of, like, says that he's going alone. And that's when I'm like, okay, obviously, he's not gonna go alone. Misery's not getting her birthday party, and she's gonna end up with him because it's the perfect scenario for her. To go help him without him risking anyone of his pack. [00:48:20] Speaker A: Right. That's exactly what I was thinking. I was like, obviously, they're gonna go together. Is there any way that she can go with him? Because he's not good with computers, and she can. They can just act like they're a couple in love and they can just go and do it. But I do agree. [00:48:33] Speaker B: Proximity trope. [00:48:34] Speaker A: Exactly. I do agree that it's probably a trap and that something will go wrong. I honestly thought we were going to get to that before the end of this. But they do drag it out for a couple more chapters about us going to figure out if they're actually gonna pull it off or not. [00:48:48] Speaker B: Yeah. So the next chapter is a well, they won't they thing when she joins him on the roof because Anna showed her how to climb onto the roof. And she sees that Low is there, and he smells her. She asks if she can go with his terrible plan, and he's like, no, you're not coming. And they kind of just like, talk a little bit. He designed the house for his mother. With his architecture degree, he studied in Zurich, where all the species live together. It's not just wares and vampires and humans separately, like, they live in harmony. But once he left, he never went back. He never got any of his stuff. We learn that Mick's wife and son have died. He's the only one who was a second during Roscoe's reign, but never, like, challenged Low when he tried to take over. And so he's the oldest one there and kind of the wisest out of everybody. He notices her hiding her fangs and just tells her not to. And he's like, show me your fangs. And she's like, I don't want to. And he's like, do it. [00:50:08] Speaker A: No. This is just so funny because, like, they. They kept doing these things because of the whole mating thing. He wants to bite her, and so he's also obsessed with her and her biting him back. And obviously that's what this is. And I'm like, this is going to be a thing that's happens when they have sex. But I'm like, geez, you just keep on, like, wow, pushing it. [00:50:25] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, this is when we know. We learn that mates are so rare. One or two in a, like, generation have mates. Like, it's something that's extremely rare. And then when you have a mate, you're supposed to bite each other and mark each other. And he's like, telling her all this thing. And I was like, that kind of is adorable. I do. At this point, I'm appreciating the fact that the author has made it so obvious that he is her mate. That, like, we get to enjoy this conversation that much more because we know their mates and we know that this is like, he's, like, sharing it with his mate. But she's just like. And you're like, oh, it's so cute. It's just so cute. [00:51:10] Speaker A: I know. Because she's like, well, how do you know? And he's like, you know? And she's like, no, I don't think you do. And he's like, you know, I'm telling you. You know. And she's like, well, I just don't have the hardware for it. And he's like, yeah, I'm aware of that. Thank you very much. [00:51:27] Speaker B: Yeah. And then by the end of the chapter, she, like, gets him to agree with bringing her on the mission, but is like, the very last line of the chapter is like, okay, but you have to be marked. And she's like, okay, whatever. And I'm like, he's gonna bite her. [00:51:44] Speaker A: Yeah. I was like, what else could it mean? I'm assuming it means that he's going to bite her. My only thought was that if he bites her because they are mates, would it trigger her needing to bite him back within a certain amount of time before he dies? Because that's sometimes a trope. It's like the unbitten mate. He's gonna die. He's gonna die. Okay. Obviously, I know that he's gonna be okay in the end, but it could be one of those, like, ticking clock things where it, like, starts a ticking clock of, like, he didn't. She didn't bite her back, so now I'm gonna die. [00:52:19] Speaker B: I can honestly say I don't think I've heard of that one before. [00:52:25] Speaker A: No. [00:52:27] Speaker B: No. [00:52:28] Speaker A: Anyway, that's. That was like. I was just hoping that something like that didn't happen because I was like, that. [00:52:40] Speaker B: Okay. I don't think it's going to, but I guess we actually don't know for sure yet. [00:52:45] Speaker A: I'm surprised I've never heard of that trip before. [00:52:47] Speaker B: But, yeah, that's. [00:52:48] Speaker A: That was. That was my thought, was that hopefully he doesn't die. [00:52:52] Speaker B: He's gonna die. Okay. So we're in the plane. We find out that he. He, like, can fly himself and that he has a private plane because werewolves aren't allowed on most airlines, which I thought was, like, a random comment. [00:53:12] Speaker A: It's actually really hard for her to go on airplanes. [00:53:17] Speaker B: And she's like, actually, I have also never been on an airplane, so that makes sense. [00:53:22] Speaker A: We're only allowed in our territory. We're not really allowed anywhere else, so. Yeah. [00:53:30] Speaker B: But then they land, and I don't. They were, like, about to get off the plane, but then he's like, I need to bite you really quick. Yeah. And it takes, like, the next, like, 20 minutes. Like, or at least it feels like 20 minutes. Like, they're. [00:53:43] Speaker A: Dang. They're in there for a long time. [00:53:47] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. I was like, oh, he's just gonna bite her. And, like, that's gonna be it. But no, he's, like, sniffing her, licking her neck. [00:53:55] Speaker A: He's going to scent her, which means that he shouldn't be kissing her. He should just be, like, licking and licking and then, like, sniffing, and then he just gets carried away. And so then it becomes like him, like, turning around, writing into her, and then he ends up biting her neck. [00:54:11] Speaker B: Yeah, honestly, I was into it. [00:54:14] Speaker A: Yeah, well, she wanted to bite him back. She, like, this whole time, I don't know if we've really mentioned it, but, like, every once in a while, she talked about his scent and how he smells really good and how she wants to bite him. And so again, his blood scent, specifically blood scent, smells super good. And so she's like, really? After he bites her, she, like, really, really, really wants to bite him. But then the cars come rolling up to their plane, and they're like, we gotta handle this later. [00:54:37] Speaker B: Yeah. Because she was. They were literally in the middle of something when they went into. It's like. So then, like, finally we meet this new character, Emery, who was the last maid's wife. They have a dinner with everyone, which is, like, really awkward, I'm sure, as a vampire, because they know you can't eat. You know you can't eat, but you're just staring at everyone eating. [00:55:06] Speaker A: But apparently they pull. Pull it all off. And Emery doesn't have an issue with her being there. It's not out of the ordinary or anything, I guess. At least misery doesn't see anything. And then they go to bed, they have a little conversation again, and they talk about Lo's mate, because obviously she's still under the impression that Lowe's mate is in the vampire territory. And so she's, like, talking about how he must have a great time and, like, blah, blah, blah. And he's like, my mate is not reciprocated. And then she goes off on the tangent, like, oh, I. I thought they. That they had already made it but maybe they somehow found the mate before they had made it. And so she has, like, the mate is, like, all the way hostage. And, like. And she goes off on this long tangent. Then I'm like, why are we reading this? We already know it's you. [00:55:50] Speaker B: Come on. We already know. And then she does, like, this thing where he's like, oh, yeah, I have insomnia. And she's like, no, I know. Anna called it. Or Anna called it pneumonia. And he's like, yeah, she does that. And she goes, oh, but my friend used to have it. And I used to rub her head. Would you like me to scratch you? And he was like, okay. And she rubs his head until he falls asleep. And she realizes that even if she doesn't have a lead about Serena, she probably would have caved when her father asked her to become collateral. Because he brings up this point. He said, without Serena, without her missing or anything, would you have agreed to what your father asked? [00:56:39] Speaker A: Because he thinks that she should stand up for herself more or something. That's why they ended this conversation. Yeah. And so then he, like. Like, he's, like, pushing her, and it's like, But I'm pretty sure even if you didn't have Serena, like, you would still have done this for your father. You would still try to be a good person. You would have still tried to be on their side, even though they don't have your back at all, basically. [00:56:57] Speaker B: And he's kind of upset about it. And he's been making comments about her father since the very beginning of the book. He's like, yeah, your father's not a great guy. He kind of abandoned you for 10 years of your life. [00:57:10] Speaker A: And she's like, yeah, I know. I don't really like my father. The only person that have ever liked or loved in my life is Serena. And so that's why I'm trying so hard to get her back. This is the thing, is that they're talking about his mate, right? And so she's like, you think you should tell your mate? Like, even if it's not reciprocated, you should. Obviously your mate would want to know. And he's like, no, I can't tell her because she's so good and so lovely that if she thought that I needed her, that she would just make the decision to be with me for me, not to be with me for her. And she needs to make that decision herself, and she needs stick up for herself. And then she was like, no, I don't think that's true. And Then she. Then that's why he was like, well, would you have still been in a collateral even if you didn't need to know something about Serena? And he's like, she thinks about it and she's like, yeah, I still would have been collateral. Meaning, like, she wouldn't have stuck up for herself. Meaning, like, he's still right to not tell her that she's their mate because then she would, like, automatically want to be with him for him, not her. [00:58:04] Speaker B: Yeah. And then, like, it just brings the reader in that much more in love with him. [00:58:10] Speaker A: But still, I think she should tell her because she's already basically in love with him at this point. That I'm like, it would just bring you guys closer together. You already. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about her fake falling in love with you. [00:58:21] Speaker B: Yeah, I agree. But she also needs to, like, completely find Serena before she can, like, accept that she loves him and doesn't want to leave him. [00:58:30] Speaker A: I guess that's true, you know. So what are your theories and things for the. What the rest of this book is going to be like again? Where do you think Serena is? [00:58:42] Speaker B: Well, I think my predictions for the rest of the book are that we're going to find Serena is either with Emery or Garcia. So the councilwoman or the alpha. The old alpha's mate, lady. Especially since they kind of already painted Emery as the villain in the book. And so we, like, have, like, just one person that we're rooting against. You know, Garcia hasn't really been painted very much as the villain, but she's also human, which gives her the aspect of, like, getting Serena easier. Eventually, obviously, Low is going to tell Misery that she's his mate, and then she's going to choose to love him and say that he's the only home she's ever known and then have to face her father and rebel against her father in the name of her husband at the end or something like that. [00:59:35] Speaker A: Okay. The only thing I have against Emery is because she has been painted so clearly as the villain that I'm like, it can't be that simple. You know what I mean? I feel like it needs to be a little bit more complicated than that, which is one of the reasons why I was like, maybe it's somebody like Garcia. And again, yeah, like, you're saying she is also human, so maybe that does make it a little bit easier for her to hide her. I give it about four more chapters until they kiss. [01:00:04] Speaker B: Last time you were almost spot on. [01:00:06] Speaker A: I like, literally, it was like at the end of the chapters when they did it too. And I was like, so basically that is it. So yeah, that's why four more chapters until they kiss. Because they're a little bit more like. [01:00:19] Speaker B: Will they, won't they? [01:00:21] Speaker A: Yeah, like they're not as like, oh, let's have sex with whoever we want. Like Zayden and Violet. Violet were. These people are a little bit more like. She thinks that he has a mate. He's trying to keep himself away from her this whole time because he's trying to not like be around her so much because like that is bad for him, I guess, because then he can't control himself. He says. But I don't know, I think that. I don't know if it has anything to do with Anna. Maybe it has to do with Lowe's mother instead. Maybe Lowe's mother told somebody something and that this is. I don't know. I think Lowe's. [01:01:05] Speaker B: I think Anna's father is the one. [01:01:08] Speaker A: Who leaked it because they did say that he was still alive. He just. In the human territory. But they also said that they didn't. They didn't think that he knew about it. But maybe he did. [01:01:20] Speaker B: Right? Maybe he does. Maybe he even hired Serena to look for her because she's a journalist and like wanted and like trusted her journalism skills to find her. And then the search on her computer is the reason that she was targeted by someone else. [01:01:39] Speaker A: I also think that the reason that Low is going to all these council meetings is because the werewolves, the humans and the vampires are trying to do a three way deal right now. I feel like there is something. I honestly think that Serena has something to do with the three way deal and there's something going on with the three way deal. Maybe the three way deal will come into jeopardy and that's when she has to like stand up against her father and do something. But I really do think that at the end of this they will have a three way alliance with everybody and they will be living happily ever after. [01:02:17] Speaker B: Maybe because it's got to end. It's got to all be wrapped up and end. [01:02:22] Speaker A: I think that they'll live in a house or live in an area where they can intermingle because it'll be Low and his sister, who's half human and where misery and then Serena, wherever Serena is. So we have to live in a place that is like accepting to everybody. [01:02:40] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:02:41] Speaker A: Do you think that Anna will be able to. Well, yeah. Do you think that Anna will be able to shift by the end of this book? [01:02:49] Speaker B: No. [01:02:50] Speaker A: Do you think that she'll be able to shift ever? There is an epilogue. [01:02:54] Speaker B: Oh, see? Yeah. Epilogue. She learned how to shift. Done. Well, epilogue, I feel like, is just gonna be like, yeah. Now, you know, her. Misery's father is dead, and Owen. [01:03:07] Speaker A: It's in the Low's point of view. That's the only thing I saw, was that we have a prologue, 30 chapters, and epilogue. And the epilogue is in Lo's chapter. [01:03:14] Speaker B: Yeah. He's gonna be like, all right, Misery's father's dead. Owen is gonna be the leader of the vampires, and you've got Lo still the leader of the werewolves. You've got. I don't know. Maybe Serena's, like, has something to do with the leadership for the humans, and everybody's all happy. And Anna's learned how to transition and is doing well, organizing and keeping her little phases in control or whatever. And then she's gonna be like the child so that Misery and Low don't have to have a child. [01:03:52] Speaker A: Or do you think they will have a child? Well, before they said that they didn't think that anyone could have interspecies anything, but now we already know that that's not true. So do you think that they get. I think they could potentially, in the epilogue, be either pregnant or they have a baby. [01:04:16] Speaker B: We'll have to see. Join us next week for part two.