Hey Nerds! We hope you are excited to discuss our favorite book of the year so far, Bride by Ali Hazelwood!
As we flipped open the pages of "Bride" by Ali Hazelwood, the sweet scent of nostalgia for those fanfiction-laden, Tumblr-drenched days of 2012 was undeniable. Get whisked away on our latest literary adventure, where we explore the intentionally hazy world-building that keeps you anchored to the characters' vibrant stories. We've got the lowdown on the Omega verse and nodding practices, and trust us, they make for a stirring read.
Summary:
A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.
Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...
Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….
Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.
*Summary from Goodreads*
***Produced by Jen Hardin***
Hey Nerds! We hope you are excited to discuss our favorite book of the year so far, Bride by Ali Hazelwood!
As we flipped open the pages of "Bride" by Ali Hazelwood, the sweet scent of nostalgia for those fanfiction-laden, Tumblr-drenched days of 2012 was undeniable. Get whisked away on our latest literary adventure, where we explore the intentionally hazy world-building that keeps you anchored to the characters' vibrant stories. We've got the lowdown on the Omega verse and nodding practices, and trust us, they make for a stirring read.
Summary:
A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance.
Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again...
Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….
Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.
*Summary from Goodreads*
***Produced by Jen Hardin***
That was my favorite, I just love it. Stacey's is my wife and mine is. Yeah, you smell like your mind Mine. You smell like your mind.
Speaker 2:But I just love it that all that happens and it makes me think of that fanfiction from like years ago where it's like it's just bodies reacting. She's like oh, he still doesn't like my smell. His giant, huge erection is definitely just his body react. Yeah, Like he's not. He doesn't like me for sure, and so that.
Speaker 1:Hi, I'm Chanel, Hi, I'm Stacey, hey, nerds, this is Ashley and this is Fiction Fanatics.
Speaker 2:Hello, hello everyone, welcome to the show. I'm so excited. I was excited. No, not you Like me and then you together just sounded like staged. Oh, we don't stage anything around here, we can barely even get ready on time.
Speaker 1:True that, true that.
Speaker 2:I am pumped because we're all here this time.
Speaker 1:So first of all, we're all recorded together in like two weeks. And because we're doing this amazing book oh my God it's.
Speaker 2:I've been sitting, you guys, the tick tocks that people have been doing of it and it's been great that one last night I sent of the girl who did her run down. It was really good.
Speaker 1:And it's funny because, obviously, book talk and book Twitter and book Instagram has just been blowing up with it and everyone loves this book, but there's, there are critiques of it. You know, whatever the world, yeah, isn't great, even like the Omega verse nodding stuff you can critique and stuff, but I liked this one tick tock and we'll repost it. That's Stacy and sent to our group chat but. But I feel like you can have fun with kind of the weak points, if you will, about this book. It's, for the most part, this is a really good book and really, oh, I loved it.
Speaker 2:It's so fun. I think it's that girl that you come out from the tick tock. I liked well she. I love it because she's been ranking books and like if the actual couples would get divorced or not and so I thought that was great. But she describes it best. She was like, if you're a fan fiction girlie, you are in Tumblr in 2000 and 2013, between 2013.
Speaker 1:Like I and I, really, when did you start your tumblers, Stacy, mine? Cause it literally just said to me it's like, it's like congrats on your 12 year tumblr birthday. So I've been on tumblr since I don't know how do you, how do you look at it? Well, that's when I started my tumblr 2012.
Speaker 2:Mine's not accurate because I didn't have mine forever and then when I logged back in I could remember my password. So I started a new one a few years ago with my book stuff, but I know I know, I just changed my name.
Speaker 1:I just changed my name every time I wanted to do something. I was like 22. I don't even, I can't even scroll on tumblr to my my post from from. I graduated in 2011. So I wasn't doing a ton in high school and tumblr, but it was in college is when I really started tumblr in Pinterest by 2012. Oh my God, what was I? What?
Speaker 2:What a world, what a world.
Speaker 1:But but yeah, you're right, she talks about AO3 and fanfic and tumblr and if you like that kind of stuff, you're, you'll be into Bride.
Speaker 2:By Ally Hazelwood. We didn't announce it. We've just been saying this book and that book, but oh, nobody knows Bride by Ally Hazelwood. We're doing the first part, so I'm doing it's a little past halfway. I think I did to chapter 17 just because it ends at a really good part, and so I wanted to get to a specific scene before I cut it for this week. I thought the world building was pretty good in this book. Like it didn't.
Speaker 1:It's just very vague, like even I, I was like where are we? Technically we're in the United States, which I had no idea, because it kind of talks about like the Northwest and the Southwest and you're like okay, like of where? But? And I think she might mention like maybe California once or something, arizona one. It's just very, and I think maybe her point was to do it vague so that you don't really think of landmarks and you don't really think of you know, because it is like a paranormal world, like you're kind of suspended above you know, but then again you're talking about humans. So obviously they have to live in the real world. I don't know, but it's very vague and maybe again, I don't know, maybe that was her idea, but people were just going to like it wasn't really built out very well, or yeah.
Speaker 2:So I feel like I get lost in world building sometimes.
Speaker 1:Like.
Speaker 2:I finally like and again. I love this book but like Hurricane Wars, love that book, but like. It was hard for me in the beginning because the world building I struggle with sometimes it's just a lot. So for me this was nice because it was so vague that I don't really have to like over. Yeah, you didn't like overthink it, I guess.
Speaker 1:So don't even get me started on that guitar. I spent like two episodes critiquing that world building. I totally, I totally get it. I did like it. I was like you know, it's so vague that we get right into the characters, you get right into the conflicts, we get right into the nodding, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:But then and then I think the other, speaking of another, like quote, unquote critique, but I think it was also. I mean, I think us, stacey and I, and now we've introduced you, ashley, like Omegaverse, that's what they really talked about, or that was kind of a bold word with this story. Yeah, and it's not. It's not Omegaverse, it's not ABO, it literally is just nodding.
Speaker 1:And I think people who had, who aren't a fan fiction girl, aren't a Tumblr girl and aren't and don't really know these words, they come into it and they're like, and if this was their first time with these words and with this type of smut, were either confused or let down or didn't know what was going on, and maybe they were disappointed or mad or whatever the heck. And so I think there were some critiques with that kind of and you just have to understand that it's not the full thing if you've ever read any of those texts or books or whatever. And also these are two different species. So of course you can't, which I feel like she did a good job explaining you can't have someone, a species that nods, with a species who can't, and so we'll kind of explain that, I guess, as we get into those scenes or whatever, but so I thought that was, that was fine.
Speaker 2:If this is an intro into even what it is yeah, what I was going to say is, like people who've read stuff like this before like me reading it, it was like a nice, especially their intimate scenes. It was like a nice introduction. If you haven't used it, so if you've never read an ABO or gotten into that stuff before, I feel like this would be a really great way to start, because it's very, it walks you through it and it's mild. So sometimes the thing people just like to critique, just to have something to critique half the time.
Speaker 1:But that's what I mean. I feel like the people who are into ABO are like well, that's not ABO, that's not Omegaverse, that's not ABO, that's not Omegaverse, that's. And I'm like yeah, of course, because they, they literally can't do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like they say from the very beginning, how it's like three different species here the vampires and humans and the werewolves, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I thought that was another critique. I heard a lot where they were like well, that's not even.
Speaker 2:and I'm like well, yeah, you know what? I don't even have a critique for this. I don't even have a critique for this book. 10 out of 10 favorite book I've read this year. It's freaking amazing I know it's my favorite.
Speaker 1:I think I like about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like up there for me. Chanel always wrecks the best books. I'm telling you if she does.
Speaker 1:I was telling my.
Speaker 2:I was telling my mom this because I told you she's been listening to the podcast. I was like mom, any book that's cause she's trying to read new books I go. Any book that Chanel is saying to read, read it. She bought that Trevor Noah book after you talked about it.
Speaker 1:Oh, that was the book.
Speaker 2:That was the book that she was, that she was wanting to figure out she was talking about. I'm like every book Chanel's ever wrecked me 10 out of 10. So yeah you're good hands.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's why I started throwing a glass cause.
Speaker 2:You've started it, remember. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you. I appreciate that. You'll have to let me know what your mom thinks of Trevor Noah. That's a really good book and it's yeah, it's one of my favorite nonfiction slash memoir books. It's so funny and sad and interesting yeah, Really good.
Speaker 2:She's excited about it. Off topic, sorry, yes, anyways, trevor Noah is always on topic.
Speaker 1:I don't know what you're talking about yeah, let's get into this.
Speaker 2:Okay, so as we start our book, there is a little prologue and it's very quick and sweet and it's misery. That's our main character. She's the vampire, it's her talking, it's her getting ready for her wedding and basically it's just like little tidbits of like how this is arranged with a werewolf. We get our first mention of Serena pretty early on, like the second page, which is her friend, and we get like a little introduction to where traditions, how they're putting this. Is it green or just scented? It's green, yeah, where her pulse points would be, where she has some or where they should be, because some of the places she doesn't have like necessarily a pulse. But and the person she's the vampire?
Speaker 2:Yeah, because she's the vampire and I love that the werewolf in this universe anyway, werewolf's blood is green, so everything's green tinted for them, and I was like I like that. I like that there's like a distinguished which she probably used thinking about now out loud, to make sure people understood that they're different species.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then because the vampires is purple, they're about as purple yeah.
Speaker 2:And so that's how we start. It's also very tense, because the last time they were trying to be an arranged marriage between a vampire and a werewolf, there was a massacre, and it was not.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, sorry, this just hit me what? Okay, I know everyone on book talk is like we want to sequel, we want to sequel, we want to spoil it because we have to get to that they really want to sequel what?
Speaker 2:I want to sequel.
Speaker 1:Prequel. What if we get a prequel with those two, the werewolf and that vampire?
Speaker 2:We would read anything from this universe. So yeah, oh my God, sorry that just came to me right now.
Speaker 1:What if we get a prequel anyway, sorry.
Speaker 2:Because it will blow this out Okay, and it's not like necessarily a big deal, but we never truly learn what was the cause of this massacre.
Speaker 1:They just talk about it, and then it's called the Aster.
Speaker 2:Yeah, aster, and like when Misery mentions it, you know of course she is saying how it was the werewolf breaking the treaty. But then when Lowell talks about it, he talks about how it was the vampires had did something and it was a retaliation with the wares, and so I love that. The unreliable narrator will of course each side, so I think the other side is the fault kind of thing. Yes, yes, thank you.
Speaker 1:It was the sixth wedding ceremony ended in carnage when the wares attacked the vampires who, after decades of peace, became a little too trusting and made the mistake of showing up to a wedding, mostly unarmed. It was a bloodbath, mostly ours, purpling with a sprinkling of green, just like an aster, and, like you said, this is from her point of view and she's saying we don't know why the wares decided to turn on us, but our relationship with them has been irreparably broken down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Yep, yep, yep.
Speaker 1:So that was our little, such a good prologue.
Speaker 2:What the little prologue was like. I think it's like five pages, but there was a lot in there, so that was good. And then we start out. We meet Misery. She's our leading vampire in this. She's this beautiful blonde haired. Their eyes are violet, right, no, I forget, yeah, violet-eyed woman. She's actually living in the human world. We find out she has been filing down her fangs and passing as a human With contacts, with contacts and everything, and you don't really know why at first. And she gets this message that her father, who she's estranged from, once a meeting with her, which is a big deal because they haven't spoken like six or seven years, something crazy, like no communication. She's been out here alone, living alone, doing this job.
Speaker 1:And her best friend, Serena, is a human who she's been living with.
Speaker 2:And it's pretty much said that as soon as this messenger shows up from her dad, she's going to lose her job, because it's very obvious that the person is a vampire. Like letting them know immediately who they are and everything when she shows up to her work. Yeah, what's your name? Venya, venya, yeah, I think, venya. Yeah, it's V-A-N-I-A I think. Yeah, it's so funny because her internal dialogue through this whole book, when anything's happening, is so funny. She's such a funny character, she's so witty.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And so like big blunt.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So she goes to this giant skyscraper building. This is where the vampires are and we learn that it's daylight. So in this universe, vampires don't like being out on the sun, but it doesn't necessarily kill them unless it's like a very prolonged exposure, and so they have these special windows which I thought was cool in the skyscraper so the sun can come through it like blocks, the rays, and we meet her father, and she's very blunt with him too, which is what I like. She gives him like a certain amount of time and he starts talking and basically he wants her to marry a wher in this arranged marriage to help build relationships with the wher community and with humans so that they can see that they work together. Her dad's like the councilman, which is like the leader of the vampires essentially, yeah, like the king of vampires, basically.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Because they also they mention it gets passed down from family, not from like voting or anything. So it really is kind of like a what is it like a monarchy type of situation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and like her brother's, like the, her twin brother, owen, is like the heir to like become the next head of head councilman essentially, but he doesn't really want it. He's like a kind of a goof off.
Speaker 2:Which kind of makes sense for, like, if you think about vampires and usually you think they're high society and stuff, well of course they would be on a monarchy. You know what I mean Like royalty.
Speaker 1:And her backstory. Also, the reason why she kind of chose to she's, why she's more comfortable, I guess, with the humans, is because they have this system in place with the humans where essentially she's they send like a hostage, they send hostages back and forth, yeah, the collateral, oh yeah, collateral. And so the vampires send from their council a child hostage to live with the humans. And then the humans in their government send one of their child hostage, sorry.
Speaker 2:It's so wild.
Speaker 1:It's so funny, it's. I'm sorry I laugh at morbid things, okay, and I laugh. These were uncomfortable, yeah, I know, and so, and so you find out. When misery was a child, she lived from the time she was like, let me see eight, until she, like, became an adult 18, I think it's 10 years. Yeah, as a hostage in the human world. So she's like comfortable around humans and that's how she met her best friend, serena. They were both in a foster home.
Speaker 1:Foster home. They were in a foster home together and but it has to be from like a government. You have to be the child of like a government official.
Speaker 2:Like an affluent person. So for, like the wares, it was for the humans. Yeah, it was like a high up in the middle.
Speaker 1:It was the president or whatever. Yeah, and then from where she was like the one high in the pack, yeah.
Speaker 1:He was um, yeah, that's what she. Obviously she's the head councilman's daughter, so she went and stuff, but she again, it just shows that she's like, um, she is like a sacrifice, but her son, her, um, sorry, her brother Owen is, because he's the heir, like he has to be like quote unquote protected. You know what I mean. So she's always felt like second rate to the vampires, you know what I mean, and more comfortable around the humans.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh. She doesn't really have a home.
Speaker 1:She doesn't fit in with anybody Right, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she, you can tell she's a very lonely, solitary person. Yeah, and she's like other than Serena, which is a, which is a big deal later in the story, obviously, with how much she loves her friend, like, pretty much called her sister, True, true, um. So she agrees to um. At first she says no, she's not going to do it. She was already collateral once. She doesn't want to. And then we figure out by her internal dialogue and her talking to her dad Serena's missing. She hasn't seen her. She doesn't know where she is. She's just disappeared. It's very unlike her. She's left her cat and makes me think of Chanel. That's how we would know Chanel's been kidnapped because Mia would star Like don't worry, I'm taking Mia.
Speaker 1:Oh, but leave me Thanks.
Speaker 2:So she agrees to this marriage because she knows it'll give her a chance to investigate the wares, to see the werewolves, to see if there's a reason. Oh yeah, because the only clue she has, serena went to her partner. Yeah, and in Serena's planner is the name um L.
Speaker 1:E.
Speaker 2:Moreland. Yeah, where's it yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that's the um alpha, the new alpha of the where's pack. Last name is Moreland. It's his initial, so she's like I'll do it, because this, this has to be a clue. She had to leave this for some reason.
Speaker 1:for me to try to find her, moreland, yeah.
Speaker 2:Which, by the way, I love the names in this. I love that her name is misery. I love that his name is low for some reason.
Speaker 1:I just like love their names, except in that tick tock that Stacey said I love the girl pointed out she's like her name is misery. That's so great. Except her twin brother is even Owen.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You imagine, if you're going to name like weird awesome names, like stick with a theme, like oh misery and Owen.
Speaker 2:Misery and Owen. I like it.
Speaker 1:It's just so funny. But I you're right, I do love misery and I do love low. Those are great names.
Speaker 2:It is kind of funny, though, because their names, the names, are kind of different, but the only who has a really strange name is misery, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's just. I feel like they could have done more with Owen's name. It's just, it's funny.
Speaker 2:Oh, owen. So after she agrees to this marriage, it jumps forward. So we're going to go back to the actual wedding. Where is where we kind of meet up with the prologue in the beginning and it's her getting ready? I love it. She's wearing a bridal jumpsuit instead of a dress, which I love it, love it. I was here for yeah.
Speaker 1:If I get married, I'm getting married in a jumpsuit, so I was all here, for I was like this is my girl, this is my girl.
Speaker 2:This is it. This is it. So she's good at spreading. She's very beautiful. She actually hasn't met Lola at all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she's like in the back room or whatever.
Speaker 2:Getting ready.
Speaker 1:And she's really nervous.
Speaker 2:Getting painted, getting the green paint. She's nervous because all I can think about is the aster. Right, that's what it was called. Yeah, she's like I could die. I could die right now, but she mentions when she sees him when at the end of the aisle he's obviously like, of course, stunningly beautifully dark haired and handsome and alpha, and we love an alpha.
Speaker 2:Love it who doesn't, who doesn't, who doesn't. But immediately he remarks on her scent. The second he meets her at the end of the aisle and she assumes we love the miscommunication of it all. She immediately assumes it's because she's a vampire and she must smell terrible. You know what I thought of when I read this? It was like the biology scene all over again. I was like here we go. No, you taste or smell. Delicious lady, it's twilight all over. Oh man, I didn't even think about that, but it's so true.
Speaker 1:But they're like at the aisle and he is having like a visceral reaction and yeah, it's just, it's so funny because he's just, he doesn't know whether to go towards her or away from her. He's like they're awkward. Like Twilight. Oh, fucking funny dude. I was just cracking, I was like what's happening?
Speaker 2:What's happening. It was great and I love the awkwardness of it all, the miscommunication of it all. And then it's a pretty quick ceremony and then it's just them kind of hanging out and we get a glimpse of them doing their first dance, which is one of my favorite lines so far in the book. So they're talking when they're dancing and she's kind of telling him they bring up how it's kind of tense there with the humans and the vampires and the wheres there, and she says I cocked my head up to him. His face is so not handsome, even though it is, but striking, all consuming, like he invented bone structure. Am I under your protection? You're my wife, my wife. This is so unrelated but I have to tell you guys, me and Theo watch 9-1-1. It's like our favorite show with Angela Bathett.
Speaker 1:No, you don't.
Speaker 2:Yes, I like it, but it's so corny dude, we're in the process of doing a rewatch right now. It's so good we're on season four because season seven just came out two days ago. Anyway, the season seven premiere. I had to explain this to Theo because you will love it too. Angela Bathett and her husband who's the chief, the fire chief are on a cruise ship through on vacation. Of course, this cruise ship is thinking right, and so Captain Nash is looking for it and he's talking to some.
Speaker 2:Nathan Cillian no, he was on Six Feet Under. He was the main guy in Six Feet Under forever ago. I can't think of what his name is. You would recognize him. He's been in a lot of shows. But he's talking to the cruise captain or whatever, because Athena's not there. That's Angela Bathett. She's always saving people. She's such a badass I can't believe. You guys don't watch this. You're so lame. But anyway, he looks at this crew, the captain. He goes where's my wife, where's my wife? And I told Theo I go. This is my favorite trope. Like, who did this to you? Where is my wife? And he's just looking at me like I'm crazy and people love. I guarantee I'm not the only one eating this up right now.
Speaker 2:But he's like screaming at this captain, where's my wife? Ok, my wife. How was it? That was the story. That was the payoff. It's like I know these shows are good, but it's kind of like grazing down. It's like how many terrible things can happen to the same group of people over and, over and, over and over again? I mean I'm going to watch every single one.
Speaker 1:Seattle has been devastated.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:So many tragedies Like how was that?
Speaker 2:California's had multiple earthquakes a tsunami, a plane crash, now a cruise crash. Some lady had maggots in her hair. Remember that episode. Actually, I remember every episode.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, did you see that news article about someone put a rotting fish in an overhead compartment in Delta? Yeah, Like, I'm like.
Speaker 2:I why? Because people are crazy.
Speaker 1:I don't know. So I mean, I guess that is a true story. And then it fell on another passenger.
Speaker 2:I would sue, I would have, I would have sued so hard.
Speaker 1:But it's like yeah, you're like who's purple bag? Is this who who? Because who, who, who.
Speaker 2:OK, back to the story. Back to the story. So she says, yeah, we digest.
Speaker 1:You're my wife, not those maggots, not those maggots.
Speaker 2:But I instantly love Lowell's character, which I like almost all of Ally Hazelwood's men that she rides, just because we love a grumpy, protective, all-consuming, striking kind of man. You know what I mean he's like the strong, silent type.
Speaker 1:That's what I was just like, Because clearly she misery is like this fierce bad ass. She's already said, she's blunt and kind of outspoken but he's just like he doesn't talk a lot. He's clearly the alpha, I feel like. When he does talk, people listen to him and stuff, but he's just kind of silent and he is a little broody Because he's had stuff happen to him.
Speaker 2:I love a little broody.
Speaker 1:But he's just quiet. He's just kind of like I'm just going to sit when I say stuff, people listen and I'm just sitting in the corner, just kind of. You know, I just love it and yeah.
Speaker 2:I love him, but it's funny because he says this about how he will protect her. They're married and then a few pages later we get our first assassination attempt, which leads to these comical jokes about how everyone's always trying to kill misery which is true Because she's always trying to get murdered. But basically a human sneaks into the waitstaff and tries to stab her and he saves her life the Maximeer I4 and Moves Her Net, kind of thing. And I was like instantly. I was like yep, chanel picked a good book, this is a good one. So after the attempted murder, we find out that she because it's very similar to the collateral program she has to live with them for at least a year, even though they're, because they're married. So she's going to go be in the werewolf territory and live with them for at least a year and it's at least it's kind of vague where it is, but it's this woodsy, beautiful, huge house by a lake, it's all sunny, everything a vampire could ever want.
Speaker 1:But she's like with a werewolf pack. She knows humans, she knows werewolf, but now she has to acclimate to werewolves. It's so different. Like you said, it's in the woods. She's used to a sleek city and yeah.
Speaker 2:It's hard. I think it's funny. She has her own room and it's fine, but she sleeps in the closet, which I guess in her apartment she would sleep in the closet too, like on the ground which.
Speaker 1:I don't why, but I love that yeah. Well, also, I mean, I know you said she can tolerate sunlight, but it does drain her energy, so she does. She is nocturnal essentially, which is why you mentioned her job. At the beginning she really liked her job, even though I think she was like a secretary or whatever, because her job no, I think she did computer stuff Like it was mainly all online.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think she was like a computer engineer or something. But she had convinced them to let her work at night Because again the sun kind of drains her and stuff. So sleeping in the closet was just her way of accommodating her condition.
Speaker 2:Her condition, her affliction, yes, anyway, good. No, it's true, though, and so that's another reason she's sad she loses. That was like a part of her identity having that freedom, and so then we meet some of the wares. My second favorite character is Anna, which is this little eight-year-old, nine-year-old girl who, instantly, is not Everyone's afraid of misery, like afraid to talk to her, be around her alone, kind of thing. But not this little girl. She's instantly, because misery has Serena's cat, and so the cat goes missing. Remember, for the first two days she's there, she can't find. It Turns out the cat is with Anna, like sleeping in her bed, and she's just the typical little girl who's just interested. She thinks misery is beautiful. She breaks into her room to hang out with her.
Speaker 1:In her closet.
Speaker 2:In her closet. Their interactions are just very, very, very sweet, Well tell her, who is Anna? Oh, so initially Serena assumes that maybe it's his child, but it's his sister. And we find out that his mother has been was killed on the border patrol, assumingly by a vampire, is what we assume a few years ago. So it's really sad.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so he's like taking care of his sister, so not only is he a great alpha, he's this very caring father figure for this girl, which is really sweet. Every scene with her misery together is so freaking cute. You can tell that misery starts to really care about her just from the first time that they meet.
Speaker 1:I like it because it's just like she treats her, like I feel all the, all the wares. They love Anna because they loved her mom and obviously they love love because he's their alpha. But they treat Anna very like precious right, she's their little baby and stuff like that. But, misery, she doesn't have any emotional attachment to her, so she treats her like almost like an adult right.
Speaker 1:She's just like what are you doing, Like what you know? And she's like, can I braid your hair, can you braid my hair? But she's like no. And then she's like, ok, fine, and she kind of you know she does love her and gives into her, but she also just treats her with respect too and she's like you know, she does become very protective of her, but but I don't know, she's just not very, I guess, overly protective where she's still like she's rational about her, where I don't think the other, where the werewolves are not rational, does that make sense? I feel like that comes into play later. Sometimes they're almost clueless when making decisions about her because they have a soft spot in their heart for her. That makes sense.
Speaker 2:Which just makes sense because I feel like generally when you think of werewolves you think of instinct and emotional reactions. With vampires they can be a little more intellectual, I guess. But it's really cute. She ends up naming the cat Sprinkles and it does. It's precious, and you know they bond and she says words wrong all the time and it's really cute. Yeah, like I love it when she's telling, telling misery, that Lowell has pneumonia and she's like why do you think they could get sick? And then it turns out he has insomnia and like little stuff like that. Just very like cutesy little kid stuff.
Speaker 2:And then we also meet Juno, which is one of Lowell's seconds, and she's a little intense and she's not very warm towards misery at first, but as the book goes they have more of an understanding. So I like that. That was cool. And then we have Max, who's annoying from the second he steps on this book even though he's only like 15 years old I was, so he didn't have anything more annoying than a 15 year old boy, one that acts like this. So the first time she's alone, she's in Lowell's office, right Kind of snooping, and Max catches her. Is that what it is? Yes, when they have their interaction? Yeah, and so he is very. She can smell it in his blood.
Speaker 2:He's very mad. His parents have been killed by vampires. He doesn't like her and so he instantly tries to start attacking her and she bites him off. Of course everyone comes and sees Max. It's like she attacked me. She attacked me and no one misery thinks, no one believes her, which is sad. So she feels even more isolated. But I like that.
Speaker 2:He's very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very like that. She holds her ground and she's so snarky, like the whole interaction. She snarky, it's great, yes, but then we later find out Lowell can't tell when people are lying, because it's very, they're very scent driven, with people's sense, like he can sense fear and guilt and you know when people are scared, whereas vampires don't have the greatest scent. It's mentioned a couple of times that she doesn't really notice the difference in flowers and foods, but she can. It's more like smelling people's blood and how it pulls them so instantly. We don't like Max at first we're like, okay, well, he's, but then you know he's the mature, he's 15, he's just mad and they make excuses for him. Yeah, he's a little baby, yeah, right.
Speaker 1:And then, you also kind of learn about like the history of, I guess, their pack about Roscoe and stuff and like I guess I don't know if you wanted to get into that, but yeah, let's, yeah, so then yeah, basically how. Lowell became the alpha because he's like a new alpha to their pack or whatever. So yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 2:Yeah, their old leader. Their old leader was Roscoe. He kind of got unhinged the last few years. He was in charge killing people killing within their own pack for disobedience. And we find out that Lowell was actually sent away out of the country because he was such a threat, even as a little kid, to the alpha. They could tell pretty early on that he could be a contender for alpha and so Roscoe didn't like it and basically Lowell comes back after his mom's killed because it's so out of control what's happening.
Speaker 2:Um, roscoe, putting them in your situations and wanting to fight with the vampires all the time. And so then we learned that he not only when you you have to challenge to be the alpha, so you basically have to kill this other person in a fight he fought not only Roscoe, but then in fighting like at least 10 people, it says who was Roscoe's support. So he really had to put in the work to be alpha and it's not something that he necessarily wanted, he just felt like he had to do it to protect his sister and his friends.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, which is like so sad God, but I guess. So now they're like worried because because Censlo took over part of the pack like broke off to like cause they didn't want to be under his leadership, and so they're like, well, you know, could there be like an uprising from the like sister pack? You know that like they're always just worried, I guess you know, that you know. Yeah, let's yeah awesome yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, they call him the loyalist, and it's these werewolves that still believed in Roscoe and his wife is leading it. And you just tell Loll's more rational, whereas, like misery even asked him, like they didn't harass other people, like why didn't he just get rid of all these threats? And she, basically, it's like, well, he doesn't want to be in control like that where people are so afraid to make decisions, and so that's why he hasn't thought out to eliminate these threats. I guess he doesn't want to be, yeah, like Roscoe, yeah, so. So that's kind of like she gets bits and pieces of that.
Speaker 2:And then we're also getting stuff with Serena sprinkled in with the other stuff. She's learning, which is nice, just how she trusted her, the kind of relationship they had. We learned that they also had some disagreements. Like Serena wanted misery to be have more relationships than just her, and so she's trying to investigate and, like, sneak around and look through stuff and figure this out. Well, then we figure out that the initials and the planner actually isn't Lowell, it's his sister's initials, her name's Liliana, I forget her mental name. And so then I was like, well, serena, what were you doing? Like where are you? Like what happened? Clearly she was investigating the werewolf, but it wasn't the person who's the new pack, cause she was a journalist?
Speaker 1:Yeah, cause she's a journalist. Yeah, yeah, so you find out like I guess Serena had secrets from misery.
Speaker 2:Yeah which is sad, because it makes misery really sad, cause she didn't have secrets from her necessarily.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you're like so she starts like questioning their friendship, like I guess we weren't as close as like I thought we were and maybe did she run away on purpose. You know, like that's always a sad thought, cause you're like God, like.
Speaker 2:Not to mention like when she reports her missing to the police and stuff, they're all like kind of saying the same thing. They're like, well, you guys had a fight and maybe she wasn't. She obviously wasn't telling you things If you didn't know what she was investigating. And so I feel like everybody that she talks to they kind of make her feel like they're not as close as they were and so they're like just that she's imagining their relationship kind of different. So I felt really bad for her this whole time, cause she knew the relationship was a certain kind of way and it's like nobody believed her.
Speaker 1:So it makes me feel crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, of course, it's just that whole thing. It's like, oh, she wasn't kidnapped, she ran away, kind of thing, with the police and yeah, yeah, how well do we know our friends, and that's what always happens.
Speaker 1:And then I know, you know, stacy and I, you know we're obsessed with true crime. And then to the end of the documentary and the person's dead.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. Right, they've been dead for like two weeks and no one's been looking for just every true crime podcast you listen to. Before, like the early 2000s, it was like, oh, they definitely just ran away yeah.
Speaker 1:Everyone's running away. The police did not believe them. You know, it's like, okay, wow, but only the police had investigated within the first 48 hours. Wow, okay, you know you'll love this.
Speaker 2:You know, one of my other things I highlighted for quotes that I liked is there's a scene where misery breaks into Lowell's bedroom. Is just snooping to see. Oh, if there's anything going on.
Speaker 1:I love that, honestly. The whole time I was thinking to myself but of course she doesn't know what I'm thinking to myself. You were leaving your scent everywhere.
Speaker 2:She thinks she's being so sly, she's like barely touching things and all this stuff. And then, after she had been through his room, it's like one of the chapter starters. You know his it's all sides thoughts and he says they they rarely touched when they did. Her wrist accidentally brushed against the front of his shirt and he found himself tearing off a piece of the fabric where hair smell was most intense. He slipped it in his pocket and he carried it everywhere and it's like, girl, he's obsessed with you and she thinks he has a mate. She thinks that his mate is the other collateral for the vampires who Owen has and just very, which makes sense that her self-worth isn't necessarily high because she's been given away her whole life, but it's even like clicking her head that he is already feeling things for her and her scent and this stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because she like, I mean she likes him clearly, she has like a attraction there. Attraction to him and as they get to know each other, she's like she likes him, because she's like, oh, he really cares for his sister. He, you know, he's taking care of his sister. He's a really good alpha, he cares for his friends, and so she's like her. For her it's a slow burn, I feel like.
Speaker 2:Yeah definitely.
Speaker 1:Oh, you know they're, they're physically getting like closer. You know what I mean. That's they are. You know we'll talk about some more scenes, like the airplane scene and stuff like that, but for him it was like instant.
Speaker 1:Instant, as soon as he's older, yeah, yes, and then he, and then it comes around the other way. Where he's, he gets to know her and then he does start liking her. But it's, it's just so funny because, like you said, at each chapter heading is is his thoughts. We kind of I like it, we kind of get into his thoughts and I, I highlighted so many of his thoughts.
Speaker 2:Well, it was just a nice way to get his inside thoughts without it being like switching POVs and stuff you know, because it's all from what she sees.
Speaker 1:So that was really nice, it's so great because, yeah it's, I freaking love him I. One of mine that I highlighted was it would be easier if he didn't like her as a person, and I thought that was great because, again, like I said, he's instantly attracted to her and clearly his like wolf is attracted to her. But then that's kind of an insight into his head where he's like I don't want to like her as a person, like because she's a vampire. She's like quote unquote my mortal enemy. And he's probably also thinking this has to be over after a year you know what I mean Like I have to break ties, I have to move on, and so I can't become attached emotional and can't become attached physically or what. You know what I mean. So he's like damn like, I actually do like her. She is a nice person, she is cool, she is smart, whatever. So I thought that was a really interesting chapter title too.
Speaker 2:So I liked it. And so then the next big scene Seed that happens is they're having like a cookout barbecue on the beach one afternoon and misery happens to wake up and she's watching them from her window and she like a creep. Here she is and she's creeping and of course she's looking for Anna Because she already fills his connection like this, being wanting to be protective. She doesn't trust that Max guy and she can see Max leading her away from the party. No one's paying attention.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no one. She's like, lol, she's over there like cooking burgers or something on page attention. And she was like, oh, they got it. You know they'll notice, they'll notice and they don't notice. And so she's such a badass. She instantly is like well, I'm going to go get her. And she runs out there to stop Max from taking her. And I just love it because we get to see what happens when she's in the sun and it's nothing crazy, but basically it wipes her energy, she gets sunburned and she's just kind of in pain kind of thing. Once she gets Anna back, we learn they all go back into the house that they knew Max was going to do this. It was a setup.
Speaker 1:That's like nobody was paying attention. I love it.
Speaker 2:It was all on purpose. She ruined it. Ruin it, ruin it. And you know they're all annoyed with her, and it's funny because it's like can't you see how sweet it is, though, like this little vampire.
Speaker 1:It's so funny.
Speaker 2:But this was really cool because at first when I was reading this I was like do vampires do anything cool? Like oh yeah, because you don't know about the thrall thing until this happens. And so then we learn, and we learn that her dad is very good at this.
Speaker 1:Power. He's like the most powerful.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So this thrall thing is like a mind control thing. She can only do it for a few minutes and she has to touch them for it to work, whereas her dad can do it without touching someone, without necessarily logging eye contact, but basically we see she can. They were going to have to like torture him kind of thing to get this information out, and so it's impressive. And then it freaks them all out because they're like, could she have done this the whole time? So basically they thrall him and he is working with Roscoe's followers, the loyalists, which I think is funny because Anna called them the lollipops.
Speaker 1:She had surnames mixed up, I thought that was cute in the book.
Speaker 2:Does? He doesn't know for sure who he's working for, right? I thought, well, yeah, he doesn't know the higher ups, he just knows, like certain people right above, what his level would be, but it's people who are Known to be, yeah, loyalists. So it's like he doesn't come out and say that he's working with Emery, which is the wife Roscoe's wife but it's pretty much like no, that's who I pretty much has to be. They're just being smart about it. Mm-hmm. And it comes. I forget exactly now how it comes out, because they specifically wanted Anna and then they were thinking, oh, they're trying to kidnap Anna because she is close, obviously, to a lollipop and they want to hurt him. But somewhere around there it comes out. Mr figures out that the big plot twist in this is that Anna is actually half human, half werewolf.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, but only a few people know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like To like Lol knows, juno knows and Juno knows. And that other guy, god, what's his name? Now, I can't think of it. Oh God, oh the old guy.
Speaker 1:Mick, is it Mick Mick?
Speaker 2:Yes, and because Anna doesn't even know Mm-hmm, and so Misery kind of figures it out, she figures it out, she figures out. This is what Serena knew. This is why Serena was interested in her. And this is a big deal because, obviously, it's like unheard of.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's unheard of, they're different species. But then even Misery says not that she gives a shit about political stuff, because no one's really been there for her on either side. But basically this could put a big alliance with werewolves and humans and a big target on vampires because of this and they could like shift the power balance basically.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so this is this kind of figures out like okay, well then she's thinking, did the other pack figure this out and do they have Serena, kind of thing? You know what I mean. Or are they trying to like use this against Lol to be in control of the pack? And pretty much now, since there was an attempt at kidnapping, he feels like he has to do something and so they joke around. Well, they don't joke around yet, but he's like I'm going to go to her territory, like we got to meet, we got to talk and figure this out, and misery really wants to go. She wants to snoop around to see if they've been, if they have Serena and she. And she just wants to go, I think, because Lol is going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think we already mentioned this, but like no one knows that she's looking for Serena, she's doing all this covertly, right, like?
Speaker 2:well, she thinks it's covertly. She thinks it's covertly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but like she has this like ulterior agenda in the where territory she's, like you know, yeah, yeah, because Lol thinks she's just a martyr.
Speaker 2:He says that a couple of times too, when they joke around her. Yeah, I forgot about that. It is very secretive at first. Eventually, lol figures it out because she's not a sneaky as she thinks she's been.
Speaker 1:Like clearly going in his bedroom and like rolling around.
Speaker 2:He's just rolling around in his bed in his underwear drawer. It's fine. I can't smell it.
Speaker 1:I was gonna say, which he ends up bringing up and is like a fucking jacked off to your smell like a thousand times.
Speaker 2:I couldn't help it. What happened? A thousand times?
Speaker 1:Go ahead, but no.
Speaker 2:I just think it's funny because I think misery mentioned she's like oh, our honeymoon is going to be in this other where territory or something. I thought that was cute. But he pretty much tells her he's like Well, if you go, they're going to have to really believe that we are married. Like I'm gonna have to mark you. We don't know what that means yet, but their interaction I highlighted some of this on the plane is so great. They get on this private jet and I was like go ahead. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I marked it up too.
Speaker 2:They get on this private jet. I'll read one and you can read the other one. We'll see if you have the same ones.
Speaker 2:And we probably do, probably do, and she goes honey, I asked Lori, my sunglasses, the tip of my nose, are we rich? Because it's a private jet? And he glanced at his lens is only mildly blistering. We just got banned from most human owned airlines, darling, and so it's just very cute, like I just see her very kind of bougie with her since the sunglasses at this jet and she's like Babe. Are we like rich? Like I had no idea. Oh, that was it, that was it for me. What else do you have? Well, you did the good part then.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay.
Speaker 2:Somebody read the smutty part.
Speaker 1:That's the last part. Oh well then.
Speaker 2:I was. Well, the other thing. You can read the smutty part. Then I have a highlighted. She put is the pilot wear? And then well goes, yup. And then he opens the door of the cockpit and she said who? And she goes oh for fuck's sake, and I rolled my eyes because of course he's the pilot also. Anyway, go ahead.
Speaker 1:He's so amazing. Okay, so this is a smutty part where he's like yeah, yeah, fuck. He mouths. He runs his tongue over the knob at the top of my spine one last time, as if to soothe the sting of his bite, and suddenly I'm cold, shivering. When I turn, he's standing several feet away from me, eyes pitch black. That's the end of like all their rutting, essentially. And then this is again at the end of this. She's like his lips pressed together, as though there is a flavor he wants to hold in his mouth a moment longer. Better my smell. Do I smell like mine? It's a rumble in his throat. You smell like your, like your mind misery. Something charged simmers through my body. It is, after all, exactly what we were going for. That was my favorite.
Speaker 2:I just love.
Speaker 1:Stacy's is my wife and mine is like your mind.
Speaker 2:But I just love it that all that happens and it makes me think of that fanfiction from like years ago where it's like it's just bodies reacting. She's like oh, he still doesn't like my smell. His giant, huge erection is definitely just his body reacting to like he's not. He doesn't like me for sure.
Speaker 1:Well, so the we didn't, I didn't explain or we didn't explain what was happening, so they land in. I believe it's California yeah, it wasn't really described but and you see the other pack kind of walking up the charm act. And this is when low is kind of like we have to like, I have to like send to you, because they're going to think that you know or or smell that we haven't done anything, we haven't sent to each other. So he's like we got to do this. And so that's when he starts like sending her, like on her neck and then he lifts up like the back of her hair and that was when he was like the back of her neck he starts like licking and sending and to like prove that they are like together and that she's his.
Speaker 2:So that was when I started reading this, because, you know, I'm not really aware wolf kind of girl and I was reading this scene. I was like, oh my God, am I into this? Because I am into this, this was amazing, I don't know how anyone's not into this the writing is chef's kiss and these, like she knows how to write tension and like this, real, like desire, like Ali Hazel, one can really write a shit out of this fucking queen dude.
Speaker 2:She it's, yeah, it's great, it's very the tension, the heat, it's so. So basically, they come out and they're like there's no doubt that this is his wife, like this vampire yeah, so then this is like the last final scene and we'll cut it halfway, but I love.
Speaker 2:basically we finally meet Emery. She's like comes, misery even says. She looks like this non assuming middle aged woman, but she can instantly tell from her eyes that she like hates. Misery doesn't like vampires, which makes sense, because she's like an old school loyalist werewolf, and the big plan that they've devised is you know where's don't know anything about vamps, vamps don't know anything really about werewolves, and so the plan to get away is that misery is going to have to feed, so they go to dinner.
Speaker 2:They want to sneak around their her office her office, specifically her computer, because misery is going to hack it. And so they sneak away from this like tension filled dinner because she has to feed and of course I knew I couldn't wait.
Speaker 1:I knew this was okay, because so the thing is so the okay. So vampires don't feed by like sucking someone's neck and get blood anymore.
Speaker 2:Yeah that's like a old, old, old school thing, like, yeah, don't do that she literally just gets like blood bags from like a blood bank.
Speaker 1:Essentially, she just like sticks a straw in like, and so they brought her like bags with her for this trip and so but because, like you said, these old loyalist werewolves, they don't know that. So she like has her little bags with her little juice boxes and so they're like, oh, she has to go feed, and they sneak to the office, her and low, and they think she's going to like go feed and she actually I don't even think she needs to, but anyway for dinner, because the rest of the werewolves have eaten dinner. Anyway, that's all I was gonna say. Go ahead.
Speaker 2:No, no, but I love it because I knew this. This was good Like. So then you know it's building like they're going to get caught up there, like this is what's gonna happen. They're like distracted with each other because of this whole marking thing anyway. So they're both completely distracted. All she can think about is him. They're trying to like break it to this computer, and then they hear someone coming and so instantly she's like he, she's like what are we going to do? And he's like you're gonna have to feed for me. And she's like absolutely not, like, just not something they do, and I don't think she's even done it before.
Speaker 2:No, I've never done it before. Yeah, they've never done it before. And so the big scene is when the door opens, she's like latching. You have to do a distraction. So if you do something, and so then she this is what we're in because it's so great, but she ends up feeding from him and it's the most amazing thing.
Speaker 2:that's ever happened in her whole life and she freaking does it, he does it and it mentions it's like almost natural how her body knows exactly what to do, like how to find the perfect spot, and how his blood is Actually. It's like twice as much as his blood seems to her. It always comes back to Twilight.
Speaker 1:It does, it does.
Speaker 2:But anyway, that's where we'll end. They get caught and one of Emery's werewolves is like oh my God, like.
Speaker 1:I know, because it's like it. It. It's actually like a you'll find out that you can talk about, but it's like it's a really intimate act actually.
Speaker 2:Yes, very, very sexual.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's like it just speaks more of how like she was so out of, out of well, she just didn't know anything about her own species because later on we'll talk about. She talks to Owen, her brother, about it and he's pretty much like are you, are you stupid? Like, of course, like yeah, he's like any.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he like tells her like you can't do this anymore Because it's very, it's very intimate, it's very yeah. Yeah, so and she's like oh no, oh no, and even Roe who, who is obviously doesn't know where we'll, or vampires, and like he's feeling brain. Sometimes, away.
Speaker 2:He's sometimes have a way. But it is kind of interesting that she doesn't know a lot about vampire culture and biology, because then we have to learn it with her, which is cool.
Speaker 1:So that's a good way to kind of like set it up and introduce it. So, yeah, yeah, I loved it.
Speaker 2:And that is part one and part two has so much action and so much great tension and steam so I know everyone's pumped to hear about that. I am excited to talk about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so good. It's such a good book I love it.
Speaker 2:What was the kind of thing? Like you said, chanel, once I started reading, I read it like two days, like I know I was.
Speaker 1:I was texting you when I got my book right away. I was like are you reading it? Are you reading it?
Speaker 2:Oh, my God, your special edition is gorgeous. That you got I know. Look how beautiful it is. It's the edges, yeah, they look great. Yeah, you guys. The audio book for this is phenomenal, like the the woman who does the narration for it. It's not like a normal narration, it's kind of like what Trish does on ETL Echo. It's like dramatized and she does voices for low and everybody and it is. I highly recommend the audio book. It's excellent.
Speaker 1:I'm surprised you got it.
Speaker 2:I thought it would be like well, I'm still waiting on spot or on Libby for it, because there's like a 16 week wait. Yeah, but Spotify now does like audio books, and so like I just listened to it on Spotify instantly, it was crazy.
Speaker 1:Wow. It's really nice, yeah, yeah, cause I was like I thought there'd be a wait.
Speaker 2:Oh, there's a huge wait on Libby for it, yeah.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:Nice, nice, nice, nice, nice, nice Nice.
Speaker 1:All right, let's do some kudos. Anyone, I'll go.
Speaker 2:Do it, do it.
Speaker 1:Well, it was a rough week. I was sick this week. So I want to one first kudos you guys, because it's so great seeing you. I haven't seen you in forever and I love you. And two, specifically, ashley, you sent me some soup this week when I was sick and so thank you, I love you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love you, no problem.
Speaker 1:And three to my parents, because they came down last weekend before I got sick and they helped clean and hang out with me and so it was good I got to cook them lunch and hang out with them and so I love them. That sounds nice, it's always good seeing them. That sounds nice yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, you want to go Stace, you want me to, I think your mic isn't working now. Oh, here I am. Here I am so it was me and Ashley's birthday this past week.
Speaker 1:We are 35. A bunch of fresh little babies.
Speaker 2:We're just fresh little babies out in the world, chanel, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Not middle aged at all. She's not middle aged. Extra special kudos, of course, but I can't believe my mistakes.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's okay, but it's always nice. I feel so loved on my birthday. I have so many great people in my life. You guys, obviously. Chanel got me and Ashley this really amazing Butcher and Blackbird cool book box set. It's amazing. It's incredible. I can't wait to read it. It's all over book talk and stuff. People love it and you know I love true crime, so I'm all about serial killers and stuff.
Speaker 1:I know I can't wait to read it too.
Speaker 2:So I literally can't wait. So that was great. We had to do dinner with some of our friends I hadn't got to see in a while, with Ashley, and that was great. And then a special kudos to my mom because she made me and Ashley dinner and she was so sweet. Chanel she specifically because she's been listening to podcasts, like Ashley said. So she found us books by people of color, women of color, because that's what we wanted. It was really sweet. Like that's so sweet.
Speaker 1:And she goes.
Speaker 2:I went into the store and I told them specifically that's what I needed, and then my sister, Julie, was like you told them that and she was like, yeah, and we're like. We're like Julie, it's okay, you can go into a store and be like I would like to read a book by someone that isn't white. Like it's fun.
Speaker 1:Can you point me in the right direction? I love it, it's. That's so great. Like yeah, and she got you. She got you each book.
Speaker 2:Yeah, in its side by the author. So like I think they're more like kind of independent books. They're not books I'd heard of before, but they look good.
Speaker 1:So yeah, we love an indie author, so she did really good I will never be mad about a book as a gift, you know, yeah, ever way to go ever.
Speaker 2:I got a couple good books. I got that from you, chanel, from my mom, and then some my friends online sent me like a special edition book I'd wanted and so, yeah, I just feel very, very loved on my birthday. That's amazing. I mean I'm copy and Stacy here too, because I just felt so grateful this last week All the love from everybody. We like did a group dinner with some people like some drag bingo and then like our family dinner was amazing and just like kudos to all the people in my life that love me because you made me feel really loved and it was nice.
Speaker 1:You had a great birthday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was amazing. We love love, we love love.
Speaker 1:Yay.
Speaker 2:Happy birthday, thank you.
Speaker 1:Happy late birthday but hey, thanks, thanks. Well, I love you guys.
Speaker 2:I love you and Stacy guys. Yeah Well, I'm glad that Chanel's feeling better and yeah, we can't wait to talk about part two next week with you guys. So have a great week. Yep, we'll see you on Tuesday and make sure you read what you like. I almost said watch what you like, that too, but definitely read.