Welcome back to Textual Tension! Listen this week as the girls bravely venture back into the rich CEO genre. Margie tells Rachel all about the book Hero by Samantha Young. Is this book capable of redeeming the CEO sub-genre in the eyes of our intrepid co-hosts? And more importantly, is a mustache twirling plot the best way to pick up chicks? Only one way to find out!
Welcome back to Textual Tension! Listen this week as the girls bravely venture back into the rich CEO genre. Margie tells Rachel all about the book Hero by Samantha Young. Is this book capable of redeeming the CEO sub-genre in the eyes of our intrepid co-hosts? And more importantly, is a mustache twirling plot the best way to pick up chicks? Only one way to find out!
Warning. The following podcast contains adult themes. Our hosts are just too romantic saps that love overthinking and overanalyzing their favorite literary genre the thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely their own listener discretion is advised. tearing me apart from
Margie:Hello, and welcome to textual tension, a love hate relationship with romance novels, podcasts. I don't know. I am here goes Margie,
Rachel:and I'm your co host, Rachel.
Margie:Every other week, one of us will summarize a romance novel for other unsuspecting co hosts this week. It's Rachel, listening to the romance novel that I had to read. And then together we will unpack what the fuck just happened.
Rachel:We are one of those things, that whole podcast thing. Yeah, we're we're one of those.
Margie:We're like real. We're real now.
Unknown:Mm. Hmm. Well,
Rachel:maybe. Maybe there's anything real anyway. But even slightly incorporeal Yeah,
Unknown:such a big kid word. You
Rachel:know? Like I got $1 Just playing it. So hey, hey, Margie. Yes, sounding awful sexy today.
Margie:extra sexy. So
Rachel:sexy.
Margie:Sexy. Well, that is because I recently had a cold,
Rachel:because you just got back from pod fest. Oh my god. And by all the things you got out of pod fest,
Margie:I use one of them. So shuck for a podcast, pod fest. But also podcasts. Especially like, it was so fun. Thank you for Buzzsprout for providing my ticket. Yeah, it was. It was amazing. And next year, I'm going to Yes, yeah, absolutely. ABS ABS so I will get a beat so many more friends, but it was awesome.
Rachel:Yeah. So that's why Margie sounds a little bit extra sexy and graduated. Yes. And I'm like, Yeah, I'll cut that out. Yeah. Also, it's St. Patty's Day here while we're recording. So Margie is sanitizing her sick blood with tequila
Margie:to kill. Rachel Mamia Margarita and it. It's so
Rachel:good to call me Nick. Master Rachel. Yes. Okay. And I on the other hand, I'm drinking Pedialyte.
Margie:So welcome back, listeners. We're glad we're glad you're here. And if you're new welcome. We're so glad to have you here. So, um, the first thing I'm going to do right over the cover handbooks description to Rachel, who has never seen this before. I have not. It's
Rachel:my phone the way this is gonna work. She is going to give me the cover. I'm going to describe it to you beautiful people and react. And then I'm going to read the description. Yes. Before she starts to tell me about this. All right. We're going for that. See oh,
Unknown:by the way. Oh, no.
Rachel:So I really surprised you ventured back into the genre after land whale.
Margie:Well, so my reason for that beat was legitimately the description sounded so ridiculous. Okay. I have to read this. Okay.
Rachel:So, listeners, the books name is hero. And the title is larger than the author's name. That's actually true. Yeah. Right. So we just hear out by Samantha young, and it looks like so I think what they were going for, I'm pretty sure is what they're going for. So it looks like a dude, imagine you're at the top of like a skyscraper. And you're looking at a window at the city at night. And you can see your reflection in the window. And I think that's so you can see this dude's reflection up to his eyes like it cuts off at his eyes. So he has no eyes apparently.
Margie:Well, his his face does not matter. That's what it says to me. It's just his body in his suit that matters. Okay, I see the look at your face fair. That's like good
Rachel:manners with all men. Right? Right. No,
Margie:it's It's hymns. We've we've seen this before. A guy standing at the window looking brewery. Yeah, at the city. Yeah, that see,
Rachel:you know, his expression doesn't say brooding to me. It just says, I exist. I'm here.
Margie:Actually, that's kind of fair for the character because he's like, very like he demands he demands attention when he walks into a room. And that's his reputation, the reputation he's created. So he's
Rachel:in what looks like a blue suit with a blue tie. It's very classy, like he is fiddling with his cufflinks. And looking out over the city and night, but it is a very nondescript I want to say it's Chicago,
Margie:but it's Boston,
Rachel:Boston, Boston. Um, and it says he's no white knight, but he's the one hero she needs. Wow.
Margie:Wow. So if you just want to scroll down, okay,
Rachel:so I will scroll down to our description here. Beautiful. All right, ready for this? scription of hero, the emotional and unforgettable new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the on Dublin Street series, I have comments about that. Alexa Howard's father was her hero until her shocking discovery that she and her mother weren't his only family. Ever since Alexa has worked to turn her life in a different direction and forge her own identity outside of his terrible secrets. But when she meets a man who's as damaged by her father's mistakes as she is, Alexa must help him. Cane Caraway. We alliteration that what a name what a name wants nothing to do with Alexis efforts at redemption. But it's not so easy to push her away. She determined to make her hate him, he brings her to the edge of her patience and waits for her to walk away. But his actions only draw them together. And despite the odds, they begin in an intense and explosive affair. Only Cain knows he can never be the white knight that Alexa has always longed for. And when they're on the precipice of danger, he finds he'll do anything to protect either one of them from being hurt again. Okay, so quick comments about the beginning of this. Yeah, it is a little bit of a pet peeve of mine when author started description not with the description, but with Yeah, it's from another book that I read that too just Yeah, but then at the end, I want to know what the books bro
Margie:Yeah, she does have within like the first few pages of the book to like there's a lot of like comments about her other books. Okay, like a lot of like, reviews for other her other books, which is fine, but it's like I think that from judging from what I've read up the description of on Dublin Street, this is a very, very different series going in a very new direction for her so I think that she was trying to get people like trying to get
Rachel:that's fair. Kim Caraway sounds like a superhero name that true family is created because alliteration. Well Peter Parker, so very true. Very true. Yeah, no, he's he is Stanley. God rest his soul is known for his alliterative superhero names.
Margie:Yeah, yeah, yours. That's so true.
Rachel:I'm not kidding me. Yeah, you are. A lot of them. Oh, my
Margie:God. Yeah. I never even think about that. Yeah, yeah. He Well, I also don't really understand the name because Cain is biblical. They add an E to it became biblical, and Cain killed Abel, and nothing remotely like that really happened in the story. So
Rachel:I mean, Cain is a relatively like, I've met people named Cain, but
Margie:I've never met Pete. Yeah. Okay. Okay.
Rachel:I mean, it's not it's, I probably my guess is they weren't trying to make that reference that callback, right. But it is an interest. It's a very, it's a name. It's a name for sure. It's, it is kind of a ridiculous plot, but I can kind of see it because like, the whole like, dude with multiple family things is an interesting plot point. Well,
Margie:and it gets so at one point, I had to like write it down and break it down for myself because it does get it gets really complicated. really complicated and she writes it well. Like you can understand it, right? It's, it's all about this one dude's decision so I will
Rachel:I'm pretty excited for the fact that it's not Hilty stop at nothing just keep her from getting hurt again. No, it's like either of them. Yeah, well, I don't want to be hurt either.
Margie:So I honestly thought going into this book that I was gonna hate it and then so I read this book because I was sick. Like day off work right? And I thought I was gonna hate it and then I was reading it and I was like, oh, oh, this is actual land well should have been okay, we're back to our episode. I think it's nine Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Wonderful should have been
Rachel:so we can establish then right up front that he is an our boy. Our boy Kane versus homeboy counting Cain. Does he start as a homeboy and and isn't our boy
Margie:yeah, okay. Yeah, cuz he's, it's not like he makes mistakes, but then he recognizes his mistakes and it's like, oh, gosh, I really messed I will
Rachel:defer to you as to what to refer to him at any given point.
Margie:If he was Kenobi I may just give them a like, Babe. Like halfway through this. I didn't really give him one. While I was while I was writing down notes. I didn't really think of anything. So that's fine. Maybe we'll I think maybe we'll come back to the superhero with the baby. We'll give it like a superhero name a superhero name. That's actually a really good Yeah, yeah, we'll do that. Let's look like about
Rachel:an hour boy. Right.
Margie:Here's an our boy, I call him an hour. Boy. That may be up to debate.
Rachel:Okay. So let's see an interesting debate here. Yes. All right. So let's, let's get into it. So first, any triggers? Oh, good.
Margie:Good thinking. Um, so there is drug abuse. Okay, that's, I will say sexual abuse. It gets a little complicated at the end. His history gets complicated at the end. Interesting. So yeah, powdered sugar dusting of sexual abuse and And there is violence at the end like eight knife violence. Yes. So, hopefully none of our listeners have experienced that. But if you have I mean, I don't want to,
Rachel:just in case just rather cover our bases because we love you. Exactly. Exactly. We're all in this road together. Okay. All right, good. Let's get into it. Let's get a word picture.
Margie:I will paint your word picture. So we opened by introducing Alexa Holland, who is a personal assistant or in this book, they're called PDAs to a very successful Boston photographer, her boss Benito,
Rachel:okay Benito.
Margie:And he's actually great. Um, he's, you know, it's kind of Devil Wears Prada. She does get along with her boss for the most part, but he's drama queen. very melodramatic dig. So at one point, her mother passed away recently. Okay, then like the past like few months, he hadn't spoken to her mom and like seven years, I think long time. And when her mom passed away, it was kind of that kind of thing where she was upset about it, but she like tried to, you know, she was trying to really be tough. And they had their he's a photographer, right. But you know, that a Mother's Day shoot, and she just was like, down. Yeah. And Benito was like, You're my best pa ever. I'm not happy about this. Go take a vacation. Come back and be your best self. Right. So she does. Good boss. Yeah, kinda also kind of he is very demanding. Yeah. And I think he is actually great. But I'm like, she's probably overdue for some time. Yes. Very overdue. Very overdue. So she takes a few weeks off in Hawaii. And she got back. Yeah, no, Riley, yeah. Good amount of money. So she comes back and her boss emails her and it's like, Just meet me at this address. That's where we'll start. Okay. It's a penthouse apartment. No, nice, kinky. Later. And she meets him there and she's immediately just like, oh, no, oh, no. Oh, no, because she realizes who they're photographing. And that is Kane, Caraway. Okay. Yeah. And Kane and her have family history, even though they've never met before. Okay, so she's kind of trialing? Idli.
Rachel:Brother and sister. No, no. Okay. Nothing
Margie:like that.
Unknown:Like that. Yeah, that God
Rachel:would have gotten a little bit too weird. Right.
Margie:Exactly, exactly. And so she, Benito introduces her very quickly if she actually cuts him off before she tells him before he Benito tells Kane, her last name. But he knows like, this is my personal assistant. Alexa, she's like, nice to meet you. Bye. I gotta go. And Beanitos like, what's your problem? YTF Yeah, and also came Caraway is like the very, very, very wealthy businessman. Yeah, don't want to and he's also built a reputation for himself where you don't want to cross him. Okay. Don't want to get on his bad side. All right. So, um, she keeps up with our work that day, but eventually at one point, of course, she's already noticed, like Kane's been looking at ads. Exactly. And he cornered her with a cup of coffee and says, Listen, I don't know how but it seems like I got off on the wrong foot with you. I really want to know more about you and you're really good looking, you know, like, you know, kind of being flirtatious in a creepy way. Yeah. But because of what's hap just happened with our mom, because she's very, like, overwhelmed. And he's there and suddenly he's like, very close to like in her space. She pretty much just blurts everything out which is and so she first thing she tells her is her full name, which is Alexa Holland. And he like immediately just cringes up. And so Alexis dad, Alistair Holland, had an affair with Keynes mom. Alastair introduced Keynes mother to drugs, and she ended up opening in a hotel room and Alistair just bolted. Holy shit. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah,
Rachel:we are. Jail. Yeah. Damn that. She like straight up just blurts all of that at him. Yeah. Okay. home girl though. Because my girl. Yeah, I get it. The social anxiety is real. Like, wow, I get it. I've done some stupid shit because social anxiety, social anxiety.
Margie:It's such he's gone through so much in the past few months that like she doesn't have a filter right now. You know what I mean? Like, she's very, she's very on the edge. You've seen me like, I am like her where if I'm struggling, I just need to talk to someone. Usually guys, it's Rachel. God bless her soul. She's like, she's my interim therapist right now. Anyway,
Rachel:hold me just call me Lucy. Yeah.
Margie:Right. So um, and she kind of just like, says, I'm so sorry. I didn't and she admits she's like, I'm so sorry. I didn't know that it was going to be you here. If it hadn't. If I'd known I would never have come right. And but he does not take it well, no, probably not. And let me tell you, that's just the first half half of his history unfortunately in her family has more hey yeah, yeah so our boy Kane
Rachel:has some baggage.
Margie:Yeah and so does so does Alexa right. train wrecks I think the other one it known that like I'm calling her Alexa but she usually goes by Lexi but it gets confusing because in the book when Kane is like trying to be professional with the wrinkles or Alexa, but then when they're getting all cute and romantic he calls her Lexi because that's her preferred name. So it's just like, confused.
Rachel:Shout out to friend of the show an avid listener, my best friend Lexi.
Unknown:Lexi.
Rachel:But I call her Lexi. love you
Margie:love you. Thanks for listening. Um, so Kane immediately walks out from that little meeting with with Alexa right and walks up to his personal assistant and says, I want another photographer we're not doing this shoot. And right bonito is very unhappy with
Rachel:this. Ah, nothing can be done.
Margie:And Benito ends up firing Alexa. Holy shit. Yeah. Because she doesn't just lose that. BENITO doesn't just lose that. photoshoot he loses to magazine like three magazine. Oh, yeah. Cuz Kane, I think just like, just calls them all up and says like, don't hire this photographer, which is really shitty, which is actually horribly shedding. And it's like, it's she had a perfectly legitimate reason for being there. It's not her fault, like,
Rachel:right, because she definitely was able to control the actions of her father. How many ever years?
Margie:Exactly, exactly. And then we do get into that later. So
Rachel:I understand. I get like, that's a huge hit to a business. But at this point, homeboy is being an asshole.
Margie:Yeah, he has. He has and he that happens a lot in this book where he's an asshole. But then he like, she tells them on and she and he's like, Oh, okay. Yeah, I guess you're right. Alright. So so a couple days later, Alexa actually goes to his business Caraway financial holdings to try and see cane and apologizing to him and apologize to him for catching them off guard. Right, which I think is fair. You know, she, although wasn't it wasn't like 100% Her phone, right? Like, I think that she didn't need to blurt everything out.
Rachel:But again, what I mean homegirl I get it, I get anxiety. Exactly. Exactly.
Margie:So the receptionist doesn't even let her in right but a friend of Canes actually ran upstairs nice because there was Henry Lexington and he actually has another like novella after this series, and I just read about it on Goodreads and I want to read it. And he's she begs him she's like, can I get five minutes of YouTube lunch date? I will pay I will give you to literally says I will give you my firstborn child for five minutes with Kane.
Rachel:Okay, all right. So again, she's being facetious Yeah, I get wanting to like apologize and say face a little bit and everything but like, oh, no, I probably wouldn't bend over that backwards.
Margie:But she's going that far. Like she's asking someone for a favor, you know? Yeah. And it's like she doesn't really have she's not gonna Benito Elsa's hold her. I'm gonna make sure that you're gonna get another job in this city. That's bullshit. She Yeah, he is very Miranda Priestly. It's Patti. Very Miranda Priestly from double wars product. Yeah, so that's really petty. It's no bueno. And but so she enters the office with Henry. And Cain is like what the fuck Henry? And Henry said back like, Girl Who are you? Curious. So Kane says to Henry get out. And she any does give her she's like, you've got 10 seconds. Explain to me. And she's like, look, I'm really sorry. I didn't know it was gonna be you. Please don't punish Benito for this now. Now I'm fired. And he's like, why should I care about this your mom or your dad?
Rachel:Because again, I can't control what
Margie:happened and that's what she says it's he she does say something really bad. So he says Tell me again. Why should care if the daughter of the man who gave my mother the cocaine like killed her and no longer has a job. I flinched. My father's actions were not mine. Same blood runs in your veins. Any hope I had a battling my irritation with his arrogance when flying out the window. Oh, cocaine addict, Dario.
Unknown:Oh.
Margie:So that he's like, get the fuck out of my office. And she's like, No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I know. I know. But but but she is like, you know that it's not fair of you to judge me for my father's mistakes I didn't writing do what he did just
Rachel:happen that fate decided to send you a giant middle finger and rice in the same place at
Margie:the same time. And so he still refuses. He's like, I'm not going to call Benito. I'm not going to give you your job back. And she's like, you know, she's like, alright, and she starts to leave and she kind of turns around as she's leaving and says like, Listen, I'm just stuck. Like I'm really struggling right now. You know, she kind of like, bears her and she's like, you know, there's I'm doing the best I can kind of thing, right. And as she's leaving, he says, You've got five seconds to get out of my office. I will call Bonito and she just bolts out. Nate. So yeah, so you know, um, maybe.
Rachel:Yeah, okay. He does do it right. And I have a feeling like my here's my guess she doesn't get her job back at least immediately. But Benito maybe starts to get business again.
Margie:I'm pretty Yeah, that's pretty much what happens in the long term, but like the so what ends up happening is that so the next day, she doesn't get a company from Benito. She gets a call from Kane's office, okay. And they, they say, can you meet him tomorrow at noon? And she's like, Yeah, sure. She comes back downtown to Kane's office. And she's like, What am I doing here? And Cain is like, well, Benito, would not take you back. And he says that you're the biggest disappointment of his career. He's never heard anyone like you. And he's so upset that this happened. And he was like, no, no, no, I know, Kane is like, he's really overdramatic, isn't he? Like, very young, but came is like, I actually need a personal assistant mind just left on maternity leave and decided not to come back. I've just gotten a great recommendation from you wanted to come and work for me. And he offers her like this double the salary that she had before. And
Rachel:listeners, you can't see my face right now. Yeah. But like, if he's trying to not get close to her, why would he hire her as a personal Assist is because he feels guilty about her losing her job?
Margie:I don't think so. I think that he he has built a reputation about himself around himself. And this is described in the book where he is ruthless he is cold hearted he is all these things because that's how he protects himself.
Rachel:Yeah, he's into his eyes.
Margie:That's the That's what that's that's the attitude that he wants to create. Alright, so serious. I think that he legitimately wants to hire her because he thinks she'll be a good personal assistant, but it does tell her that he's gonna put her through the rounds. Like he's like, I'm not gonna be nice to you. That just is what it is. I'll
Rachel:hire you because you'll be a good personal assistant, but I'm mysterious. And now, I have a meeting. So bomb,
Unknown:dresses up in a superhero suit, breaks through the window, and she's just standing there with a grappling hook.
Margie:Exactly. I wish I could say that's all good stuff, but it's on
Rachel:my mind and you can't change it.
Margie:That's actually how he gets out of an awkward social interaction smoke. Well.
Rachel:I'm just imagining like Adam West.
Margie:Yes. Okay, so we were at,
Rachel:um, he just smoke bombed out of the room.
Margie:Right, exactly. Like it happens in the book. By the edge, but you thought you'd see the last time
Rachel:someone someone's activated the cane signal.
Margie:Listeners, what do you think the cane signal would look like?
Rachel:I can make a lot of you
Unknown:see, like, see. Oh, yeah.
Rachel:Yeah, like a cocaine joke. But I'm not going to wait. You wait. It's just a line. Do it. It's just a line.
Unknown:Oh. What is it with us? Cocaine?
Rachel:You know, I've never done it. I couldn't tell you.
Margie:So I'm the next day whatever time is illusion. Alexa
starts her job at 6:30am Nice because he wants you know, cuz he's great and everything. And she gets
Rachel:he seems like the kind of guy that would wake up at 4am like drink three raw eggs and some lemon juice and then like, staring and pictures of himself. Yeah, you were strong. You are steel. You're an animal.
Unknown:You're a tiger.
Rachel:You're courageous.
Margie:Later on the book, she wakes up tonight smoke you know what? I just thought of that man from the Lego movie Batman.
Unknown:Yes. I'm
Rachel:basically just creating this character in my mind. Nothing.
Margie:Um, so one thing that Kane does that, that this is something that does irritate me in the book. He does requests that she buys all new, very professional clothes, which is okay, like, you know, it's an office building. But then when she comes in on the first day, he makes her stand up and spin around to make sure that she'd get it and also like, you know what an outfit looks like from the back from the front. So if you wanted to look at it from the back, it means you wanted to stare at her ass. Sure. Yeah, man. Don't like it. Don't like that. Okay, so she has a very long first day of fulfilling His every request and demand without a please or thank you. She does have to stop by his apartment at one point. And she needs his next door neighbor who has this really old aristocratic lady fe. And she's adorable. I love Effie. Yeah, yeah. And so he, if he tells Alexa, tell Kane that I'm making banana cream pie tonight. And he has to come by after work to have some. I know. Look at your face. She's so cute. She's so mothering. She is so mothering to both of them during the book. Yeah, yeah. She actually reminds me of someone I know who is very mothering to me. And so Alexa relays that message to Cain who does not like it at all, but she's met Effie. Cuz he's like, he's one of those people.
Rachel:How can I be a brooding angry like, yeah, next monster and let her know about Effie. Oh, no.
Margie:Exactly. So, um, and he compartmentalizes the people in his life a lot. A lot because he's weirdo. Well,
Rachel:I mean, if you have this reputation to maintain, right, maybe aren't really like that. Yes. Because you almost have to put forth his reputation in the business world or whatever. I get it.
Margie:Exactly. So the next day after the banana cream pie app, Alexa, telling him that he comes up to her Dell King comes up to Alexis desk and just slams down a Tupperware container of pie. I know. He's his. And he's like, they call her Mrs. Flanagan at the beginning of the book. But it's Fe and he's like Fe left this free asked me to give this to you and he's pissed. But we have to talk about the significance of the vote again and curry pie. We have to talk about
Rachel:first of all, I want to say someone actually trying to be angry, giving someone a Tupperware full of pie.
Unknown:So true. Second of all, banana cream. Yeah, like fucking
Rachel:really
Margie:the most also squishing the baseball is banana cream pie.
Rachel:Also the sexiest banana cream pie is
Unknown:well, why is it the sexiest bananas and cream? Oh, yeah.
Margie:No, I was going with like, it's like the comical cloudbet have like smashing a pie in the face.
Rachel:Well, we all know where my mind is all the time now. Yeah. Okay. All right. All right. Follow up question. What is the sexiest pie?
Margie:Chocolate is sexier than bananas just because chocolate
Unknown:like, Yeah, I like caramel pie. Not Carmel, Karen.
Margie:I like I mean, I like I would think pecan pie. But that's just because it's my favorite. listeners. What's the sexiest
Unknown:kind of pie? Tweet
Margie:us? Okay. So he throws and I just want to talk about the significance of pi. Sorry. Okay, the focus. I just want to talk about the significance of the PI because I have to do that. No, he would have never know. He could eat in the pie. Right? Or you could have just thrown it away cuz he's a bitter, bitter dude. But he didn't. He brought the pie in and gave it to Alexa. I'm
Rachel:not gonna lie. I kinda love him.
Margie:Because like he's a total asshole me outside because he has to be but on the inside. He has the wrong rights. Right? That's exactly what I was thinking. He's a cinnamon. Cinnamon Roll Deep, deep, deep, deep deep down inside. He's a cinnamon. Wow. Yeah.
Rachel:Do you love cinnamon? Oh, yes. Man with a food. Yeah.
Margie:So there are a few points in the book where Cain displays his attitude of being a hardest and he even does it to a girl he's currently dating a couple times dating
Rachel:someone right now.
Margie:He's dating someone right
Rachel:now. Okay, so yeah. Has there been any like,
Margie:every time sparks there's definitely sparks but like,
Rachel:anytime I want to say sexual attention. I was like textual. Wait, wait,
Margie:can we say I mean it is sexual tension because it's on the page sexual there is there is textual, definitely textual tension. All right, but like he's trying to keep it very, very professional. And also, she's the daughter of the guy who he rice.
Rachel:So actually a really nice breath of fresh air from the norm with the whole like rich CEO trope where usually it's like she jumps into him and like immediately goes weak and like yada yada yada or this one. It's like, no, I really like to just I'm dating someone. Can we keep this professional to stop? Also, my dad's an asshole. Like, it's kind of nice. It is
Margie:nice, but it's also like Cain he I guess he does try to keep it so that like the girls know what they're getting into, but he's not into anything deep. Yeah, at all because hardass you're done so a couple of times. So like he has to like send his girlfriend flowers. And he just he She tries to like change the no honest. So that's a little more personal and he gets really upset because he's like, I I don't want these girls to get the wrong impression girls. Multiple not at the same time. Yeah, yeah. Because he's not in a marriage or anything like that he's not looking for a relationship at all right? So just dating around. The worst example of this is when he asks Alexa to go to Tiffany's and buy a necklace for him and deliver it to his current girlfriend with his best wishes. Hmm, that's gonna go really well, right?
Unknown:Yeah, no, I'm
Rachel:not gonna go since you think that went through? No.
Margie:Okay, so he Well, this goes about as well as you would expect his his now ex girlfriend back at Alexa and straight up, calls her a whore in front of an entire office. And so Alexa goes back to Cain throws the necklace at him. And it's like, What the fuck did you think would happen? And he's like, What did happen? And she's like, she called me a whore. Because you had another girl break up with you with with her weight he
Rachel:brought was breaking up with her with a necklace. Yeah. Oh, he wasn't just like, Here give this to my girlfriend. No, is
Margie:he was asking Alexa to break up with this girl for him. Yeah, your face. Yeah, I know. I know. And so Alexa comes back into his office just throws the necklace at him. And it's like, What the fuck did you think would happen? If he has another girl to go and break up with her for you? And you
Rachel:should have said something to him right off the bat about that before she like went and did it.
Margie:That's true. But like,
Rachel:by I mean, yeah, no, no. Why did he think that was okay. Why?
Margie:And she she tells him that? And he does. He calls that office. And he's like, very, like, how dare you do this to her? And I'm like, No, I think I have every right to do that. Yeah, that's the only thing that kind of gets me about it is I think that person had totally every right to do that to be
Rachel:unhappy. I mean, he does the messenger. Yeah, like it's kind of a dick thing to do. But I understand that reaction.
Margie:So it's been about Alexa has been working with Kane for about a month. And he's been working to the she has been working Alexa to the bone. So she goes back to his apartment one evening and finds Effie outside the door again. Effie vites Alexa inside for some tea and basically has a chat chat to Alexa about her past. Like she's very mom, which is such a mom. She's never been a mom, but like she's mom, right? And all this and we've, um, I want to say like 60s. Okay, I don't really 5060s Okay, I don't really know, I don't think I'm a little bit older than my mom. Yeah, yeah. But her husband has passed away like and he passed away from old age. So right natural causes. So like, she might be older. She could be older. I don't know if they ever really mentioned it. So we find out from the conversation that Alexa was an illegitimate child. Her father left had left his like wife and basically camped out with Alexis mom for years and years. And he also had a son with that first wife, who never actually divorced. So let me tell you, I'm going to break down the timeline because it does get
Rachel:very convenient. Yeah, yeah. Break it down in a way that I'm going to understand. Right, exactly. So
Margie:basically, this is the timeline Alistair Holland marries his wife. They have a son together at some point. Allison's or Alistair starts cheating on his wife with Alexis, mom. Okay. They have Alexa. And then after this, Alistair Holland cheats on both of those women. And he goes and has an affair with Keynes mom, who some subsequently dies of a drug overdose and he abandons her in the hotel room because Alistair's father is very very wealthy man so a grandfather so he doesn't want to get into trouble right in that commission as some scumbag yes and yes and he does get caught and his grandpa and his father is like alright to sewed like now like get any money at all okay, you've seen and because of that and he I don't remember if he actually divorces his wife but he because of that his wife does not want him around anymore understandably so but Alexis mom knows nothing about this and they've only been seeing him intermittently over the years so he just basically moves in with Alexis mom permanently
Unknown:okay yeah
Margie:yeah and camps out there and so in this is when Alexis probably like in high school Okay, and she had always kind of hero worshipped her dad right like the dad who would come and shower her with gifts and birthday and everything. And her mom and always hero worship him as well. Right? Not a strong woman
Rachel:Damn, that's a real Yeah, it's
Margie:very real. It's very like it's very under it's sad. Yeah, sad situation.
Rachel:It's it is a I've read a lot of like books kind of like this where they make the Trino tragic backstory or whatever. Like, they try to make it relatable and sad, but they just end up going way over the top and it's like, like the magician thing, right? Like she loved magic and so she loved math at home like that's a little nuts dresses. Hello, Ray. and actually say yes. Okay. Yes. All right. I appreciate that.
Margie:Um, so So in high in college, Alexis father finally admits the truth about what happened to Keynes mother. Okay. And she pretty much says I want nothing to do with you. I you know the that. I can't believe that you did this you're not the person I thought you were. And over the years she's discovered that because he hasn't been a great dad, right. And, but her mom stays with him. And that creates a rift between Alexa and her mother, right? She never healed because her mother dies in a boating accident seven years later, and she Yeah, so Alexa never made up with her mom, Jesus.
Rachel:Okay. Yeah, again, good tragic backstory. Right? Solid? Yes.
Margie:So they have. So epi has this whole conversation. It's great. And then she's like, Hey, it's coming over for dinner. Stay. And she's like and she does Oh, and it's actually they're very, very flirty across the table, huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, that's
Rachel:still a woman. And she's woman knee.
Margie:Yes. So hard. She loves it the entire time. It's so cute. So um, but of course, he's like the same in the office and everything. And that Monday, they come back into work. It's the same every day Henry comes in for lunch. And Alexa overhears a conversation on the intercom in Kane's office. And it's about her. And the weirdest thing about the conversation is that he actually calls her Lexie, when he's talking to Henry about her. But it's basically kind of he's like, I want to invite her on a date on Friday. We're gonna go out to this. We're all going out to this big party. I wanted to take her and Keynes like, No, you're not taking her. That's a conflict of interest. I don't want you to take her and he's like, You can't stop me. I like the woman. I'm taking her. And came says, surely you could do better. Yeah, so Henry comes back out. He asks Alexa out, Alexa says yes.
Rachel:Uh huh. And as you do, right, once a dick, right, exactly. Well, also,
Margie:she later on, she's like, he was complimentary. He really he likes me, right? He's a nice guy. Why wouldn't I want to go out with him? That's like, some
Rachel:school ground like, you know, playground level.
Margie:So on Friday, they all they go out? Like, he's not happy to see her there. So and Alexa also has a relationship with her grandfather. Okay. My eyes rolled into the sons. Yeah, I know, as well. So she has a relationship with her grandfather, father on her dad's side, they actually met, they've actually met and she sees him at the party. And he has to ignore her and act like he doesn't know who she is. So that's like a stab in the guy. And then right after that Cain commit comes up to her and says like, you didn't mention your close with the rest of the Hollins just shows you don't belong here. Because it's like this big fancy party. Yeah, yeah. So she's like, whatever. She goes and dances with Henry, because she's like, I don't want him to make, you know, to make me ruin this night because I'm having a good time. So of course, came comes and breaks up the dance, and says, We've got to go to my office. I just got called into a meeting and I can't wait. It's like Friday night. It's Friday, Saturday night. And she's like, Really? Really? And he's like, Yes, I need you right now. So he drives me to his office, which is all locked up and dark. And she's like, there is no meeting. What the hell are you talking about? He's like, there was and she was like, No, there wasn't. I'm not an idiot. Why did you pull me away? And she calls him out. She's like, You treated me like shit this entire night. You treated me like shit, since I've known you. I don't deserve that. You know, I didn't make my father's mistakes again, and you think you're beneath me? Or you think I'm beneath you? And he's like, I don't envy and kisses her. He's like, I'm pretty my he admits he was jealous. He was like, I didn't want to do there with Henry.
Rachel:Okay, I feel like I'm being torn in two very different directions.
Margie:banana cream pie, and the grappling hook. It's very
Rachel:good lord. Right. We're gonna just call back to the Batman villains and call him to face and so yeah, there
Margie:we go. Um, did that Okay, where was I? I'm actually really hot. All right. All right. Really hot. But immediately when the sex is over,
Rachel:he's extremely Do they like sexy time fully? Yeah. Oh, shit.
Margie:Yeah. Yeah.
Unknown:Damn full. I got that.
Margie:Yes, yes. on his desk. Calls office. Yeah, yeah. Do you like inventories? Like I've thought about fucking on the desk. Every day since you've since you've been working for me
Rachel:this like? So usually the usual romance novel trope is like the kiss. No. And then the kiss of the No. And then the kiss on the No. And then maybe three quarters of the way into the book. They get down to the dirty this is? No no, they're like this is like they're
Margie:really like full on bam. So he but at the end of the sex. She's like, Oh, God, something's wrong. And he immediately turns into cold can again two faces out. And he's like, Listen, I'm a guy who wanted to fuck you. And that's that's it. Now we've got it out of our system. It's overly hated again, let's keep this strictly professional and she's like, are you serious? Like that was it was like, really intense moment for both of them. Yeah, like and like, very not just like, let's get this out of our system kind of sucks, which I totally get. It's like, there's a ton like there's a ton of intimacy there. And she's like, alright, consider this my two weeks notice I'm out. I'm not doing this.
Rachel:Yeah, yeah. Good. Yeah. For yourself.
Margie:Right. So then though, so they going back into the office, everything's really awkward. Obviously. They're kind of getting into fights, all the cat fights all the time. And Henry's like, What the heck is happening, guys, you guys are great. Like, when I left you, everything seemed great. And they're both pissing each other. And so but he tells her we've got to go on a business trip before Yeah.
Rachel:My face just fell.
Margie:Yeah, well, and he doesn't he makes it very clear. He's like, nothing's gonna happen. We're not teenagers. Like, we've gotten this out of our system. We're dad
Rachel:but homeboy is at the moment homeboy is having some serious playground like, jealousy like, and then anger and two faced, I don't know, it's very juvenile. It
Margie:is very, very exacting, very juvenile. But that's just the his defensive mechanism. He has a reason for it. And it's legitimate. It's not like land wills reason, I promise. It's legitimate. Yeah. And I'll be honest, I'm not gonna reveal it yet. Because you don't find out about it until the end of the book.
Rachel:At this point, I probably would have been like, fuck, boy, I'm out. Yeah, because fuck that,
Margie:right. Just Well, that's what she does. She's like, I'm out. But I also you know, she's kind of stuck because right, she still needs a recommendation for another job. Yeah, probably not gonna do very well. No job hunting, though. No. So um, they go on the business trip. It's a business dinner basically with someone else. And this person is a woman, very flirtatious with cane. So it's cane. This woman who's also a fellow, like, call you you know, billionaire colleague. Right? And she's, like, very interested in cane. I don't think canes reciprocating at all. And then poor Alexis just sitting there watching this happen. Mm hmm. So she gets up. She's like, Alright, I'm out. Like, I'm done. You know, I'm sure you don't need me anymore. And he's like, okay, so she goes to the bar, which I would do too. Oh, yeah. And she starts flirting with the guy next to her. Uh huh. And to face comes up, and it's like, you're not sleeping with him tonight. gret because you're drunk. You're being an idiot. grabs her, takes her back up to her room every time tries to deposit her there. And I can't remember what he says to her.
Rachel:I don't know how I feel about this yet.
Margie:I know. That's the thing. Right? It's hard.
Rachel:It's hard. I can understand really enjoying the book. Like as I'm reading. Yes, yes. But hearing it as like a third party without a lot of the context is like I don't know how I feel about Cubase Oh,
Margie:so in so what happens is she admits to him like I've never talked to my dad after I found out what he did. I haven't had a relationship with either my parents because of what they did to you. What happened your mother? And he's like, I didn't know that. And she's like, You never bothered to ask me?
Rachel:Yeah, calm girl, you for calling him on right shit. And
Margie:immediately they get to sexy times. Okay? So after these sexy times,
Rachel:nothing sexier than someone that my partner telling me that they've never had a relationship with their family because of their families pockets.
Margie:So after those sexy times, she says to him, why don't we just keep this casual? Like friends with benefits? Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Friends with benefits. And he's like, never done that before. But okay, like, I think I could do that. And she's like, I can do it too. So let's just do that. Because obviously, this is not out of our system. Right? So she's keeping your job, which is crazy to me. Yeah. No, I would I would not do that I would at least look for another job. Right. And now they're having casual sex, you know, in down to it. Um, and again, it's very, very, very intimate most of the time, so the, they kind of they do have a bit of drama, where she's like, listen, we can't just do this hot and cold thing. Can we at least be friends while we're friends with benefits? Because they're not really doing that like right now they're just with benefits. Right? And they're just she's like, this is very difficult to be with you because you're giving like when you're in the office there's you're this really really difficult person to be around and you're just coming over and having this magical sex with me. Yeah, so like finally gets to be like actually friends bit Okay, hang out together and like spend time together outside of like, just having sex. Okay, so that's like another development of their relationships is interesting. But then it all finally goes sour.
Rachel:Are we gonna get to the mustache trolling part?
Margie:No, we have not got okay. Yeah. little while ago, I
Rachel:mentioned that there's a mustache troll there is very,
Margie:it's very funny. So they go to this party. And, you know, it's kind of like Henry against there. They're kind of all schmooze ended up with these really rich people. And she catches Cain in a room with an older woman who's flirting heavily with cane, okay? And she knows that cane pushes her away, she watches that happen. But when she approaches him when, so after the party's over cane takes her home, and she has to basically push him into her apartment cuz she's like, I know what you're doing right now. You're breaking up with me. You're saying that this is over. And Cain doesn't deny it. He's like, it's totally true. And she's like, Alexis, like this is because of what happened at the party. And you won't tell me what that is like, what was going on in that room with that woman? Like, you need to just be open with me. And Cain won't do it. And
Rachel:I'm going to guess Can I throw my hat in the ring? Yeah, bribery, or not bribery, blackmail? No, wow. Okay. All right. All right. Um, no. Yeah.
Margie:So um, so they, he breaks up with her. She's completely devastated.
Rachel:Because Friends with Benefits rarely works out. They
Margie:were friends with benefits. But like, remember, there was a lot of intimacy and she's very interested in him. And it's that type of thing where she knows that he really cares about her. Right? He's not willing to like, he's not willing to open himself up. She must be his heart of ice. Right. Exactly. And she really is like, she tried like with I've been away, ship it away. Yeah. And well, so she straight up. Asked him at the office when they're alone. Tell me that you love me. Tell me you don't love me. And he says I don't. Okay. All right. Like it's so intense. It's really good. It's so intense. Their relationship is so intense. She's again leaving her job. Sure. Because she's like, I'm not kidding me. I'm not taking this emotional abuse. So like on one of her last days, they had just gone to a business meeting. Are you ready for Mustachio? Yes, yes. They just come to a business meeting. They headed back downstairs to open store for her she walks out onto the onto the sidewalk and she's waiting there for him because he's talking to someone else. And somebody bumps into her and she's kind of caught off guard and suddenly a very sharp knife gets gets stabbed into her belly. Oh, yeah. So it's not
Unknown:Yeah, napping bullshit. Oh, straight up.
Rachel:She got shaked.
Margie:Yeah, she got shanked on the street in broad daylight.
Rachel:Holy fuck. Turn.
Margie:You can imagine Cain takes this very well. My pins so well. Uh, yeah. Yeah. So he catches her. She wakes up in the hospital canes holding her hand being very, very sweet again,
Rachel:that's Color me surprised. What I was expecting.
Margie:Expecting, like a kidnapping type deal. Oh, that I thought you meant Kane's reaction. No,
Rachel:that's fine. I wasn't expecting that. This particular story to take that turn. Yeah. Didn't seem like a suspenseful, right. Like, you know, typical read. Yeah, this guy,
Margie:right. D Yeah. So she gets shanked nearly dies. She wakes up in the hospital of Canes there her grandfather is there. Okay. Um, and there's one bit about a grandfather I didn't admit or I didn't talk about is that so when cane when canes mother died. Alexis grandfather went to meet her his dad. So canes, have their kids mother's husband bloods getting so confused because I don't have their names. They don't mention their names. I don't think in the book. I know. And so, Alexa is grandfather. Oh, Alexa has a relationship? Yes. Went to see. Keynes father. Yes. After, after Keynes mother had died. Keynes mother died. Because basically he's like, I don't want to create a scandal. Let me pay you off. Okay. All right. And he doesn't say anything. Yeah. And but Keynes father donates the money, I think and then shoots himself. Oh, so can into the foster care system. On top of everything else,
Rachel:he's rich and in foster with us. Well, he, they all explain how he gained all his money. Okay. All right.
Margie:It's actually important part of the plot. Interesting. Yes. Um, so he so they both hate each other. And Kate is sitting on her side and her grandfather's at the foot of the bed. And they're like,
Rachel:like her? Her I hate you, but she's dying.
Margie:She's dying. Okay, well, that's the funny thing with all these characters. Like they all really hate each other. But they also love Alexa. So it's kind of cute. They're all like each other. But I love you.
Unknown:You are everything
Margie:you're under full. And she is she's pretty cool. So um, she nearly dies. But while she's in the hospital Benito comes and visits her I have a friend with a job in Paris. Yeah, yeah. And remember, Alexa and cane have broken up very abruptly and sadly and horribly Yeah. Yeah pretty much says he doesn't love her and so she's like, all think about it for this great job in Paris right
Rachel:from Hell yeah.
Margie:I mean, I would be like, bye. Peace out. Peace out, boy. Oh, boy. I'm out. But she has six weeks of recuperation. So
Rachel:do we know why she got shanked and bright yet
Margie:out? Cool. Find out right. But that's the question. Is it like? Is it because of who she is? Because remember, in the Holland family, she's not welcome, right? Or is it because of her relationship with Cain? Right? So they don't know. And Kane is like, I'm looking into it. I'm gonna figure this out. Right. So um, she's six weeks of healing. Great. Where do you want to guess she does this healing
Rachel:rip the band aid off.
Margie:It's like a It's because she is quote unquote. Well, she doesn't really have anywhere else to go because she can't go back to her grandfather's place.
Rachel:What about her apartment?
Margie:Well, she needs someone to take care of her. But she can't really walk or anything even she's like, injured enough that yeah, it's bad. It's a bad injury. Okay. And her best friend has like a four year old who they mentioned in the book is completely bonkers. Like this kid. Right? Crazy. Awesome. So Kane's like you're not going back over to Rachel's like her kid will rip you apart. Uh huh. You're not doing that. Right. So he takes her back to his apartment and they're still
Unknown:he takes care of her. Yes.
Margie:Cuz he is precious. We love Fe Fe is also like, still, like, tried to push the two together. He tells like, she tells Alexa. You need to trap his ass.
Unknown:Oh my god, Effie. I love I love you Ali Wong as well. Oh my gosh, drop his ass.
Margie:I love it. So uh, yeah, that's and so Lexi gets to a point with him where like they're sitting on the couch there their relationship is mending she canes because she's been really trying to like get them just to hang out together. Right? And she they can she can still feel the sexual tension and she brings it up to him. She's like, you know that what's happening with us right now? It isn't really real, because you're still not being honest with me. And he's like, please, this is the only thing in my life that feels real right now. Okay, yeah, it's very like and she and
Rachel:we're about to get deep.
Unknown:Let's get real cool. All right. Okay, hang
Rachel:on. Let me mentally prepare myself. Okay. You ready? All right. I'm in a good headspace.
Margie:Okay, we're doing okapis kittens. We're good. Okay. So, basically what happens is, is that they're still broken up, and he's still telling Alexa. I don't love you. Okay. However, one night she's looking for a Percocet for pain. Uh huh. And she goes into her drawer and she finds all these pictures of her and him together. That's creepy, but the kind of hidden away it's a little creepy, but I don't know. Cute. And yeah, in the context of the story, okay. It's just kind of sad, because she's like, I found those pictures of us. So once I leave for Paris, all you're gonna have are those fucking pictures. Jeez. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And he's still it's really, really sad. He still turns her away and says, Okay, no, he wasn't. So he does tell her. Why, though. He says so when I was in college, I had no money. I had all these dreams. And a woman approached me and said she would pay me for a sex. Okay, an older woman who was like a parent on the board or something of the college like someone with money. And he's in it. And she told her friends about Kane. So he had a clientele. Oh, this is he made his money. Yeah, this is how he invest in his first private bank. was because he was making this money. Oh yeah. Yeah. So that's why he's so guarded. Because he was being abused. I would say by these women. He's so young, being abused by these women, but also like, he's afraid that people are going to find out about this and he was especially afraid that Lexi was going to find out about it. And also he doesn't think he's worthy now. He's like, this is these are the lengths that I willing to go to? for business and for my ambition, and it makes and I know it makes me a terrible person.
Unknown:I know. I know a shit, right? Yeah. Okay.
Rachel:I like this book.
Margie:I mean, it's so interesting, right?
Rachel:It's like not I wouldn't call it moustache twirling I just call it like, I don't know. This is good. This is like interesting it's interesting. Yeah. It's very interesting and I his backstory is very interesting. It yes very and actually legitimately sad and yet surely feel for him now Yeah, and you kind of
Margie:you get and I like it because it's not like land whale where there was a shitty reason why he was a shitty person. You came recognizes that he's a shitty person. He's also he's putting on the ACT for Reason deep down. He's a good person. And he has a reason.
Rachel:He has actual psychological trauma, right? Oh my god. Exactly. Okay.
Margie:So, all right. I feel for it. Yeah. He says because of that he's not the guy for Lexi. And she's like, I get to make that decision. I love you. I love you.
Unknown:Got the L word? Yeah.
Margie:Let me find it. She says, I love you. I love you so much. Nothing changes that nothing. And
Rachel:I have a cinnamon roll feels are real.
Margie:I know. I know. You're lying to me. And then she says you're lying to yourself. You're holding this up as a way to keep me locked out. But it's too late. I'm in you love me. And, and you'll never hurt me and I will never hurt you. I will never use them leaves you like they did like they all did because I want you just you. Ah, no. Okay. No. And she's like, I'm not your hero. And she's like, I'm not looking for here. I'm looking for you. I just want you.
Rachel:This is like, a decent actual romance. Right?
Margie:And so he's still and he saw that she doesn't say anything. And so she says I won't stay. I won't try to fight for you anymore. This is it. If you walk away, it's not for me. I will ever think I will ever think that. I will always always blame you for this for blaming for ruining
Rachel:us. Okay, that's not I don't know how I like that.
Margie:I actually I kind of get behind it because she's she's doing everything for the relationship. Everything
Rachel:true, but the way that's worded sounds a little victim Lamy to me.
Margie:Oh, well.
Rachel:Because he's been through some serious shit. And her being like, I love you. But if we end this, I'm gonna blame you for it forever. That sounds hella victim. Like,
Margie:that's true. Maybe it's a little it's harsh. It's very harsh. Yeah, it
Rachel:feels it feels wrong to me. I don't like that. I like him. Now. I don't know if I like that for her. Okay,
Margie:that's fair. Yeah, that's fair. That feels fake. So she leaves the next day. She leaves him a letter and says, I'm out. I'm done. You know, but and I get that I get that. She's like, I can't fight for you anymore. And she says this.
Rachel:It's, I guess a little bit of the whole, like, if you don't want to be helped, I cannot help you. Yes, but I'm willing to do
Margie:and you know, her reaction to that I can understand her anger, because that would be very frustrating. But it's also like, yeah, you're right. Be more gentle. Be more under a little more understanding boys been through a lot of shit. Yeah. So when she says in the letter, since you're determined to keep us apart, I'm determined to move on with my life. Okay, fair. Okay. So she tells a cane, I'm going to go back and visit my dad, I need to resolve some issues with my dad and he lives in Connecticut. And, and then she's like, I'm gonna come right back to Boston. I'm packing up my stuff I'm leaving prepare us. I'm gonna leave immediately. Please don't come and see me. I don't want to see you again. Okay, so she goes and visits her dad. It's interesting, because it's like she, what she learns about her dad is that her dad is not a good person. He's not made a lot of mistakes. I think that but what she's happy about at the end of this book is that he's, he's a better person than he was. Okay. And he's being the best person that he can be. But that's not enough. That's not a good father. Good person. Yeah. Not a good father. So, um, but while she's there, more savvy times
Rachel:great. She could stand again. No,
Margie:okay. But the attacker comes back at her dad's house. And thank God, so she fights them off really, really well. And then of course, came comes running through the door naturally. Yeah, natural lanch match, and saves the day. They don't recognize the guy, but their cane is beating the EverLiving shit out of him until Lexi's like stop. You're gonna kill him. Uh huh. He does stop and he's like, Who who are you? Why are you trying to kill Alexi? And he's like, I was hired by Lexi's half brother.
Rachel:Okay, now it's gotten a little bit mustache twirling.
Margie:So he her dad comes out with a shotgun. Just like charge try to stop, stop or now bitch. Oh, my God. God's work a lot better than knives.
Rachel:Oh my God. Every time I imagine a dude with shock and it's like which way to town? back the way it can.
Margie:So they had Cain and Cain. Alistair Alexus father, head back to Boston where they meet up with the police and this guy the guy who was trying to stab her was hired by Alexis brother because Alexis brother found out that because Alexa is a better person. Her grandfather was going to give her more money when he died. Okay. Yeah, that's a stupid idea story
Rachel:just got rolling. It just got it just it just ran over. It didn't step over the line into ridiculous I took a flying headfirst leap into ridiculous. I was on board but now I'm not quite so much
Margie:like this, but somehow by gradable plot anyway, we'll get into that later so so the grandfather admits this cane finally tells Alexa that he loves her. I don't want you to be disappointed by what you're going to get. Stay with me, right? She's like, you're all I want she like holds, holds his face in her hands. And he's like, You are all I want.
Rachel:I'm just imagining, like grabbing either sciences. Heading said shut up. I love you. Your fucking Imagine you
Margie:are in. It's pretty much that kind of Yeah. And then there's an epilogue where they're in the kitchen together and he tells her that he wants to have a baby with her and then that's how it happened.
Unknown:Okay. Cuckoo. Cuckoo. Okay, all right.
Margie:Brother hired this guy. Basically, just because the guy was like talking about murder and knives in a bar one night or something. The way it's described is hilarious. Like, yeah, exactly. And he had the brother had called it off when the first time didn't work. But then the murdery guy was like, No, I
Unknown:just want to stab somebody. Exactly. ledge, literally. Okay,
Margie:so, um, in terms of the novel, we're going into the reviews I
Rachel:need to discuss I want to discuss the,
Margie:there wasn't really looking back on this novel, there wasn't really a plot that was outside of the relationship until the very end, which is stabbed, which is like not that great, but the relation of so invested and what was gonna happen with these two idiots, right, but I forgot about that for a hot second.
Rachel:To be fair, that's very similar to how like Jane Eyre kind of is for a good chunk of it. That's true, where it's like we mentioned Jane Eyre a lot. Where it's like, a lot of like, just their interactions. For a good chunk of it. Yeah. So I get that. And if it's interesting in dunwell, that's fine. I think it was, I guess it and I was very much on board because it was very, like, he had some shitty homeboy tendencies. But there was a reason why. Yeah, it made sense. Yeah, it wasn't over the top reason when
Margie:she called him out on it.
Rachel:He he Yeah, he's like here, right? Yeah, you're right. Yeah. So I'm on board with that. And then the moustache really kind of that is where my suspension disbelief started.
Margie:I don't mind it because I'm like, it's you know, it's
Unknown:a book crazy things
Rachel:that's fair. And to be fair, it's happened in
Margie:literature you know, you go wandering off into the wilderness when you're when your man has a wife up in the attic like
Rachel:Alright, fair. I I get it I don't have as much context, I think as you did, so maybe that made it a little bit more jarring for me because for me it felt a little bit like whiplash Yeah, I
Margie:mean, like, cuz that stabbing does come out of nowhere, like, literally nowhere we know threats, the beginning of the book until
Rachel:now, you know that this man exists, but he hasn't been there. Like there's no like, basis it just right. Hey, I'm gonna stab ya. Hi. It's like, it's like the stabby guy from future. You never seen future? I'm like, No, I'm sorry. Your boss, you want to give him the client? That kind of deal.
Margie:So, um,
Rachel:yeah, my impressions. Point. Okay,
Margie:let's start with character. Okay. came like we were saying, well developed. Well, I know like, cinnamon started cinnamon roll,
Rachel:and then I fucking hated him.
Margie:But then that's how he Oh, shit. Okay. You get it. And also, like, by the end of the book, you're in love with him again, I will say that. You're just like, Oh my God, you're such a cinnamon roll again.
Rachel:In my mind. I felt I've had you know, without getting too deep into it. I've had a lot of instances in my life where like, you do something that seems completely innocuous at the time, and then get to realize way later that that had a really, really big effect on somebody. Yeah, mattered. And it's like that kind of vibe, where it's a little bit of like a humbling thing of like, I hate this guy. He's annoying as fuck, and I hate him. And then you realize, Wait, there was an extenuating circumstance that makes sense and gives me so it's like, it's like a really nice, I'm always looking out for reminders of like, be nice to people who are shady, because there might be a reason they're shitty.
Unknown:Yeah. True. Yeah, like, Yeah,
Rachel:I like that story. And she's
Margie:because in real and throughout the book, she's constantly trying to get it out of him because she knows that something is up and right. Tell her and so in the letter that she writes him, she's like, I thought that if we could, if you broach the subject with me, we could talk about it. We could get over it right get past this, but you don't want to be I think her point is, is that you don't want to get past this. So you just want this to go on and on and on. And I can't live like that.
Rachel:Yeah, and but I think my thing is and I get her out when to live, you know, like, do that that's, you know, you got to serve you but at the same time, it's like It's not so much that he doesn't want to get on. It's that he maybe doesn't feel like he's ready. Like mentally like maybe he needs a little bit more help. First.
Margie:Yeah, but I just I and I think though he if I think that he still has to like, make stuff. Yeah. And he wasn't willing to make any steps.
Rachel:It is a very much a gray area. I will say and I love like, I appreciate that the characters are not black and white. There's
Margie:not much gray, so much gray, there's so much. So his character, some
Rachel:would say there were at least 50 shades maybe more.
Unknown:Actually, we're gonna say more because this book is way better. I
Rachel:I like him a lot more than I liked her. I feel the same
Margie:way just because I think that she is a Mary Sue in a way because she does a little bit Perfect. Well, it's not even that it's just like she does everything perfect. She's almost always right in this book, like, except at the very beginning when she goes in to kind of unload that
Rachel:even that wasn't necessarily her fault. No. Right.
Margie:So I do think that she's a bit yeah. And you're maybe you're right, like a self insert a Mary Sue. I don't think that she's just as interesting as Kane, which is interesting, because it's written in her point of views. Yeah. Interesting. So yeah. All right. Um, yeah. So and then. So it's one through five for characters, right? One is
Rachel:terrible. So one through five. So guys, if it's your first time with us, we are going to rate everything now. So it kind of discussed a little bit, maybe discuss a little bit more, we're gonna rate both of the characters the plot on a scale of one to five, we're gonna write the entire book on a scale of one to 10 and at the end, we're going to do a should you spend money on this? Yes. Okay. The plan so
Margie:so one him him, I will give him one.
Rachel:Or I'd say he's a solid for
Margie:for like, Yeah, cuz he's there and I'm gonna put in give him a four because it's very strongly written considering it's not written his point, which is pretty impressive. Impressive. Yeah. Her three, okay, she's good. She's fine, but she's not like she's not credible. I
Rachel:liked him a lot. I think that one
Margie:of the things I didn't like about her is that she's you know, even in the moments where she's like crying or weak she's always strong like she always has the right thought she's never proven wrong. Right. So I think that that's not really makes a little bit
Rachel:less interesting. Yeah, they never been proven wrong thing. A little bit more a little not as interesting, but she's not afraid to call someone on their shit. And I pray Yes,
Margie:yes, definitely. I really really liked that. So I think I would give her three the plot of the book overall. That's interesting, because I loved the relationship between these two so much snark and Sasson Fleur.
Rachel:Oh, I feel like the book would have benefited from not having the moustache rolling aspect to it.
Margie:Well, what else I think that if you're going to do that though, you'd need a stronger What he needs is like a stronger like business plot or something like that.
Rachel:Because I feel like the I feel like making this more of a character driven versus a story different book would have made more sense to me because there's so much depth to the characters that you almost don't need like adding this extra level of plot almost like muddles it to well,
Margie:right there for it was there because they want they wanted this extra level of drama between the characters which I get. Yeah, they could have done in different way though. I yeah, I think they could have done it in a way that made more sense of the story to the plot into the world that
Rachel:they were right. It definitely threw me out of the story began. I didn't read it. So I didn't have a lot of the flashing
Margie:lights in my head or sign five, it's middle of the road. It's not amazing. It's not terrible. I mean, like because the character, the characters in lights in your right. Were good enough that they drove the story enough that I like didn't want to stop reading it right. But I will say this, I read multiple passages over and over and over again, just because I loved these characters. So I loved the character. I really loved the characters. I loved Kane's complexity, and
Rachel:like I said, I'm gonna say it again, because it's important to me. And it's Hello real. Sometimes, I don't know I choose to always assume there's an extenuating circumstance when someone's a dick. Yeah, like this is a great example of a character in a book which is not something you see very often Yes.
Margie:And it's and it's not like frickin land whales land I just I keep comparing him to land well because it's a business deal. Yeah, it's
Rachel:I can land oil is on it here of his own and I hate him
Margie:i So in terms of buying this book, so one is don't even look at it don't look at the way around. Oh, this one is
Rachel:gone by two is maybe not spend money on it but if you see the library or something, you know, pick it up. And three is do not get it
Margie:probably to do alright, yeah. I would agree with that. Because I think it's too personal taste as well. Right? It's not a book that's amazing. But I think that like if you read it the library, you may just want to go out and buy it is that good? And I will say this there is a note like I said there is a novella called villain and relaxing. Yes, I'm super curious about it because it also features Kate I think It's written at the same time of Kane story.
Unknown:Okay, so it'll be Yeah, yeah,
Rachel:I like that a lot. This was a nice one. I feel like this was kind of like this was your thieves are set what is it?
Unknown:Is that this Gambit was so good. Oh my god. Oh my god. Get into it
Rachel:okay this this was your spies honor. Yeah like it was like you expected it to be bad and ended up actually being pretty good? Yes,
Margie:yes totally absolutely
Rachel:okay because I mentioned that What are you reading?
Margie:Oh so right now well I finished Assassin's Gambit. You guys just so shuck it is so good. It's my Amy. Amy ravey It's amazing the couples just absolutely
Rachel:are my favorite. I love it. I love them.
Unknown:Oh god
Rachel:that was assassins Gambit is the next book in the like spies honor like we went over spies honor it's the next one. There's three or four. Yeah, there's there's a couple so Assassin's game it was actually the first one that she wrote. Okay, so spies honor was written after Assassin's Gambit. But Gambit is the first one I read and it was so open. Good. And,
Margie:um, you can read you can read spies on or before Gambit because that's the that's actually the timeline. Yeah, yeah. So yeah, it's so freakin good. I loved it so much. Um, I'm now right now. I'm reading Jane Eyre.
Unknown:Good choice. Oh, and I was reading this book called
Margie:The cruel Prince by Holly Black. Hmm. It's about like the fairy realm.
Rachel:I'm a sucker for fairy staff. Not good.
Margie:I don't like it at all. I was 85% in and I gave it a pass. Good. So yeah, I was just kind of it's really popular. Like just not dystopia. But teen angst drama.
Rachel:Which is can be very much hit or miss. Yeah, sometimes I have the patience for the Mary Sue.
Margie:She's not a Mary Sue. She's straight up murdering people like Arya Stark. So yeah, yeah. But she's they're trying to push these two characters together that I'm like, you've made him too cruel. I can't believe it. This is not believable. Okay. So
Rachel:maybe it's just a kick ass redemption arc? We don't know.
Unknown:Probably not. Probably not all right. Great.
Margie:I mean, I should re low but like I will.
Rachel:Perfect. So in summary, Jane Eyre is an amazing book mentioned multiple times and to go read SS and Gambit. Yes, yes. Yeah. In summary.
Margie:Okay, good. Well, thanks, guys, for coming in. Yeah.
Rachel:Thank you so much. So if you have any recommendations for books that we should read, hit us up on Instagram.
Margie:Textual tension, pod, Twitter, tension, pod, Facebook, textual tension, Goodreads, textual tension, Gmail, textual tension, Pata g gmail.com. Website, textual tension, pod.com.
Rachel:Needs interview, share. Or like what Okay, okay. No, I'm gonna do this. Okay. If you retweet us? Did I do that? Right? You did it.
Unknown:I'm so proud of you.
Rachel:You retweet us. We will tweet at you. Yes. Yes. With a totally 100% out of context quote from one of the Romans. We've been reading
Margie:like a Pub Sub textual tension j.
Rachel:So hit us up share with your friends. If I mean just I don't know tell people about us. We really would really love it if you do that.
Margie:If you were thinking of doing we're trying to get some live shows in the future. Probably. Dayton area with the Cincinnati library and super cool Yes. And if you're if you have a recommendation for a place or you own a place that you think hey, we would love to have these two girls out there talking about Ruby now. Hit us up possibly with alcohol. Yes, actually, probably with alcohol.
Rachel:Alcohol is probably going to be involved or Margie is drinking Margarita Margarita
Unknown:Yes, it's gone.
Rachel:We also want to say a huge thank you to the artist ala near you the use of her song. Oh, love of the album be held. We use it every time and it's wonderful. So check it out. Check her out. She's great. Um, and is that it?
Margie:That's it. Oh my god.
Rachel:We did it all. Yes. Still haven't written that exit down but you know, whatever. So stay tuned and hit us up with the recommendations. Yeah. And thank you so much for listening. See you soon. Love you.