Morning Glory Milking Farm

Evelyne and Daniella discuss Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta. Some topics include whether or not we are suited to life as a sugar baby, the monster romance genre being a toxic masculinity free zone, and the possible benefits of a minotaur's tongue.

Transcript

Announcer:

This is Intoxicated Literature.

Daniella:

Hello. Welcome to Intoxicated Literature. I am Daniella Drake.

Evelyne:

And I'm Evelyne Crowe.

Daniella:

We are going to talk about Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta.

Evelyne:

Yes, we are. This is a fabulous book.

Daniella:

It really, really is. And it seems off-putting. I know that I have recommended it to a couple of people and they read the description and they look at me like I'm a little bit crazy. And I get it, because it's hard to describe to someone without making you sound a little bit crazy.

Evelyne:

I know you thought I was crazy when I suggested it.

Daniella:

I absolutely did, and I have read it twice now, and I really love this book. It is surprisingly cozy.

Evelyne:

It is. It's a sweet love story.

Daniella:

It's a sweet love story, and it is about-

Evelyne:

With the slowest burn in history, somehow?

Daniella:

Which is also my thing, so.

Evelyne:

Only C.M. Nascosta can make something a slow ... Okay, sorry. We need to do this.

Daniella:

Yes. Spoilers?

Evelyne:

We are giving you spoilers, adult content, and profanity.

Daniella:

Yes. If you're not 18 and over, if you're not okay with spoilers, and you don't like people to swear, this is probably not the space for you.

Evelyne:

Vacate immediately.

Daniella:

Vacate the premises, cease and desist.

Evelyne:

But only C.M. Nascosta can make a slow burn out of something where they have intimate contact for almost the entire book.

Daniella:

Yeah, it's true. It's true, though. It's really interesting because this book puts sex work front and center, but also makes it clear that it's not sex work.

Evelyne:

It's not sex work. It's sex work, but not. It's absolutely not.

Daniella:

It's a scientific, technical job and that is what they're hired for, but it is definitely also masturbating a Minotaur.

Evelyne:

You are collecting their semen.

Daniella:

Yes. Because it turns out Minotaur semen is the Viagra times 10 for human men.

Evelyne:

And of course, humans are going to commodify that in a heartbeat.

Daniella:

Obviously. Let's exploit any species we can that puts us ahead.

Evelyne:

Yes. Daniella! Bad!

Daniella:

You can pretend like that wasn't funny. That was gold, pure gold. Before we get too far into it, what are we drinking tonight? We're doing our themed cocktails.

Evelyne:

We are doing our themed cocktails, and this one is brilliant.

Daniella:

This was my idea and I'm really proud of it.

Evelyne:

This is brilliant because it looks like Minotaur cum, and I'm just like, we are drinking so much of this, ya'll. I cannot tell you.

Daniella:

It's adult chocolate milk.

Evelyne:

It is adult chocolate milk. It's milk.

Daniella:

But it's with 360 velvet vodka, so it's clear. So the milk is still white?

Evelyne:

Yep, it is white.

Daniella:

But listen, this is delicious.

Evelyne:

So good.

Daniella:

It's so good.

Evelyne:

It takes like chocolate milk.

Daniella:

And we started a little bit later than we usually do, so I am a little bit more intoxicated than I usually am.

Evelyne:

We are so drunk right now, you guys. You have no idea.

Daniella:

So this is going to be chaotic good, I'm hoping.

Evelyne:

Okay, so we are in Cambric Creek.

Daniella:

Yes. Which is an adorable suburb.

Evelyne:

It is. And it's built for monsters. It is not a human town, it is built for monsters and is run by a werewolf family.

Daniella:

Which you learn from subsequent books. That is not a part of this book, necessarily.

Evelyne:

I think it talks about it briefly, but it's like, it speeds by it.

Daniella:

I don't think they talk about it in this one. I don't remember it at all mentioned.

Evelyne:

Maybe. I don't know.

Daniella:

Because she hasn't moved there until the end.

Evelyne:

I guess so.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

I know that there is a book in Roarke's point of view.

Daniella:

Yeah. I think that's where you're getting some of this from because this-

Evelyne:

Oh no, I have read all of C.M. Nascosta.

Daniella:

Yeah, I've only read this one, so I'm going to try to keep you on the straight and narrow.

Evelyne:

I have read all of them.

Daniella:

Which I say try, because it's going to be interesting.

Evelyne:

I have read all of her books, including Run, Run Rabbit, which is a darker one, which is from a werewolf's point of view where they have orgies in the mansion.

Daniella:

Isn't Run, Run Rabbit the 5K we do at Easter time?

Evelyne:

No, it is not. Unless you are telling me things that I don't know about you, Daniella, because ...

Daniella:

Are you sure?

Evelyne:

Do you need to tell me things that [inaudible 00:04:53] I don't know about?

Daniella:

Oh no, that's Run Rabbit Run. That's the 5K that I do with your husband at Easter time.

Evelyne:

Are you-

Daniella:

I would like to take that out.

Evelyne:

I think we're keeping that in.

Daniella:

Oh my God.

Evelyne:

Okay.

Daniella:

Okay, moving on. Moving on.

Evelyne:

Run, Run Rabbit is actually a very good book, and I highly recommend it because she includes a whole section where the female man character is terrible at blow jobs.

Daniella:

Is that the next book?

Evelyne:

It's not part of the series. She does an after dark kind of thing where it's a little darker, but she's bad at blow jobs. And the male main character is like, "How can you be so bad at this?" And she's like, "I don't know." It's a funny, cute kind of thing, because he's still kind of enjoying it, but not, and she's trying real hard, her best.

Daniella:

Is she trying real hard?

Evelyne:

He's hard anyway. They keep trying to do the blow job thing and it's just never the greatest. It's really funny.

Daniella:

Oh my God, that's pretty funny.

Evelyne:

There's Violet who has just gotten her doctorate. She needs a job. She can't find one in her skillset.

Daniella:

She is overqualified and can't find anything, which is the millennial experience.

Evelyne:

Yes, 100%.

Daniella:

Hands down.

Evelyne:

She is like, "Okay, I'll take this technician job in this pharmaceutical company where I will jerk off Minotaurs." And she's watching videos going, "I don't know about this."

Daniella:

I don't know if I can do this.

Evelyne:

She's human. She's coming from a place where she's human and she's going, "This seems like sex work. I am un-comfy." By the end of this book, you're going, "This is not sex work. This is an acceptable part of the culture of this community." Because Minotaurs factor this into their financial plans.

Daniella:

Right. They look at their expenses each month and they're like, "Well, we've got tuition coming up for Joe who just started college, and if I start doing bimonthly Morning Glory-"

Evelyne:

Deposits.

Daniella:

Yeah, "My monthly deposits." And they do get paid handsomely.

Evelyne:

They do.

Daniella:

They do make a lot of money and it has become a part of male Minotaur culture.

Evelyne:

Yes. Well, Morning Glory is different. Morning Glory Milking Farm is hands on.

Daniella:

Literally.

Evelyne:

Literally. Other ...

Daniella:

Milking farms?

Evelyne:

Milking ... I guess use machines to extract the semen.

Daniella:

So only machines. They rely purely on machines, whereas Morning Glory has like a hybrid, where you use your hands first and then-

Evelyne:

Well, they only use the machines to collect.

Daniella:

Collect the specimens, yes, yes.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

But you would have to, because the amount ...

Evelyne:

Well, here's the thing. They have learned that the hands-on approach garners a larger amount to be collected.

Daniella:

Well, that makes sense. It's more enjoyable, so.

Evelyne:

I have learned this because I've also read the Roarke's point of view novel, where this is where I learned this. So yes, the hands-on approach makes them cum more, I guess. I don't know. There you go.

Daniella:

The deposits are larger.

Evelyne:

Violet is new. She goes in for her training and she's shadowing a more experienced technician.

Daniella:

Yes.

Evelyne:

Roarke is like, "I'm a Minotaur. I've done this. I've been here." He's a divorcee. He's older.

Daniella:

He's one of the ... So they call them different names. They have different names for the people that come in.

Evelyne:

Oh my God, the different names.

Daniella:

Yes. He's like the business guy who comes in, makes his deposit, and leaves.

Evelyne:

Okay. I have a list of all the different kinds.

Daniella:

Yes. Please tell me, please tell me.

Evelyne:

Oh my God, we have the earners.

Daniella:

Yes.

Evelyne:

Okay?

Daniella:

They're only there. They know exactly how much they're going to make.

Evelyne:

They know exactly to the cent how much they're going to make that day. They know exactly how much semen they are going to produce and how much money they're going to make.

Daniella:

Those are the ones that are really serious about budgeting.

Evelyne:

Absolutely. There are the clock watchers. Those are the businessmen who come in on their lunch break. They're just there to make some money.

Daniella:

Make their deposit and go.

Evelyne:

They're the pop and go's.

Daniella:

They're the ones that haven't really done it before. They talk a good game, but they are quick on the trigger.

Evelyne:

And are you ready for this one? There are the good little cows.

Daniella:

Oh my God, the good little cows. Every time, I laughed so hard.

Evelyne:

It's a fetish for them. It's a whole thing. They have special scrubs. It's a whole thing.

Daniella:

There's a lot of dirty talk that involves being milked, and they're a milkmaid, and it was hilarious.

Evelyne:

Oh, my God, hilarious.

Daniella:

And I very much appreciated it.

Evelyne:

Even Roarke was like, "What?"

Daniella:

So good.

Evelyne:

I was on the floor hearing about the different kinds of Minotaurs who would come in.

Daniella:

But this is the thing, that's part of what made it so real though. Because I worked at Starbucks for a while, and you did start to come up with this lingo of the particular clients that would come in, the particular people that would order just a coffee or these really fancy drinks. You just knew what kind of person it was going to be, and maybe you didn't all have the same name for them, but you all knew what kind of client they were.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

This made it feel so grounded in reality.

Evelyne:

100%.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

So these technicians were like, "Oh, okay, this is a good little cow. We have to put on these scrubs. We got to use these gloves. We got to say these things and then they'll cum right away." It was all a whole thing. They knew it down to a ... They have it down to a science.

Daniella:

Science, yep.

Evelyne:

They knew exactly what it was. Here's the thing: Roarke, the male main character, was Violet's first solo Minotaur.

Daniella:

Yeah. She was shadowing this person, her trainer for a week, and at the end of the week she's like, "Okay, your turn." And Violet's like, "Wait, what? I'm not ready for this."

Evelyne:

Leave it to C.M. Nascosta to edge us for the entire fucking book.

Daniella:

I know. And I know that slow burns, they're not your thing. I fucking love them.

Evelyne:

They are not my thing.

Daniella:

I think they're great.

Evelyne:

But she fucking had us going along, I think it was like 80%?

Daniella:

It was a lot. It was a lot. Before they even met outside of the farm.

Evelyne:

And yet, they had intimate contact for all of that because there was Violet fucking masturbating this guy.

Daniella:

Yep.

Evelyne:

For all of it, because all of their contact was in this milking farm.

Daniella:

Well, it was interesting too, because even from Violet's perspective ... Because I didn't read the Roarke perspective book, so I'm specifically only talking about Violet here ... But listening to her talk about knowing, okay, if I move my hands this way or if I do this with his balls, it was so specific. And having her talk about, "I know exactly what he likes, but I don't know anything about him. I don't know his name. I don't know."

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

It was the opposite of what you usually get from a book, from a romance.

Evelyne:

It was.

Daniella:

Because normally, it's like, you start off with a name and you start off what they do, and you get to know the person before any of this intimate stuff happens. Whereas this, you're just thrown right in to the intimate stuff.

Evelyne:

She's literally looking at his cock.

Daniella:

Yeah. Immediately. That is the first thing she sees. She has no idea what he looks like even, because they're in different floors. She's down in the scientific collection area.

Evelyne:

I know. She sees his cock and his hooves. That's all she sees.

Daniella:

Yeah, and that is it. Yeah.

Evelyne:

It's so weird. So all he sees is ... He doesn't even see anything. He sees her mask.

Daniella:

Yeah. She's in surgeon wear, basically, where she's got the cap, the scrubs, the mask, the whole sanitized get up.

Evelyne:

Because that's a technician.

Daniella:

Because it's science. They're collecting a biological sample. This is not something that can be contaminated because they're going to use it in pharmaceutical stuff.

Evelyne:

All they know is that both of them have an extra spark. It's so funny because both of them are like, "Okay, we need to be professional about this."

Daniella:

Right.

Evelyne:

"We are in a professional environment. I cannot be weird about this."

Daniella:

Exactly.

Evelyne:

And be like, "I love you. I feel a special connection to you."

Daniella:

Yeah. It's weird. Because how do you even handle that?

Evelyne:

How do you handle that? It's even weird when you're at a restaurant and you're talking to a server. So now this guy is like-

Daniella:

It's weird when you're coworkers and you're like, "I want to make a move on this person, but I don't know if it's reciprocated."

Evelyne:

Roarke is like, this woman is literally jacking me off. How do I say I want to have a date with her?

Daniella:

Exactly. How do you start that conversation? Also on Roarke's part, he thinks that she's like a child.

Evelyne:

He has no idea how old she is.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

He can't see her face. He doesn't know. He asks her at one point, "Are you grown?"

Daniella:

Yeah. How old are you? Are you an adult? Because I'm having feelings that I'm not comfortable with.

Evelyne:

And she, of course, is like, "Yes."

Daniella:

I've got my PhD, thanks very much.

Evelyne:

I am fully adult, thank you for asking.

Daniella:

And he's relieved, fully relieved.

Evelyne:

I think also, my favorite thing about Roarke is that he's very passionate about the thing that's going around town about who can wear pants and who can't.

Daniella:

It's funny because even in Morning Glory ... Because I know that in the subsequent book, from his perspective, it probably goes more in depth. But even in this one, there's a whole paragraph from him who's talking about, if monsters want to be humans than they have to wear pants. That should be the rule.

Evelyne:

He is so upset about it and who should wear pants. They talk about it so much. It's so funny.

Daniella:

I think that's so funny.

Evelyne:

He is like, "Look, if you have external bits that can dip into my soup, you need to wear pants."

Daniella:

I feel like that is a fair determination for who should be wearing pants. I don't want your external bits to contaminate my soup.

Evelyne:

There's a whole debate going on in this town and they're going to vote on it. And I'm just like, this is amazing. I want to vote on this, because this is so ... I would vote on this. I don't want someone who has external genitalia serving me food.

Daniella:

That is fair. That is fair. Without pants? No.

Evelyne:

Without pants.

Daniella:

No. Thank you.

Evelyne:

At least I have underwear on or something.

Daniella:

Something, something. Even a loincloth would be better.

Evelyne:

Right?

Daniella:

I do love Roarke though. He is such a gentleman until he's not, and it's appropriate.

Evelyne:

Oh my God.

Daniella:

And you're just like, whoo!

Evelyne:

He makes her cum for the first time in public.

Daniella:

In a restaurant! And it's so funny to me, because she and her vampire friend who's helping her get ready for all her dates and stuff.

Evelyne:

Her vampire friend.

Daniella:

Who I love, Geillis or whatever her name is. Who they meet at that adorable café, the Black Sheep Beanery, which also, the name? Five stars.

Evelyne:

Oh my God.

Daniella:

Love it

Evelyne:

Geillis suggested it, because he's like, "Oh, you cannot be drinking that swill."

Daniella:

Because she was buying this coffee that was like $7 a cup and it just wasn't very good.

Evelyne:

It wasn't good.

Daniella:

And she's like, "I haven't found a coffee shop that I like yet."

Evelyne:

And he's like, "No, you need to go here." She's like, "But the light is so long." "No, it's worth it. Go to this coffee shop now. Stop drinking that shit at the other place."

Daniella:

Of course, she goes and she meets this cool vampire friend who helps her. She helps her gets waxed before all of her dates, all these things. But she's awesome. I think she's hilarious. I really loved their friendship. And then, she is going on these dates and nothing's happening. He's not making any move on her.

Evelyne:

Roarke is the slowest mover.

Daniella:

Because he's waiting for her to give consent, which I love so much.

Evelyne:

At the same time, I'm-

Daniella:

But also, oh my God, fucking make a move, my dude.

Evelyne:

She's had her hands all over your fucking cock already, dude. Come on.

Daniella:

Mm-hmm. Give her a little something. A little something.

Evelyne:

And at the same time though, the way he talks to her was chef's kiss.

Daniella:

Yes, absolutely agree.

Evelyne:

It's like, "All you had to do was ask, honey."

Daniella:

Exactly. You're in control here.

Evelyne:

And I'm just like, okay.

Daniella:

I know! I know! Oh my God. And the first time that they go back to her apartment and he's like, "This bed is way too small to do anything."

Evelyne:

"I cannot do anything in this apartment, but I will service you as much as you want."

Daniella:

Yes. Yes. And you're just like, "Oh. Okay."

Evelyne:

I know. I got the giggles. The giggles. The way he talks to her, the blushes. And then the, "hee hee." It's like, okay.

Daniella:

I know. Hee hee hee. Do have to say, so I don't read a lot of monster romances. It's not something that I gravitate towards. I have been branching out because of your recommendations in this podcast.

Evelyne:

I am a bad influence on Daniella, I have to admit. I have been going-

Daniella:

I wouldn't say bad, just an influence.

Evelyne:

An influence.

Daniella:

But I am sometimes too literal and too practical. So sometimes ,I'm reading these books and I'm like, "But he's so much bigger than her. And how do they kiss?"

Evelyne:

Okay, here's the thing though, I'm not a size queen.

Daniella:

No, no, no. I am not either. No, no, no.

Evelyne:

I am not. I feel like that would be uncomfy.

Daniella:

Uncomfortable. I don't think I would enjoy it, frankly.

Evelyne:

So every time he was like, "We have to ..."

Daniella:

Go slow.

Evelyne:

"Go slow and make it work."

Daniella:

Work up to it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Evelyne:

I'm just like, ow.

Daniella:

I'm like, you're giving me anxiety because I feel like it's going to be painful.

Evelyne:

I don't want to have to work it in.

Daniella:

No, but I'm just thinking, he's got a cow's head.

Evelyne:

I know. How does kissing work?

Daniella:

And I personally, for me, kissing is one of my favorite things. I'm just sitting there going, making out with a cow doesn't ... I don't know. I don't understand it. Not that it makes me not like the book, because I absolutely loved this book. I adored it.

Evelyne:

No, I know. I know.

Daniella:

I thought it was super, super cute. And it's only periodically where I had this step back, where I'm just like, "But ..."

Evelyne:

So true. And the thing is though is, it's not so much the kissing thing. The thing is, what won me over is how much he enjoyed the downstairs.

Daniella:

No, and this was also my thought, because I was like, I could see how that would be so good.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

Because his tongue is a little bit more rough, there's a little bit more texture.

Evelyne:

And it's wider.

Daniella:

And it's wider.

Evelyne:

It covers more area.

Daniella:

Yes. And maybe a little bit more forceful. I feel like that would be definitely to her benefit, for sure.

Evelyne:

Yes. And this whole thing about, do you want to know what happened to the virgins who were sacrificed to the Minotaur?

Daniella:

Oh my God. That was one of my favorite parts, where he's just like, "Listen, virgins were sacrificed in the Minotaur, and they never came back because they wanted to fucking be there."

Evelyne:

Yeah, they did. Yeah, they did.

Daniella:

Because it was the best orgasms of their life.

Evelyne:

Yeah, they did. They never wanted to go home, baby.

Daniella:

I laughed for 10 minutes. I thought that was so funny.I was like, "Yeah, get 'em!"

Evelyne:

Oh my God.

Daniella:

But because the Minotaurs are built a little bit differently, they have that little knot on their cock, right?

Evelyne:

Uh-huh.

Daniella:

So it's not just a size differential. You also have this extra ...

Evelyne:

Thickness.

Daniella:

Thickness to deal with and accept. And listen, for me, it doesn't sound that comfortable, but she seems to really like it. So maybe I'm wrong. I don't know.

Evelyne:

Humans who go into Cambric Creek, they never come out again.

Daniella:

And that is one of the things that her vampire friend talks about. It's like, "Listen, once you try a monster, you don't go back."

Evelyne:

It's really funny, because she's trying to tell her family, who's human, about her boyfriend, and she's trying to explain it, and her family's like, "Okay. We're trying to be supportive here, but we don't really understand." And I'm like, I am not judging. Whatever floats your boat, whatever gets you up, whatever.

Daniella:

Well, this is the thing too. I'm like, listen, I'm very close to my mom. But also, would we have that conversation with mom that says, "Listen, this is the sex of my life."

Evelyne:

I don't think so.

Daniella:

I don't think so. I don't think she wants that. We don't want that.

Evelyne:

I don't think I would say that to my mom.

Daniella:

I understand the hesitation should just be like, no. But for real, this is just great for me. Let's just go with that.

Evelyne:

I might have that with you.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

But I don't think I would have that with my mom.

Daniella:

That's fair. I might tell that to mom on your behalf.

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

But she would never say it to you. And she would pretend like she never heard it, because that's how mom is. And she would be so supportive.

Evelyne:

She's read my books but she's never talked to me about the sex scenes. So it's like that.

Daniella:

That. She loves your book. She's your biggest fan.

Evelyne:

I know.

Daniella:

But she will never talk to you about them because she knows that you'll be embarrassed.

Evelyne:

Exactly.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

Well, she has talked to me about them, but she has not talked about sex scenes.

Daniella:

Aw, she's so cute. I love her so much.

Evelyne:

I know.

Daniella:

She's the best mom ever.

Evelyne:

I know. She has talked to me about trauma and how she thinks the characters develop and everything, but she has not talked about the sex scenes at all.

Daniella:

Oh, cute. I love it.

Evelyne:

I know.

Daniella:

I love it.

Evelyne:

So again, we would not talk to her about that aspect of the relationship.

Daniella:

No. No. No. But also he treats her like a queen.

Evelyne:

Oh my God.

Daniella:

He absolutely is head over heels for her, right?

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

There's never a doubt. He is a little bit older. And even he acknowledges that at some point.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

He's like, "Listen, I know that we're not exactly equal. I am firmly established in my job. I make a lot of money. I definitely make more than you. I don't want that to be an issue for you."

Evelyne:

Because he doesn't want her to feel like he's not supportive of her or that she doesn't have any agency.

Daniella:

Right. He doesn't want her to feel like she has to quit her job. He is not judging her based off of the work that she does.

Evelyne:

But he also wants to be like, "I can spoil you because I am at a place in my life where I can."

Daniella:

Exactly.

Evelyne:

You can't pay for this because it is not in your budget.

Daniella:

Exactly.

Evelyne:

I can pay for this because I am older.

Daniella:

And I'm not judging you for it. This is just a statement of fact.

Evelyne:

I want to spoil the fuck out of you.

Daniella:

Exactly.

Evelyne:

And I'm going to, so just fucking let me.

Daniella:

And it's kind of hot coming from someone who grew up without a lot of money.

Evelyne:

Do you know how many times I thought about having a sugar daddy? Do you have any idea?

Daniella:

Oh. Oh, believe me. When I first moved to LA and I was like, "These rents are insane."

Evelyne:

Daniella, do you have any idea how many times? When I learned that there were dominants who just did financial shit? There are financial doms-

Daniella:

I was ready.

Evelyne:

... who will pay you to spend their money?

Daniella:

Where do I find one of those?

Evelyne:

I'm like, excuse me?

Daniella:

Sign me up.

Evelyne:

I will spend all of your money.

Daniella:

I am ready. What's ironic, though, is we're all talk.

Evelyne:

I know. I will never do that.

Daniella:

We would not spend their money.

Evelyne:

Nope.

Daniella:

We'd be like, "Listen, I rearranged all your budgets so that it's way more efficient now, and you're saving $7,000 a month. You're welcome."

Evelyne:

Yep. I will 100% do that, and then I will go to your house and do all of the services, because that's how I show my love.

Daniella:

Exactly.

Evelyne:

And then they'll be like, "That's not what I signed up for."

Daniella:

"That's not what I want. Listen, I don't think this is going to work out."

Evelyne:

"That's not the stuff I was looking for."

Daniella:

And this is why I can't have a sugar daddy. I'm too practical for it.

Evelyne:

I'm sorry.

Daniella:

I know.

Evelyne:

I failed as a sugar baby.

Daniella:

I'm really sorry. But listen, you should really consider investing in a 401K and Roth IRA at the same time, because one is taxable and one is not.

Evelyne:

Oh my God.

Daniella:

Oh my God. Yeah.

Evelyne:

But you know? Maybe, just an idea, you can get a sub yourself.

Daniella:

Oh. This is the thing though. I cannot dominate. I'm not ...

Evelyne:

Not in a physical way.

Daniella:

No, I'm not good at it.

Evelyne:

You give them like $100.

Daniella:

I'm not good at it. I'm like, "Is this what you want? Do you want something else? Do you need more money? Are you happy? Is everything okay?" I'm too much of a people pleaser.

Evelyne:

I know, it's terrible.

Daniella:

I know.

Evelyne:

I am the same way. I agree.

Daniella:

Yeah, I can't do it.

Evelyne:

I'm much more of a femme than I am a dom.

Daniella:

I need a dom to keep me in line.

Evelyne:

I agree. I'm totally the opposite. There's no way I could be-

Daniella:

I saw this great video from this guy who was like, "Listen, people with anxiety need permission to just exist. They're not-"

Evelyne:

It's totally true.

Daniella:

You're not thinking the way that they do, because they literally need you to be like, "No, it's okay that you have this food that I made for you."

Evelyne:

It's totally true.

Daniella:

They need permission for everything. And it's so true. When Roarke talks to her, I'm just like, oh.

Evelyne:

Oh God. For real. Everything he says to her.

Daniella:

Yes.

Evelyne:

I'm like, okay.

Daniella:

Yeah. And the first time that she goes to his house and he's just wearing the apron?

Evelyne:

I'm like, okay.

Daniella:

I know. I was like, "Whew. Where Do I sign up?"

Evelyne:

Oh my God. And then he has all the rewards for Morning Glory.

Daniella:

That was so funny. So, okay. It's a rewards program where when you donate a certain amount of specimen or you make a certain amount because of your donations, you get like a coffee to go cup, or you get a mug, or you get an apron.

Evelyne:

Or a giant sized thing of lube.

Daniella:

The special lube that they use in their collections labs. Extra thick.

Evelyne:

Or a shirt that he wears while he mows the lawn.

Daniella:

And he's got all this stuff.

Evelyne:

And he's got ... Okay, but what you don't know is before he met Violet, he had a bit of an addiction to Morning Glory because it was hands-on.

Daniella:

Which you could see. That actually makes sense to me. If you are lonely and you don't have anyone in your life, and you can go to this place once a week or even twice a week and have someone touch you in an intimate way.

Evelyne:

Right? Yeah.

Daniella:

I understand how that could happen, for sure.

Evelyne:

What you're used to is basically a vacuum. Because every other place that collects these specimens is basically a vacuum.

Daniella:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Evelyne:

And then all of a sudden a place opens up and it's like people.

Daniella:

People.

Evelyne:

Or monsters.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

Because it's not all humans.

Daniella:

I mean people in a general sense.

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

Hands.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

Touching you.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

That could be addicting.

Daniella:

Yeah, for sure.

Evelyne:

And actually, that is ... I can't talk.

Daniella:

It's the whiskey.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

Wait, no, what were we drinking? Vodka. I don't know what I'm saying. This is going off the rails, man.

Evelyne:

I love it so much. It's great.

Daniella:

I know.

Evelyne:

And Roarke's point of view that it was an addiction.

Daniella:

Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Evelyne:

He had to stop doing that.

Daniella:

That was one of the plot points.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

Like one of the themes of that book was addiction.

Evelyne:

Yeah. He was going too much and he had to stop.

Daniella:

Because in this book, he goes once a week like clockwork, until he doesn't, because he meets Violet and is like, "Whoa, who is this amazing creature?"

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

Interesting. Okay.

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

Poor Roarke. I do love Roarke. I think that he's one of my favorite ...

Evelyne:

He's a sweetie.

Daniella:

Yeah. He's just a sweetie. He's just, he's a partner.

Evelyne:

Yeah. There's a thing about monster romance that the monsters are there because human males, human men are ...

Daniella:

Found lacking?

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

Yeah. Yeah. There is this thing, even in this book, where some of the first conversations, it's two equals.

Evelyne:

Mm-hmm.

Daniella:

And even when you read romances, just straight human to human romances, even in the first meeting, there's this idea that the men are better, in a way. They think that they're better. And it's just hard to be excited about a story where they're not partners, where they're not working together, where they're not equals.

Evelyne:

Yep.

Daniella:

And I think that that's part of the draw of these monster romances. They're growing on me, I'm not going to lie. I'm enjoying them.

Evelyne:

Yep.

Daniella:

Thanks so much.

Evelyne:

Welcome. Welcome go my world.

Daniella:

But they are different, but not. It's just really interesting the way that they play out.

Evelyne:

The monsters are allowed to be human in a way that men are not allowed to be.

Daniella:

Yes, that's a perfect amalgamation of it. Yeah.

Evelyne:

There's no toxic masculinity. There's no fear of emotions.

Daniella:

Yeah. They don't have to break down these things that they've been trained to believe.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

Yeah. In order to allow themselves to feel emotions.

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I agree. I definitely agree with that.

Evelyne:

You have Roarke who's free to be whatever he wants. And in this case, he wants to give his partner orgasms in public because that's what he likes.

Daniella:

I do love it. I do love it too. It's an interesting topic too, because she starts out living in the city and loving being in the city, and it's like this hustle and bustle, but also she does recognize that there's not really a sense of community. And then she starts driving out to where the farm is and it's in the suburbs, but there's this sense of community, even in the coffee shops and stuff. She goes out at lunchtime, it just has a different kind of feel.

By the end of the book, she's like, "Do I even really want to stay in the city? Maybe this is not something that I want to be in." And I get it, to an extent. I live in a big city and I have a good community, which is awesome.

Evelyne:

Right.

Daniella:

But also just being able to find that place where I may be a little bit different and I don't quite fit in where I am, but this place was literally built for people that were different.

Evelyne:

Mm-hmm.

Daniella:

And this is somewhere that I can feel like I fit in. So that part to me was really, really sweet. And it does feel cozy. It's hard to describe because there's not one particular thing where I can be like, "That's cozy." But it's just a vibe. It's just pure vibes that makes it cozy.

Evelyne:

Yep.

Daniella:

You know what I mean? People are generally nice to each other. The setting is very laid back. The stakes are not super high. You're just along for this romantic, slow burn story, and it's very satisfying. It's not a long read, but it makes you feel good when you finish it.

Evelyne:

Yep, absolutely.

Daniella:

Yeah. Yeah. I really enjoyed it and I've read it twice now, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. I thought it was super cute. I'll probably read the one from Roarke's perspective, because ...

Evelyne:

I will say that Roarke was so funny just because he was so worried that she was under 18.

Daniella:

Yeah, I could see that.

Evelyne:

For a long time.

Daniella:

I could see that.

Evelyne:

He's like, "Is she over 18?" I was like, ask her.

Daniella:

I need to stop this now if she is younger than I think.

Evelyne:

Say, "Okay." And she was so confused too, because she was like, "Yeah? Of course I am."

Daniella:

I did like it too. Because she was described ... Her hair is very curly. She's allowed to have this wild, curly hair, which you don't see that often in books. And she's also described as being pear shaped, which you don't see that often.

Evelyne:

That's true.

Daniella:

I liked that she was maybe not your stereotypical beauty in a romance.

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

She was just a normal person, and that made me her and resonate with her a little bit better.

Evelyne:

And Roarke was a divorcee, which is also not extremely common.

Daniella:

Yeah, it was that whole thing. He had a ring in his nose and she had to ask him about it. She's like, "What does that mean? I've always wondered." And he is like, "Well, it means that you're married, but I've been meaning to take mine out because I'm not married anymore. Don't worry about it."

Evelyne:

That whole misunderstanding was so brief.

Daniella:

It was. It was so brief.

Evelyne:

It was brief, but it was powerful at the same time.

Daniella:

It was. It was intense, yeah, because they run into each other in the coffee shop, and then they're both under the impression that they're waiting for someone else.

Evelyne:

It was really fast though. Because at the same time, you're like, no, we're not doing the miscommunication trope. Stop it!

Daniella:

Yes. That is my least favorite trope. I hate that. Just have the characters talk to each other, damn it.

Evelyne:

Then he's like, the next day, or even later that day, I think it was later that day, they're like, "Oh no, wait, just kidding. We're going to talk."

Daniella:

But I love it too, because they're dancing around it. Neither one of them wants to just flat out be like, "Were you on a date?" It's like, "Oh, who were you meeting? Oh, it was just my best friend who's a woman and was like giving me advice. Oh yeah, I was just meeting my neighbor."

Evelyne:

Yeah, right. But what does that thing in her nose mean? It's like, "Well, it means that you're married, but I'm not married anymore."

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

I've been meaning to be getting it out out.

Daniella:

And then the next time that she sees him, it's not there anymore.

Evelyne:

It's not there anymore.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

It's great.

Daniella:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I thought it was a really sweet story. I really enjoyed it. Again, not that long. Definitely worth a read. Super sweet. Very enjoyable.

Evelyne:

Absolutely.

Daniella:

Highly recommend.

Evelyne:

100% agree.

Daniella:

Yeah. What are we going to read next?

Evelyne:

We are reading ... I actually know this, ha ha. Wolf Gone Wild by Juliette Cross.

Daniella:

Yeah, we are. It's a slow burn which is your favorite.

Evelyne:

Another one? They're all slow burns.

Daniella:

Okay, to be fair-

Evelyne:

What are you doing to me?

Daniella:

To be fair, you picked this one. I picked the next one, so.

Evelyne:

I guess it is only okay ... He has his hands on his cock like the entire fucking book.

Daniella:

I really liked Wolf Gone Wild, and I think that you'll like it too, so.

Evelyne:

I probably will, but at the same time-

Daniella:

It's a fun read.

Evelyne:

I'm just like, "Ugh."

Daniella:

It's a fun read. So we will see you next time. I am Daniella Drake.

Evelyne:

And I'm Evelyne Crowe.

Daniella:

And this is Intoxicated Literature.

Announcer:

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Intoxicated Literature. Drink well, friends.