Bride (Pt. 2)

[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 stand for. The B stands for backwoods. [00:00:20] Speaker B: The C stands for coconuts, because I'm Coco for the coconuts and Cocoa Puffs. What's going on? [00:00:31] Speaker A: Not much. I went to the grocery store this week and bought some stuff and made some stuff, and that's the most worked out. And some of it didn't. [00:00:44] Speaker B: That was the most generic response you could possibly give me. [00:00:48] Speaker A: You're welcome. [00:00:50] Speaker B: I made food. Is that exciting? [00:00:54] Speaker A: Is that not what I said? [00:00:57] Speaker B: That's exactly what you said, which is why I'm making fun of you. [00:01:07] Speaker A: Well, did I not say it in a more exciting way? Okay. [00:01:12] Speaker B: No, I don't think so. [00:01:16] Speaker A: What did you do? [00:01:17] Speaker B: What did I do? Uh, I just wrote all week, and that's generic. [00:01:24] Speaker A: Good. On to the second part of Bride by Ali Hazelwood. [00:01:30] Speaker B: So we were talking about our predictions last. Just a little tease. Do you feel like your prediction was pretty accurate? [00:01:38] Speaker A: No. [00:01:39] Speaker B: No. I feel like mine was actually pretty close. [00:01:49] Speaker A: Actually. That's a lie, because the end of my chapter reaction was like, I think they're gonna get in a compromising position. But how bad could it be? Because they're already married. And that's exactly what happens when they actually, like, do their scheme. So in that. Yeah, but I mean, I thought it was spoilers for the end of the book. I thought it was a different person. [00:02:11] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:02:12] Speaker A: But I did eventually come to one of the people. So I'm. I'm okay with how the book ended. [00:02:17] Speaker B: You're. You're resolved. [00:02:20] Speaker A: I feel okay. I don't know. We'll get to how I feel at the end of the book. But how did you. So you felt good? [00:02:27] Speaker B: I felt good. I was like, yeah, this is working out exactly how I thought. So we left off with. With them. Where were they? [00:02:39] Speaker A: They went to bed. Basically. You're right. They wake up again, they're in enemy territory. And at this point, I'm like, they've been there for two days. They've had dinner. Like, what is their plan? Do they even have a plan? It didn't seem like they had a plan. [00:02:54] Speaker B: It. Honestly, it did, but it didn't. Like, their plan was something to do with electronics. That was basically it. [00:02:59] Speaker A: I think they get a plan that night once his friend shows up, but they don't have a plan before that. [00:03:05] Speaker B: No, they have a plan because Alex was, like, teaching her. And then they even mentioned in the book that, like. [00:03:11] Speaker A: Oh, I mean, they had a plan. [00:03:13] Speaker B: Specifically to do this, but they didn't. [00:03:15] Speaker A: Have a plan to get to the plan. They're like, we need to get there. [00:03:17] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. They didn't have a plan to get to the plan. So we start, and they're coming up with the plan. [00:03:30] Speaker A: Well, okay. So he. She wakes up in the morning. He isn't there. He left a note. And the note is signed LJ Moreland, because he doesn't have an E. He's a J. [00:03:41] Speaker B: It was a little side joke. [00:03:43] Speaker A: Yeah, a little side joke for them. It's just a funny little joke. And she comes back, and she's in the tub, and he's like, oh, are you decent? And she's like, yeah. And she's just in the tub, and she, like, has some suds over her. And then he comes in. He's shirtless. And then they. [00:04:00] Speaker B: And they're both, like, thirsting over each other. [00:04:02] Speaker A: Yeah. They have a conversation. He wants to see her wolf. And he's like, no, mostly because she asked. And he doesn't take any orders because he's an alpha, which is dumb. We also learn that he doesn't feel any pain when he shifts. And it's also very fast when they shift. It doesn't take very long at all. This is when they talk about the plan. Finally, as he's caressing her foot under the water. Because he got close to her. [00:04:30] Speaker B: Yeah. Honestly, she was, like, joking about him having pink fur or something. And their, like, banter moment there. I was, like, not in it. Like, why are we joking about Sparkles? Interesting. And then we get to go to dinner with Emery and Cohen. [00:04:50] Speaker A: Yes. [00:04:50] Speaker B: Cohen's a fun addition. [00:04:52] Speaker A: Cohen is a fun addition. He is one of Lo's closest friends, and he's from the Northwest pack, which is where Low went when he was, like, banished by Roscoe. So they're friends forever. And Cohen is kind of an asshole, but he's a likable asshole when he's on your side. Yeah. They go to Jennifer. [00:05:12] Speaker B: He just kind of says what he wants to say without realizing there's people around. [00:05:19] Speaker A: Yeah. He does very much say what he wants to say. How he feels. He calls it like he sees it. [00:05:27] Speaker B: Yeah, I like him. [00:05:31] Speaker A: And he's supposed to distract Emery at the table while Misery and Low go to the other room so that she can feed, quote, unquote, feed. [00:05:43] Speaker B: And they Break into her office to do so. Well, well, well. A compromising position. [00:05:51] Speaker A: Yeah. So they end up in a compromising position because the guards are coming and they are wares. So they would know whether or not she's actually feeding. And so she actually has to feed on low because they're out of time, out of options. And so she's going to feed on him. [00:06:09] Speaker B: And so she starts feeding on him. And they both start feeling a certain way when she does it. And they almost get into it. And this is when I was like, okay, they're going to kiss soon, but it's too soon because Kristen said four chapters away. So it's. [00:06:30] Speaker A: And I was still wrong. It was longer than that. [00:06:34] Speaker B: No, actually, I don't. I. Hold on. [00:06:37] Speaker A: No, I swear to God. Chapter four is when they almost kiss and then she passes out. [00:06:41] Speaker B: It was five chapters because it happens right after. [00:06:45] Speaker A: I was like, this is the chapter I was wrong. Last time I was a chapter too late. This time I was a chapter too early. [00:06:55] Speaker B: Yeah, I say too late. The kiss was before. Yeah, you. But so far you've been really close. Like, it's one chapter off, which I'm, like, very impressed with. [00:07:09] Speaker A: I know books. Okay. I can tell from the vibe that they're giving me how long will this. Will they, won't they moment? I'm gonna. [00:07:18] Speaker B: I'm gonna give it to you because, like, one chapter away is wild. So, like, from this point on, there's gonna be like a three chapter window in which they need to kiss in order for you to be right. But if you. [00:07:31] Speaker A: If. [00:07:31] Speaker B: If you're two chapters off, then it's a no go. [00:07:36] Speaker A: I need a score sign. These are both. I got it. Deep, deep. [00:07:39] Speaker B: Three for three, right? Or is it two for two? [00:07:43] Speaker A: I think it's two for two. [00:07:44] Speaker B: I think it's two for two dot yeah. [00:07:47] Speaker A: Because it was fourth wing and it was this one. [00:07:49] Speaker B: Yeah. We'll see if you can keep the streak up. [00:07:52] Speaker A: That's so funny. [00:07:54] Speaker B: It's gonna be like a requirement every. [00:07:55] Speaker A: I need a whiteboard. [00:07:57] Speaker B: Any romance we read. Where is the kiss Coming, Christine. And you have to make the prediction in the first half of the book. [00:08:06] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. What if they require first half of the book? [00:08:09] Speaker B: Huh? [00:08:10] Speaker A: What if they kiss by the first half of the book? Well, I might have made my prediction anyway and kept reading. And then I was like, yep, I was right. [00:08:19] Speaker B: I'm pretty sure you did, actually. [00:08:21] Speaker A: Yeah. That's so funny. [00:08:23] Speaker B: Yeah. Because you made the prediction and then, like, within that first half, it happened. And you were like, duh. So, like, it's a requirement. As soon as you, like, start picking up the vibes and you know what's happening soon, that's when you just go, it's gonna happen. This chapter. [00:08:40] Speaker A: It's only when I feel it, though. Do you know what I mean? Like, I have to feel it with them. [00:08:44] Speaker B: The vibe. [00:08:45] Speaker A: It's. [00:08:46] Speaker B: If it's out of nowhere, you're. You're done for. [00:08:50] Speaker A: I can't. I can't. [00:08:52] Speaker B: Done for. [00:08:55] Speaker A: No. I do think it's funny, though, that I, like, that was my. Was it my middle of the book prediction when I was like, it'll be within these amount of chapters. [00:09:06] Speaker B: It was this book. Yeah. Last time, I think it was before the middle of the book. [00:09:11] Speaker A: Yeah. Anyway. Wow. I'm good. [00:09:14] Speaker B: You're good. So now we're on chapter 17. [00:09:21] Speaker A: We are on chapter 17. [00:09:24] Speaker B: We. She's, like, getting high off his blood and getting horny. She licks his wound so it closes. She asked him that, like, she's asking him to, like, let go and stop drinking from him, but he's like, no, don't. And then they, like, awkwardly end because he, like, wants to her, but, like, isn't going to. And she's like, it's because I bit. [00:09:53] Speaker A: Him, which is dumb. [00:09:55] Speaker B: But they are found. While they were doing the whole feeding thing, they were found. So now Emery walks in, and she's like, okay, it's kind of wild, but whatever. And, like, doesn't even question it, which is crazy to me because, like, you knew you closed and locked that room. Why are you not as. Not so suspicious between these two? [00:10:17] Speaker A: I don't know. Because it's so taboo and that he's not. They're not allowed to. They're like, oh, my gosh, I can't believe you do this. So just out in the open, you guys really are just crazy and horny in love with each other. [00:10:31] Speaker B: Crazy and horny in love. And then Cohen is there, and he's like, yeah, you two are crazy in love. [00:10:42] Speaker A: And I feel like you can just tell that he knows already that she does. The way that he, like, talks about it and the way that he's like. [00:10:53] Speaker B: Yeah, he definitely knows for sure. And then I think when they were first introduced, he, like, hugged her in a very familiar way and was like, attaboy. [00:11:02] Speaker A: Oh. We also learned that he is the head of the pack, but he's supposed to. He took a vow of celibacy. [00:11:10] Speaker B: Yeah. And that most pack leaders do that. [00:11:14] Speaker A: But Lo did not, which is Weird. But that goes on for later, which is why I have questions. [00:11:26] Speaker B: So then the next chapter. That chapter basically ends by, like, him getting a phone call and finding out that Anna is sick. So the next chapter, we're going to see her. We know that wearers don't get sick, but Anna's half were half human. So we're trying to figure out if she is getting sick by, like, some random way or if it's just a human disease. And Misery volunteers to help because Misery saw Serena, her human friend, take pills or whatever, whenever she was sick in a certain way. And so she. She, like, has that prior knowledge helping Serena so she can help Anna, and it actually ends up working. [00:12:11] Speaker A: And this whole time, I thought she was gonna transform. I thought this was gonna be her transformation day. [00:12:15] Speaker B: I thought she had appendicitis. [00:12:18] Speaker A: No. I was like, this is her transformation time. Like, it's gonna be harder for her because she's only half where, like, blah, blah, blah. Like, that was what I was thinking. And then it turns out that she actually safe also in the middle of this for some reason. I don't know what it was, but they're like, anna sick, and they come back and she sees Mick. And all of a sudden, I was like, it's Mick. I think Mick did it. [00:12:41] Speaker B: Oh, wow. You got that one pretty. [00:12:44] Speaker A: Yeah. I don't know what it was. I literally. It was, like, just reading it. I was like, oh, shit, what if it's Mick? What if somehow Mick is involved with this? I didn't know in what way. And then right after that is when they start arguing about whether or not they should take her to a hospital or if they should just get the drugs that Misery is allowing them to do. And Nick is kind of fighting for the other side. And I was like, it's definitely. Meg is doing something here. So I was like, I need to keep an eye on him. [00:13:15] Speaker B: I feel like, oh, suspicions grew. [00:13:17] Speaker A: My suspicions grew. But I feel like there wasn't a lot that was seated on the last half of the book. With the first half of the book, I feel like there was a little bit, like, we. He kind of disappears after this. A little bit. [00:13:29] Speaker B: Yeah. Meanwhile, I'm just like, she has a pen to side if she's gonna die. [00:13:35] Speaker A: But she doesn't die. Her fever breaks after they give her all of the drugs that Misery talked. [00:13:41] Speaker B: About, and she's perfectly fine. And then we learn all of this before the next chapter. We find out that she's no longer being restricted on her calls. She can talk to her brother openly. She kind of asks him about feeding on people, and he's like, why are we talking about sex? And she was like, no. Like, if I feed on someone more than once, does it affect them? And he's like, please stop. This is uncomfortable. [00:14:07] Speaker A: Please don't tell me about this. Who would you be feeding on? Oh, shit. You're not feeding on him, right? You should stop feeding on him. Please don't feed on him. Also, don't tell dad you're feeding on him. Don't ever do it again. [00:14:18] Speaker B: Just. [00:14:18] Speaker A: He immediately picks up on what she's throwing down. [00:14:21] Speaker B: Yeah. And he's like, please have sex with him so that, like, you can get this out of your system. But I'll never feed on him again. [00:14:27] Speaker A: Because it can form a bond, which, like, come on. [00:14:31] Speaker B: Wouldn't you want him to be bonded to your sister? [00:14:34] Speaker A: I guess not. It's too intimate. And their father could use that. That's what he says. Don't tell dad because he can use it to his own advantage. We don't want that. [00:14:45] Speaker B: Which obviously her father understands it anyway, without it ever needing to be said. [00:14:52] Speaker A: Yeah, he's just that good. Okay? [00:14:54] Speaker B: He's. He's just that good. [00:14:56] Speaker A: He's that good at taking things out. [00:15:00] Speaker B: And then there's, like, tension between her and Lo, and he comes into the kitchen, and they're talking about their investigation into Anna's father. She says that someone told Serena, so why wouldn't they have told the father? She gets peanut butter on her nose. He wipes it off, and she licks his finger all seductively. And they talk about Anna a little bit, but then misery just, like, keeps up, bringing up his mate and how she's a vampire, so she doesn't understand me, but she's like, you should be with your mate. And he's like, what are you talking about? [00:15:42] Speaker A: No, she. He, like, let me see. She brings up her. His maid again to be like, what chapter are we on? 19. [00:15:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:15:49] Speaker A: What did she say? She says, you have a mate. He nods slowly. It's never far from my mind. And I'm a vampire. And then she licks her fangs. You are. His eyes are on my teeth. And, yeah, he doesn't mind. This can't be real, can it? He's silent. It feels real. So she's like, hey, you have a mate. But it feels like this is something. Something's going on between us. [00:16:10] Speaker B: And he's like, yeah. Yep. [00:16:13] Speaker A: I think I'd like to investigate it. And she's, like, reaching out towards him to kiss him. By the way, this is the fourth chapter, just like I said, within four chapters. This is him, her reaching out to kiss him. And then all of a sudden, she feels shaky and collapses and passes out. [00:16:29] Speaker B: And it takes like two sentences for her to just pass out, which is crazy. [00:16:34] Speaker A: Well, I mean, she did eat the peanut butter a little bit more. Like a little bit further. It was a little bit further back. They have a couple of conversations. They talk about a couple things. But yeah, it's pretty quick. And we. I was like, was it the peanut butter? But it was the peanut butter. [00:16:50] Speaker B: We find out it was the peanut butter. This, this next chapter, she's, like, hurt. Her collateral physician is the one who came and, like, saved her. She's going to be going in and out for a couple of days. She's like having we. We go in and out with her so we don't know what's happening. When she's not awake, she knows that Lowe's isn't leaving her side. She knows that there's like a little bit of arguing. She knows Anna is being transferred somewhere else for her safety. And then suddenly she wakes up, she feels fine, but she's a little weak. She knows someone poisoned her peanut butter. She thinks it was meant for Anna. And then there's a wolf at her door, which she thought was like, clothing or something before she tripped on it. This is a really awkward moment in this book because she's one way talking to this wolf and you're like trying to imagine the wolf as low, but it's just a puppy. And you're like, puppy? But he goes and makes her back to. Brings her back to the closet to sleep. She's like, okay, he's white and fluffy and I love him. And then falls asleep with him at her side. I was like, what if this wasn't low? Like, how awkward? [00:18:15] Speaker A: She asked multiple times, like, it is you, right? To confirm. And every time he's like, he, like, shakes his little doggy head. But also that would be just so someone could lie. Somebody could lie. Somebody could lie to. [00:18:26] Speaker B: You could lie and then, like, attack her. Like, come on, she's in danger. She was just poison. [00:18:33] Speaker A: See, this is what I was going to say. I'm so happy that it wasn't a long, drawn out illness for Anna or for misery, because I feel like sometimes that overwhelms the story of, like, when is this person get better? When are they going to blah, blah, blah. When are they going to battle through what they need to battle through? And both of these, they got better relatively quickly. And it wasn't actually that much of a plot point. It was just like a plot point for this section to, like, spur on something else that we need, I guess. [00:19:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:02] Speaker A: Like, we can't actually be at Emery's too long. We have to get back. So who's sick? Anna's sick. We have to be able to show that Misery really loves Anna, so she has to save her. It's like, these are very specific. Like, this is a plotted out book. Like, these things happen for a reason. Okay. [00:19:20] Speaker B: There's no side tangents about ponies. [00:19:23] Speaker A: No, no. It is a little weird, though. Like reading a book sometimes and you're like, yeah, straightforward. This is straightforward book. [00:19:32] Speaker B: What do you mean? We don't find out what happens to Bill, Dude. [00:19:38] Speaker A: So the next chapter, she has a dream about Serena. She wakes up and she wants to go see Low. He was in a meeting with all of his seconds, but as soon as she comes down, he dismisses them and tells her, like, oh, I'm so glad to see you. She was out for five days. She thought while she was in and out that maybe they were going to war because she was poisoned and it was on their territory and everything. And so there might have been issues with their agreements, but nobody went to war. Everybody's good. Also, Anna is now with cone in a confidential location. She realized that she is super happy about it and she does have feelings about Anna and that she is growing as a person and everything. Lo wants to move Misery to a confidential location as well. We find out that while she was sick, he's the one that changed all her bed sheets, made sure that she was clean. She decides that she's going to take a shower. He carries her up to the shower and he strips in front of her, and she's like, are we gonna kiss yet? Until finally they do kiss. And I was actually two chapters off because this is 21 and four chapters was 19, so I already missed my bullseye. [00:20:56] Speaker B: Wow. [00:20:57] Speaker A: Sorry. [00:20:57] Speaker B: Sad. You're one for two then one for two. [00:21:01] Speaker A: They are going to once they get out of the tub. [00:21:03] Speaker B: But then straight with it. [00:21:06] Speaker A: They're ready. They're. They're gonna hard hit. They're gonna go. But then Owen calls and is like, first of all, I can see you're about to. So I'm gonna make this quick. He tries to speak in the vampire language that they have, but then Misery is like, no, it's fine. Low's good. You can tell him whatever you want to tell him. So he she makes him switch to English. Owen tells Misery that Serena's house got broken into three days ago and they need to set up a meeting. And they hang up. And then Low gets a phone call and he has to go, but he kisses her forehead before he leaves. And they finally kiss. They finally admit to wanting to fuck each other's brains out. Are they going to admit to wanting more than each other's brains out? [00:21:50] Speaker B: No. [00:21:52] Speaker A: And I said, I think that a bond will end by the end of the book, because I thought it was going to be a more prominent Bond thing. It's not. They don't bond by the end of the book. So that was also one tally that is wrong. We should keep a tally sheet of all of my random theories. Your random theories? My random theory is what we get. [00:22:08] Speaker B: Right. [00:22:08] Speaker A: And if we're right. Yeah. [00:22:10] Speaker B: Yeah, we probably should. Who's more right, who's right more often? [00:22:16] Speaker A: Who's closer to being right at the right amount of time? She wakes up and she needs to feed because it's been a week, because she was in a coma. Lo and Alex are downstairs, and we find out that Alex found some information on Serena. She met somebody who was a comptroller for public accounts in the human side. His name is Thomas. And Serena met with him because he does stuff in the financial field for the humans, and he's Anna's dad. And since Alex doesn't know that he's Anna's dad and they're trying to keep this all a secret, once they find out this information, they kind of just tell Alex to go home. And then Low and Misery are by themselves, and misery is like, okay, like, let's go talk to him. Like, let's figure out what this is about. See if he knows Serena. Turns out that he's actually dead. He's would died two weeks after Serena disappeared. And Governor Davenport was the one who appointed Thomas. And this is when I was like, oh, shoot, I got the wrong governor. I kept thinking it was the new governor that had something shady going on with her. It wasn't. It was the old governor that had the old one. [00:23:27] Speaker B: Which, honestly, when I made my prediction, it was the new governor as well. And it was also Emery. But then I had, like, this side theory that I was like, actually, I'm pretty sure this is true, but it would be hard to get there. And by the end of the book, we do get there. [00:23:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:47] Speaker B: I was like, wow. [00:23:49] Speaker A: There is one point where I did also think, like, old governor, new governor. I think on the front half of the book. I was very new governor because the old governor wasn't really in the book a lot. Like, we got a couple mentions of him, but I felt like he wasn't going to be a big enough plot point moving forward that I was going to have to track him. Yes. Because I thought he was out of the story. And so I was like. Although I was like, okay, it could be either governor. I was like, I'm going to go with the new one since she's probably actually going to be an active person moving forward. We never see her literally ever. She's always just brought up in conversation. We never see her personally. Low always talks to her in meetings away. Yeah, but Governor Davenport we actually spent time with, so I should have figured it was Governor Davenport. My actual problem with this was that I thought those people were too obvious. And so I, like, wrote them off in my head. [00:24:44] Speaker B: Yeah, that makes sense. And I. I almost did the same thing too. So I get that. [00:24:50] Speaker A: I definitely did that with the final villain. That's exactly what I did that to. When it happened, I was like, oh, yeah, like, obviously he's a bad guy. And then I was like. I was just like, yeah, obviously he's a bad guy. And obviously. I don't know, I didn't think that he was the one who was in charge of everything. Anyway, then Low tells Misery that they're going to dinner with Governor Davenport because once they figure this out, then he made a meeting with them. And she says, okay, well, like, leave. I need to feed. And he's like, well, just feed on me. And she's like, well, actually I talked to my brother and he says it's not a good idea unless you see something long term. Because then a bond happens. [00:25:33] Speaker B: And he was like, feed on me, baby. [00:25:37] Speaker A: Yeah. He's like, yeah, that's not a problem. I have no issues with that. When can we get going? And she again is just thinking like, oh, this isn't going to end well because he is a mate. But she can't really help it. And she bites him. He ends up biting her back and marking her again. And then they go upstairs and he smells her and she asks for a condom. [00:25:59] Speaker B: Just say they do it. [00:26:01] Speaker A: No, they don't do it. Do you know why they don't do it? They can't have sex anyway. Okay. He's like, it's not a big deal. We can't have sex. I can't put it in you. They're sexually incompatible. And this is when I was like, oh, he's gonna Pop a knot. And he's so scared that he's gonna pop a knot because she's his mate. And what does that mean, Kristen? [00:26:23] Speaker B: I don't know what papa knot means, first of all. Second of all, he was explaining all of this and I was. Is happening. I don't get it. He keeps going, we're incompatible. And I was like, how? And he was like, you know, we're. We're incompatible. We just don't work. And I was like, but ow. And they just don't say it. They never say it. [00:26:48] Speaker A: What do you mean they don't say it? What do you mean? [00:26:51] Speaker B: Does that mean? I don't get it. They don't say anything else but that. And I don't get it. [00:27:00] Speaker A: Okay, so this is so funny because you text me and you just said, not. And because I didn't think that we were talking about this, I wrote back rope because I thought we were just doing word association games. Okay? And then you were like, no, just text me when you get there. And then that's when I realized that we were talking about the book. And then I texted you back, wait, in this book? Really? I wasn't expecting that. And you're like, no, no, no, that's not what you're thinking. Like, just text me when you get there. This is exactly what I was thinking. I was like, really? I'm not in this book. I wasn't expecting that. Like, that was just so not what I was expecting from a major book. [00:27:39] Speaker B: I don't understand the words you're using right now. [00:27:43] Speaker A: Okay, look, this is a penis. Okay? [00:27:47] Speaker B: Uh huh. [00:27:48] Speaker A: This is the vagina. Got it. [00:27:50] Speaker B: Uh huh. [00:27:51] Speaker A: He goes in and then he pops a knot in his penis so that it expands her vagina too much. He thinks he's going to break her. [00:28:00] Speaker B: Is that like a fantasy thing? [00:28:02] Speaker A: It's a fan fiction thing. Which is why I was like, I put in my notes, I read too much fan fiction, which is why I thought it wasn't going to be in a mainstream book. Because, like all of the mating things and all of that stuff that's all in fanfiction and all in like AO3 and like, things that people have. Like, I know everything about it. Like, I read a lot of things. Know this. Yeah. It's like universe. Yeah. Like mating. Yeah, I. I thought like, you telling me it's not that, like the, like that. It was a third thing. I literally could not think of the third thing. I didn't know that was the second thing. [00:28:39] Speaker B: Yeah, I was like, I literally read this chapter and have never read a chapter before. That made me so effing confused. [00:28:50] Speaker A: Really. [00:28:50] Speaker B: She just kept saying not. And I was like, what does that mean? I don't understand. I need a thorough explanation. And I never get that thorough explanation. [00:29:03] Speaker A: Because it's just so shorthand that I literally thought that you knew. [00:29:08] Speaker B: No. And I was like, there's no possible way Kristen's gonna know what I'm talking about because I don't even know what I'm talking about. [00:29:15] Speaker A: No, that's exactly what it was. That's so funny, though. I was so confused about what the third thing was going to be that I took a picture of the book when it said not. And I was like, is it this? Is this what she's talking about? Because I hadn't gotten to that part yet, obviously, but I was like, well, what would the third thing be? If it's not second, it has to be something else. And so I was like, looking for a third thing. And all I got was, let me see. This is when she's coming in the first time. They explain what's happening with Emory and he's like, I'm wearing jeans plus a layer of sweat, nothing else. The curtains are pulled but sheer. The incoming light is warm and tints of low skin are pretty gold. His wide shoulders is broad, heavily, heavily muscled chest. His glowing with the flesh of being outside in nature. And he looks healthy, even with more scars than anyone his age should. Narrow, thin stripes and knotty twists. And that was. I took picture of it because I was like, what the third thing. What the is the third thing that she's talking about? That she's talking about Naughty something and that? I. No, yeah, it's a fan fiction thing. It's. It's like a mate. It's a mate thing. [00:30:23] Speaker B: I can't believe this is so widely known and I'm just like, completely oblivious. But honestly, I get it. [00:30:30] Speaker A: I. [00:30:30] Speaker B: It's things I never knew. [00:30:33] Speaker A: You never knew. You never knew. [00:30:35] Speaker B: I never knew that I never knew. [00:30:36] Speaker A: Did you ever hear a wolf cry to the blue corn moon? Or ask a grinning bobcat why he grinned? [00:30:42] Speaker B: That's negative. [00:30:44] Speaker A: Yeah. Do you have any other questions about the knot, or should we move on? [00:30:48] Speaker B: Yep, we're just going to move on. I. Yeah, I'm just not going to breach that subject again. [00:30:54] Speaker A: Okay, sounds good. I don't think that we're going to have to, but yeah, now we're on to chapter 23. They go to dinner with Davenport and they have to go to say, like, oh, hey, we really want to give a gift to you for being so nice to us. So they gave him a polar bear ashtray, and they go to dinner, and he's drunk, and he tries to stir some shit up between the two of them. And he's like, oh, what do you think happened at the Astra wedding? Or slash, the sixth wedding? And Lo's like, oh, yeah, that was just because the vampire treated the were bride really badly. So we wanted retribution. And Misery's like, okay, they never told us that. And then it kind of, like, moved on because they don't actually care about any of that stuff. [00:31:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:37] Speaker A: Lo asks Davenport about his mother and if he knows anything about her. And he's like, oh, yeah, I knew great things about her. But then he forgets her name. And then he's like, oh, but I think that she was really close to Thomas. Do you remember Thomas? And he's like, oh, yeah, he died a couple weeks ago. Really tragic. [00:31:55] Speaker B: And he says a while ago. He made it sound like it was years ago. And I was like. I was suspicious. [00:32:03] Speaker A: It was very suspicious. And, I mean, Lowe's suspicious, too, because right after that, he's like, you are lying. And he, like, gets him by the throat and is like, you need to tell me the truth. I can tell that you're lying. I can tell by your smell. And Davenport is like, well, I had to do something because Thomas was talking to journalists about all the embezzling that I'm doing, and so he had to be stopped. And so they leave. They realize that Serena probably found out about Anna first, actually, and then blackmailed Thomas from finding out about Anna to figure out what was happening with Davenport and the financial things that he was doing in order to write a story about it. So they kind of, like, go backwards instead of forwards and misery. Just can't believe it because she's like, she would never do that. She would never exploit a child in order to just get a story. Like, there's no way. And they're on their way back, but they stopped to go visit Owen first and Low's quote unquote mate is also going to be there, Gabby. And we are finally going to get that cleared up, which I'm so happy about, because we really needed that cleared up. And I was. [00:33:12] Speaker B: The whole mate thing. Yeah, yeah, agreed. I was. I've been the whole. The whole book. We're like, when is she gonna finally realize and not be dumb? [00:33:26] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:33:27] Speaker B: We finally meet Gabby. Gabby and Owen are merely cordial. I honestly didn't realize that he had access to Gabby because he said something about not being able to talk to her in the beginning of her being there. [00:33:45] Speaker A: That's what I thought, too. And for some reason, it was really weird, because it seemed like. Because Low had Misery, then Owen had Gabby. Like, they were the two swaps. Yeah. And I was like, since when is Owen in charge of her? I didn't realize that they were. [00:34:02] Speaker B: I thought in the beginning that it would be, like, kind of the same where Gabby would have to marry Owen, specifically. [00:34:09] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:34:10] Speaker B: But they never said that. They never alluded to it. So it was only Low and Misery that had to marry, apparently, in order to keep the truth. [00:34:19] Speaker A: Yeah. They never explained that either, other than that there was a precedent for it in the past. [00:34:24] Speaker B: And that's it. [00:34:26] Speaker A: They're like, if we have one, we don't need the other. Like, there doesn't need to be two. [00:34:29] Speaker B: Yeah. So very confused on that. [00:34:32] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:34:34] Speaker B: But so Gabby's there. Oh. And she, like, sees Low for the first time, and he's like, hey, what's up? She's like, hey. And that's it. And then Owen, like, is like, I'm gonna bid for father's seat on the council. I need your support. And she's like, what are. What are you doing? Like, that makes no sense. Just wait for him to die like everybody else so you don't get in trouble. [00:35:00] Speaker A: This will be. You will die. He will kill you. He will definitely kill you. And, like, this isn't a good idea. And he's like, well, nobody really likes their father, so I think I could do it, actually. [00:35:12] Speaker B: He's hated. And then, like, as they're saying goodbye, Misery is, like, kind of, like, tense. She's nervous to see Lo say goodbye to Gabby because she doesn't want to see him pine for her because she likes him and she knows she likes him. But then he's just like, bye, see. [00:35:31] Speaker A: Ya, and tell me if anything goes wrong. Otherwise, it ever. [00:35:36] Speaker B: Misery's like, what is going on? I, like, love him, and he doesn't even, like, say goodbye to the person that he loves. Like, the way that I would say goodbye to him, and he doesn't even know that I love him. Like, she's really questioning her life choices at this moment. [00:35:53] Speaker A: And also, he walks back to the car, and he's, like, grinning. He has, like, the biggest smile on his face, and he's just, like, happy lumbering over to her, and he's. She's like, what? He looks so happy coming over to me. He shouldn't look, that happy. [00:36:03] Speaker B: Interesting coup plotline. I saw it coming because I knew at the end of the first half that, like, obviously her father was going to be involved in the ending and he needed to take over because that was just too obvious. But I thought, like, her father was going to end up, like, dying in some way in order for Owen to take over, but he's just like, yeah. [00:36:27] Speaker A: He technically does die. Okay, they do kill him, but actually. [00:36:33] Speaker B: They never confirmed the kill, so. [00:36:35] Speaker A: No, either way, yes. I. I feel like at the end of the last one, we were like, okay, so they all have to be good. At the end, Owen's gonna be intro to the vampires. Like, I feel like we did already have him plotted, like, out of the story somehow. I just didn't know how he was going to do it. But I. I agree that I was like, oh, okay. Like, that's how he's gonna be gone. That's cool. [00:36:57] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:59] Speaker A: Another reason why I was, like, semi overlooking him, because I was like, oh, he's taken care of. [00:37:04] Speaker B: He's out of here. Yeah. So, like, at this point, I still didn't really know the plot twist, but I, like, did, like, I was like, oh, we're gonna. Okay. Okay. So then we go into the next chapter. As soon as they leave that, like, meeting between Owen, Gabby, low, and misery, she's like, oh, yeah, I kind of, like, live near here. And he's like, you used to. And she was like, no, like, I still technically live over here. Like, I'm paying the place. And he's like, oh, let's go see your place. I want to see it. And she's like, okay. So they go. And then she kind of, like, gets him to admit that Gabby was never his mate. And he's like, did you think it was Gabby? And I was like, okay. She said at multiple, multiple points that she was referring to Gabby. [00:37:58] Speaker A: I don't think she ever said to him that she was referring to Gabby. She told Juno that she was referring to Gabby. [00:38:03] Speaker B: I just feel like what she was saying was obvious. What he was saying was obvious, but neither one of them saw what the other was saying. [00:38:10] Speaker A: That's the worst part of the miscommunication trope is that they literally just can't. They're. They're both saying things and they're both misinterpreting what each other is saying. And that's the worst part of it. [00:38:19] Speaker B: I thought at least he would have understood what she was saying. [00:38:23] Speaker A: He. She just. He just thought that he was talking about just a generic mate. That just is out in the world, just lives out there. I don't know. But they did just confirm that he said that he needed to be somebody who was tied to him bloodline wise. And so he was not going to give Anna over as collateral. So they said that Gabby was his mate and just said it was a fake mate. Basically it was a fake me, which is one of my first theories. But I had latched on. I had, I had said like four theories in the beginning, but I had latched on to the one that was like the most confusing theory. But I did have fake Nate as one of my first theories. [00:39:00] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I remember. [00:39:05] Speaker A: Anyway, they kiss, they start to have sex. They have sex and then he pulls out. Because when he comes is when his knot pops. [00:39:16] Speaker B: Yeah. So before the not thing happens, he. [00:39:20] Speaker A: Pulls out before he comes. And you just look so uncomfortable as we're talking about this. [00:39:28] Speaker B: The idea of the knot is the reason I'm uncomfortable. Like I'm fine with the sex and everything else. It's the knot. [00:39:36] Speaker A: I even. [00:39:38] Speaker B: My comment for this chapter Kristen is they just word vomited that she was his mate. Also so confused. He can't fuck because he has balls, Just regular balls. Like, I don't understand. And then I was like, it sounds like it hurts, but like. He mouths I love you on her head and is obviously like doing everything for her protection because at the end of the chapter he's like, I'm. We're not mates. Like, I don't like you like that. I don't know how you got that impression. And I was, Yeah, I was still reaving over the knot thing. [00:40:12] Speaker A: So. Okay, so. So like I said, he pulls out, but he still. His knots still in plates because he, he came and so it's. It just feels really good. It doesn't. It's not painful. But also because it's not where it should be, it does feel like he's not getting exactly what he wants. And she's like, hey, why does it do that? Do you think maybe it's because we're mates? And he's like, mates? Where'd you ever get that impression? I don't even like you. Blah, blah. Why are you around me? I don't think anything about you. I'm like. [00:40:42] Speaker B: He keeps telling her to stop using where words. [00:40:44] Speaker A: Like, yeah, okay, I think that we're mates. And he's like, you don't even know what that means. [00:40:51] Speaker B: Stop using the where words. You don't have a right to use where words. I can't even Say it. It that fact alone. I was like, what do you mean again? [00:41:03] Speaker A: And she's like, you're just pushing me away. And he's like, no, I'm not pushing away. This whole thing has been a mistake, and you deserve to be free of me and free of this whole thing and that we should just stay apart from now on. And then he gets a phone call and he needs to go, so he's going to send somebody to come pick her up and take her out of the territory because they should just, like, not see each other for a while. And I was like, why is he being so hard on her? I know that technically, if you're going to go look back over this, you could come by comb through line by line and see that he's not actually lying to her. And maybe just the wear word thing is an overreaction because he feels things that she may never feel, quote unquote, because he doesn't think that she reciprocates. But it is just, like, so dramatic, and it's very mean. [00:41:54] Speaker B: Yeah, I. That's why I was like, that's painful. Yeah, what he just said is painful. And he's doing it on purpose. But, like, it's still, like, I'm not in his corner as much, you know? [00:42:07] Speaker A: No, I was like, he was basically perfect up until this point. And then at this point, I was like, that was. That was hard. That was a lot. [00:42:14] Speaker B: That was mean. [00:42:15] Speaker A: Just mean. [00:42:16] Speaker B: He could have been a lot nicer about it, but he was just mean. Yeah. And then the next chapter, Mick comes and picks her up and interjects her with something, and she immediately passes out. So this is a super short chapter, and we find out that Mick is a bad guy. [00:42:34] Speaker A: And I was disappointed. I had my eye on you, but I'm disappointed that you still did this. You shouldn't have done it. [00:42:42] Speaker B: Oh, Mick didn't live up to your expectations, huh? [00:42:46] Speaker A: No, he didn't. He was just a cool guard guy, and now he's a traitor. [00:42:50] Speaker B: A traitor. [00:42:51] Speaker A: I don't think anything about Barbie doll face. Okay, Kendall, I don't have any actual opinions about him. Maybe because he doesn't have an actual name. Who knows? But Nick, I was like, oh, cool guy. [00:43:02] Speaker B: She got an actual name. I don't remember what it is, but he got one. So. And then she wakes up, she hears somebody call her bleach. And she opens her eyes, and it's Serena. So she's finally with Serena. We don't generically find Serena or where she's hiding. We get to end up kidnapped there. So that's an interesting plot point that I actually didn't see coming. And after this, like, all the answers are just, like, given to her very easily. She doesn't need to try to find any answers. So the whole investigative plot of the whole book kind of, like, dwindles down to nothing because she's not actively or smartly or figuring anything out. It's all just given to her. [00:43:51] Speaker A: Also, I will say this first part isn't even given to her. Serena's like, oh, let me explain. And Misery gives the rundown herself. No, I know. Blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, I guess, yeah, we didn't need to explain it. But then we find out that everything that she ran down was, like, technically not true when her father gives the real explanation about everything. Everything. [00:44:10] Speaker B: Exactly. So, like, everything that she even figured out before isn't real. So we don't get that fun figuring it out with the main character as we go along. We just get practically word vomit. And I'll point out when. But everything's just. There you go. [00:44:32] Speaker A: Yeah. So, yeah, we see Serena there. She's been there the whole time. However long it's been. However, a couple months it's been. Misery hugs her, and Serena is concerned because Serena's like, you never hug anybody. Why are you hugging me now, Misery? But it's because she's knows more affection. She likes more people. Serena doesn't know where they are, but she's pretty sure that they have where guards. And they never let Serena out of the room, but they also don't torture her or anything, so she's been mostly just fine and just staying there the whole time. [00:45:02] Speaker B: Just hanging out, reading books. [00:45:03] Speaker A: Yeah. Then this is when Serena is, like, about to give the rundown of everything that's happening. And then Misery says, no, no, no. I know everything that happened. And, like, why didn't you tell me? And Serena's like, well, I wasn't even entirely sure what I was looking into, but I knew that you would take care of Sylvester. And we find out that Sylvester is the cat's name, even though that's not really the cat's name. [00:45:26] Speaker B: Yeah, she. She named the cat while kidnapped. And poor Misery has to tell her that it's now Sparkles. [00:45:34] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:45:35] Speaker B: So. And then hard work was for nothing. [00:45:38] Speaker A: Her work was for nothing. The guard comes and gives a bag to Misery so that she can feed, and Misery tries to throw the guard instead, but because she doesn't have any physical contact with the guard, it doesn't really work, but Serena just comes in and breaks his fingers and threatens them, so they actually get out. Turns out their prison was in the nest, which was vampire territory. And Vanilla is here, which is why I was like, okay, so it's her father who's in charge of everything. [00:46:13] Speaker B: Yeah, this is what I was like. It's her father who's in charge of all of this. And I knew it. [00:46:20] Speaker A: You knew it. [00:46:21] Speaker B: I knew it. [00:46:22] Speaker A: You knew it. This is basically where the word vomit happens. I don't know if you want to take it or not. [00:46:27] Speaker B: This word vomit chapter is actually. I'm not even going to go through all of it because it's just. He's just explaining everything and he. He's saying that the sabotage wasn't Emory, it was Mick this whole time. So we're. We know Mick is down and dirty, but it's because Misery's father has Mick's son. And so that's. He's been using it as like collateral this whole time. And then Davenport accepted bribes to like get the werewolves and humans to fight this whole time. So it was never like a problem between them. He's like telling the story. He finds out that Serena has been half human, half werewolf this whole time. She popped up for him as like the obvious answer when she started researching her parents. She. It seems like something was changing inside her. Serena the whole time hasn't turned yet and like, has accepted that she, she knew all of this and just never told her best friend Misery. So she's been just keeping this secret. And then she found Thomas, who is Anna's dad and talks about. He was like sharing his theory on how he has a daughter. And so it's obviously possible for Serena to exist as a half wear, half human. And Thomas wouldn't stop looking for this daughter. So that's how like he shared this information. Then he got targeted and was killed. And the whole reason for all this is because Misery's father didn't want the wares and humans having like a decent relationship. And having an offspring between the two, I guess would have given them a better relationship, but he wanted intention to be high or something like that so that the vampires could continue controlling the area. And it's how they've survived for so long because their numbers are dwindling, but all over the country. But their specific like area is doing fine. Just because they're controlling the area in terms of making sure that the humans and werewolves are fighting literally word vomit. [00:48:46] Speaker A: Like all of the. [00:48:46] Speaker B: He's just going on and on and. [00:48:48] Speaker A: On and like, and it's justified as him being like, too big for his bridges. Like, I bet you didn't know this, but I bet you didn't know this. And also I did this and this. It's like the ultimate, like villain monologue. I literally wrote. [00:49:02] Speaker B: He's doing this like a villain in a telenovela. Are you kidding me? [00:49:07] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:49:10] Speaker B: And then at the very end of the chapter, Serena was. Is like Misery. Remember that question you had about Anna? Actually the answer is she can turn Once she hits 23 or something like that. And then like she turns into a werewolf and like escapes and then everything goes into chaos. And Owen, like, releases Low, who he's been holding capture this whole time and, like, helps the fight and stuff. And I was like, oh, my God, this is the answer to Kristin shift question. Because remember that was part of your prediction. You were like, do you think she's going to learn how to shift? And I was like, I don't think so, but I didn't know that was like a thing. We were wondering. [00:49:56] Speaker A: My shift question does get answered. Yes. With Serena, you can shift when you're older. Yeah. Yeah. Everything gets out. They shift at the same time. And also we just found out earlier that the shift takes basically no time at all. So Low shifts instantly. Misery has her self defense. Serena also shifts. Owen is also on their side, and it kind of just cuts to black. And I'm like, they absolutely obliterated everybody there. I know it. [00:50:25] Speaker B: Yep. [00:50:26] Speaker A: Oh, also during this, we find out that Low was lying about Misery not being his mate because the father forces lo to not say it because he doesn't actually say it. He just doesn't disagree with him. [00:50:42] Speaker B: I was about to say he. He like forces him to admit it, but he never admits it. [00:50:45] Speaker A: Yeah. And then Misery is like, I don't want lo to have to choose between because her father attempted to kill her with the peanut butter. The peanut butter was actually for her. He also takes her and gives her a knife to her throat. That's why everybody decides to act then, because they don't want Misery to get killed. And so she has a knife to her throat and she's like, I don't want him to choose between Anna because the dad is still trying to get Anna. That's what this whole thing is about. The dad is still trying to get Anna because then she's still going to have a lot of questions about the where human vampire relations. And so he needs to get her in order for nobody to know about her. I guess something like that. Yeah, I don't. I don't entirely know what his plan is, but yeah. And they win, of course. And this is basically where our wrap up begins. Alex is no longer afraid of Misery because he's been afraid of her this whole time. Owen is fine. Serena is working with Juno. They're still with the father. And then Owen comes in and tells the father, like, I hate you and I'm going to tear down everything that you built and replace it with things that are better. And so I hope that you really take that and learn that I'm going to destroy everything that you built. And then they're also asking like, oh, how do we kill him? Should we kill him? Will we have repercussions for killing him? And they ask Misery what her. This is low in Owen, they asked Misery what her opinion is. And Owen also asked her if she wants the council seat instead of him because technically she's first born. So if she really wanted to, she's. [00:52:30] Speaker B: Like, no, I actually hate vampires, so. [00:52:33] Speaker A: Yeah, I really don't care. And you sound like you have a plan and I really don't want to step in the way of that, so you can just do that. I'm going to stay over here. Then she walks away and she's like, I really don't care what you do to him, so just do whatever the fuck you want to him. And then she walks away and she wakes up and Serena is with her on the bed. And Misery asked why Serena never told her anything about being where and any of your changes and all that. And she's like, well, I wasn't really sure. And then when I was sure, I was scared because vampires don't really get along with wares, and I wasn't really sure how it was going to go. So I was trying to research everything and then I kind of just got caught up. And then everything happened and Misery is like, well, I don't even care if you're aware, I love you anyway. We're best friends and they just, like hug and love each other. And then she's like, I'm in love with the way or two, so it doesn't matter. Sugar, sweet. Almost too sweet. Gave me cavities. [00:53:27] Speaker B: It definitely gave me cavities. Lettalia, she also has, like, a lot of banter in this chapter. And I was like, too much. No one takes anything seriously because we just said it all pretty seriously, but none of it was construed that way. It was all a joke. [00:53:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:53:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:53:47] Speaker A: So it's been three days and she sees Low, but she doesn't talk to Low. And her and Serena are attached with the hip, but Serena is kind of getting restless. Like she's trying to figure out what's going on. She hasn't been aware for very long, so she's been hanging out with Juno a lot. And so she's just been kind of in and out and, like, out and about, but she doesn't really talk to a lot of people, so she's just kind of getting restless. Misery finds out she is on the phone with Owen and he is doing his council seat pretty nice. And Low and him have been ironing everything out. And it turns out that she doesn't need to live in where territory anymore because she's on a collateral. They've all worked it out. Gabby has already gone back home, so if she doesn't want to live over there with them, then she doesn't have to. She can come back home. And she's like, oh, do I have to? And she's like, well, do you want to? [00:54:38] Speaker B: So she, like, resigns to go home. And she's like, actually, this is good because Serena can go hang out with Juno. Yeah. [00:54:47] Speaker A: So she decides to go to Lowe's house and pick up her stuff. And she drops off Serena first with Juno and she finds Low at the house. And Emery still did bad things and did some explosions and they found the evidence that they needed against the Loyalists that they got when they collected it from her house. And all of her stuff is also packed up in her room and she's kind of wondering what's going on. And she has resolved to leave, but also is, like, really upset that he doesn't seem to care that she's going to leave. Low, it seems. And Lo was saying that he never suspected Mick because his scent has changed, but he thought it was grief, and so he didn't think that he was lying to him. And now Mickey's just heavily guarded with his son somewhere. And Misery is basically like, you shouldn't have lied about your feelings and push me away. Why didn't you tell me that I was your mate? Mate? Yeah, there's no reason why you shouldn't have told me. And he's like, I don't want you to use Weirwoods that you don't understand again. Yeah, he kind of still is trying to push her off and she's like, I could thrall you if I wanted to learn the truth. Just tell me the truth. Like, that's all I want. And he's like, you've already thralled me, and I'm already yours. And his emotions are his to deal with and not her. She doesn't have to deal with the consequences of his emotions and, like, blah, blah, blah, and, like, trying to take it all on himself and. And being stupid. Yeah. And he kind of like grabs her as if he doesn't want to let her go, but it's telling her that I can't be with you. She's like, well, tough, because if I want to be in love with my husband, then I'm going to be in love with my husband. And I also am not leaving. So whatever the fuck you did to my bags, you need to unpack them because I'm staying. And he's like, oh, well, actually, I only boxed everything up because I was gonna switch out the windows in your room. [00:56:44] Speaker B: So this whole time I thought you were gonna stay in that room and stay in living with me, but I just didn't want to say it. [00:56:50] Speaker A: Yeah, the whole time, I'm like, he was literally yelling at her and saying, like, don't be my mate. But then also right after this, and she's like, but I love you anyway. He's like, yeah, I couldn't have let you go. [00:56:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:57:02] Speaker A: Like, okay, dude, pick a lane. Anyway. [00:57:07] Speaker B: Pick a lane. [00:57:09] Speaker A: He is getting her new windows because he's getting her windows that are like the nest. You already asked Owen about specifications. And, like, blah, blah, blah, blah, so it's something sweet for her. And she's like, oh, my gosh, kiss me. That's so sweet. And so they kiss and then they have sex. And when he's about to knot, she's like, I think it'll be fine. I think we'll mate for each other. We're mates anyway. It's supposed to work. And so then he comes inside her and they knot, and they are. It's all great. And he pops a knot, and everybody's happy. She's happy, he's happy. They still don't know if they can get pregnant, but I guess they're not going to worry about that right now. Nope. [00:57:47] Speaker B: No condoms. [00:57:49] Speaker A: Nope. And also he's like, yeah, Sabrina can go wherever she wants. She's welcome in the pack. Where to do whatever she wants to be with whoever she wants. She can hang out wherever she wants. So that's good. And she's also like, okay, time for that mating bite, buddy. And he's like, oh, we. We can hold off on that. We want it. I want it to be special. It needs to be nice. And Blah, blah, blah. So I guess that's really going to be their wedding. I don't know. But they're together, they're happy. That's the end of the book, technically, other than the epilogue, which is in Low's point of view. [00:58:20] Speaker B: Yep. And I am happy that they're finally together. But it was. It was a lot to get here. [00:58:28] Speaker A: It was. [00:58:31] Speaker B: So I actually thought the epilogue would be way farther in the future than it was. It was only five days later. Right after they've decided to live happily ever after. [00:58:44] Speaker A: Yeah. You would think that it would be like a couple years from now. At least a year, six months, something. [00:58:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:58:49] Speaker A: So you get a little bit more time of them living together, what their future looks like. But this is a very, very short epilogue. Both the prologue and the epilogue. I don't know if we can really call them prologue and epilogues. They kind of just served a function rather than. I guess it's just an actual. [00:59:05] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I totally agree. [00:59:07] Speaker A: I guess it is just to say that, like, this is a full functioning story, like a prologue and epilogue, that there isn't going to be past this. But it is kind of just not really what they are traditionally used for. [00:59:18] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:59:19] Speaker A: But yeah. [00:59:21] Speaker B: Low is drawing again. [00:59:23] Speaker A: He loves his mate. Anna is coming back with Cone. Cone walks into the house and smells Serena and he's like, oh, my God, I'm fucked. And then Lo looks at him, looks at her, and then is like, oh, yeah, we are fucked. And then that's the end of the book. [00:59:39] Speaker B: Which it. It was like an off way of saying that Con is Serena's mate. And he, like, knew that immediately. But, like, it wasn't. It wasn't as obviously shown as Low being Misery's mate. I'm going to be honest. [00:59:56] Speaker A: Well, so here's my thing. This is when I was like, is there going to be a second story that is the same universe but is, like, different between. [01:00:03] Speaker B: Yeah. Serena and cone instead? [01:00:06] Speaker A: Because like we said before, he took a vow of chastity and she's still learning. He's celibate. She's still learning. She's also only half where. [01:00:17] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:00:18] Speaker A: And she would have to live in a different location, away from Misery. But yes, they are now mated. There are questions that come up with that. But also, we don't really need to know, I guess. [01:00:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:00:36] Speaker A: But what did you think overall, big picture, how did you like this book? Did you like it? Did you not like it? Did you hate it? Did you think that we shouldn't have read it for this. [01:00:47] Speaker B: So I will say like, this is a good time to like explain that we're not going to do like rating of books because I don't think rating a book is like a fair way for our podcast specifically because we are like reading classics. We're reading like well known fantasy novels. Obviously our opinions don't fit others, so like our rating is not going to be. And plus we have like different ways we read, so our ratings aren't. Aren't even going to be the same. Likely. So it doesn't really matter what I rate the book. I will say just in likability though. I like the book in the middle. I started off in, as you know, from the last episode, not liking the book and then I liked the book in the middle and then by the end because I felt like us not earning the answer kind of just like ruined it for me. Yeah, like I wanted to be able to figure it out along the way in like specific clues and specific ways rather than just have it all just told to us. What about you? [01:01:55] Speaker A: You don't have anything else? [01:01:58] Speaker B: No, I liked it. I mean overall, Overall I liked the book. I just wish we had. [01:02:04] Speaker A: I recommend this to a friend. [01:02:07] Speaker B: It depends what the friend is into. [01:02:09] Speaker A: Okay. So yeah, I mean overall I like the book. It was cute. It's a very in and out easy book. It's an easy entry into paranormal other than the not thing, which I wasn't considering. And also obviously it is out there for people who don't read a lot of fanfiction. Other than that it was fairly tame. And it, it's, it's easy. It's an easy read. You don't need to think. It's not something that you need to think about in order to get answers. They will give you the answers. Yeah, it's just. [01:02:37] Speaker B: Yeah, that's true. [01:02:39] Speaker A: Really just hea like happily ever after. These people are going to be together. You aren't going to worry too much. They'll figure it out eventually. It's just going to be a little frustrating getting there and you like them enough anyway sort of thing. [01:02:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:02:55] Speaker A: Or that sort of book. I will say this is probably my least favorite out of the Ali Hazelwood books that I have read. But all of her other books are in the real world and so it doesn't take a lot of explaining or. Yeah, there's not a lot of explaining. It's very simple premises, in and out. Like you don't really need to have all that extra stuff. [01:03:20] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:03:20] Speaker A: And so maybe just because it's the first one, the first paranormal that is a little bit more difficult to plot. Those things make it feel a little bit smoother. But, I mean, it was. It was good. It was an easy book. I could see it becoming a series that could get better, like a standalone book series type of thing. But, yeah, I mean, I liked it. I mean, that's basically it, though. We don't really have anything else to talk about, so we will see you guys next week. [01:03:55] Speaker B: See you later. [01:03:56] Speaker A: Bye.