No gags or hilarious witticisms today! Just a good, classic, funny-sometimes-sweet-and-ridiculous episode! Feel free to use this as a nice, wholesome distraction from anything that may be going on! Listen in with us as Margie tells Rachel all about Julia Quinn's, The Other Miss Bridgerton! Who's ready to watch the TV series in December?
No gags or hilarious witticisms today! Just a good, classic, funny-sometimes-sweet-and-ridiculous episode! Feel free to use this as a nice, wholesome distraction from anything that may be going on! Listen in with us as Margie tells Rachel all about Julia Quinn's, The Other Miss Bridgerton! Who's ready to watch the TV series in December?
We're coming to you live here on this election day from the textual tension studios. I am your co host, Rachel here to give you the up to the minute updates on what's happening out there. And it turns out, wow, the results of voting is in really early right now. And it looks like the results say that everyone is sexy. I don't lie, folks, popular consensus. How's it going, everybody? I am your co host, Rachel. I'm not giving you United States election day updates. But I am here to introduce what I think is a very good episode. I hope you guys are hanging in there. I know for a lot of people today is a stressful and anxious kind of day, myself included if we're being honest. So you know, I hope that you're hanging in there. And hey, if you guys ever want to chat about anything, you hit us up. If you ever need someone to talk to we are here, we love to hear from you guys. And if you do want to hit us up on this potentially anxiety inducing and stressful Tuesday, hit us up on all of our social media, we will totally respond to you hit us up on the Instagram, on Twitter, on Facebook, all over the place at textual tension pod across the board. So there's an email at textual tension pod@gmail.com, check out our website textual tension pod.com. And I think that's all the social media we're on. Maybe we have a Tiktok by now, I don't know, but hit us up on social media, we would love to hear from you guys. And hey, also check out maybe check out our Patreon. If you're so interested. We have all kinds of really great extra stuff over there right now. And including all of our under the covers episodes where we go into detail about the smut in the books that we read, as well as bloopers that have cut from the episodes and just kind of all kinds of stuff over there. Check that out. We would really appreciate it. It's patreon.com/textual tension. You can't search for us. I don't think I've said that in a little while just a heads up. We do adult content. So you have to put in that URL to find us. Um, quick notice about this week's episode. So last weekend, a little bit back behind peek behind the kimono here. Last weekend, Margie got exposed to Coronavirus. She's fine. She tested negative that is totally cool. Unfortunately, it kind of threw off our recording schedule a little bit which you know should happens and crazy things right now are happening. So it's totally cool. We did record remotely for this one. And we had some issues with our recording setup again, shit happens but it's still a really good episode. So I just wanted to give you guys a heads up let you guys know I did my absolute best when it came to getting getting the audio to sound good. And you know did basically everything I could with it. But it's still a really good episode, we had some awesome discussion. I absolutely loved it. We had a blast doing it. So I'd still wanted to put it out there. But I wanted you guys to just kind of know what we're working with. Like I said though, Margie is fine. And that's really the important part. So I think that's about it on the update side of things. So now if you've made it this far with me, which I do appreciate the journey, allow me to present you with this week's romance novel wisdom. When in Rome do as the Romans do, but if you find yourself in Greece, make sure you pack plenty of Trojans. I couldn't say that under the straight face. Well, without further ado, everybody. Here is episode 56. Does this rag smell like chloroform? Do you?
Unknown:Oh, tearing me apart.
Margie:Hello, and welcome to textual tension, a love hate relationship with romance novels. I am 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 this week. That co host is
Rachel:Mark Margie. RACHEL I don't doubt for a second I'm not gonna lie.
Margie:How are we supposed to unpack? What? You're already disassociating okay.
Rachel:It's the same every time I just didn't even think about it.
Margie:Oh my god. Okay. Listen,
Rachel:you're still drinking my coffee and yes, it's noon. Shut up.
Margie:Yeah. Oh, I mean, I drink coffee until like 2pm.
Rachel:Margie has been like, leaving me hints. I woke up. Can I just guess because you sent me the book.
Margie:Let me provide the backstory to that first. Okay, Rachel have been messaging each other, like, even with the good books that we've read the descriptors that male characters use, or women's vaginas?
Rachel:Yeah, for women for the the female genitalia,
Margie:the female genitalia and what?
Rachel:Sex it doesn't matter how good a book is. There is no good way to explain that.
Margie:There's no I mean, it's Even if you just call it a vagina, saying calling it a vagina is very romantic, but calling it whatever you're gonna call it like a creamy center or whatever, like that is also horrible. It's also just
Rachel:so it's 730 this morning. And I got a message from Margie. And that message just said, Good morning, creamy essence. And that was and I'm assuming it from this book. Oh,
Margie:alright, so I'm just gonna dive right into what happened with how I found this book because it is an interesting story. Okay, I read online that a romance novel author is having her series become a Netflix series. Oh, yes. And it comes out on December 25. And, drumroll please, to ruin what the book is. The author's name is Julia Quinn. And she is author of the bridgerton series, which is a host of I think it's like six or seven sisters. And they all are magically trying to find husbands right in the regency era. So that's naturally that's the bridgerton series. Okay, so I was like, I have to read one, I have to buy one, like, I have to find one of these books and read it. And I did. And it was called just like heaven. And it was not specifically of the bridgerton series. However, like there, it's that type of thing where they're all in the same world and they're all connected to one another. And they all know each other. And they all know of each other. So I read that book, and I was like, this is okay, like it's fine. And I was gonna tell that one. However, last night, my downstairs neighbor decided that they were going to play movies until like 4am this morning. So I was like, I may as well just finish this another romance novel by her. So I did and it was a lot better.
Rachel:Oh, good. Okay, is it actually Okay, all right. I won't ask too many questions. All right.
Margie:Hold up. I sent you the thing. I sent you the cover and the description on your phone.
Rachel:I've seen this cover before Oh, really? The books but I it has come up. Alright. So this is by Julia Quinn, a number one New York Times bestselling author, author, which means nothing, nothing. That's okay. And it is the other Miss bridgerton. And I have to assume based on this, that the other Miss bridgerton is also part owl. Because her head is almost all the way around.
Margie:Oh yeah, that's true. I didn't Oh my god. That is frankly alarming.
Rachel:Okay, so it is a woman standing on a grassy ridge overlooking the ocean where there's a ship on the ocean and she's wearing this blue dress that does not look appropriate for the era. And her head is almost 180 degrees around and you can see both eyes and she's smirking at you.
Margie:And to do it, it's
Rachel:comfortable. It's pretty it's just like that. No, I it's really hard to make your chin go past your shoulders. Hers.
Margie:I think it might be online with her shoulders. I'm trying to defend the book a little bit because
Rachel:it could still have a bad cover. We've experienced that. And that's true. Go into like anatomy and stuff. Hers. It doesn't make sense. There's a lot of Photoshop happening your heads too big for her body.
Margie:Yeah. It's just a whole thing. Arm is very small. Her arm just seems very. Her
Rachel:arm is very long. Yes. Yes. It's it's confusing, quite frankly, what they were sort of a surprise Halloween episode we are recording on Halloween.
Margie:So I think that it is a bit of like the artist trying to make a solid like line in the middle of the cover in a way because like her body kind of cuts in half diagonally the cover between the ocean and her. There were
Rachel:better ways to do that.
Margie:Yeah, yeah, I'm just saying. I'm just saying.
Rachel:I'm just saying alright. Is a richer tins. prequal.
Margie:Yes. So I couldn't get a bridgerton because they're all checked out because this the Netflix series comes out on December 25. And I just had to say about the DeckLink series. It is being narrated by Julie Andrews. Yes, yes. And the lead guy, the first season is of color, which is very cool. Awesome. I know. I'm so excited to watch it. This representation Batman. Well, yeah. And the thing about it is like, I think I've talked about this before or I've been in a different form, like if they did Netflix series off of really good romance novels, they would make money. Or they did movies based off of really good romance novels. They would make money women go and see that shit. We all
Rachel:saw how 360 DNA days when or whatever we also have that did.
Margie:Yeah, unfortunately. What if you did a good romance series, which in series is not convinced?
Rachel:You have until you said good. Oh, right. Let's get to this description. Okay. Oh, and she's gone. Okay, I can move now. All right, the other Miss bridgerton A prequel? Sorry a bridgerton Pretty cool. Cheeses you weren't kidding.
Margie:I know. I know. I'm sorry. But I only when I can find she was
Rachel:in the wrong place. Fiercely independent and adventurous Poppy bridgerton will only wet a suitor whose keen intellect and interests match her own. Sadly, none of the fools from our London season qualify. While visiting a friend on the Dorset coast. Poppy is pleasantly surprised to discover a smuggler's hideaway tucked inside a cave who, but her delight turns to dismay when two pirates kidnap her and take her aboard a ship leaving her bound and gagged on the captain's bed. Well, that escalated quickly. He found her at the wrong time. Known as a reckless privateer captain Andrew James wrote Roxby Roxby Yeah, he actually transports essential goods and documents for the British government setting sail on a time sensitive voyage to Portugal. He's stunned to find a woman waiting for him in his cabin. Surely his imagination is getting the better of him. But no, she is very real and his duty to the Crown means he's stuck with her. Can two wrongs make the most perfect right. handers learns that she's a bridgerton. He knows he will likely have to wet her to avert a scandal. Okay. No, Poppy has no idea that he is the son of an Earl and neighbor to her aristocratic cousins in Kent. on the high seas, their war of words soon gives way to an intoxicating passion. But when Andrew secret is revealed, Will his declaration of love be enough to capture her heart? So wait, hang on, first of all, that was a struggle to get through. Second of all, this man is actually working for the British government and like is not really a pirate. And yet yes, two crew members are I guess pirates and straight up kidnapped a lady.
Margie:Yah. Yah. Yah. Yah. Yah. They were getting into it. Government will get into it. So confused. Yes. Okay, so what? Are you ready?
Rachel:I am hit me with some triggers.
Margie:So triggers would be overall violence. I mean, like kidnapping, no torture or anything like that. There is physical harm to a child. Oh, great. Yeah. Let's see. Yeah. violence and violence. Okay. Yeah. I'm just trying to make sure because I was thinking is that nothing in this book is like, super bad. Actually, the consent during the sexy bits is really good. Alright, so yeah, I did it. So I'm gonna I'm sorry. I'm gonna like because I got sniffles.
Rachel:Oh, Margie narrowly averted the Rona. Last weekend. I did
Margie:their man.
Rachel:Last weekend put Well, here we are remote.
Margie:Okay, so we start out. Poppies in Somerset. She is visiting her. It's either her cousin or her really close friend. I want to say her cousin Elizabeth, who I think is the character of another book, who was recently married and very pregnant and very much in confinement. So we're friends pretty bored. Right? Right. Yeah. For a woman at the time at
Rachel:the time. That's what you did when you were starting to show was right was taboo to be pregnant in public? How do I know?
Margie:So and I think also her hug that Elizabeth the friend's husband is away briefly. So like she's a poppies trying to keep Elizabeth company. But Poppy is adventurous Poppy is very curious and very much like, I want to see the I want to see the world kind of person. So she's kind of tired of sitting sitting inside all day right? With a friend who's in confinement. So she's been taking these long walks with, like a maid of the of the manner that she's staying and finally one day to the maid. She's like, look, I really just want to go exploring on the beach on my own. What you see back here, here's some tea and some biscuits. You just stay here. Okay? No, no, I will be fine. This woman's much older than her too, so she's not going to go as fast like and Poppy is 22 She needs the like she needs to be out and about
Rachel:exercise. So she heads down to I don't know, she is a woman,
Margie:she has a woman. True. True. You want to You never know what those ovaries are going to go fly around your body.
Rachel:uterus can be in literally any part of your body at any given time, at any time.
Margie:So despite that, she's like, you know, I think my uterus was okay. I think it's right behind my left ear right now. So I should be safe. Oh, so
Rachel:she's thinking with her uterus instead of a brain that
Margie:makes right. Yep. So uterus and what in one place at one time, she heads down to the beach. And she's kind of feeling adventurous. She's like, I kind of want to check out like the coast and the caves that are down there. And so she finds this cave that's like, halfway, it looks like somehow it's like halfway closed. And she's like, Oh, nobody else would have really noticed this. This is kind of cool. Like, so she goes in. And she finds like, well, she goes in a first she can't see anything. But she feels around and she's like, ha That's weird. Like crates and boxes are in here. This must be lies. There's stuff in here. And then she hears voices. And then she sees a light. And she's like, Oh, shit. Yeah, she hides. And it's these guys. And I swear to God, this is actually the rap last names are brown and green. And they're like talking to each other. They're saying like, we got to get the brandy back for the captain. Like that was the one specific job that they had. Okay, is that this cave is full of brandy for the captain. And it is very important that they get back to him because like he drinks brandy every night or something. Okay,
Rachel:so that seems so important. But we'll go with it. Right.
Margie:So, so important. And unfortunately, there's not really unfortunately, the brandy that they are looking for is the crate that she is hiding behind retro, retro so she
Rachel:doesn't do good, very bad beach adventure.
Margie:So she gets up she like goes to another hiding spot that really isn't a hiding spot and they find her and they're like, Well, shit. Like we had thought because these are like the most sympathetic pirates ever.
Rachel:They're not even pirates. They work for the British government. They
Margie:do not they do not work for the British government. So I will get into that later. But they do not work with the British government. And they don't think so. And our boy in this book doesn't says we don't consider ourselves pirates. We consider ourselves privateers. So it's more like businessmen. You know, that's. So they're kind of like brown and green are kind of like shit. Now we have to deal with her. What are we going to do? And she's like, you can just let me go, that would be chill, that will be fine. And they're like, No, we can't because now you know where our secret storage places on the coast. Nobody else knows about this place. And we're not going to have time to clear it out. Before you go we before you go and tell someone because we are literally leaving. We're leaving for Portugal and like three hours. And she's like, but do you could just let me go there. Like, I can't remember which character it is. But one of them's like hey, other guy go and get a rag that bottle of the nasty stuff. And she's like, What are these? Like, trust me don't want to know. And so they
Rachel:it's fine. It's it's casual core for remember listeners. Next time you use chloroform, chloroform is not accurately represented in novels and TV, it takes time and also kill someone with,
Margie:right. I think it takes at least like five minutes or something before the person is.
Rachel:I'm going to do an impromptu science corner. Let's
Margie:Okay, so should I continue? Or do you want me to wait,
Rachel:you can continue but I am on a list after this search.
Margie:So we switch to Andrew Roxby who is captain of this privateering ship. And pretty much he just he so he does trade before between different European countries. Because he's not the eldest son and of his like very aristocratic family. So he could he has money, but he kind of had the choice to do what he wanted to do. And he was like, I want to go adventuring. And his parents were like, we're not pleased with it. But okay, yeah, he goes by so his real name is Andrew Roxby. But it goes by Captain Andrew James because he doesn't want people to know his last name. Ah, yeah, so Yeah, cuz he so he is a privateer. So he does all this trading and stuff like that. And that's how he makes his money. But he's also doing some sort of like covert secret work of like trading documents between Portugal and England. And I never like doing some very like kind of shady let's call it eyes kind of shit.
Rachel:Okay. Yeah. Yeah, great. That sounds actually terrible. That was the
Margie:thing about it is that And one of the things about this book that I was thinking about this morning is that he never really knew what he was trading what the documents said. It was not like, and he didn't really care. He just was doing it for the crown, which, as we now know, was not a good thing at that time. Like they were probably doing some sort of trying to figure out how to colonize somewhere.
Rachel:They know he was just casually helping with subjugating other humans aid, right.
Margie:So just want to make that clear. It's really not fine. But anyway, alright, so and that was another reason why he absolutely needed that brandy, because it's part of the deal with the British, like, all the documents are gonna we're supposed to be in that crate or something or something like that. Like, right. So he goes, he's on Andrews on board, he's they're getting ready to set sail. And he's like, where's brown and green, and the other guys on the ship are like, Oh, they're running a little behind. We don't really know why. And
Rachel:they just really had to get that brandy has really had
Margie:to get that brandy. Well, so and then Andrew sees them come aboard. And he's like, Oh, great. Fuck they don't have it in a crate. They put it in a sack like that means all the Randy's gonna be cracked and ruined. I'm not gonna drink it. So so
Rachel:just impromptu racial science quandary it does take about five minutes. You were right. I'm gonna figure out how much it takes to kill someone now.
Margie:Probably not long.
Rachel:No, probably not.
Margie:So um, that's why they were late because it took them five minutes to do
Rachel:that they're like what's what's the bad stuff? I still don't understand. Well,
Margie:she so answers like, why did they bring this brandy in a sack? Well, so like he goes down below to talk to brown and green. And one of the men is like, hey, I need to talk to you really quick. We got a problem. And Andrew is like not now a busy like, I need to talk to green as well. And browns. Like Do we really have a problem? And he opens the captain's quarters door Andrews bedrooms door, and there's poppies tied on the bed, like fireballs coming out of her eyes. Yeah, I'm so angry. And she's gagged. She can't say anything. And Andrew is like, Well, shit. And they explained the situation of what happened. They found her in the cave, but they had to bring her along. And he's like, Well, fuck, I can't just drop her off now. Yeah, like, and she's obviously he knows that she's a lady because of what she's wearing how she looks. Meanwhile, inside of our girl's head, she's like, which 1am I going to kill first? See, they get angry.
Rachel:I'm feeling very, very murdery today, who's first?
Margie:Mother, I crave violence, I cry. I cry a lot. And so eventually, uh, Andrew takes the gag out of her mouth. And she just starts spitballing she's like, I'm gonna kill you. And you and I'm so angry at you. And he puts the gag back at her mouth that he was like, he's like, Yeah, I see what you mean. Now I know why she had the gag. So he, he gets her to calm down a little bit so that he can at least speak to her because she will not even let him get a word in edgewise at first, and he finds out that she's a bridgerton. And he's like, Oh, that is a strong, reputable family. And he also is a Roxby. And if the rope like if their families found out about this situation, it would be very bad on all sides all the way around. So he does not tell her that he's a rugby. But he does tell her he's like, listen, you're going to Portugal, you're going to be gone for about two weeks, at worst a month, and then I will deposit you back. I will get you safely back home. But I'm afraid I can't take you back and she's like, everyone's gonna be looking for me. Like I come from a huge distinguished family. And she's like, Okay, I don't want my reputation to be forever ruined by this habits child.
Rachel:May I hate.
Margie:She's so cute.
Rachel:what it's worth. chloroform is generally fatal if taken as an oral dose and can be as low as 10 milliliters is fatal due to respiratory, respiratory and or cardiac arrest. Oh, good. Thank you. epa.gov I'm not on any lists now. It's not mine.
Margie:It's five A so he she's like I really I don't want to scandal. I don't want this to ruin my whole life. He's actually thinking the same thing and his defense. He's like, I really don't. He's already thinking in his mind like, Okay, I am a Roxby. Like, if this ruins her, I will have to marry her because I'll do the right thing. I will marry her but I want to give her the best chance that she won't have to marry someone she barely knows.
Rachel:Well, so we're in that time period. That's really your only All right. So
Margie:he like, okay, she's like, let me write my friend Elizabeth a letter just explaining, I'm going to be gone. I'm totally fine. Please like, don't tell anyone that I am gone. Please don't tell your husband don't tell your maid I will be fine. But I'm probably gonna be gone for about a month or so. And she puts on the bottom of the letter which is clever, like a nickname that only she in her use. So she knows that it's coming from her and like she's, she's ostensibly. Okay, so he gets that letter to Elizabeth. And they set sail and he keeps her Hmm.
Rachel:To get this letter sent to Elizabeth, but not to just like, take her to shore.
Margie:Well, so he can't take her to shore because he he needs the secret of the cave kept. Oh, that's a problem. Got it. He the cave would she would tell about it. And then everything in there would be gone when he got back where he'd be arrested when he got back. And so he has to that secret has to be kept until at least he deposits her back and can clear it out.
Rachel:There's a joke here somewhere about a Cave of Wonders, but oh yeah, we're just gonna keep we're gonna roll right over that one.
Margie:Yep. Well, we'll see a Cave of Wonders. All right. So so they, he unfortunately ties it to the bat again, loosely without a gag because he's like, I can't rescue jumping off the boat to try to swim
Rachel:to shore. Yeah. Flawless logic, dude.
Margie:Flawless logic. Two hours later, he comes back down. He unties her and they actually they're served dinner by a little boy, they Billy who's 13 and terrified of her, because she's a she's a beautiful aristocratic lady. And he's like, our boy says he's at that age with the most terrifying thing you think of is an attractive woman.
Rachel:Hey, hey, Billy. Me too.
Margie:I mean every day, so unfortunately, our boy he trusts his men to a certain extent, but not enough to let her go out on the deck during the day or during the night. So she is just told you are going to be stuck in here for the next two weeks. And probably longer because yeah, that's gonna go for well, it's gonna take a while for us to get to Portugal. It does not go overwhelming. Oh my god. She's not like she's annoyed. But she's also she says this thing during during the book, where she's like, there's no point in fighting. Like yeah, as much as I I don't like the situation. It's not worth expending my energy to fight with you when I know that you would win anyway, like he could overpower her he could tire to the bed again. He's wrong guy like it's better just to be able to like get up and like read a book that he has on his shelves or look out the window or then be tied and gagged to a bed for two weeks. Yeah, the shitty situation. Right? Right. And he so interestingly enough, he is forced to recognize that later, because we are sorry for her. Yeah, he feels sorry for at the beginning of the book, but later on, he's kind of like, oh, shit, like, I could have been more even nicer than I was say. So so um, he so now they're kind of doing this. He's, she sleeps in the bed. The poor thing wears the same dress for over two weeks. She does not change her clothes.
Rachel:I mean, like, you only had like four dresses or whatever, while she was rich. So she felt like way more but most people only had like a couple dresses. But you at least had like different undergarments you
Margie:can write and and like something to wear during the night. She doesn't take off her dress, so she doesn't wear just her shift, or anything like that. So it's like, but yeah, I was that was one thing. I was like, oh, gosh, I hope they have clean water just so that you can kind of like ablutions.
Rachel:The first I was like, this book's gonna be really fast when they actually killer with chloroform. And now I know you have to take it orally in order to do that. And so now I'm like, Oh, this book's gonna be really chaste when he smells her.
Margie:Yeah, well, so. So he they have this back and he comes down in the evenings and she is what you would exactly call Rachel a Spitfire. Like they have really cute very sassy conversations I and honestly like with this character I really identified with her because I absolutely would be the stupid bitch to go into the cave. And you know, I would
Rachel:you would be the one that was kidnapped by smugglers. This is you just had to go in the cave. I just
Margie:had to go to the super spooky cave. Like my curiosity is never ending. I would be the one that you would send a letter to but I would I would be like, Please don't call my Bob tell her that I abide would read
Rachel:it and be like That dumb pitch
Margie:a romance novel,
Rachel:Zack, I'll be back, I have to go become a privateer and save our friend.
Margie:You would have to take it with you,
Rachel:he could be my cabin boy.
Margie:So, so so so so like, they had this like, they're getting to know one another, he's talking about his family as much as he can, because he doesn't want her to figure out who he really is. And she's like, they're just like bonding. And it's very cute. They both have very large families. And they both had families where they had lots of brothers who were kind of like, competing with each other, like running around with one another, beating the hell out of each other, etc. So they're bonding over all that stuff. And she's also like, very, she's extremely intelligent, she's really smart with like, puzzles and riddles and stuff like that. So they both really enjoy that. And he just likes talking to her. So he like at one point during the book at the very beginning. She likes to read and so he hides a novel, he kind of like surreptitiously puts it up on the shelf, because he knows he's like, if I just give it to her, she won't read it just out of spite. But if I just leave it there, she will read it. So he does that. And so he finds himself more and more like going down below to quote unquote, check on her. When really he just like wants to talk to her and spend time with her. And like a couple of times, he goes down there, she's like, were you like looking for something? Were you supposed to be doing something? He's like, Oh, yeah, just grab something leaves. And he's like, I didn't need this. I just wanted to go down there and see her. Um, he's not usually in his cabin. Usually he's above decks like being with his crew, even when she's not there. So it's, he wouldn't he never planned on seeing her much at all to begin with, except he does sleep on the floor of their room, because he's like, there's nowhere else for me to go. Even though there is. Um, let me think I just want to make sure I'm not missing any important plot details, because this is kind of like the montage for of
Rachel:the book. Margie, do you have notes? Yes.
Unknown:Do you? Yeah. Anyway,
Rachel:those notes, Margie, because you've been surreptitiously staring off into space throughout this entire description. So
Margie:they are they're right there. Anyway. So one night, he he. One thing that's really cute is that he gives her a 500 piece puzzle of the world. And she is thrilled with that, because they didn't have it was a new thing. puzzles were due well. She loved the puzzle, even gets kind of like jealous with a puzzle. When he walks out of the room. He's like, Okay, I'm gonna leave now. She's like, Uh huh. Okay, bye. Bye. See,
Rachel:like, leave me alone and puzzling.
Margie:Literally. So, um, one night, it's like between shifts on the boat. So some of the men have not woken up, some of them are going to sleep. And he's like, I'm gonna take that bitch above above deck, which is love deck. So he got he takes her above. And he shows her like all the different stuff how things work. And she's very curious, asking tons of questions about how everything works. And he takes her to this one part of the book, but the whole time I was imagining Titanica the, the arms out like, it wasn't the prowl, but it was like called the beak head or something like that. And it's like, he's like, this is where you can see the stars the best. And that's where they can.
Rachel:Good at.
Margie:It's very, like, he it's cute, because he's like, Okay, what would I What would you do if I did this? And he asks, or that he like, puts his hand on your face? And it's like, very cute. And it's like, what if I got really close to you? And he does. They're both really into it. And he's like, so what are you gonna do now? Like, and then she kisses him?
Rachel:Right? Yeah, that I get that she didn't exactly have a lot of options. But ma'am, does this sound like alright, I'm going to lock you in this cabin for a week. And we're going to go up on and I'm going to finally give you fresh air for once. No kiss. Like,
Margie:okay, yeah, right. I could see how it could feel that way. I will say this when he gives her the puzzle. He also tells her Hey, just so you know, there's a key in the drawer, if you ever forever whatever reason need to get out of here if there's an emergency or something like that. psyche and she says, so you're trusting me just to stay in the cabin? And he's like, I guess I am and she's like, okay, all right. So like they reach a level of trust where she knows that he's doing it for her best interest. So they arrived in Portugal, so I
Rachel:just looked it up and I figured out what the beak is. So I just sent you a picture and the beak is at the very front. It's underneath like the bow sprit and it has like the it's Like cage kind of thing. It's right behind the figurehead. Oh,
Margie:cool. So it is kind of like Titanic a little. Yeah,
Rachel:there you go.
Margie:Yeah. All right. So that's very cool. Um, so they get to Portugal. There's this really funny see, but I have to describe to you. Oh, she's he's taller. He's like, look, can't leave the ship. Like, I can't risk it. You can't leave the ship. I'm sorry. You're gonna have to stay here. And she's sad about it. She's like, okay, at the Billy comes in the little boy. He's talking about how great Portugal is Lisbon. And she's like, Ah, this is depressing. So she's looking out the window. And she's watching like, these men on the docks, like working basically. And one of them takes off his shirt. And she's just like, I wonder what muscle that is. I wonder what muscle has it's she creates this whole backstory for this guy. It like is he was one. He is a wife and his children and all this stuff. And she's just like, ogling up so like. So. So clearly, I guess that way that of course, our boy Andrew comes in. He's like, Oh, okay. I see you're looking at Yeah, could you can choose a worst worst specimen looks like a hard worker. Right. humiliated by key plays it off. He's like, don't worry about it. It's really funny. And he's like, Hey, how would I take you around? Lisbon? Today? Lisbon? Lisbon? Sure. How would I take you around Portugal? She's like, cuz she's like me, she's, you know, curious and wants to see the city really?
Rachel:wearing the same dress for two weeks. Can I please buy some clothes? That was my
Margie:first thought for her to but she does not then like buy this vintage dress, right? Something he offers to buy her like fabric for a dress. He's like, you could take it back with you. And she's like, I can't I've been kit that they're gonna question if I bring back a fabric. So so but he takes her off the ship. And he buys her. These really like yummy pastries. But she eats almost all of and then he takes her to a new part of the city that have just been built due to a earthquake. And he's showing you these buildings. And he has like real passion in his eyes because he's like, the architecture of these buildings is really cool because of these reasons. Well, because they've been built with the withstand the next earthquake that happens and she sees in his eyes how excited he is about it. And it's like, oh, he's like, passionate about something other than the sea. So they're just kind of like bonding over that. She shows her the whole city. And then they go to a tavern at the end of the night for dinner. And the tavern owner knows him and it's really really great at the tougher daughter is like she'll he puts their food down in front of them. And he says too hot, don't eat yet. And they're like, got it. Okay, so like three seconds later, of course, our girl tries to pick something up from the other side of the room that odors like two hots.
Rachel:I just want to say that I'm getting there. We're getting a lot of mileage out of the Rachel Google something segment. This book happened way earlier than I expected. Because the Lisbon earthquake happened in 1755 was the great Lisbon earthquake. Okay, I'm on the morning of Saturday, the first of November. So actually, like tomorrow are
Margie:great. Great. Awesome.
Rachel:Weird. That's just interesting. Pretty cool. Oh, there you go. Sorry.
Margie:Sorry. Um, so they're having dinner and they're having a good time. Unfortunately, they don't get to eat so and they do. One other thing that happens is that they find Billy at this restaurant. And he's, well, he's kind of just like hanging out during the day, someone who was looking after him for the day because he's only 13. Right, kind of left him there at the tavern because he knows that he also knows the owner. And Billy loves to play with the cat that lives in the tavern. I know. So they just had a left him there. And they've you know, probably like interesting characters around things happening. He gets a break from the boat and someone's looking after him. So unfortunately, though, there's a moment where Andrew looks at the owner of the tavern. The Tavern is kind of looking outside the door and he has panic in his eyes. And yeah, so Andrew is like, okay, we're leaving, like, something's about to go down, and I don't want Poppy here for it. And pop is like what's going on? He's like, You need to trust me, and we need to just leave. So they start to head out the door and Poppy is like, wait, no, we can't leave Billy. Like Billy is still at the restaurant and answers like it's fine. We will come back for him. It's fine. And she will not leave without him. So they go out. So like I don't this is not described clearly but it doesn't really matter too much. Basically what happened was there was there were some unsavory characters at the door of the restaurant that really scared the tavern owner and so they go around to like a side door of the restaurant and they find like more unsavory characters that The back of the restaurant and one of them's got his hand on belly and then another one when they see her walk out they grab her the grab Poppy and Andrew flies into a rage. Like he's like Get your hand off her. How dare you and flick the lid but you get your hand off her and they they try to beat the crap out of him and push them up against a wall and are like any epic sword fight no epic sword fight no epic sword because he's he's honestly the seed got me like, but what's like this the Romans always give me his number one concern is Poppy. Like his number one concern in media is like don't hurt Poppy Do not touch her let her go all the stuff so the the tavern owner is forced out of the restaurant with a knife to his throat. And he explains he he translates for Poppy and Andrew that these unsavory characters are basically a mob and they saw Poppy and Andrew go to the restaurant and they could tell that they had money so now they're going to kidnap Poppy and Andrew like Yo dawg ransom for ransom against his ship. I heard you like kidnapped I heard you like could that be so I'm gonna give you a kidnapping with kidnap ception kid that exception. So they managed to make so poor Billy though. Like he tries to defend Poppy because they they're like holding Poppy up by by the throat and being really sketchy with her. So he like tries to like barrel into one of the bigger guys because he's 13 and she's a beautiful woman. I know. It's so sweet. And they hit over the head with a cuddle and he's just knocked out Hold on No and then and well so and then Poppy is pissed so she elbows the guy the stomach and we're like It's like over Billy like hold like Billy Please wake up. Please wake up please. Like up in long run. Everyone I want you to know before you worry about Billy is fine. He's fine. Okay, it's a fine. He's just knocked unconscious, which is probably for the best. So okay, so Well, it kind of worked turns out in his favor, in a weird way. Anyway, the mob is like, Okay, we're going to take you, Andrew and we're going to take your girl Poppy, we'll leave the boy here and we're going to ransom you to you to your ship. Okay, so they are Andrew and poppy are blindfolded, like with bags over their heads and they're tied up and they're thrown into the back of a wagon. And she has a panic attack because she's claustrophobic and she did not know that she went into a cave. Yeah, they there. They talked about it in the book actually a little bit. They're like, there's more than one type of claustrophobia. So like, this is not bothering me. This little tent is not bothering me. But if you put me into a trunk of a car, I'd freak the fuck out.
Rachel:Okay, all right. That's fair. So I it's funny because like things like like, you know, trunk of a car closet. That's totally fine. The thing that bothers me is if you've ever been in, like a lake, or like a rocky coast on the ocean, or whatever, and there's a cave and if like, when you go into that cave, like swim into it, this is gonna sound super specific. Yeah, I
Margie:thought that you were gonna literally retell the story of what happened there. No. Other two pirates
Rachel:know, legitimately though if you've ever swum into a cave, I'm like swim into a cave and in the water and like you look up and you're like, really close to the top of that cave. And you're in Yeah, yeah. Oh, God. And it's because like suffocating because I have asthma is terrifying to me. And so that like that gets me claustrophobic.
Margie:Different types. So and there's this really cute part where she can't breathe because she's having an anxiety attack. And she's like, I need to hold Andrews hand, I just need to hold his hand. And so he's got his hands tied behind his back. And they put her hand in his and he like, argues her out of her panic attack. He's like, come on, this is not for you before you've been kidnapped before. Completely different and you know it.
Rachel:Again, it's really good.
Margie:It's really good. Just like, you know, this is completely different and that he's like, Do you feel better now? And she's like, yes, thank you.
Rachel:I do what I'm gonna do about it.
Margie:So now we're gonna get to the trope where they take them to another house. There's presuming they're still in the city, but they don't really know where they are because they've been in a wagon for an hour riding around. And this is the part where this is the trope of Oh, no, there's only one bed comes into play.
Rachel:Up into because up until this point, there's just been so many to choose from in that single bed in the cabin.
Margie:Right, right. Exactly. But it was just funny to me. I was like, that's the whole trope of this book. There's like, I think that's a fan fiction trope of Oh, no, there's only one bed. Oh, one bed? Yeah, only one I'm
Rachel:physically incapable of sleeping on the floor.
Margie:Okay, okay, here we are. I remember now. Alright, so just checking my notes. Haha, yeah, you're right. So they are thrown into this room, they have no idea what's going to happen. And Andrew is taken at one point and is basically they just talk, the mob just talks to him. And he explains the situation. He's like, I'm the captain of a ship. Yes, I can give you money. Yes, I will buy you guys off to let us both go. But you have to let her go free, though. So he makes the deal of, if you let her go free with a letter from me to my crew, then I will like I will make sure that you guys get whatever you want. But he's insistent that she has to go free. So that's in the evening. And they return him to the room with her. And so, and pretty much it's insinuated, like they won't know anything until the morning, whether they agree to that plan. I've just tried to get oh, yeah, so they let's just be real about it, they get to the first stage of any relationship, horse or finger fight your fucking got a small room to burrow, the horse said,
Rachel:Oh, my God, I'm just imagining a small room. And they're both like, kind of starting to get like bedroom eyes getting a little smoother, and a fucking
Margie:dead. So when I will say this, it's very sexy. So she asked him, What happens initially, is she's like, I've only got one kiss in my life. And it was good. But it was a great looks over at him, hey, I want you to kiss me. And he's like,
Rachel:I'm sorry. You are currently being held captive in a country that you've never been to before. You've spent approximately three hours in the country itself, and you have no idea what's going on? Or what's going on or whether or not you're going to survive? I get that part. But like, is that really the first thing on your mind?
Margie:I think that so I will say this in counter to that is that he had searched the room thoroughly for a way out. Like they had already talked about all the things that they could have done, and they knew what was going to happen to them. So I don't think that there was like, also the sparks fly this whole book. And also it's a romance novel. Do I expect anything else? No,
Rachel:very, very. I'm just saying I would not be doing my job if I did not point that.
Margie:Oh, so he's like, worried. He's like, hey, you know, if we do this, it may go further than you want it to just because you're all very new to this. And she's like, I'm not worried about it. You are a gentleman, you will stop when I asked you to. And I trust that of you. And he's like, Well, but But Julie No, you will stop when I asked you to. And they're getting touchy feely at every point. He's like, he'll stop, he'll pause and you'll say, Do you want me to stop? And she says, no, keep going. So like every pays. Every time he goes a little he feels he's going a little bit further. He pauses briefly and he says, Should I stop or something like that?
Rachel:No. I mean, that's like, awesome. That is not something you always see. Yeah, romance, especially when it's this particular subject matter.
Margie:So okay. He says, Do you want me to stop? And she says Not yet. So which is just alright. Yeah, I like that. So okay, so they think or fuck, the next morning comes along, he does the the cutest thing ever of when they come for her. He like stands in front of her and is like just very being protective, which I love. I love it protective men all the way. And he had said to her look, when they let you go and you go back to the ship, deliver the letter, but then go to this, go to this English gentleman's house in Portugal and tell him what happened. And then give him this code. And she's like, why? And he's like, Just do it. I that is the most important thing that you can do for me to save me. Because he knows that she's going to be sent and he's gonna be left there basically waiting. And she's like, okay, so she goes to this Mr. Walpole house after she returned to the ship, and she explains what happened to Andrew. And then she says something along the lines of the skies are brilliantly blue today. And he's like, What did you say? And she said, This is what Andrew told me to do. And he's like, okay, so he buys her a new dress. He gets her on a ship and he sends this Mr. Walpole sends Poppy back to England like immediately the next day she's on a ship so she has no and she is told by Mr. Walpole, she's told she's like, you will likely never see Andrew again. You will never know what happened to Andrew because he's like a secret cover agent for us. And like, you need to keep your mouth shut about this whole thing because it puts Andrew at risk. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Okay. Ask your questions.
Rachel:He's allowed to keep a secret about him legitimately being a secret agent, but she's not allowed to keep a secret about some random boxes she found in a Kay Well, yeah,
Margie:I don't know if she knows that. The boxes like, I think it's just the location and all of that. I don't know. It made sense in the book when I was reading it. Um, okay, sure. I don't think she's allowed to say anything. Like when she gets back home she's told not to say anything about what happened her anything about basically anything and so she arrives back home and she's devastated because she's like, What the fuck happened to Andrew? I have no idea he could be dead no one and she thinks she's never gonna hear from him again. Andrew had told her he was like, I no matter what happens, I will come and find you like I will come and find you. So she has she's holding on to that. But she's also like, he could be dead. Like they could have just decided to kill him. Right? Like I could have been lied to. And also this Mr. Walpole told me I will never see him again. So she comes back to England is pretty devastated. And she ends up kind of in she ends up in Kent because one of her cousins lived there. And without any luggage or anything like that. She just kind of shows up and her her cousin is so sweet. She's like so something happened. We're not going to talk about it like because I can tell you don't want to talk about it. And that's okay, I am here for you. I love you. And her cousin is like so that thing that you aren't crying about if you ever want to talk about it, just let me know when I got you I got you. It took her like two weeks to get to her cousins or something like that. So it's been like a few it says in the book a few weeks later. That's all I can tell you about the time that has passed since she last saw Andrew so she has a grant and you switch to Andrews perspective. And he is has actually made it back to English so okay, got Walpole got him out. It took two weeks, but Walpole got him out of that hairy situation. And Andrew immediately got the his ship had already left. But he got on another ship that was destined for him that was headed to England got there and was like, Okay, I have to find Poppy. Where is Poppy? Where would she have gone? And he initially thinks I'll go to like Somerset Shire or whatever, Somerset because that's where Elizabeth was to make England shine with a big blue Shire. And he's like, Well, that's because that's where she was with her cars with her cousin her her friend Elizabeth. So she probably just went back there. But first, but he kind of gets sidetracked. He's like, but um, right. Like, he ends up like right next to his parents house. And he's like, I can't like if they find out that I was here and then and also I could really use a shower and a change of clothes. Before I go and see my lady and he trusts Walpole enough that he knows that she's safe. So right like I gotta find Poppy, but also I need a shower. So he heads back to his home. Hey, can't wear you know, oh, how can we? Yes, very convenience. And he's told by his mother. Okay, great. Um, some of the Bridger tins are coming over for dinner tonight. And he's like, that's perfect, because I know it will be Poppy, because she's on the other side of the country here. You know, she's in Somerset, but I'll get some information about how she's doing. Uh huh. Yeah, yeah.
Rachel:So I love it when you're reading a book and like someone's like, Oh, great. Yeah, cuz this person's here so it's not gonna matter. And you're just sitting there like, I know so.
Margie:So good, but it was so hard to read at the same time because the anticipation was so it tents. So
Rachel:Oh, but I love that feeling so good.
Margie:So I'm Poppy's told that they are going over to the rogue species for dinner that night. And remember, Poppy does not know that Andrew is a rogue species. She has no reason to suspect that he would be there. She's like, Oh my god, J and Captain Andrew James. That's such a common name. Like how in the hell am I ever gonna find him again? The man with two first names, right? So she's like, How in the hell am I ever gonna find him again? Um, so she goes over so they head over to his house and she actually sees him from the back and he does not see her because he's hugging busy hugging someone and her glass slips out of her head and like, shatters and goes all over her Fred's dress at her friend scurries her off into another room. So like, that's it even you're like, come on.
Rachel:Come on. So she recognized him just by looking at his ass.
Margie:Her ass at this point, it's her ass. So they cuz I think James or not James Anderson's, you know, a quarter of the way to this book has been into her and then like by halfway he's in love with her. So when she got back to England, he was like, I'm gonna marry her. Like I'm she's going to be my wife. Okay certain of what he wants. And so they Andrew his brother, their mother and his sister all sit down to dinner and then Poppy and her friend join them like a few minutes later and her friends like Oh, I'm sorry I like what you smell some Sherry's no big deal. Robot Eva look. Cuz she's just like this cannot be real. This cannot be happening. So they sit her down. Next to Andrew because the rest of the party knows nothing about what happened. Nothing. They have no clue.
Rachel:I was like, Okay, this is fine, like kind of middle of the road and now I'm so no,
Margie:I know. I know. So so they they sit down and Andrew is looking at her is sitting next to her. And he holds your hand or the table like I know. Eddie's like It's oyster soup that they're having it he's like oyster soup is my favorite soup ever looking at her very pointedly. In fact, I love this soup more than anything in the world. Just basically telling her that he loves her. And she's like, she takes a sip. And she's like, Yeah, I love it, too. That is the best soup ever. Everybody else in the room was like, What the fuck is going on with
Rachel:these two? Oh my god, I love it.
Margie:So good. So she cannot take it anymore. However, like the awkward this is just killing her. So she gets up and she's like, I have to go and she like runs out of the room. I medic. Yeah, something like that. And, um, he's, she runs out of the room and it doesn't cut to him. So you just hear her about like, she doesn't even know where she's going. She's just going down these long hallways being dramatic as you do, obviously, and eventually he catches up with her and is like, I love you dammit. They reunite. They tell each other that they love each other. And they're like, Okay, we're they get engaged. They're like we're getting married. And I don't remember what they agree to tell the family but it's something that works because like the family's very confused, but they're like, Okay, I guess they know each other. Like, all right, surprise. can't exactly
Rachel:say, Well, you see, I knew from the moment that she was kidnapped.
Margie:Not exactly kosher. Yeah. So Well, speaking of fucking Hell yeah. Hell yeah. So they get engaged. And they're, you know, they're, they're gonna be married. And so at like, the very wee hours of the morning, someone walks into her room. Someone does not walk into her room. She goes up to her door and opens the door because she's like, I could hear you coming. Please come
Rachel:in. Yeah, she could hear him coming. Hell yeah.
Margie:And they have sex. And it's really cute at the end of the sex because they're both just kind of like, very, it's not. I think in romance novels, there's a lot of this. Like, they don't have long moments of like looking into each other's eyes and be like thinking about the future kind of thing. And they take that time to do that here. And it's really cute. They cuddle, they talk and they just like do the point, the post coitus cuddle, right, and it's just very cute and lovely. So then you get to the epilogue, of course, and she gives birth to a son and they live happily ever after.
Rachel:I I think that that entire book was worth it for that whole like, sees his ass from across the room. You know, imagine in lab RAS know, imagining labyrinth, the ballroom scene, right? Where it's just zooming in on his face and then zooming in on her face and like going back and forth. It's doing that but it's zooming in on her face and then zooming in on his ass. I will smack and
Margie:if you've seen the 2005 Pride Prejudice which you haven't How dare you there is that point in the movie where you see Elizabeth very pointedly checking out what cups ass?
Rachel:Wickham certified fuck boy.
Margie:Boy. So ladies fuckboys often have a really nice ass.
Rachel:It's true. Really? Oh, my God, I got you. Like I said, I think like ultimately, this book was like, it was a solid book. And then that end part though back.
Margie:That was kind of the thing about the it was the last book I read is that it was actually the opposite where the beginning the premise was really, really good. And then it kind of flopped at the end. So I wasn't that real to talk about it. But this one, I think, like lift up, it lived up to the expectation. Did it go above and beyond? No, I wouldn't say that. But I think it was still a really fun book to read. And I will say this her characters were excellent. I really liked
Rachel:Yeah, for fun, ya know, me and my like, just obsessive love of banter.
Margie:And so you'd love this book. There's lots of banter. Alright, asked me the questions, please.
Rachel:How would you rate our girl?
Margie:I would give her four. Okay. Wow, that was very self serving though because she's a lot like me. She reminds me a lot of myself. And I like myself. So
Rachel:I'm glad you like yourself. You should like yourself. I like
Margie:myself. So there we go. him I would give actually a three out of five. Um, I I like to I actually he may actually get more like a 3.5. For,
Rachel:can we bump into a 3.5 because of data is
Margie:also the fact that he was passionate about things outside of her. So like the scene, traveling in places the architecture, and building and things like that. And actually, that's in their relationship. He goes on to kind of be an architect, basically. Which is cool, because he just says, He loves the sea, he loves traveling and all that, but he's like, No, she is my whole, like, she's the most important thing and my family thing. So, um,
Rachel:I, I still always have trouble getting past the fact that the majority of their relationships started out based on a kidnapping. Yeah, I'll allow it. Right.
Margie:Totally. Totally. Well, then it kidnapping inside a kidnapping. So kidnap session ception. So you know, and that's like, it's but so if we can, we have actually had a book that was very similar to this where another kid was kidnapped on a yacht. And that book was horrible. And we protested loudly, has protested loudly, how much? That's true.
Rachel:And that's actually not the only one. This seems to be a relatively a common. This is actually the fourth book, I think that we've had is very similar to
Margie:I've given a lot of thought to this because there is its concept. It's a solid concept. It's a concept, but there must there are things that women like about it, because it happens in so much of our literature. So and I don't know if it's like the chicken in the egg question of do we like this? Because it's there, or do we like it already? Anyway, that's why it was produced for us. I believe that that can ever be answered. However, I think that this is a healthier portrayal. If you're into that this is a healthy portrayal of a very positive thing that could happen as opposed to like, like being forced to marry someone. Oh, yeah.
Rachel:I'm wondering how much of this is like, Oh, my God, we had five of those. I was thinking of a different book. Okay.
Margie:So we have Jericho we have the secret agent, rain. Hot rain, right?
Rachel:We have the the one that was the Barbary pirates, or whatever, was the two chicks. And then we had the one that was the daughter of the Admiral or whatever, who like was pretending to be a boy and then kidnapped that way. Uh, huh.
Margie:And Raven, are you counting Jericho forge too?
Rachel:So that was the first one and this was the third one. Okay. Yeah. So this book would be the fifth. Okay. And I think I wonder how much of it is like I so pretending to have an idea of why that concept is kind of so interesting is I think it might it's that whole like, being whisked away, kind of whisked away, but like Like, like, taken out of something ordinary and sort of thrust into something extraordinary, right? Yeah, that's my
Margie:I thought I you know, I have to I'm just gonna admit it because this is our podcast and whatever I am into it. I just like it more like this than like it being forced to marry someone or 365 days kind of bullshit. That's very
Rachel:Oh my god. 604 Counting movie. Yeah. movie that's
Margie:sex. Like that kind of thing is honestly just frightening. This was he and I maybe I didn't make this clear enough is that he was intending at the end to simply just say goodbye to her and be like, I'm so sorry that I had to put you through this. And he didn't kidnap her because he's a freak who wants to kidnap, he kidnapped her? Because he felt like he had no options. And then after he came up to her, he was very civil to her and did the best he could to ensure her safe return. So I don't think it's okay. It's not okay. It's not okay. At all. It makes it more okay. And it makes me more into it.
Rachel:That's fair. That's totally 100% fair. Yeah. And it's not like I said, it's not I like the trope. There's a reason it's a trope. It's not a bad trope. It's just certainly sometimes portrayed better than others. I just don't
Margie:like like, I feel bad because I feel like I have to justify myself because I do like this. And but I feel like this is just by myself, like no, but like there's most of it is still the sex is still consensual. Like, they genuinely still fall in love with one another. Their relationship was real.
Rachel:Right? Well, and that's kind of the point of this podcast, right is like working towards not feeling like you have to justify because it's nine times out of 10. The reason if someone feels like they have to defend themselves, it's because there's not enough open dialogue about a subject so you get defensive because you feel like you're going to be judged for it, right versus creating this forum where we can just talk about Yeah, I'm into that and no questions need to be asked right? As long as it's not hurting someone. Right, right. So not unconsenting actually hurting Someone so I, I feel like that's like I mean,
Margie:age appropriate sex.
Rachel:Yes. I enjoy discussions like this because I feel like it's, I mean, it's part of the reason we do the podcast anyway. But I enjoy the sort of us kind of getting out there and being like, now we're into this, let's justify it, but also, you know, working towards not having to write Wow, we just stalled in the middle of writing. How was the sex?
Margie:It was pretty good. I would say I would give it again. Like, it wasn't like anything stellar. I was like, Oh my God, but I was definitely into it. So I'll give it like 3.5 out of five. You know, overall plot a probably five. Okay, cuz I get that like,
Rachel:this is remember, this is out of 505.
Margie:Sorry, sorry, sorry. I'm probably like a two. Okay, it's fine.
Rachel:Fine, middle of the road. Overall, one to 10 probably like,
Margie:because the characters are so strong. I would give it a six I recommend I would recommend reading it. I thought it was really good fun. So like, I just had a easy good time reading it. And I didn't that was the other thing I didn't feel bad about.
Rachel:So I guess my quote, I'm curious how this is a prequel? Because like I feel like they didn't theirs doesn't feel it feels very much like a one off book. Like it didn't need to be a quote unquote, prequel. So I am kind of curious about I
Margie:think that it's because it has to do with the bridgerton family and she is a bridgerton. So that's, that's the only thing that I can think of I will be curious to see though, because I definitely gonna watch the Netflix series. I can't wait. It comes out on Christmas Day. But I'm curious to see if they will put in these like kind of side characters if they will include them. It'll be interesting to see because, like, there is that romance novel trope of they're all related in the same world, but they all have their own books. So I wonder how they'll handle that. That
Rachel:was refreshing. So okay, all right. So leading into that. What else were you reading? Margie?
Margie:Um, I am reading so I'm rereading Battle Royale, which is probably not the best time to do that considering like he said, the election is today for you guys. But um, so I took a break but I was taking a break by reading this romance novels. And but that's really been it. I feel like there was some sort of other Oh, I've just been on tick tock tick tock, Rachel so
Rachel:many stocks I will never understand. I love
Margie:Tik Tok guys, please tell us your favorite tic TOCs.
Rachel:So happy you know, you're gonna have to turn my romance novel wisdom that I put at the beginning of each of these into tic TOCs. That's such a good idea. You tell me what I need to record and I'll do it.
Margie:Well, we have to we have to do it together. Okay, I
Rachel:have no idea how it works. I
Margie:know. So we had to do it together. All right.
Rachel:Well, you guys so much for listening. I hope you had a wonderful spooky holiday and I hope you don't have to drink too much tonight no matter what your affiliations are. We love you all.
Margie:Yes, we do. Love you all. And if you're a Patreon subscriber, we'll see you under the covers.