Ep. 28: The Billionaire Philanthropist and the Sea

We're shipping off to international waters this week with a problematic billionaire philanthropist who can't take no for an answer. Did we mention he has a dolphin tramp stamp? Join your co-hosts Rachel and Margie as they discuss the nuances of the "Alpha Male"

Transcript

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Rachel: 0:00

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.

Margie: 0:20

tearing me apart from Smokies. Hello and welcome to textual tension a love hate relationship with romance novels. I'm your co host, Margie, and I'm your co host Rachel. Every other week one of us reads and summarizes a romance novel for the other unsuspecting co hosts. And together we unpack what the fuck just happened. I'm so cozy right now, Rachel, I

Rachel: 0:49

know welcome listeners. Yes, you are new recording space. Yes. I'm so excited. No, I'm nerding out hardcore. And I'm so

Margie: 0:59

comfortable. We're both in armchairs and it really is just

Rachel: 1:03

we're not crammed in a tiny space in my office with blankets on the on the walls. Yeah, more.

Margie: 1:07

Yeah, I mean, like looks really looks like you. It looks very cheers. Cheers. We drinking

Rachel: 1:13

shoe movie blankets or movie blanket moving blankets and PVC pipe because that's what made it

Margie: 1:21

works. It works. Yeah,

Rachel: 1:24

I'm also fair warning to everyone listening. If you hear some weird noises in the background. I've added a new animal to my temporary Menagerie.

Margie: 1:31

Wait every time a new animal Rachel now

Rachel: 1:36

Well, this one is Rudy. Sorry. This one is Baron Rudolph fun. haplin the second. That's his full name. Yeah, it's my mom's dog. Does he actually answer to that? No. So that's fine. But he is we're babysitting and he has a bone. And I heard him out this morning with a long walk. So he should be napping. But right now he's chewing so he was

Margie: 1:56

on her Instagram.

Rachel: 1:57

He was yes. Yeah. He's

Margie: 1:58

adorable. Corgi, Russia. I mean, Anthony from queer. I would just have, like, I can't wait for them to me. It'll happen one day. He's adorable.

Rachel: 2:08

But he's also very loud and sometimes annoying. So

Margie: 2:12

and I bought him two bones because Rachel told me to and I was like, you know, this is probably going to be crunchy. These fans? Absolutely.

Rachel: 2:18

And, of course, like keep him busy, because the alternative is him running into our little recording space and trying to use his squeaky toy to get our attention. So this is the lesser of two. It's not but it is significantly less cute and way more annoying. That's true. Okay. Oh, and real quick, guys. Remember, we just started a T public site. Yeah. And we've had some people buying some stuff. It's been awesome. So check that out. There's actually Rachel on our website, awesome designs.

Margie: 2:45

It was for my

Rachel: 2:46

day was happy birthday party.

Margie: 2:49

I'm 22

Rachel: 2:50

Yeah, 22 There'll be more stuff coming up to you. But for now, that was what I came up with on my own. He told me to get a beer because this was gonna be bad. So I have an Alpine apple cider.

Margie: 3:01

It's so I'm gonna explain what happened with this book. Please do. It was so like we've been recording back to back to back. Oh, yeah. And I've been busy. So I had to find kind of pull a book out of my ass. Vampire one. It is not the vampire one night. Yes, that is coming. I think I have to do that one at this point. Because there's just been so much build up. But this is another one of it was literally in the same vein, so problematic. But I thought I wasn't gonna be able to do it. But I got my courage together.

Rachel: 3:37

Our goal is to find books that are not problematic that are legitimately really good romance novels. I'll be damned if I don't get really excited when I get a bad one. I've

Margie: 3:44

been told from several people that the with their bad they enjoy the episode. But we got it represent. Right. Okay, so are you ready?

Rachel: 3:52

I'm so I show you this one

Margie: 3:58

on Kindle. Okay. All right. Like somehow through the library, something like that. So I'm going to show you the cover and then I'm going to do loop triggers

Rachel: 4:12

Okay, from a design standpoint, solid design work. This is deal with the devil by Megan March, smaller than the title author named small and not by much but close.

Margie: 4:25

I think that that like is no, no, very

Rachel: 4:29

good. So this book is a dude with like, imagine that you're somewhat you're like in a board room and there's a big table in front of you and like someone stands up and slams their hands on the table. That's the position that he's in with his white button up shirt completely unbuttoned and you know the French talk that Anthony's always talking about this is like the reverse of the French

Margie: 4:55

and to me, that's tan

Rachel: 4:58

Antonio is talking about now. You're right. You're right. I'm sorry.

Margie: 5:01

That's That's right. That's me always

Rachel: 5:03

talks about. This is the reverse of that. Because it is fully, like almost completely closed at the top, and then comes and opens to where the bottom of the shirt is tucked in his butt. And I don't know, a better way to explain that. Just look it up. rippling abs. Wait, count them 123456 Does he have a seven? Hey, oh, like the pathway to prosperity? Oh, yeah, that V.

Margie: 5:34

I will say I do love that V. I remember what my first Martini sucker for muscles. Oh, sexual awakening vote for Marja story was I saw a poster with the guy that had the Wii. Ah, huh. And I was thinking to myself, I just want to see the rest of it because it was like jeans.

Rachel: 5:55

pointing to something can we see what?

Margie: 5:57

Yeah, I was like, 14.

Rachel: 6:01

Yeah, um, yeah. And he has a lot of ABS. He has long hair. You can see kind of the bottom of his mouth, but that's about where it cuts off. And his I will say I am a sucker for a button up shirt that is rolled up to the elbow. You can see

Margie: 6:16

that forearm Oh my god. I made me forearm he has long black hair.

Rachel: 6:20

She's a sexy dude.

Margie: 6:21

He's a very sexy dude. Very sexy. Complete. fuck boy. Good. Yeah,

Rachel: 6:26

we've made it to fuck boy.

Margie: 6:27

Oh, this is a toy. Yeah. Oh, gosh. fuck boy territory. Yeah.

Rachel: 6:33

All right. So do you know just tell me the triggers before I read the description?

Margie: 6:37

No. Okay. And I know. Okay, good, because you have the description here onto the scription Cool. All right.

Rachel: 6:45

Quote, you can put that man in a suit, but he'll never be tamed. And one look at Jericho Forge. And I knew the rumors were true. He was a predator. And he had set his sights on me. I knew better than to bet more than I could afford to lose that night. I knew better than to bet myself. But desperation leads to bad decisions. And I thought there was no way I could lose. I was wrong. Now I have no choice but to make a deal with the devil.

Margie: 7:18

Yeah, yeah. I mean, we already just so much to unpack just right there. Then we talk about how this has a 4.36

Rachel: 7:25

on Goodreads,

Margie: 7:26

right. Right.

Rachel: 7:29

Oh, no way. Val shameless skanky and bitchy rated at four stars.

Margie: 7:36

Well, so and I went to down and dirty romance girl rated at five. Well, I went and I also like went to the one stars like I sorted it by one sources. I was like, there gotta be some people out there who think this is as problematic as I do. And they were they were like, Oh, this book is just boring. And I'm like, well wasn't boring for one thing. Okay.

Rachel: 7:56

Oh, I'm excited. It was not

Margie: 7:58

boring. Okay, so trickers Are you ready? It really is the bingo card though cuz like we'll probably more as we're reading good good. You get so sucked into it. That like sometimes that's what I've realized is that you get so sucked into it that like you're I can't even describe it. You know, what is

Rachel: 8:15

it? Is it kind of like that one where you're you're into it? And then you come up for air? You're like, Wait, yeah,

Margie: 8:22

exactly. I I was not into it. I was not into it the entire time. But I was just kind of I feel like there are things I probably missed right. Okay, so I'm triggers kidnap psychological manipulation, drug use emotional abuse, sexual assault implied. Yeah, this guy's a real piece of work. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. So and I like and I will I load up on my phone. Oh, it's I mean, it's not That's what I said. That's,

Rachel: 8:50

that's Oh, hello, Rudy. Are you bringing your bone in to hang out with us?

Margie: 8:53

I think we just have to accept that every episode is gonna happen. The curtain listeners is just moving.

Rachel: 9:03

He's laid halfway on the sound. Okay.

Margie: 9:06

Alright, so to introduce our two characters, you've already heard about one fabulous main character is India Baptist. I want to say she's in her late 20s. Early 30s. Probably more like late 20s.

Rachel: 9:25

How do we do this? How we pick books or something in common because mine also has ridiculous names.

Margie: 9:35

Love it. Okay, so she's got long blonde hair pale skin. Indigo. Not in any way Indian No, not a great way. I think it would be worse if certainly Indigo purple eyes. They are described that way by the dude.

Rachel: 9:50

It is interesting. Yes.

Margie: 9:54

She's a professional poker player. She's called Queen Midas. Okay, that kicks ass. It does. Come down to that. And she makes that's how she makes her money is winning at poker. Oh yeah. Jericho Forge. Billionaire asshole fuck boy not philanthropist. Okay, he's pretty much everything that Tony Stark is not like hate this guy. He's described a few times as looking like Jason Momoa which we've had before and I'm so sorry for that Jason because I love you and you're our boy you are precious.

Rachel: 10:25

Do not solely the name No,

Margie: 10:28

dare you take my name is literally references it like twice.

Rachel: 10:32

Like, what by name?

Margie: 10:35

She references Yeah, she's the characters like, oh gosh, she looks like Aqua Man. And says Jason Momoa.

Rachel: 10:41

When was this written?

Margie: 10:43

It's very It must be very recent has to I mean after Aqua Man. Yeah, well, but here's the thing. The rumors of Aqua Man were flying around for a very long time. Alright, so this dude has curly dark hair down to his shoulders, which is on the dark eyes, tanned skin and a small gold earring and a small goal. Excuse me who is here? And an anchor tattoo on his back. Please, okay, I want I want you to imagine that anchor touchy was a basic run with I'll never sink

Rachel: 11:16

in and out. Straight up tramp stamp. Oh, 100% I

Margie: 11:21

think Well, I think it's on the shoulder though. It's described as almost

Rachel: 11:25

never sink with an anchor which you know the exact opposite purpose of an anchor. Yeah, exactly.

Margie: 11:30

Exactly. I don't know. I don't know. And then he she describes him as looking like a pirate. And she's described the character disguises jet deck. I thought joking. She calls it the Kraken. Thought our Lord and Savior Cthulhu

Rachel: 11:54

Oh, no, no, I will only ever refer to it as

Margie: 12:00

Oh, yeah. She also describes she sees you know, she sees his bare ass at one point and she was so muscled that you could bounce quarters off of it. So the story starts in India's perspective because the jobs

Rachel: 12:15

so is there a reason behind the anchor tattoo? Yes, sale. Yes. Okay, key.

Margie: 12:21

That's something

Rachel: 12:22

I'll get into actually at the end. Okay, today, please tell me this casual racism because they think he's Maori or something. No. Damn. Okay.

Margie: 12:29

Yeah. So the story starts in India's perspective, who's playing a very high end underground poker poker game and I think Monte Carlo neat. Yeah. A friend actually another total homeboy. moved fast. You do bear

Rachel: 12:43

another question. This is not our first best

Margie: 12:47

response yet. Right? Um,

Rachel: 12:48

can I ask a really quick question? I don't want to do really too much. We got to keep moving. I know. But is she the type of poker player that instead of having a good poker face just uses cleavage to distract her opponent? He

Margie: 12:58

does both. She just booked okay. Yeah, yeah, cuz she's wearing I think like a gold dress that night and like gold heels like she's, I mean, the titties are out. All right. All right. So a friend got her invested into there. Who's a complete asshole too. He got her in for the rock bottom price of$1 million. So you just start playing at 1 million. My Anya Byam. Exactly. So she's she's prepared. She knows the table. She studied the players who were there that night and um she needs she needs to win this game like it is a desperate situation so but we'll get into that later. Unfortunately for her a mystery player arrives who she's not prepared for and that person is billionaire Jericho forge

Rachel: 13:43

new challenger

Margie: 13:51

forge thinks this this is what forge thinks to himself as he walks into the game this is the first line of the book with a billionaire billionaire walks into a room you feel it especially if you're the billionaire

Rachel: 14:10

now hold on neither of us are millionaires or billionaires so maybe we just don't get it

Margie: 14:16

just put down is that rich people fucking oh just wait. Oh god. Oh god. So now give it

Rachel: 14:27

rim gold rims on his jet skis or something. Jesus just wait.

Margie: 14:32

Now forge hates to veer who got in debt. Yeah. Who got into into this game with every fiber of his being. Jericho hates him so much that he swore bass to Bastion that he would take everything he loved away from him in his life. Drama queen drama coach Wiebe jam this guy throw like blows jerith out of the water in terms of you Yeah, yeah, like you can see this guy dressed like changing outfits like 10 times a day with a massive

Rachel: 15:05

copy.

Margie: 15:07

Well, the Kraken Cthulhu so now Jerko sees

Rachel: 15:13

a whole new meaning

Margie: 15:16

sorry. You're gonna have so much fun later. Right? And now Jericho sees that De Vere is as close as close to in love as a person like De Vere can be with a woman. Like he's in love with India because De Vere is just a complete asshole human being

Rachel: 15:34

what the hell happened to bros before hoes.

Margie: 15:37

So Jerrica doesn't just want to win the card game. He wants to win India. And he says that, you know, like the object that she is. Oh, yeah. He's also very attracted to India going so far as to say her gold dress wraps around curves that make a man want to revert to the days when pirates pillaged enemy ships and took what they want.

Rachel: 16:00

So she wants to rape her.

Margie: 16:03

That's literally my notes. So right

Rachel: 16:15

he's Alpha Margy. He's

Margie: 16:17

also described as that I already feel tired.

Rachel: 16:23

listeners were in much more comfortable chairs. So I can do all sorts of crazy arm movements and my arms are going nuts. So I don't scream into the mic because this is amazing.

Margie: 16:32

Being in this room though, because it feels like a lot less like not that it's ever felt like work but to me we're just like so much more. So much more casual

Rachel: 16:40

anyways is I'm so here for this in the worst way. Unfortunately for India, there's a lot of unfortunately for India right now.

Margie: 16:47

Oh, just wait. Wait wait, why? Wait. The back. Oh, also listeners by merge. She loses the game. I just lost the game.

Rachel: 17:02

Dammit. Eighth grade me so mad right now.

Margie: 17:05

She was even stupid enough to stay her hotel room key card on the game, which is now in for just hands what? She had no money left to stake. So fortress, like you can stake your hotel key card because it's on the table. Like it's literally physically on the table. And she's like, Okay, I don't have much choice.

Rachel: 17:24

Okay. That's smooth shit, though. It's not good. Know what? It's real fucking Oh,

Margie: 17:31

I don't think it's smooth. I think it's just creepy. Oh,

Rachel: 17:33

it's creepy, but it's still smooth.

Margie: 17:35

But I guess Okay, so for just like, alright, we're spending the night together. Cool.

Rachel: 17:39

Let's now tear out terrible.

Margie: 17:41

But India is like, No, you want a hotel room? Go enjoy yourself. I'm out. I gotta go. She's got it. She's like, I got to play. I gotta win some games here, girl. Yeah. And she tries to leave but he grabs her by the wrist and says if you don't come with me, then you will never get a stake in another game. I will make sure that you never get to play again anywhere.

Unknown: 18:02

Oh, just wait.

Rachel: 18:06

Holy privilege Batman. Oh, ah,

Margie: 18:09

Batman, Bruce Wayne is way more

Rachel: 18:11

I would have made I would. I would have enjoyed doing battle with the with Cthulhu in the form of destroying a deck. Just in the genitals.

Margie: 18:22

she's forced to go into the room with him. And she's like, she strips herself down, takes off all the girls and is like, Alright, let's get this part over with I got stuff to do. I got shit to do. And he's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, literally happens. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yep, happens. And he's like, No, we're doing this when you were a willing participant. I want to know why you're so desperate for cash.

Rachel: 18:51

I hesitate to say better because it's already so on fires

Margie: 18:55

so on fire so lives of from Forge. I'm ready. drop your guard and I can show you a whole new world. Stubborn set of her shoulder says she won't at least not without encouragement. We're manipulation they need another drink before.

Rachel: 19:19

Excuse me. Yeah. What the fuck? Would you mind just real quick? What the

Margie: 19:29

actual fuck yeah. So he's like trying to tell her basically like, Hey, tell me what's going on what's wrong? And I'll come show you a whole new world of ecstasy. Heroin heroin. Oh, no, no, he's

Rachel: 19:43

a billionaire. Oh,

Margie: 19:44

okay. Drug it No, no drug abuse comes in later. All right, so this is what forge says on the next page. Ah, whatever you need to there's gonna be a lot of content okay? Don't care give it all to me can't have a two hour long episode. Okay, okay, I'm excited. So next page. Women aren't as complicated as the world makes them out to be. Watch them listen to them learn them use your knowledge to get to get what you want. Every human is capable of being manipulated and India Baptist is no exception. will be no different. This is the dude this is the hero. This is what we're given bullshit

Rachel: 20:37

him beyond words,

Margie: 20:39

and it's the first 50 pages I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Alright,

Rachel: 20:50

listeners I'm it's not that I'm not reacting it's that I have nothing to say.

Margie: 20:55

But he does at the end of the day. He doesn't find out what she's hiding.

Rachel: 21:00

Because he could be very fucking person doesn't have to tell him right

Margie: 21:03

because he's a very important business person. And he gets a phone call and he kicks kicks her out of her own room. So she goes and finds basket yen who tells her I'll give you the cash to play another game. But only if you marry me. Yeah

Rachel: 21:22

broken me all of the all of the episodes leading up to this we're just practice we're done. We're ending the podcast right now.

Margie: 21:32

Fuck Okay, so fast you bastions in love with India and has been for at least the past 10 years has he told her Oh, she knows. She's so like she the first when they started dating. He kind of dated her to use her to break off an engagement. He drugged her one night. And then the next morning his fiancee came and saw her in the room. And yeah, yeah. Arranged marriage because he's an earl. Ah, so now he pretty much gives her whatever he wants because he's totally in love with her. Don't Don't ask me why. Okay, so, immediately after this conversation that we hear she doesn't give him an answer. She's, you know, she's like, because she's still kind of not sure she needs the money. Girl. fake your own death. Get out of there. Yeah, right. Immediately after this conversation, we shift to India's home where she's with her mother trying to figure out a plan. Because they're still like, What the fuck are we gonna do?

Rachel: 22:41

I leave the night. Yeah, she

Margie: 22:43

left she left that night and went home. Okay, um,

Rachel: 22:45

she lives in her mom. Yeah,

Margie: 22:47

I don't know. She lives I think she lives with her mom. So um, but and she and her mom. It's like this weird conversation of I'm trying to tell you in the perspective of the book of there's something really bad that's happened and I need money but they don't know what to do and they're both freaking out. Okay, okay, so there's a knock on her door and it's one of forges bodyguards, who gives her her clothes from the hotel room All right, thanks. And a note from Forge that reads you need to stake for a game I've a million dollar proposition no one will let you play anywhere worth playing unless you show up at la marina key Tonight at eight All right, so of course she goes because this douche canoe gives her no choice Yeah, um, forge offers her a check for when she gets there forge offers her check for owed to a super yacht because he's super yacht right? No,

Rachel: 23:45

never don't get on a yacht was only him. Oh, international waters. Yes.

Margie: 23:51

Don't do that. Wait, no. Yes. Wait. All right. So just covered

Rachel: 23:57

a fatal flaw with our new recording setup. I don't have my emotional support slot I don't I need

Margie: 24:03

my emotional support. Why? Alright, forge offers her a check for $1 million if she agrees to never speak to Bastiaan again, which honestly isn't a bad deal because bastards a douche canoe to so she takes a check and runs straight to Bastion so that he can get her another game set up.

Rachel: 24:23

I mean, what's he gonna do?

Margie: 24:26

Yes, slip that. Unfortunately for India Basti and his family has finally cut him off. So he has no money and no way to set up a game for India to play and for just found out about India's betrayal and is on his way to quote unquote, retrieve his property. Yes, he does say that. Those words. Yeah,

Rachel: 24:47

you've broken me. Oh,

Margie: 24:49

you're broken. You're broken. We're calling out the author's name is Megan March. Like why do you think this is okay? So bad. It's so bad. Okay. So we'll talk about it later anyway. So Ford shows up at the casino that they were at and starts laughing at Bastion and Bastion starts a fight with forge forge Basti in his system, Bastion, Sr, Poppy in India are all kicked out of the casino. And that's when our girl finally becomes unhinged. She starts screaming like a banshee saying that she has to play that she absolutely needs the money. And she finally is just like with. I don't know, why don't I don't know why she asked for it. She's like, please just get me out of here. Please just get me out of here. And he's like, and he picks her up and plops her in his car. Yep, yep, yep. Yeah. So many not worry. All right. He drives her to super yacht that has a fucking garage in it. Yeah, has a garage.

Rachel: 25:51

Okay, keep going. I'm gonna Google whether or not that's a thing.

Margie: 25:54

It also has a hell of Hab. We'll get into that later. Okay. All right, picks her up out of the car like bodily lifts are and takes her to the home. As in then this is the quote as she as soon as she realizes we're driving off the key and onto a ship. Her eyes dart from window to window. What the hell are you doing? I shut off the engine that's the door lifts behind us and turn to her kidnapping you. He literally says it. Oh my god. Oh god.

Rachel: 26:22

Oh my god.

Margie: 26:23

Okay, so he takes her up. He gives her her first glass of whiskey. And he's like, yeah, don't accept and he's like, you're gonna tell me why you need this money right now. And she's like, I owe you nothing. I didn't cash a check. I'm getting off this boat. And forge a doesn't let her leave and be forces her to drink.

Rachel: 26:47

It is a thing. Yeah.

Margie: 26:49

Like yeah, yeah, I was reading

Rachel: 26:52

about yachts in their garages and then you just slipped in forces her to drink?

Margie: 26:56

Yeah, he's she's like got her hands or hands fisted? Right. And he she like he forces her fingers open and puts the glass into her hand. forces the glass into her hand. And he won't let her off the boat

Rachel: 27:13

This is bad. This

Margie: 27:17

worst wide for sure. Okay, fuck boy. Oh, he's ultimate

Rachel: 27:21

boy. I need to know No, no, I just threatened rape. Yep.

Margie: 27:32

Well, yes, a threatened day he was dreaming about it.

Rachel: 27:38

started dreaming about rape. I'm pretty sure he's threatened rape at some point. He's kidnapped. The woman told her he's prevented her from doing her job. And he's forcing her to drink alcohol in international waters where he kidnapped her

Margie: 27:59

All right, so so. So, um,

Rachel: 28:03

she feels as though I was not adequately prepared.

Margie: 28:06

I kind of didn't want you to be enough. And so she tells him everything. Finally, fucking choice and she's drawable and she also he also says, Listen, this place is we scan this place because she's afraid that somebody's listening in or something like that. It's like look, we make sure this place is completely clean. Nobody's gonna hear you whatever you say in here. Please just tell me I am a billionaire. There's nothing there's no amount of like there's nothing that I can't they can't be solved with money. So just tell me um, you just look so dead to the eye. I love it.

Rachel: 28:44

Boy sounds like it's twinged with like hysteria and panic and there's a reason yeah,

Margie: 28:49

India sister summer who also professionally plays poker. got kidnapped after cheating at a game is it

Rachel: 28:56

really India and summer Yeah, you know like Indian summer the slightly racist moniker for what's happening right now where it's 90 in October. I never heard that phrase called Indian Summer.

Margie: 29:08

Oh, yeah, it's a thing. I didn't want to know that well, you know alright. And her kidnappers are demanding double from India then what summer initially gambled to get her back. They're demanding $10 million or they will sell summer off into sexual slavery. We're not going to bring back over that we were out no late I literally see episode 16 No Lita, Lita for realistic see

Rachel: 29:35

episode 16 Bonus. Yeah, where we interviewed a gentleman

Margie: 29:39

bow. Bow. It's fine. Um, so forge says okay, I will get your sister back before that favor. You are going to owe me a woman wasn't endangered. And he says that huge that India will owe him and I quote every fucking thing they make every fucking thing Yeah, they make out and get real close to doing it. When for just like, nah I'm not doing this right now. I'm in the horribleness of forges mind he's thinking to himself. That's not why she's here. I have an actual purpose for her and I get can't get distracted from that. Yeah, cuz he's

Rachel: 30:18

got a plan. Like he has an actual purpose for this object and

Margie: 30:22

literally he also tells her though she's like, Oh, come on. We're like he basically quote unquote blue balls. Yeah, exactly. And well, he's not he's in the mood. He's you can see that he's in the mood. And the Kraken is awoken. Yeah, the Kraken has awoken. And she's like, What the fuck Forge? And he's like, Hey, if you want to take care of this problem, I got here my pants. Go ahead and do it. I'm dead. Yep, you killed me. Okay, so fortunately, all right, they make out blah, blah, blah. She gets real drunk off of whiskey because she just keeps drinking even though he leaves.

Rachel: 30:56

Fair, fair. I would drink and forget. Yeah,

Margie: 30:59

drink, you forget. And she passes out. He puts her in his bed later on. Carrot picks her up and puts her in his bed doesn't sleep with anything. Good. But only because he says if he did, he probably raped her. Yeah. Forge then the next morning, forge lays it out for India. He needs her word that she will 100% agree to a proposition that he's gonna put to her no questions asked. He says he guarantees her it is not sexual in major. Great, great, good job. And if she doesn't, he will get her sister back. But it's also that it's financially beneficial to him. Yeah, but she has to not question.

Rachel: 31:45

I already have questions.

Margie: 31:48

What do you think it is? I want I want to know, I wanted to know what you think it is.

Rachel: 31:53

I'm assuming it has something to do with poker. I wouldn't.

Margie: 31:57

Okay, damn it. Okay.

Unknown: 31:59

Poker, fairly newer.

Rachel: 32:04

We're gonna kick out of that one. Um, I would assume it's something to do with poker, but I don't because she plays poker. And she's hot. Those are like her two. The two defining factors that we've gotten right now is that apparently everyone wants to fuck her and she's mediocre at poker. Um, it's not sexual, but I'm going to say she has to seduce someone that he doesn't like. Right? Is that your guess? Yes. My god. Okay.

Unknown: 32:30

Uh, Chyna.

Rachel: 32:33

Wait, or it has to do with destroying Bastian. We'll see. Okay,

Margie: 32:39

all right. All right. All right. Um, yes. Earlier in the night, so like before she gets really drunk go with. So weird. He goes off into the shower and jerks off. And because he is such a huge boat of her it screamed so loud that our girl can hear him on the other side of the super yacht.

Unknown: 33:01

Things are powerful. Yeah, he's he literally

Margie: 33:04

she I think she describes it as like a wounded animal.

Rachel: 33:08

That's sexy as shit as dying animal.

Margie: 33:11

Like, um, to the guard. She's like, did you hear that? And the guard responds with I'm paid not to hear anything, ma'am.

Rachel: 33:23

I wonder I want I want a rewriting of this novel from the perspective of that man. Oh my god. Yes. I found your NaNoWriMo prompt.

Margie: 33:31

Oh, God. I have one we are talking. Right. Okay, so we're just going to go back to she hears some jerk off then she gets really drunk on whiskey right? I mean, I would do

Rachel: 33:42

hearing a dying animal and that like I don't want to fuck that you

Margie: 33:45

right? Oh god. Yeah, she falls asleep and wakes up and forges resting. Alright, and she wakes up in forges, but he also says he hasn't jerked off in the shower since he was 14. And I was like, he's, he's, he's a liar. Even to himself. When she wakes up, she's in the middle of the Mediterranean. International Waters. Yep. Yep. That is that. Um, and after breakfast, Leah. Oh, so like, when she wakes up? She's like, Where the fuck is Forge? And his assistant is like, I don't he's around.

Rachel: 34:24

How can you lose him? They're

Margie: 34:25

on a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean jumped into the Mediterranean because he wanted to go for a swim naked. That's where we get to the part about the bouncing bouncing corners off of his ass. Yeah, and then that's when she first sees the Kraken. And she can't take your eyes off of it because he's like walking towards her with his with decked out

Rachel: 34:44

helicopter a helicopter. And

Margie: 34:47

she's cannot keep her eyes off. It was Dec and he's like, are you gonna look up at my face or she's like I've seen your face before.

Rachel: 34:55

Alright, let's let's let's get the glare here.

Margie: 35:00

Like, lady

Rachel: 35:01

bits can be quite pretty and attractive and that's fine. dicks are never cute.

Margie: 35:07

See, I've well I have a feeling about that's fair.

Rachel: 35:11

I don't think dicks are ever cute.

Margie: 35:13

I haven't seen that many deck. So fair, but like neither of you. Fair.

Rachel: 35:21

I've watched for and it's fine. That's true. But like, I don't know, man, it gets to a point where you're looking at like, well that's not gonna fit and I have no desire.

Margie: 35:28

Like Oh no, she's not thinking that she's literally watching her grow before her eyes. It's like a Chia plant tea. Or like what are like what are those little pills used to stick in the water? Like it was a fun one. Yeah, I loved they were so fun. Very slimy

Rachel: 35:51

to me so uncomfortable. is terrible.

Margie: 35:57

Okay. Okay, so um he they have breakfast together, casually, casually and then he takes her to the captain of the super yacht not him. No, he's not hire someone who proceeds to marry forge in India. He said no questions

Unknown: 36:33

Yeah, yeah, yes. Yes.

Rachel: 36:36

The only way this book can end well is if at the end, there's a murder. He's murdered and she gets therapy.

Margie: 36:43

Well, all the money

Rachel: 36:44

and the money and the money she's married now she's

Margie: 36:46

married. Kill him. But like you have to wait a while to look like an accident. Yeah. And then you come out the door and like a fabulous Scout when the police arrived. You say my husband died?

Rachel: 36:56

I mean, what a tragedy. Looking off. Here we've already established in the mythology that he goes swimming naked in the ocean in the middle of nowhere and has a massive dog. So obviously he went swimming one morning and it weighed him down because he got an erection and he

Margie: 37:13

drowned. Couldn't nicely like bite off his dick bow. Like couldn't?

Rachel: 37:18

That's the ideal. Yeah, but in the absence of that happening, he drowns because of his massive dog where you see no problem, right? Take the money and run.

Margie: 37:28

Seriously. Okay, so um, prenup. Later, less less than five minutes later.

Rachel: 37:34

How did she not freak the fuck out? When that happens? She did. She

Margie: 37:37

did. She does. She's like I hardly remember it. Like she's like it was all a blur. So five less than five of that shit less than five minutes later, because this is even more problematic. Know how summer arrives via helicopter. So he knew he had summer already. And he still forced our girl to marry him. So yeah, I told you

Rachel: 38:00

guys. Batteries of unfortunate that bullshit.

Margie: 38:04

I have to say though, and I it doesn't make any sense. She's super attracted to him. They have this weird makeout session right after the wedding like super adds. I can only imagine what the captain is like gig like there's tons. There's people there's like him grabbing her hair. There's him pulling her closer into his body kind of bullshit.

Unknown: 38:25

receding into my arms. I don't I don't want to face reality. I don't want to live in a world where this is romance.

Margie: 38:33

Is no romance at all. We're calling you out Megan

Rachel: 38:36

trashy divorces. Why did you come on for this one? That would have been even better? I don't

Margie: 38:40

know though. That one was pretty good.

Rachel: 38:42

No if they would have been able to like

Margie: 38:44

we at least they would not have been able to cope with

Rachel: 38:46

ease our way into this. Yeah, we can. Okay, you can deal with it. I'm dying right now. I'm

Margie: 38:52

only dealing with it because I was like, read it. Yeah,

Rachel: 38:56

I am texting my husband to bring me my emotional supports loss.

Margie: 39:00

Oh also unfortunate hacked into India's phone to get the info he needed to save summer. There you go.

Rachel: 39:06

Um, listeners that silence was my deadpan face that Margie have really? Yeah,

Margie: 39:11

yeah. So hard. So she saved from the kidnappers who re Yeah, so they Oh, yeah. Okay, this happens actually before that. So. So later on, they have this real like summer and India have this reunion in India is kind of like, yeah, he swept me off my feet. And summers like, I do not believe that. You haven't been dating or had sex with someone for 10 years. But we'll talk about this later. Like, I don't know what happened. But sister. She's not okay. Really? Well, he's very she's younger. So she's eight years younger than India holds India. I don't know. That was kind of the I guess late 20s.

Rachel: 39:56

Alright, I'm gonna say I'm 29 and 21.

Margie: 40:00

Yeah, some of the cheese in summer has been kind of spoiled, because India was kind of forced to raise summer on her own because their mom was not like was not there. And so she kind of summer has kind of gotten away with a lot of shit, right? Yeah. So she's not she's not a bad sister. It's just that she's kind of naive. Let's put it that way. Um, so she's but she's kind of like, I'm just gonna let this go for right now because I'm just glad to be here and safe with you. See, is a strong, strong word. That's what she says. So she's like, your summer you're safe now. It's okay. Just like your dad safe. No, you are not safe. Oh, yeah, he would not be the if you think about this book in the perspective of what would have happened if she wasn't attracted to him this book. I mean, this isn't even ready. She is attractive. But that's the only thing that really like kind of in any way in any way makes it okay. Or makes it a row quote unquote, romance. It's not Yeah, no more a psychological thriller. Yeah, so she goes to later on tragedy, right tragedy, right. It is a tragedy. Oh, just No, no, I know. I know. So later, India being the good person that she is, goes to forges office on the boat, and it's like, thank you so much. Like, I you know, I I can't repay you for what you did for saving my sister. And he's like, Oh, you've already repaid me like remember, it was transactional. We're married. And she's like, K douche canoe. I just came here to say thank you, you know, you don't have to be an asshole about it. And he's and then he says something along the lines of like, you know, you can show your appreciation. Yep, yep. Yep, yep. Yep. Yep.

Rachel: 41:54

I'm gonna put on my lawyer pants. I feel like this transaction is null and void because he explicitly in it as well he explicitly studied in that we're not even considering window. He explicitly stated that it was not sexual in nature and marriage while technically doesn't have to be sexual it can be and so I think that that is vague enough that it would not hold up in a court

Margie: 42:21

of law well by also though I think that the thing of like she she was under duress. Yeah. But when she

Rachel: 42:27

married that out the window began fuck that. Because fuck that as fuck you

Margie: 42:31

so and everything in this book. Alright, so she gets hits. You don't say fights, but there should not

Rachel: 42:39

be a button

Margie: 42:46

so in order to teach you a lesson, so to speak, she wants to show him that she has as much power over him as he has over her. So she blows his brains out. You're on day I think that like I've gotten like a situation where you have something really really bad happen to you. So then you just Lau also though, here's the this is a note that was made in the book that like just like shook me. The ring that he puts on her finger is her size. How the fuck would he know what size her finger is? Like a week ago? Just keep drinking to be

Rachel: 43:30

pain to be fair. Yeah, that's where your suspension of disbelief kicks in.

Margie: 43:37

Okay, so in defense of that I had to go over it multiple times, unfortunately, cuz I was writing notes for it. Right. Okay. Okay, so fair. Um, let's see. They're in in middle of international waters in the Mediterranean and summer in India decide they want to go into the city of San Tropez is how you pronounce it. I don't know for some shopping. Okay, good for them. Homeboy says he's about to get some work done. Okay, cool. Awesome. They can escape that's not their plan. While the girls are out shopping our girl gets mugged and swiped with by a knife. So like, which is not okay, you're okay, so I had to put a little bit of Defense on that because the author's not wrong there. So what a lot of robbers in Italy will do is that they will use a knife break the break the strap of the bag, right? And then it'll drop and they'll grab it in the run. Okay, so he basically swiped her and got nicked a little skin. Okay, well, I'm trying I think I don't know why maybe it's just my psychological nature

Rachel: 44:37

or something to grab on to. Right Okay, so I'm gonna call it now fuck boy goes apeshit and murder somebody to get it close.

Margie: 44:45

Ah, alright, so she runs after the robber. And our fuck boy who wasn't even supposed to be there. Grabs the guy by the neck, by the neck and wholesome up. against the wall and straight up says he's going to murder him. Thankfully, our girl manages to calm him down by saying, I don't like the idea of conjugal visits in prison.

Rachel: 45:10

She should, because I think she

Margie: 45:14

should get so much money being in prison. Holy crap. Okay, but I do. Oh, and he's he he's like, and it's this type of thing to where he's like you don't hit what's mine. You don't cut what's mine? Yeah, property because she's this property now.

Rachel: 45:29

It's like you don't care my car. Yeah. Right.

Margie: 45:33

Alright, so, um, he takes her carries her, of course, in his arms.

Rachel: 45:39

I mean, she's a woman. She's a woman. He is frail.

Margie: 45:41

And she's frail. And also she's like, I can walk and he says, like, I'm not taking chances with you anymore. And I was like, What do you mean by that? Were you taking chances before also, why were you there? You were not supposed to be there. He takes care of her wounds when they get back to the wounds she got. She got nicked. And she well, she had some glass or she fell to the ground. So she like got like rocks in her whatever. Her knees. Yeah. Or whatever. Whatever.

Rachel: 46:11

Rocks in her uterus.

Margie: 46:16

Your pussy was knocked to the ground. was actually

Rachel: 46:19

so careful.

Margie: 46:21

Right up there. We are pushing you I love it. I love this. I mean, there's so much

Rachel: 46:27

where do you think what is Castro got the idea for the Jade egg. Oh my god on one is realized. Oh, this is great.

Margie: 46:33

What is? What is with that shit? He treats her wounds. They have sex.

Rachel: 46:40

Oh, you can just brush over. That's the first time it is. That's true. That

Margie: 46:43

is the first time. Good at least. That's the thing was good. And I hate that. I hate it so much.

Rachel: 46:51

Because a shitty book can have well written sex.

Margie: 46:54

But it shouldn't be good. If the guy's an asshole like I

Rachel: 46:57

well. Was he an asshole during sex? No, exactly. So like if you took that out of it that when itself would be basically it's porn. Yeah. So here's the thing in my mind, we'll get into it more when we review this. This should be billed as erotica more so than romance, but there isn't

Margie: 47:15

that much sex in it. Yes. So this is this is when for just finally like, oh, I actually give a damn about her. Damn, he hasn't until now. No, he's just been obsessed with

Rachel: 47:26

her in lust, which doesn't lead to marriage. No odd jump to make.

Margie: 47:32

Yeah, he's just been absolutely obsessed with her. It's just very weird. Alright, so when they get back to the yacht, he takes care of her wounds. Like I said, they they have sex. And then he takes her out to a private island, which is even worse, less chance of escape. I'm on live here now by well, so he will he doesn't leave her there. They're supposed to have like this romantic night. He literally jumps into the sea and like, gets to lobsters out from the bottom of the ocean. Because he's Aqua Man. And and then he cooks that and they have dinner. It's supposed to be like, Wow, he's like, Actually, she's also surprised by that. Okay, so like, cuz he's a tragic backstory. That's why I can cook. We'll get into that a little bit. Uh, he suddenly has to leave. He gets a phone call. That's like urgent so that she kind of like is up by I think he like takes off on a boat or something. And she's like, me Yeah, exactly. Sir. dolphin

Rachel: 48:30

noise

Margie: 48:34

person Jackson needs me.

Rachel: 48:37

Like my dad beside me.

Margie: 48:41

Oh my god. You literally could. You could Okay, so then she's on this private island now kind of alone. And she's honestly she does what I would do which is just like be nearly ocean like, just, she's on the dark like with our feet kind of in the water kind of shit. And then guess who shows up fast? That did? You are correct. Okay, it says, Hey, he shows up. He's like, hey, guess what? fuckboys the one who got your sister kidnapped in the first place? I called that. Actually. True. Okay, all right. Yeah, um, got your sister kidnapped in the first place. I could get you off this island, I can get you out of this mess. And at first she considers it

Rachel: 49:23

and I call it and say the bastions. The one that got her sister again. I actually

Margie: 49:26

don't know. And that could be the case. Um, so she considers it for a second. But so I'm gonna explain right now listeners. This is where the first book ends. She's kind of considering it. Her hand is like kind of like hovering, like thinking of grabbing his and jumping into planning for a book. Yeah, it's an awful ending. So that's where the first book okay, so

Rachel: 49:46

you read the sequel? Let me explain. Yes, I need your explanation.

Margie: 49:51

So you just said that is a terrible ending. And you were correct. I couldn't leave it there. That's the only thing that the author got right is I could not I was like In my mind, I was like, How does she justify this relationship?

Rachel: 50:04

Now? To be fair, I wouldn't necessarily say that getting something right because that's just a shitty and for a book you can do hanger. Yeah, and not something like that.

Margie: 50:14

I'm going to make a quick go into the second book. Okay very quick what I remember a bit because I didn't reread the second book in order to try and do this. Just give me a breakdown so club Nui so she actually says no, I don't want to go with you because for whatever reason she's love a forge. And but Bastion grabs her and pulls her so hard her head gets knocked against the boat, and she is knocked unconscious well that's

Rachel: 50:41

how that works. We need to go with something that's more extreme than eyes rolling. Because I've gone beyond

Margie: 50:47

listeners if you think help us out seriously Tweet us um, so fasting kidnaps hard hmm kidnapped kidnapped again and takes her to somewhere I think another bow at first of course forge immediately gets a call of from who from his body guards the body running from down the beat okay all right, so they've been trying gets knocked out. So the oceans big and real flat Yeah,

Rachel: 51:17

so if they're say another boat showing up and a bunch of bodyguards they I'm pretty sure someone found out that the world was round by watching a boat appear on the horizon. So I don't think they would have been like surprise I'm in a boat. They

Margie: 51:33

you know this whole book makes no sense. So suspension of disbelief again.

Rachel: 51:36

No, you cannot convince me otherwise he was in a submarine. Okay, cool. Great.

Margie: 51:41

Anyway, uh, so she for tickets call we're gonna do this in real time now for tickets call your wife is missing. What? Yeah, we think that she was taken by Divya oh fuck Okay, so he gets that call he immediately leaves whatever business meeting he had to go to to go save his property. And so she wakes up on the boat with Bastian ambassy and is basically like forge manufactured all this in order to marry you which doesn't really make sense. Maybe Yeah. And she and she does something really stupid. So to now has been smart he Well here's the thing about her though she's been given no options there Basti enhancer two pills to take care of her headache as she takes them.

Rachel: 52:28

You fucking idiot. Yeah,

Margie: 52:31

I remember this girl has already been drugged by him once. Yeah, so

Rachel: 52:36

we are not so we are not about victim blaming here on textual tension. We're not but you're in idiots.

Margie: 52:42

So, um, they get to shoot villa, right basically, or something like that they get to a villa or something like that. She still feels fine. She goes into the house. She's like to like, let me go back to forge like, in a way I kind of like her reaction to because I don't if I recall correctly, she doesn't believe Bastion. And she's kind of like, I just want to talk forge about this. Like, let's communicate like okay, so forge gets there, and his gun literally guns blazing and then the drugs hit and the drugs. So she tries to stand up and she's like, Oh, no, what what's happening? Her her eyes are dilated like she is like she's as forged described. She's rolling like she's really hopped up on the drugs. And he nearly I don't know why he doesn't judging by his character nearly kills to beer here.

Rachel: 53:38

Yes, I was very out of character. He would totally just straight up commit murder. He

Margie: 53:41

should have just committed murder, but I don't remember. No, she doesn't do it because our girl doesn't like guns. And she says she's very, very high. She's like, please just get rid of the guns are freaking me out. Like please just get rid of them. Okay, okay. All right. So he picks her up, takes her back to the yacht or no, he takes her maybe he takes her to like a house or something. Well, fuck they are now who fucking knows she she is mad at Forge because I can't remember what she learned about forge but there's something this is

Rachel: 54:11

tragic backstory right the reason you can no

Margie: 54:13

sign sighs tragic backstory. He wasn't like a Hunger Games of murder or something like that.

Rachel: 54:23

She has a lot of reasons.

Margie: 54:26

them so like she puts her in the shower to help her cool off anyway. She's like, like, Listen, I'm feeling really good right now. And I just want to ride this high. Let's fuck.

Rachel: 54:36

I mean, fair.

Margie: 54:38

So he's like, at first he's like, no, no, no, let's not do this. And then she's like, if you want to fuck me one more time in your life because I'm that mad at you. You better do it now because you're not gonna get another opportunity. And then he's like, okay. Yeah, in my mind. He's totally taking advantage of her.

Rachel: 54:55

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, sexual man means no inhibiting factor.

Margie: 55:02

Exactly. Oh, she's. So she wakes up. She's bested him. He's like, listen, I did not kidnap your sister. I swear, on my father's grave. I did not kidnap your sister.

Rachel: 55:16

It was very find out that his father was a piece of shit that left him in, went out and went out for cigarettes and his little right.

Margie: 55:23

So they kind of sort of make up. Jericho says, stay married to me for 30 days, and then I will give you $175 million. And then we can get divorced.

Rachel: 55:34

I mean, I would take I would totally

Margie: 55:36

do. Aleut Lee. Yeah. So she does, she agrees to that. But he figures out like, Hey, I actually want to keep her I like her. And she also like, like, deep down in her heart wants to stay married to him. But she's also like, no, he's been. He's been an asshole to me.

Rachel: 55:58

So they had this dinner. That is the understatement of the century statement

Margie: 56:02

of the century. So like, they have this dinner party with this other couple that Jericho is really close friends with. And so the girls go and hang out and do their thing. The guys go and hang out. And Jericho was like, Man, I don't know what I've done wrong, but like I don't know how to fix this. The dude is like, dude, be interested in what she's interested in. Change yourself. Change yourself. And you know what he does? He dies. So they go she's like, I want to go to this poker huge poker tournament. I've already established. She's a better poker player than she is. Yeah. Well, so she's like, I want to go to this huge poker tournament. And he's like, cool. Let's do it. They do. She wins a bunch of games. Every time she wins. He twirls around in the air like she's like a Barbie. And then at the end of the tournament, he suddenly disappears. And she's like, What the fuck happened to him? He was kidnapped at the end. That's the end of the second book. I don't know what it's a trilogy. I don't know what happens on the third. I didn't know I was done. I wanted to see. So basically why I read the second is I wanted to see how the author justified the relationship. I don't think she did. She really did it. But I do understand my curiosity.

Rachel: 57:18

Yeah, but it doesn't feel like she did it all.

Margie: 57:21

She did her best. But there was nothing like there was no coming back from the first book

Rachel: 57:25

know if she can you can say that she did her best when she put herself in that situation in the first place. Oh, the author. Yeah. Okay. Like, you can't say that she did her best to justify a relationship that she set up as being terrible. That was very true. That's very not okay.

Margie: 57:38

But she like I guess, you know, she she did what she thought was romantic, which wasn't at all. So and here's the thing, like a lot of the books, I'm not saying that like, that's, it's hard to explain. I'm

Rachel: 57:51

wanting a stronger alpha type male. Yeah, not a problem. No, fine. In fact, I'm

Margie: 57:57

into that shit. That's probably why I read this book.

Rachel: 57:59

But like, alpha does not mean forcing to, like alpha and abusive

Margie: 58:05

or not, not anything at all, at all. And I think the example that we could draw from that is honestly like that. Our boy book that I read a few weeks ago where the guy was one, Charlotte Bard, and, you know, she was the executive assistant. Yeah, that one, the rugby guy. Yeah, the rugby guy was fine. I was fine. And it was a good example of he was an alpha, but he was also very, very empathetic and very, like, attune to what she needed. Alpha doesn't have to be Yeah, I feel like controlling, controlling, right. I

Rachel: 58:36

feel like someone saying, Oh, I like alpha men and then writing like, like, Valerian. Oh, first. Yeah, it's like alpha. When someone says, Oh, I'm writing an alpha character. That's why he's this way. No, you're writing an abusive character. And you're justifying it by saying it's alpha. And that's not okay. Yep. Because that's not what it also is.

Margie: 58:57

So do you think we've gone far enough with this episode where I could actually call out the author of Twitter? Yeah, okay. You give me license I give you like, Okay, this

Rachel: 59:07

man is a fuck boy. Yeah, he's

Margie: 59:08

an asshole.

Rachel: 59:14

Like, this is the problem.

Margie: 59:16

Oh, no, that's what's the problem? A lot.

Rachel: 59:20

I feel like there needs to be another genre. Because there is romance. And then there's the genre of shit. That's really problematic, but some people get off on it. And that's, I mean, fine, but don't mark it towards young girls that don't have

Margie: 59:34

relation very true.

Rachel: 59:37

This other genre of book that's like, it's okay if you get off to this shit, I guess. Yes, but it's fine. But if a young girl who's like, you know, 14 or whatever book because it has a sexy man on the collar and doesn't understand what a healthy relationship is. They might not necessarily be able to identify that's true, and abusive are not the same thing like we can Because I love you for that. Well, that was beautiful. We can understand that because we've we've seen some shit but kids can oh my god that Yeah.

Margie: 1:00:08

And that is my romance too was that like, it is very like, oh gosh, I'm gonna bring this example up again of phantom Phantom of the author music of the night. We're just kind of draws you in. Right? You know, it's like, it's what you want at that age when you're 14 to 18. You're like that. You just want

Rachel: 1:00:25

sexy man ray comes out of nowhere and is like, Oh, I got you. I got you safe and you get comfortable and all that shit. But that's not always

Margie: 1:00:34

good. That's not always well, and

Rachel: 1:00:36

it's hard to tell why. Yeah, like, yeah, you can get Okay, so high school Rachel read the first Twilight. Yeah. Because I never got into it. I didn't. I read it because all my friends are dead. I read it because all my friends were obsessed. And I was jaded and didn't want to be into what mainstream was into. So I'm like, I want to read this to bash it. And I loved it while I was in it. I read the whole book and was so here for it. And I got to the end, and I sat there and I was like, Wait a minute. Yeah. That was not okay. No. And like, not everyone can do that. Not everyone can get to that. And I

Margie: 1:01:12

wasn't and I was like, I can't believe I did. Yeah, and I me and on the other side of that, like I totally bought into it. I didn't stop buying into it until maybe like the third book because it didn't really have but only because it didn't really have a plot not because I didn't believe in the romance. Right. But then the fourth book I was like, What the fuck is I don't know that we keep we bring up Twilight so often I need to just do as an episode.

Rachel: 1:01:41

I honestly don't remember a lot about it. I remember some of it to

Margie: 1:01:45

read. Twilight is only read the first Yeah, tell me the plot. Okay, I need to do 50 Shades of Grey or vice versa.

Rachel: 1:01:53

I'm down for that. Yeah, no, remember, we need to do 50 Shades of Grey and the other one where it's written from, like his perspective or whatever. Oh, I want to read about sex pants.

Margie: 1:02:03

Yeah. Why not? Sure.

Rachel: 1:02:06

So listeners, we took a quick break and I have my emotional supports lost now which I needed for the rest of this. But well, here we

Margie: 1:02:12

are also Rudy's here as a support animal. He really is true, maybe sweet, sweet.

Rachel: 1:02:18

So I took him for a mile and a half hike, which he has really short stubby legs. So

Margie: 1:02:21

that's he can't even I bought him two bones. So like you'd have something to do. He hasn't even any. I mean, I'm that's fine, but I'm just like, he's so sleepy. He's just wanting to cuddle up with us. I think they still cute so sweet. Alright, let's

Rachel: 1:02:34

write this motherfucker. Okay,

Margie: 1:02:37

here's the thing, though. We've done this before where we said that a book was too problematic to rate. I would agree. I think that this might be too problematic. I really want to rate it. Yeah. I don't think that here's the thing is that it's

Rachel: 1:02:49

reading it justifies the fact that it's romance. Exactly. Yeah,

Margie: 1:02:52

exactly. And I don't think that this book is romance at all. So um, but I want to just kind of dig a little get into the meat of the reading it Sure. From my perspective of the one one thing that says to me that it's not romance is that well, kind of two parter is that he considers her property. Yeah, most of the book and he never says that he loves her in the bow. Wow. He never says that he loves this is the first

Rachel: 1:03:18

one we've had where that is not the case. Because usually there's some bullshit I love you kind of deal like, right? It's just a man that he I bet. The culmination of the third book is him saying he loves her?

Margie: 1:03:29

I would bet I don't know if in the second book he does, I don't remember him go the ranch that I would. So like, and this is not really saving it because he's still threatening her. But if if you did it so that she said no to the marriage, and was kind of like she says no to the marriage. And she says, You know what, though? I think you're a good enough man that you're going to do in any way. I think you're still going to save my sister. And she kind of just walks away from the conversation. And he's left standing there like, and then she wakes up the next morning or something she goes to bed or something

Rachel: 1:03:59

sisters there and her sisters there that could have made it marginally better. I could have been more on board with it. I would

Margie: 1:04:03

have been way and it also would have been sweet. Yeah, like as much as and then you could have done this whole backstory of like, of her kind of being like, you don't have to be a controlling asshole. Right? You know, I can see that there's a good side of you that you don't want to show and that's okay. Because considering your past or whatever, but you don't have to do it this way. So I think that's if it's the problem of justifying the threat to

Rachel: 1:04:30

have all of the ways that you could save the garbage fire that was already happening. That's one of the few and even then like it would kind of work. It would not 100% No, it wouldn't, because it would kind of branch into that I can save him kind of Yeah, exactly. And you know,

Margie: 1:04:45

and you want you know, and I think I think that the way that she tried like I keep saying justify the relationship is um, he wants to be better for her but like you can't forget all of those horrible things that he's already done to her and The first book, right so you know, I'd be I'm like, slightly curious to know, like, what happens in the third book, but I'm imagining it's kind of the same thing that happened in the second book of like, Oh, he's kidnapped but it's like, solved within the first 10 minutes. Right? And then she, you know, and then they're they finally figured out, oh, she's probably pregnant, probably probably pregnant. So I feel like it was a father. Oh my god, if he had a daughter, she'd be so fucked. And the dude in there a son would be fun too, cuz he would just be raised to be like an alpha male. Oh, it's just bad. It's bad. It's bad. He's a horrible person. We're not gonna give it numbers because it doesn't.

Rachel: 1:05:45

But hang on. Jason. Mo, we love you. I'm sorry that someone's sorry. We understand. And I think you probably are fully aware that a significant amount of women think that you're sexy. Yes. And I'm sorry that it's resulted in something like this. I know you're listening. And he is there in our hearts. But still,

Margie: 1:06:06

I will. Okay, um, the pros in this book was not bad. Like you could understand it was happening. Okay. Like,

Rachel: 1:06:11

I think it's valid to say so the only rating remotely that discussion that we should have about this book is if the prose was good, then that's fine too, personally, because I've definitely read some books where they weren't super problematic, but they were just written really bad. And that's fine. You know, this book can have good prose. Maybe she's a good writer. But the content is the

Margie: 1:06:30

she's not a good writer. Okay. She's not a good writer. I can't write stuff like that part of the part of being a writer is writing good content. And a good story. This is not a good story,

Rachel: 1:06:38

semantics and syntax different things. Yeah. Syntax. Fine. Semantics. Not so much. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Margie: 1:06:43

All right. Thank you. Thank you for like I becoming the hose to like, Oh, God, it's her week, like her book is going to be really bad.

Rachel: 1:06:52

Don't worry. My next one has some fun stuff happening.

Margie: 1:06:56

Yeah. All right. Wow.

Rachel: 1:06:58

Thank you. For listening. I hope you guys had as much I don't want to say fun, but like the ridiculous

Margie: 1:07:04

Yeah, I feel like absorb all of the negative energy. Yeah, and just we're doing a service Yeah, we're doing a service so like we're absorbing all the negative energy so that like you guys can enjoy it. But please, please, please, please don't read it. It's not Oh,

Rachel: 1:07:21

don't even think about spending money on it makes me really sad because it's not okay. Yeah, no, it's really not too bad. But we actually haven't had like a truly awful one in a while. Yeah, so we were due for one. Yeah. Thank you guys so much for listening and hanging in there. Please rate review subscribe, check out our T public site. That's a thing now it's awesome. Check out our links as well. So check it out. It's actually I think really cool and I love it.

Margie: 1:07:46

I am so excited to get my merch Yeah, Barnes getting a mafia merch.

Rachel: 1:07:50

So check that out again, link on the website. Thank you guys so much for listening. If you want to reach out with recommendations, I will say this not two weeks from now is not a list recommendation. But the two that I have after that are so yeah, so hit us up with recommendations. We will totally read them.

Margie: 1:08:07

I got a book for my birthday. Yeah, probably reading that one that

Rachel: 1:08:10

neat. Um, so hit us up on Facebook. Textual tension, Twitter, tension, pod, Instagram, textual tension pod,

Margie: 1:08:19

good reads, textual tension website, textual tension pod.com and Gmail textual tension potter@gmail.com

Rachel: 1:08:26

Boom. Cool. So check us out there also because we've forgotten to do it the past couple times. And I've had to add it in later a huge thank you to Ellen air you for these for song Oh, love the album be held. So tune in two weeks from now or I could tell Margie about something that is not nearly as bad, more fun. I mean, it's not great, but it's yeah, not as bad. Yeah, you know, it's fine. Well, thank you guys so much for listening. And we will hear you'll hear us again in two weeks and Rudy says goodbye, but he's asleep. So

Margie: 1:08:57

certainly, schedule. I'm gonna miss him when he leaves I

Rachel: 1:09:01

know ready