Wolf Gone Wild

Daniella and Evelyne discuss Wolf Gone Wild by Juliette Cross. Topics include yet another debate about slow burns, how growly is too growly, and the variations of werewolf lore in this series' world.

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Announcer:

This is Intoxicated Literature.

Daniella:

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

Evelyne:

And I'm Evelyne Crowe.

Daniella:

And we are here talking about Wolf Gone Wild by Juliette Cross.

Evelyne:

Yes. This was actually a really cute book.

Daniella:

It was fun.

Evelyne:

I had a lot of fun reading it.

Daniella:

It was fun. It was light, fluffy fun, right?

Evelyne:

It was.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

That's what I enjoyed about it.

Evelyne:

And I will say that people frown upon it, but I love... I call it mid-fantasy, but I love it. I love it so much because everyone's like, "Oh, but poo, poo, poo, poo," but every so often you just want to get the fast food of fantasy.

Daniella:

This is the thing. When I'm looking for something that I can read and enjoy, maybe put down and pick back up, this is the kind of book that I'm thinking of because there's no surprises, you know what you're getting. It's still super fun and entertaining, and that's exactly what I'm looking for.

Evelyne:

Yes. 100%. And I'm not saying it's bad because I rated this four stars.

Daniella:

Absolutely not. Absolutely. I gave it four stars as well. I thought it was super fun. I love the characters.

Evelyne:

Nothing bad about this.

Daniella:

No, not at all.

Evelyne:

Absolutely nothing bad about this.

Daniella:

It's just you know where you're getting.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

As soon as you pick it up, you know exactly what it is.

Evelyne:

Yes, 100%. So, Wolf Gone Wild is a... So, I want to talk about this genre-wise because I write urban fantasy, and I think this is urban fantasy, or is this paranormal romance?

Daniella:

I would consider it more paranormal romance because the romance is more forward than the paranormal.

Evelyne:

So, here is the thing. I want to talk about this because I would say that a paranormal romance always takes place in a place that is not the real world.

Daniella:

Does it? I would argue that it doesn't.

Evelyne:

And like an alternate universe, let's say.

Daniella:

So, that's interesting because I feel like I have read many paranormal romances that were urban fantasy adjacent because they were in the real world with fantasy components. But the romance is the main plot, which is why I would consider them paranormal romance.

Evelyne:

So, what makes an urban fantasy an urban fantasy?

Daniella:

I would say that the romance, if there is any, and sometimes there isn't. If there is romance, it's more of a B plot.

Evelyne:

Okay.

Daniella:

Right?

Evelyne:

Okay.

Daniella:

So, I would say even like October Daye would be more urban fantasy than it would be paranormal romance because there is romance, but it's not the main focus of the story.

Evelyne:

Okay.

Daniella:

What do you think about that?

Evelyne:

I see that.

Daniella:

Okay.

Evelyne:

That makes sense, I think.

Daniella:

Okay.

Evelyne:

Because this was an interesting mix.

Daniella:

Oh, for sure.

Evelyne:

Because you are in New Orleans, which is an urban city.

Daniella:

Absolutely.

Evelyne:

Absolutely, urban. And then, you have urban problems.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

It's not just paranormal-ish, which just brings to question, "Is it paranormal romance, or is it an urban fantasy?" But because it is definitely a romance story, I would tend to agree it is a paranormal romance story.

Daniella:

Yeah. I feel like it leans more toward the paranormal romance.

Evelyne:

Okay. So, since we established that, here we go. We are Intoxicated Literature, and we are drunk, and we are going to talk about one dull content. We are going to probably use profanity because we are intoxicated.

Daniella:

Yes.

Evelyne:

And if you are under 18, please vacate the premises. Bye.

Daniella:

Yes. Bye-Bye.

Evelyne:

Love you.

Daniella:

Come back in a few years.

Evelyne:

And there will be spoilers.

Daniella:

Always. We will spoil everything because we do talk about the book because we love it.

Evelyne:

Yes, this was a good book.

Daniella:

It was a good book.

Evelyne:

I love this book.

Daniella:

Yeah. It was a fun read. It was a quick read. It was entertaining. It was exactly what I was looking for.

Evelyne:

Yeah. I love a good escapism.

Daniella:

Exactly. Exactly.

Evelyne:

Yeah, so good.

Daniella:

Yeah, yeah.

Evelyne:

Okay. So, we have Mateo Cruz. Okay. Let's talk about the werewolves in this book.

Daniella:

Yes. Okay. So, the werewolves in this book, it does seem to fall into the same trap that a lot of white-specific writers tend to fall into, whereas the werewolves or shifters tend to be of the-

Evelyne:

Yeah, the people of color are the animalistic thing. But this is interesting because the creation myth of the werewolves happened during the Inquisition in Spain. So, they're European in creation and not-

Daniella:

Yes, which I thought was actually... That was one of the more interesting aspects of this book, I thought. Because it was very clear that it happened during the Spanish Inquisition. It was because a witch was being tortured by an inquisitor, and she was like, "I curse you to this horrible thing."

Evelyne:

Yes. So, I will say that that is interesting. It's an interesting creation myth is, one I've never heard before.

Daniella:

Yes, I agree.

Evelyne:

And so, they're like, "Okay, you are a beast. You are cursed to be a beast forever." And it actually didn't turn out well for the witch, or the world-

Daniella:

No.

Evelyne:

...went on to be a bastard forever anyway.

Daniella:

Yeah. No one really came out ahead in that transaction.

Evelyne:

That was not a great curse in general.

Daniella:

No. And then, the Spanish guy goes into France and more werewolves ensue, and now they're all over, right?

Evelyne:

So, werewolves are generally seen as bestial.

Daniella:

Yes. But I got the impression... It's hard because in this book, the only werewolves we meet are Mateo and Nico, his cousin. I got the impression that werewolves did not specifically need to be a part of that lineage. It seemed like from what they said, they went into France and spread. And so, it could be any European background is what it seemed like to me. And I don't know if that's true because I haven't read any of the other books in the series, but I'm hoping that's where it went.

Evelyne:

I'm actually excited to read the rest, see where it goes.

Daniella:

Yeah. I think that they'll be fun, right? And they all follow the Savoie sisters, which I think is a great idea having these sisters who are in charge of the supernatural community and Nola as they call it. I did like Mateo though.

Evelyne:

Oh, Mateo was great. I loved how growly he was.

Daniella:

He was so growly.

Evelyne:

He was so growly.

Daniella:

I know.

Evelyne:

One of the first things... It's so funny because I'm texting Daniella during this whole thing. I'm reading, and I was like 15% in, I wasn't even that far in. And the first thing I texted her was like, "Oh, my god. He is so growly."

Daniella:

It's true. And it's because he can hear his wolf alter ego, which in this universe, you don't really get the mix. The wolf is a separate thing. The man is a separate thing. So, in this universe, it's Mateo Cruz, and his wolf is called Alpha, and they intermix in a way that they shouldn't because he's got a curse.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

And he cannot transform fully into a wolf.

Evelyne:

So, he's been cursed, and he is like, "I should not be hearing my wolf, but I'm so... Er."

Daniella:

Yeah. And he is very growly from the get-go.

Evelyne:

So growly, and I was, "Oh, I loved it so much. It was hilarious." Oh, my god.

Daniella:

Yeah, it was really good.

Evelyne:

Okay. So, yeah, Mateo is the werewolf of unknown origin.

Daniella:

Origin, yes.

Evelyne:

And then, we have all of the sisters. I think there's six. I think there's six of them.

Daniella:

I think you're right.

Evelyne:

I spent so long looking up all the different powers. So, this witch family is the pinnacle of witch families in New Orleans. They are in charge.

Daniella:

They're in charge of the entire supernatural community. They're making sure everybody is adhering to the rules and doing what they're supposed to do.

Evelyne:

Yes, they are in charge. So, we have Jules, who is the witch.

Daniella:

Juliana is her full name. Yes.

Evelyne:

Yes, Jules. And she is a siphon. She can take all of the power out of you, so you better not fuck up.

Daniella:

Yeah. She can do it temporarily or permanently if you've done something you really shouldn't have.

Evelyne:

Yeah. Don't fuck up. Just watch out.

Daniella:

Exactly. Yep.

Evelyne:

Okay. She's not someone to fuck up around. She will mess you up.

Daniella:

She's not going to mess around. Yep.

Evelyne:

Okay. And so, Evie is our protagonist. She's our FMC, and Evelyn, I think her name is. And she's the curse breaker. She is who Mateo comes to, to be like, "Please, please help me."

Daniella:

"Please help me."

Evelyne:

And I loved it because his wolf's name was Alpha.

Daniella:

I know.

Evelyne:

I loved it because Juliette was just like, "You know what? Let's just call it what it is. He's an alpha wolf. His name is Alpha. There you go."

Daniella:

Fair enough. Fine.

Evelyne:

Oh, so much. No, great. And then, we have Clara, and she can read auras and she can also give you euphoria and make you feel really-

Daniella:

She's an empath, so she can tell how you're feeling, but she can also make you feel better. She can imprint her emotions onto you.

Evelyne:

I want to be around Clara all the time. She just seems amazing.

Daniella:

All the time. She's like a Xanax pill just walking around.

Evelyne:

Yes. I love to just live around her. She seems amazing.

Daniella:

I agree.

Evelyne:

Oh, my god. There was Violet, who is the opposite of Clara, but they're twins.

Daniella:

Yeah, yup. Yup. Yup.

Evelyne:

Violet is the kind of the... She's kind of a bitch.

Daniella:

She's a little bit abrasive.

Evelyne:

She is. She is. And she does the things that you are just kind of like, "Why would you do that to your sister?"

Daniella:

Yeah, yeah.

Evelyne:

Which is mean.

Daniella:

But also, sisters.

Evelyne:

Sisters. Sisters.

Daniella:

It's hard to understand the sibling dynamic, so you just go with it.

Evelyne:

She's a seer. She can see the future.

Daniella:

Or the past.

Evelyne:

Or the past.

Daniella:

Yeah, which is how we meet her in this book because she's trying to see who cursed Mateo.

Evelyne:

It's all a bit of a mystery. No one can see anything with Mateo. And it's all a huge mystery, which will come to play in a second. And then, we have Isadora and Livvy, and they are all... And Isadora and Livvy are out of the country. They are not in play, so we will talk about... We won't talk them very much. It's a huge family. I'm so excited though because you know they're all going to have books.

Daniella:

100%. You're going to have at least six books in this series. You know where this is going.

Evelyne:

I'm going to read all of them because I really did enjoy this book.

Daniella:

Yeah, it was fun. It was a fun book.

Evelyne:

Poor Evie. Okay. Poor Evie. She is a nerd. She likes Star Wars.

Daniella:

She is such a nerd. So, listen, I loved... My millennial heart loved her because she was hardcore into Star Wars, but she also was such a nerdy comic book girl. So, she would have all these references to Marvel Comics and stuff. And part of me, sometimes I get annoyed when authors add pop culture and stuff because it dates the book, right? But in this case, I could not get annoyed because I was like, "Nope, this is my generation. I get it."

Evelyne:

It really was. She was referring to Deadpool and Wolverine and all sorts of things. It really was done in such a way that it didn't date it.

Daniella:

No, it didn't feel... It also didn't feel intrusive. Sometimes it takes you out and you're just like, "Oh, my god, stop." But this did not feel like that.

Evelyne:

It wasn't specific enough to date the book.

Daniella:

No. And it just felt like part of her, she was just excited about this thing, and she was like, "I'm going to go to the comic book. I go to the comic bookstore every Wednesday. I just want to go see if they have a new comic for me." And it just felt like such a part of her that you couldn't even be upset about it.

Evelyne:

Yeah. She was great. I loved Evie. Mateo first meets Evie when he's choking out somebody at her bar.

Daniella:

Yeah. It was unfortunate.

Evelyne:

Because Alpha decides to take exception to somebody who bumps into him accidentally.

Daniella:

He startled him, and he was like, "You must die." And Evie's just like, "Whoa, whoa. Everything's good. Everything's good."

Evelyne:

"That's excessive. Let's not do that."

Daniella:

"Maybe don't kill a customer in my bar."

Evelyne:

Here's the thing about Evie's family. So, I think the magical community at large actually is they have a tendency to discriminate against werewolves. They tend to see them as violent or bestial.

Daniella:

Well, so there is a rule in her family, no werewolves, right? Jules has made it clear that they're not supposed to fall in love with werewolves.

Evelyne:

I actually saw this as a plot.

Daniella:

Hierarchy?

Evelyne:

No, it was a plot. I wouldn't say whole but like a hiccup, because it started out, "No werewolves." And then, as soon as she talked to Jules, Jules was like, "Okay."

Daniella:

No. Well, this is what I took away from that, because I understand having read it a second time, it actually was interesting to me because that interaction that they have with Jules, where Evie is asking like, "Hey, this guy really does need help. He wants me to break this hex." And Jules goes, "Well, when I said, 'No, werewolves, I really just meant don't date them.'"

Evelyne:

Which seems weird though, too.

Daniella:

Well, and this is... I do agree with that. It felt weak the way she was like, "Well, I just meant they're volatile, and you shouldn't really trust that."

Evelyne:

There's a definite discriminatory aspect to it.

Daniella:

Yeah, yeah. And by the end of the book, it's not really there.

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

There hasn't been any work.

Evelyne:

This is out. It doesn't go anywhere. It just seems like-

Daniella:

Exactly.

Evelyne:

The thing is, it's like this in a lot of romances. "I'm not just saying it. I'm not saying-"

Daniella:

Yeah. I know.

Evelyne:

It's like, "Okay, sure."

Daniella:

Yeah. It's just one of the things where you're just like, "Okay, that went away. We made it past our biases, I guess."

Evelyne:

Yeah. Okay, sure.

Daniella:

So, great.

Evelyne:

"We've learned. We've grown. Okay. Yay."

Daniella:

Exactly. Yeah. So, I imagine we'll see it come back when Nico has his book.

Evelyne:

I'm sure it'll come back with Nico.

Daniella:

Right? Because this is Nico and Violet who are going to... You can tell that that's been set up.

Evelyne:

Yes. Because Nico actually has connections with bad people.

Daniella:

Yes.

Evelyne:

So, I imagine that will come back with Nico in his book.

Daniella:

Yeah, I think that'll come back. So, we'll see how that plays out. I'm curious to see how she handles that.

Evelyne:

In this book though, it does not come into play. And I imagine that that prejudice is there from books they've read and general prejudice in the community at large-

Daniella:

I think so too. Yeah.

Evelyne:

...and not so much personal prejudice.

Daniella:

I agree.

Evelyne:

Because the knowledge that they have as witches is if a person is a danger to society, they are obligated to help them.

Daniella:

To help them. Exactly. They have to do what they can to make sure that that danger is what negated.

Evelyne:

So, they do. Yeah, so they do, but they don't seem to have a personal hatred for discrimination.

Daniella:

No. By the end of the book, it's like it never happened.

Evelyne:

No, really. It's really gone.

Daniella:

Yeah. I see, that's strange.

Evelyne:

They could walk into a werewolf then and be like, "I love you, all of you." It was so weird. It's just weird.

Daniella:

Exactly. It was a little strange that she hyped it up so much in the beginning and then it would just went away.

Evelyne:

So much. So much, it was so weird. Again, not to zing it. I just thought it's really funny.

Daniella:

No, no.

Evelyne:

And I think the only thing that... The only supernatural thing that might be lower on the discriminatory scale than the werewolf might be the grim, but only because people don't know anything about them.

Daniella:

I really hope that one of her future books has a grim in it because I want to know more about them.

Evelyne:

I can almost guarantee you that the grim in front of that vampire gem-

Daniella:

It has to be, right?

Evelyne:

...has to be in that one of those books.

Daniella:

It has to be. Is it going to be him and Clara, do you think? Because Clara does have a moment where she goes out and talks to him.

Evelyne:

I can almost guarantee it.

Daniella:

Right?

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

Because they are so mysterious, and she makes such a big deal about how you don't... Like every big meeting of supernatural beings, it's always a new grim. So, you don't know who's really leading them. You don't really know what they do.

Evelyne:

Almost guarantee a grim is going to be in one of these books.

Daniella:

I think so too. It has to. She set it up so much that I would be shocked if it didn't.

Evelyne:

But they're so mysterious. No one knows anything about them. And so, therefore, they're so untrustworthy because no one knows anything about them. So, they're just one level below werewolves. So, you have Mateo who's been cursed to not be able to shift, and he can't shift. And so, werewolves in this world have to shift, or their wolf just goes nuts, and they end up just killing people, going crazy.

Daniella:

I mean, I can imagine how uncomfortable that would be if you had this magical power that you literally couldn't use this outlet, that you couldn't use to... I don't know, be fully yourself, right?

Evelyne:

Well, so at the end of the book, when we figure out who it is, they ask, "What do the werewolves bestial need to acquire?" And the answer is blood.

Daniella:

Blood. Yeah.

Evelyne:

It's not sex, it's blood. So, the beast side of a werewolf needs blood to continue. So, during the full moon or whenever they shift, that's what they need. So, when you can't shift and you can't let the beast side out, and it just builds up inside of you, all of that aggression, all of that desire for blood builds up. And so, that's going to come out eventually.

Daniella:

And it has been months, months since Mateo has been able to transform. I did want to talk a little bit too about going back to the lore of the world and the world-building, this idea that, yes, they are cursed with this werewolf transformation, but they are also... to balance it out, there's this blessing of a creative gift, which I thought was an interesting take on a werewolf, which I haven't seen before, where it's like, okay, so Mateo makes metal art and he's very good at it.

Evelyne:

Which is really cool. I loved it. I loved the scenes where Evie was watching him sculpt.

Daniella:

It was really cool. And her talking about how he was shaping the metal and just the whole thing. I thought that that was one of the best parts of this book actually, was being able to see someone just fully immersed in their artistic side and making these creations, these huge statues that were just so amazing. She walked by the Hades, one that he did, and was just like, "Oh, my god, you made this? This is amazing."

Evelyne:

Well, I know how she knew him because she had seen his art in his gallery-

Daniella:

Exactly.

Evelyne:

...already in New Orleans. It was like, "Oh, I know who you are." That's amazing.

Daniella:

So, having that, I thought that was an interesting take on werewolves that we haven't really seen before.

Evelyne:

Also, the fact that they didn't live in clans. Because in so many werewolf paranormal romances, they live in these clannish things where they're like, "This is my thing, and I'm the alpha and this is... No one's welcome in my-"

Daniella:

Well, and also having the one person guy who's in charge of all of these different wolves and having not be something, he's a loner and he is happy about it. He doesn't want a bunch of people around him. And I thought that was refreshing.

Evelyne:

Most werewolves are loners in this mythology. They do not-

Daniella:

Which I thought was great.

Evelyne:

...clan together, actually. And that is a different take on werewolves that I really appreciated.

Daniella:

I appreciated it a lot.

Evelyne:

I do not tend to like the whole werewolf thing because I don't like that whole alpha male thing.

Daniella:

No, I do not immediately subscribe to the whole, "Yes, you are in charge, so I must see what you say." It's weird, but I don't like it."

Evelyne:

I don't know what I don't like about that. I don't know.

Daniella:

It's so strange that I would be like, "No, fuck you."

Evelyne:

I don't know. So weird. Yeah.

Daniella:

So, I thought that was an interesting piece of world-building that.

Evelyne:

And I think it's one of the things why I read through this whole book and didn't hate it immediately.

Daniella:

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I thought that that was something you would appreciate is that the lore is a little bit different. And I did worry, the first time that you see Alpha says whatever, and I'm just like, "Oh, god, this is going to be another one of those." But it's not. It's not at all what you think it is.

Evelyne:

Until he gets her alone the first time.

Daniella:

Oh, my god, in the haunted house?

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

Oh, my god. Okay, listen, I know you don't like a slow burn. You made it very clear.

Evelyne:

I hate slow burns. Why do you keep making me wait these slow burns?

Daniella:

To be fair, you picked a couple of the slow burns. It wasn't all me.

Evelyne:

Jesus, though. This was 80... listen, 85%. This was not a 50% slow burn. This was an 85%. Come on.

Daniella:

But this is the thing is that you get to that scene in the haunted house where he finally... like Alpha finally takes control, and this manhandling her, and she is all about it.

Evelyne:

Yeah, she is.

Daniella:

She is not complaining at all.

Evelyne:

Not at all. I wasn't either. I was like, "Can we continue please? Because this is great."

Daniella:

It is hot. And you're just like, "Damn."

Evelyne:

But then, it stops and you're just like, "Goddammit. It doesn't continue." And then, they leave the haunted house and you're just-

Daniella:

I know. I know. But also, when they finally do make it to the next level, it's so satisfying.

Evelyne:

No. Daniella, you stop that. It is slow burn and bullshit.

Daniella:

It's so satisfying when it finally hits though, because it's hot AF. There is a lot of Alpha trying to take control because he is bleeding into Mateo's day-to-day, which he shouldn't be. That shouldn't be something that can happen because of this freaking curse. And we don't know who did it. For so much of the book, we have no idea.

Evelyne:

Whoever did it hid their tracks so well. And actually, the red herrings were so good. I thought it might be the assistant.

Daniella:

Right. I thought it was her too.

Evelyne:

I mean, I won't say that I didn't pick up on who it might've been pretty early on, but I really didn't think it was between two people, and I thought it might be the assistant, and it might've been who it actually was. It was between those two people. And I'm like, "Okay, the assistant, it might be the assistant."

Daniella:

I thought she did a good job of throwing you off the track with the assistant, because Missy, without intending to, I think she comes across as a little bit jealous, a little bit like, "This is my turf. What are you doing here?"

Evelyne:

Yeah. As soon as Evie showed up, she's like, "What? What?"

Daniella:

And I don't think that's actually what was going on. It just felt like that.

Evelyne:

Yes. I felt like she... I think Missy just felt like, "This is more work for me, and I hate this."

Daniella:

Right. Yeah. I think that's exactly what it was, but it came across as more like, "Why are you encroaching on my property?"

Evelyne:

Yes, yes. And instead, it was just like, "Ah, more work. I don't want to do this."

Daniella:

Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. But I appreciated it. And we don't see, it takes most of the book before we find out who... And they try to break the curse, it's like 50%. They try halfway through to break the curse, and it doesn't work.

Evelyne:

It doesn't work.

Daniella:

And it goes horribly awry.

Evelyne:

So bad.

Daniella:

Yeah, yeah.

Evelyne:

The thing with Sandra, who was the actual villain of this book is, I would've loved her if she wasn't an evil bitch.

Daniella:

I know. She was actually really interesting. And that whole... She had that statue of the reverse gendered Medusa, where it's Medusa holding Perseus's head, and I was like, "Oh, my god, I love this woman." And then, it turns out she's a terrible person. And I was like, "Oh, shit."

Evelyne:

Think of the... Oh, god, what's her name from Supernatural, the redhead Scottish person?

Daniella:

Yes, yes. What is her name? Starts with an L.

Evelyne:

Oh, my god.

Daniella:

Nope. I got nothing.

Evelyne:

But her. That's who she was.

Daniella:

Yes, yes. Except there was no redeeming her.

Evelyne:

No. No redeeming. She's an evil.

Daniella:

There was no redeeming her. She was determined to make Mateo kill his love because that was the best way for her to get immortality.

Evelyne:

But that's who she was.

Daniella:

Yeah, that is exactly right. That's a perfect correlation.

Evelyne:

I mean, yeah, because she was stealing life from people. Awful.

Daniella:

No. And then, when they finally break the spell, and Jules negates her magic and takes everything away, and she's just left as this withered groan. All I thought of was Tangled.

Evelyne:

Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

Daniella:

Which is just reduced to dust. I'm just like, "Oh."

Evelyne:

Okay. I will say I had a little bit of a pullout moment. I pulled out of the story a little bit when Mateo showed up at the big party when Derek was teasing her.

Daniella:

Oh, I loved that moment though.

Evelyne:

It was great. I'm not saying it wasn't great, but he wasn't invited.

Daniella:

I know.

Evelyne:

It was a witch-only event, and then he magically showed up out of nowhere.

Daniella:

So, this was... So, I do want to talk about Derek a little bit because he is like the ex-boyfriend that makes Evie-

Evelyne:

Oh, god, he's awful.

Daniella:

He's terrible. He makes Evie question herself. He makes her feel less than, even though he is a complete douche bag. He is just a terrible person. But he still, for whatever reason, makes her question whether or not she's capable.

Evelyne:

Absolutely. He makes her question herself so much. She doesn't publish her art and her comic book for years.

Daniella:

Even though it's so good.

Evelyne:

Amazing.

Daniella:

She's so talented. And having Mateo... This is what I appreciated about that scene because as a person who has a hard time sharing my feelings, I appreciated that he recognized that she needed him, and so showed up for her, even though she didn't know fully that that was something she needed, right?

Evelyne:

Again, not denying.

Daniella:

I did also have the thought when he first showed up, I was like, "Oh, god, I hope they don't kill him for showing."

Evelyne:

And it was a witch-only event. He's the only non-witch in the place, and he just saunters up. It's completely fine for him to be there, and I'm just like, "Ah."

Daniella:

I mean, that is some confidence.

Evelyne:

Dude. Dude. I mean, I would've fuck him.

Daniella:

Right?

Evelyne:

I mean, I would have.

Daniella:

That's what I'm saying, right? So, of course, when she goes back with them and they finally have sex, it makes sense. You're like, "Yeah."

Evelyne:

I'm not saying it doesn't. But at the same time, I'm like, "Ah."

Daniella:

Yeah, I get it. I do get it. It was so satisfying though, to have Derek put in his place.

Evelyne:

Oh, my god, I hated that man.

Daniella:

Because he was fully using Evie to gain his own influence within the community so he could move up, and it's just like, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Evelyne:

I hated that man.

Daniella:

Like, "You can't do this on your own." And he very obviously still wanted her. He's with his fiancé.

Evelyne:

Dude, the way he treated his fiancé at that party was disgusting.

Daniella:

Right? It was so gross. Like, "What are you doing? Why are you even here? Go away. Nobody wants you."

Evelyne:

So gross.

Daniella:

It was so gross. So, I was thrilled when Mateo showed up because I didn't want to read anymore about Derek, to be honest.

Evelyne:

No. He could have just crawled off and died, for all I cared.

Daniella:

Yep. I would've been fine with that. So, I do understand though what you're saying because it was like this big meeting of witches.

Evelyne:

It was almost like a [inaudible 00:30:02], where it was all of a sudden, he showed up.

Daniella:

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Evelyne:

I would've liked her to stand up for herself.

Daniella:

Yeah. Give her a little bit more agency. Yeah, I agree. I agree. I think that is what I was waiting for, was that... Because he had told her, it's like, "No, you can't believe this guy. He doesn't know what he is talking about. I'm an artist. I've seen your art. It's amazing." And I would've liked to see her take that and be like, "No, he's right. I really am really good. Fuck you for trying to make me feel like I'm not good enough."

Evelyne:

I think that's what I wanted. I think I wanted her to have that confidence on her own.

Daniella:

Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, I get that. But also, then they went home and had hot sex.

Evelyne:

They did, but it was 85%. You guys don't know. I was reading at 4:00 AM, and I texted Daniella, I'm like, "It's 85% in." Y'all, oh my god.

Daniella:

Okay. To be fair, you picked the last slow burn, I'm just saying. I haven't picked them.

Evelyne:

Okay, but the last slow burn was a novella.

Daniella:

Was it?

Evelyne:

The Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon was not a full-sized novel.

Daniella:

Okay. Yeah, that's fair. It was really good.

Evelyne:

It was really good. I love that. This book is a full-sized novel. It was 85%.

Daniella:

You are not going to make me feel bad about liking a slow burn.

Evelyne:

Okay. There are slow burns, and then there's 85%.

Daniella:

Yeah. I like it. I like the buildup. It makes me feel good. Agree to disagree.

Evelyne:

No, you can't see me. I can't wait for the day when we actually videotape this session.

Daniella:

I know. We really should.

Evelyne:

I swear. Oh, my god.

Daniella:

I'm a little worried. I feel like I should call an ambulance just to be on standby because she's got this vein that's throbbing on the side of her head. And I'm a little concerned.

Evelyne:

That's okay. That's okay.

Daniella:

It's okay.

Evelyne:

It's all right. It's all right. Anyway, solid book. I love this book.

Daniella:

Yeah. I thought it was just really fun. It was... Again, I read it I think in an afternoon, but it gave me exactly what I wanted.

Evelyne:

It's a good escape book.

Daniella:

Exactly.

Evelyne:

It's warm and fuzzy.

Daniella:

Exactly. Light and fluffy, which is what I wanted.

Evelyne:

Happe ever after.

Daniella:

Yeah. Yep. Exactly what I wanted. So, it fulfilled the need that I needed it to. So, definitely check it out, if you're looking for something that's light and fluffy and a little bit of escapism, and there's a whole series, they're going to be at least six because there are six sisters.

Evelyne:

I mean, I already have the second book on my Kindle, so it's not like... I mean, I hated a slow burn, but it's still... I hurried up the second book on my Kindle.

Daniella:

I don't think the second one is going to be a slow burn.

Evelyne:

I hope not. Because if it's between Ruben and her sister, the tension was already really there.

Daniella:

Yeah, yeah.

Evelyne:

And if I'm guessing, it's going to be hate fucking.

Daniella:

Oh, that would be so good to read.

Evelyne:

And that's my favorite. I love hate fucking. Because they get so pissed off. I think it's so pissed off after. It's hilarious because they're like, "I can't believe I fucked you, and now I can't talk to you for a day after." But then they're like, "But I really had a good time with you, so now I have to fuck you again." Daniella is learning a lot about me.

Daniella:

I am. I'm learning so much.

Evelyne:

The hate fucking is my favorite. Arranged marriages are my favorite. I love arranged marriages. I don't know what it is about arranged marriages, but I really like them.

Daniella:

You like the forced proximity type.

Evelyne:

I do.

Daniella:

Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Evelyne:

Hate fucking. I don't know what, but the intense emotions.

Daniella:

Yeah, that makes sense. I could see that. Yeah, I could see that.

Evelyne:

But it goes along with this because Alpha is totally at the forefront, so totally right up my alley.

Daniella:

I never would've page you for someone that would like the hate fucking trope. Learn something new every day.

Evelyne:

There you go. Anyway.

Daniella:

Anyway, back to Wolf Gone Wild, which by the way is a great title.

Evelyne:

Yeah, Ruben was great. I love Ruben. That whole scene with Ruben was fabulous.

Daniella:

I thought that was so fun. He wasn't what I expected.

Evelyne:

He was exactly what I expected.

Daniella:

Really?

Evelyne:

I have read a lot of paranormal romance.

Daniella:

Well, I just felt like they were like, "Oh, you have to ask Ruben for this book." And then, he showed up, and I was like, "That is not... That's not what I thought we were going to get."

Evelyne:

When I learned that he was a vampire, I went, "That is exactly what I expected."

Daniella:

Yeah, that's fair.

Evelyne:

But when Jules said that, "We're all going over, and it's going to be a date." I went, "This is not going to be a date." It was exactly how I expected it to go.

Daniella:

Yeah. I loved it though because he was so amused by the whole thing.

Evelyne:

Oh, yes.

Daniella:

He just thought it was so funny.

Evelyne:

He knew exactly what she was doing, and he called her on her shit, and it was hilarious. I loved everything about it, and it's one of the reasons why I downloaded the next book because I know it's going to be Juliette or Jules and Ruben, and I cannot wait.

Daniella:

Yeah. I thought it was pretty funny.

Evelyne:

I know there's going to be angry sex in there.

Daniella:

I can almost guarantee it.

Evelyne:

Yeah, I know.

Daniella:

Because she's trying so hard not to-

Evelyne:

So hard.

Daniella:

...be a part of that. Right.

Evelyne:

100%.

Daniella:

I did enjoy... One of the things that I actually did appreciate in this is that every supernatural being has a long lifespan. So, even the witches get to live for centuries. So, if she does get paired up with a vampire, it kind of makes sense, instead of having a human who's going to live for maybe 100 years, right?

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

So, I actually did appreciate that piece of world-building, making sure that we knew that everybody had this extended lifespan. I do think that there was still a ridiculous age difference between Mateo and Evie, but-

Evelyne:

She was 38, and he was 100 and something.

Daniella:

Yeah. But I appreciated that she was 38-

Evelyne:

And not 18.

Daniella:

...and not 18.

Evelyne:

I did like that.

Daniella:

That was a win for me.

Evelyne:

Yes. She was at least over the drinking age.

Daniella:

Yes. So, thank you very... Oh, speaking of drinking, what are we drinking tonight?

Evelyne:

What are we drinking? We didn't talk about it.

Daniella:

Oh, we didn't talk about it.

Evelyne:

We're drinking the spider's bite.

Daniella:

Spider bite martini.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

Spider bite martini, which was mentioned in the book.

Evelyne:

It was.

Daniella:

And it was delicious.

Evelyne:

And it's really fucking delicious.

Daniella:

It's so good. Really strong.

Evelyne:

I had several of those.

Daniella:

Me too.

Evelyne:

And it's great because the spider's bite martini has several different variations. Mine had Kahlua and vanilla vodka in it. And that's it.

Daniella:

Yeah. Mine was vodka and creme de cacao. I like to say, "Cacao," when I pour it.

Evelyne:

You are drunk.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

Nope. Mine is Kahlua and vodka, and that's fucking it. So, I'm basically drinking straight alcohol.

Daniella:

Yeah, mine was basically just vodka. And I made a super batch because I wanted to make sure that I was ready for our podcast.

Evelyne:

Same. I've had four of these.

Daniella:

Yeah, it's a lot.

Evelyne:

So, when we say it's intoxicated literature, we are not lying.

Daniella:

We are not lying. We are honest people.

Evelyne:

In fact, I just spilled some of myself. Woo-hoo.

Daniella:

We've also been drinking. I feel like we've been starting later and later when we were recording these, which means that we're more drunk every time.

Evelyne:

Drunker, drunker.

Daniella:

So, we do this for you, beautiful people.

Evelyne:

You guys are benefiting from all of it.

Daniella:

Anyway.

Evelyne:

The next read that we're doing-

Daniella:

Yes, because next time-

Evelyne:

...is my pick. Okay. No, I'm going to talk about this because I have been hyping up Marie Maravilla for a year since I've read these books, and I love these books. They're my favorite books. She's working on her third book. She's an indie author, and we are going to be reading Skeletons of Society, and I'm so excited.

Daniella:

I am not as excited, but I'm going to give it a try because I trust you.

Evelyne:

I'm telling you, they are so good.

Daniella:

I trust you.

Evelyne:

Okay. Look, here's the thing. I did not like cartel and mafia stuff.

Daniella:

Mafia, yeah.

Evelyne:

And then, I read some of these books, they're so good. And Marie Maravilla is a treasure. I love her so much.

Daniella:

So, is this a slow burn, or?

Evelyne:

Absolutely not.

Daniella:

Why not?

Evelyne:

I refused to read a slow burn after the last five.

Daniella:

That's fair.

Evelyne:

In fact, the MMC in this has some of the best dirty talk I have ever read in my life.

Daniella:

Oh, that's exciting

Evelyne:

Ever.

Daniella:

Okay.

Evelyne:

And introduced something that I would never do in real life, but in a book made me go, "Am I into that?"

Daniella:

Oh, let me tell you. There have been plenty of books where I was like, "I didn't think that that would be something I would enjoy."

Evelyne:

I definitely said that in this book, and I did not think I would be okay with that, but I'm apparently okay with that a lot.

Daniella:

In a book, I'm not sure that some of these things I would do in real life.

Evelyne:

I definitely was okay in a certain instance of this book, but not in other instances in this book. So, there were two different instances of where this occurred, and we'll talk about this one when we read this. And we'll see what you think. I'm very curious.

Daniella:

Okay. Well, until next time, I am Daniella Drake.

Evelyne:

And I'm Evelyne Crowe.

Daniella:

And this is Intoxicated Literature.

Evelyne:

Have a good night.

Announcer:

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