That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

Evelyne and Daniella discuss That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming. Topics include the best naming convention in a book series ever, spicy scenes too hot to handle, and how lovely it is to see women supporting women in a novel.

Transcript

Announcer:

This is intoxicated literature.

Daniella:

Welcome to Intoxicated Literature. I am Daniella Drake.

Evelyne:

And I'm Evelyne Crowe.

Daniella:

And we are here discussing That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon.

Evelyne:

By Kimberly Lemming. This is one of my favorite authors.

Daniella:

So good. Love her.

Evelyne:

Love her so much.

Daniella:

Love her books. They're so fun.

Evelyne:

Yes. Okay, so PSA, there's going to be swearing, there's going to be spoilers. There's going to be adult content. If any of those scare you, run away.

Daniella:

Run away. Right now. Get away.

Evelyne:

Yep.

Daniella:

Yeah. So I just want to throw out there that this book was awesome and everyone should read it.

Evelyne:

Yes, absolutely.

Daniella:

I do want to caveat it with, a lot of people are recommending this as a cozy fantasy, which I think is incorrect because there are very high stakes and there is kind of a lot of violence.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

So I just want to throw that out there.

Evelyne:

Yes, 100%.

Daniella:

Obviously. It is a very fun read. It was a quick read for me. I really, really, really, really enjoyed it. I would not say that it's a cozy fantasy. So if that's what you're looking for, do not pick up this book.

Evelyne:

It's so funny because everyone wants a cozy something and these books are so hard to classify.

Daniella:

Yes, a hundred percent.

Evelyne:

I'm going to go full brag mode. Full brag. Full brag. Because I was in a live on TikTok with Kimberly Lemming.

Daniella:

Oh, so good!

Evelyne:

Last weekend, and it was so cool because my face was in a box next to her face.

Daniella:

Love it.

Evelyne:

It was so awesome. But she was saying that everyone says that her books are cozy fantasy, but there's a lot of disembowelment.

Daniella:

She's not wrong.

Evelyne:

She's not wrong.

Daniella:

She's not wrong. Listen, I feel like the term cozy fantasy is very subjective. So for me, I feel like cozy fantasy is a fantasy book that doesn't stress me out. It doesn't trigger me, it doesn't stress me out. It's a slice of life. You're just seeing into someone's day-to-day whatever. And that is what I look for and that is my genre. That is what I'm working on in my novel. These are the books that I gravitate towards. So if that is the kind of book that you are looking for, I do not think that this is it. Now having said that, though, this is a super fun book.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

It is hilarious. There is so much humor in it.

Evelyne:

A hundred percent.

Daniella:

So much swearing. I feel like we should reiterate the fact that we will swear like sailors.

Evelyne:

Because we are fucking drunk. It's called Intoxicated Literature for a fucking reason.

Daniella:

Yes.

Evelyne:

We have been drinking for an hour now. I am gone through a half a bottle of Kirkland prosecco.

Daniella:

I am a fancy bitch, and I am drinking so much Cookie Butter liqueur from Trader Joe's with amaretto because you just need that extra something.

Evelyne:

Hey, you're a fancy bitch, but do you have a champagne glass that's fancy like mine from William Sonoma that I got for Christmas?

Daniella:

I have a metal one with a lid because I don't trust myself not to spill it all over the place.

Evelyne:

Your boyfriend doesn't trust you not to spill it.

Daniella:

To be fair, the last time we recorded, I spilled water everywhere and didn't even know. And he was like, "What the fuck happened here?"

Evelyne:

At least it was water. It could be worse. Anyway...

Daniella:

Anyway, I love it and it makes me so happy, and I read the next book because I thought this book was so, so good. So cannot recommend it enough, honestly. Definitely check it out.

Evelyne:

Oh, they're so much fun. They are so much fun. I love it so much.

Daniella:

So I know that the books, they are changing right now because she's going traditional. They were indie before.

Evelyne:

If that says anything, that should tell you how good these are. That [inaudible 00:04:14] went, "Hey, whoa, these are really popular. We need to pick these up."

Daniella:

Absolutely, absolutely agree. I love them so much. They were so, so much fun. So if you have a chance, buy her original covers because they're going away.

Evelyne:

I know, I know. Because I was one of those people. I saw the title and I went, "What the fuck is this title?"

Daniella:

No. But the next one is so much funnier.

Evelyne:

The thing is, I saw it and went, that's a title. I love that title. Who was brave enough?

Daniella:

Look at that title.

Evelyne:

Yes.

Daniella:

It takes up the entire front of the fucking book. And I'm like, "It's so long."

Evelyne:

It's so long. I loved it. I'm not dissing it at all. Love it. I loved it-

Daniella:

Absolutely not.

Evelyne:

So much. And I'm just like, "That can't be a real title. That can't be a book."

Daniella:

I know.

Evelyne:

And I'm like, "Okay." I picked it up that instant. I went, "Okay, that is amazing. I love it so fucking much." And I regretted it not one minute.

Daniella:

Not even for a second.

Evelyne:

And I will tell you that I was in the car driving to LA to go to a bookstore to visit Daniella while I was reading this book. I did not talk.

Daniella:

That is true.

Evelyne:

The entire time while I was in that car, because I was reading this fucking book.

I read this book so fast because loved the main character, loved the love interest, loved the entire story. It goes so fast because it is just action the entire time. There's no point where I'm just like, "Oh my God. Get to the point. It does not do that at all."

It's paranormal romance, but it's fantasy. But it feels cozy, but it's not. And there's high stakes. It's slow burn. So here's the thing, I hate slow burn.

Daniella:

You hate slow burn. I love slow burn.

Evelyne:

I am like, "You love them. Fuck already."

Daniella:

No, I'm all about the longing glances.

Evelyne:

Which is so funny because in real life I'm the opposite. I'm like, "Get away from me."

Daniella:

I'm the opposite where I'm like, "Just make a fucking move."

Evelyne:

So there you go. Now you know all of us. There you go. So in real life, I'm like, "Why the fuck are you looking at me?" So I'm reading this and I'm like, "Dude, you're in it, There's only one bed. Why the fuck are you not fucking?"

Daniella:

I love it so much. I love that slow build of tension. It just makes me happy.

Evelyne:

It was driving crazy, but Fallon is such a gentleman.

Daniella:

Yes, he is. Can we talk about Cinnamon Hot Pepper for a moment? Just because her name-

Evelyne:

Can we talk about the names in general?

Daniella:

So great.

Evelyne:

Jesus, they're so good.

Daniella:

So great. I love it so much. And her siblings, Cinnamon's siblings are all named after spices because she lives on a Spice Farm.

Evelyne:

Spice Farm.

Daniella:

So her siblings are Chili, Cumin, and she has a sister who has passed whose name is Cherry.

Evelyne:

I love it. I love it so much because-

Daniella:

So good.

Evelyne:

I swear to God, that's something I would do.

Daniella:

I know, right? Same.

Cinnamon is smart. She's resourceful. She doesn't want to be the chosen one. She actively tries to avoid anything that could be adventure, right? She's like, "No, I don't want that. I just want to live on a spice farm and go into town and get drunk for these festivals. And I'm good. I don't need anything else." And then she meets Fallon, but who's like, "Hey, by the way, I'm a demon and you stopped me from turning into a demon, and now you have to come with me to save the world," basically.

Evelyne:

But let's talk about how her name and how she managed to get Fallon to not be a killer-

Daniella:

Yes.

Evelyne:

Go together.

Daniella:

A cinnamon stick.

Evelyne:

Cinnamon. It's actually fucking cinnamon.

Daniella:

For whatever reason, she hits him with a cinnamon stick and it stops his transformation from the spell that makes all of the... I would say shifters more than demons.

Evelyne:

They're demons. They're all fucking demons.

Daniella:

They're all demons. But there's werewolves and there's dragons, and there's all these different kinds, but they're under the spell that makes them...

Evelyne:

Rabid. I want to say, for lack of a better word.

Daniella:

Yeah, feral. I don't know.

Evelyne:

They're all attacking people for no reason.

Daniella:

Exactly. And they don't want to. They don't want to.

Evelyne:

They don't want to. They're under a spell.

Daniella:

But that's what's happening.

Evelyne:

And Cinnamon is the key to undoing it all. And it's her name.

Daniella:

And then Fallon is like, "Hey, you stopped me from transforming. You have to come with me and stop this person who made this spell that makes all of my people feral," basically, for lack of a better word. And she's like, "No, no, pass."

Evelyne:

"I really don't want to do that."

Daniella:

"I don't want to do that." And he goes, "Okay, well, I'll just kill your family then." And she was like, "Oh, well, okay, maybe I'll come with you. Yeah. So let's go do that then. Okay." But also, he's fucking hot.

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

From the beginning, she's like, "I don't know, I could jump your bones and be perfectly happy."

Evelyne:

So he's fucking hot and he's fucking hot the whole time.

Daniella:

The whole time.

Evelyne:

The whole time he's fucking hot. The whole time. He's not having sex with her, he's fucking hot.

Daniella:

A hundred percent. And

Evelyne:

Then he has sex with her, and you're just like, "Holy shit."

Daniella:

Holy shit. Yep.

Evelyne:

What?

Daniella:

Yep. I'll say, Kimberly Lemming, my God woman.

Evelyne:

She can write a fucking sex scene.

Daniella:

Oh my God. Okay, listen. We're not talking about the second book, which is called That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf.

Evelyne:

By the way, just spoilers the character's name in that is Brie and she loves cheese.

Daniella:

Her family sells cheese.

Evelyne:

She loves cheese.

Daniella:

That is what they do.

Evelyne:

I know, I love it so much.

Daniella:

But also, she is Cinnamon's best friend.

Evelyne:

I know.

Daniella:

And she loves romance novels.

Evelyne:

Especially monster romance novels.

Daniella:

Indeed. So when she throws... Yeeted, excuse me, when she yeets this love potion at a werewolf and he falls for her, she was like, "Oh, wait. No, no." But I just want to say, because we're not talking about that book.

Evelyne:

No.

Daniella:

But I just want to say some of the best tentacle play in books that I have seen, that book.

Evelyne:

It's a werewolf.

Daniella:

It's unexpected.

Evelyne:

And it has tentacles.

Daniella:

It's unexpected. You don't expect it. And all sudden you're like, "Oh shit. What is happening? Oh my God."

Evelyne:

And I will also say that, TikTok again, I'm sorry, but there was a TikTok and someone asked her, "What was the hardest sex scene you ever had to write?" And that was the scene because you're like, "Do you know how hard it is to keep track of all of the limbs in a tentacle scene?"

Daniella:

I believe it. I believe it. This is one of the reasons I don't write fantasy or I don't write romance because I don't know whose hands are doing what, half the time.

Evelyne:

On a personal note, now that I've read in Paranormal Romance with the person who has tentacles, I can concur. You have to have diagrams.

Daniella:

Right?

Evelyne:

I'm literally trying in my head, going, "Oh, where did I put that? Is that feasible?"

Daniella:

Exactly. Is this a position that someone could actually do?

Evelyne:

Can I do this? Can she bend that way?

Daniella:

All of that to say hot damn.

Evelyne:

Fallon is...

Daniella:

Oh my God. There are some hot, spicy scenes.

Evelyne:

So it is a slow burn, but it's so fucking worth it.

Daniella:

It is. Exactly. That's why I like the slow burn. That is why I like the slow burn. Because it's like this buildup and then you finally crest and you're like, "Shit."

Evelyne:

Holy shit.

Daniella:

Exactly.

Evelyne:

But see, the thing is we could have gotten that the whole goddamn book. That's the problem.

Daniella:

It doesn't hit the same way. You need the buildup.

Evelyne:

Differing opinions. Differing opinions.

Daniella:

Apparently. Apparently. Okay. So Cinnamon meets Fallon. Fallon is like, "You have to help me defeat this..." What do we say? Lich, right?

Evelyne:

Lich. Yes. She is a lich. So she is evil. Her name is Myra. Myra, Myrna?

Daniella:

Myva.

Evelyne:

I can't read... Myva. I can't read my writing. I wrote it while I was drunk.

Daniella:

It's a V.

Evelyne:

I cannot read it. It's Myva.

Daniella:

Yes.

Evelyne:

Yes. Myva, who has used her powers to keep the demons crazy because she wants to be worshiped as a goddess, basically.

Daniella:

Yes. She is just running these temples and she's controlling these demons, and she's sending them out to attack people, and she's using all of these worshiping things as gathering powers. She is evil. She's an evil lich.

Evelyne:

She's terrible. She is terrible. And Cinnamon's like, "No, she actually is legitimately terrible. We need to stop her. Let's go." So they take off and they go, and it is so good. I don't want to even talk about it more because I just think it's so fun.

Daniella:

Yes. So here's the thing, because even in the dark fantasy and even in regular fantasy, so often you see these dominating men who are dominating these women. And the women, no matter how strong they appear to be, are very submissive in general. There are some that I will advocate for and say, these are very strong female characters. In this case, this character Cinnamon is just fucking out there, man. She is strong.

Evelyne:

She is not taking any of your shit.

Daniella:

She is not taking any of your shit.

Evelyne:

And I am there for it.

Daniella:

I love her. I love her so much. And then, Fallon turns out to be a dragon.

Evelyne:

Yes. When she realizes he's a fucking dragon.

Daniella:

Which is, oh my God.

Evelyne:

Like a full-sized, giant fucking dragon.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

Not a tiny little dragon.

Daniella:

No, no, no.

Evelyne:

A big fucking dragon. So you have to understand the stakes here. These demons have no mates. There are no women.

Daniella:

No.

Evelyne:

Very few anyway.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

Okay. They have no women.

Daniella:

So few that it's hard for them to find mates.

Evelyne:

There's no procreating.

Daniella:

And they're mindless beasts because of the spell. So they can't find human women. So they are not procreating. They're not creating more, so limited numbers.

Evelyne:

It's bad.

Daniella:

It's bad. It's really bad.

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

Let's talk about the tavern fight a little bit, because I think it's hilarious. She wrote it so well, these two taverns that are just feuding back and forth. But the one that I voted for or I was rooting for was this woman who was just not taking anybody's shit, which I feel like is kind of a theme that we have going, which I feel like makes sense given to who we are.

Evelyne:

Look, here's the thing. We grew up in a household of women.

Daniella:

A hundred percent.

Evelyne:

And we don't take shit.

Daniella:

A hundred percent.

Evelyne:

We value the book where women don't take shit.

Daniella:

We were the only ones that could do anything. We watched our mom replace things, fix things, do whatever needed to be done.

Evelyne:

When you live in a house with women, there are no gender rules. You just do what needs to get done.

Daniella:

Exactly. Watching this woman who's a tavern owner, who's just like, "I fucking hate you."

Evelyne:

Dude. She was so done with their bullshit. She was just like, "What the actual fuck is happening? I'm done with all of this. I am so done."

Daniella:

And then Cinnamon is basically like, "Listen, this person that's in the temple is really bad news. We need to stop her." And she just kind of goes, "Well, all right, if that's what needs to be done, let's make it happen." And just like, helps.

Evelyne:

I know.

Daniella:

And I just loved it so much because it was it almost like blind faith. It was almost like, "This woman says this needs to be done, so let's do it."

Evelyne:

Women helping women is the most glorious thing ever.

Daniella:

A hundred percent. Absolutely. And these stupid tropes of women constantly competing, piss me the fuck off.

Evelyne:

Totally.

Daniella:

Because it's not true to reality.

Evelyne:

It's not.

Daniella:

At all. I feel like constantly women are going, "I can help you. Let me help you." That is the way that we are. But yeah, I just loved it so much. It was so good. And honestly, from top to bottom, I cannot recommend this book this much. And I have a hard time giving five stars, but I did.

Evelyne:

You do. You are so harsh in your rating. Oh my God. And I think I'm harsh.

Daniella:

I'm trying to be better, but I definitely gave this book five stars because it was fun from beginning to end. I could not find fault with it.

Evelyne:

I'll give a lot of four stars. To get a five star from me, it has to be really unique. It has to be... And I don't go... Because especially for indie authors, I understand that editing might be hard to come by, and that all of that is really hard to come by for indie authors. So I don't go... A lot of people are really prissy about the grammar and the editing. I don't go by that.

Daniella:

No. I'm forgiving with that stuff.

Evelyne:

I'm very forgiving with all of that. It is so expensive if you are an indie author.

Daniella:

Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.

Evelyne:

If it is a unique storyline, if it transports me somewhere new.

Daniella:

If it makes me laugh.

Evelyne:

If it makes me laugh. If It is something unique that I have never experienced before.

Daniella:

Exactly.

Evelyne:

That is an automatic five star.

Daniella:

A hundred percent. That's how I felt about this book too. It was unlike anything I've ever read, and it was so, so good. I really cannot stop singing its praises. I feel like this is just an episode of Please Read This Book because it was so good. I don't know how else to say, "Please read this book."

Evelyne:

I know.

Daniella:

And read the next one too, because I read the next one and it was also.

Evelyne:

Have you read the short, Mistlefoe?

Daniella:

No, I haven't yet.

Evelyne:

It's so adorable.

Daniella:

Oh my God, I'm so behind. I have so much to read. I'm so behind right now.

Evelyne:

It's a little teeny itty bitty novel. It's so cute.

Daniella:

Oh, I cannot wait. I just know it's going to be amazing. All of the characters, the main characters, the supporting characters, they're all complex. They're all interesting. They're all funny. They're all so cool. And I just want to read more and more and more and more and more.

Evelyne:

I also especially liked the conversations of morality between Cinnamon and Fallon. It's like, absolutely. No, no, no. You can't kill this guy. He was just trying to rob us. But you can kill that guy. He was trying to rape me.

Daniella:

A hundred percent. Loved it so much. And it was so great too, because there was... We talked about in the beginning how this isn't a cozy fantasy because there's a lot of violence in it, but there is this, "Is this violence appropriate?" Throughout the book. And it's interesting to me when she decides, "Yes, this is appropriate." And I can't disagree. I pretty much was on board every time going, "Yeah, that's fair."

Evelyne:

Yep, absolutely fair.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

Raise it to the ground. Burn it. Salt the Earth. That is completely, absolutely fair for that kind of violence.

Daniella:

Exactly. Exactly. But yeah, if you have the time and the inclination, definitely check this book out because I think it is so, so good. That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming.

Evelyne:

She was drunk. Literally. That's what happened. She went home, she was drunk. She accidentally saved a demon who was fighting with something else, accidentally hit him with a cinnamon stick, and he became lucid. That's literally what happened.

Daniella:

That is the entire premise of this book.

Evelyne:

That's exactly what happened. There is no hidden message here.

Daniella:

Nope. Nope. And listen, I know from a podcast that's called Intoxicated Literature, that might be a little too on the nose, but seriously, the writing is so good.

Evelyne:

It's so good.

Daniella:

And it's so fun.

Evelyne:

And it's endearing and it's fun, and they fall in love and it's just perfect. And it's not like insta love. They're together in close quarters. They get to know each other. They talk to each other.

Daniella:

She is actually actively going, "This is not okay that I'm having these feelings about this super hot demon. This is so inappropriate."

Evelyne:

Because you have to understand, for years these demons have been attacking my people forever. These are bad, bad things. I don't like this. And he is respectful. And there is conversations about consent, and he is just like, "I understand. I will... No. Uh-huh."

Daniella:

Exactly. Exactly. I just loved everything. Everything about this book was perfection for me, which is so rare for me to say, I do not do that. But it transported me. It entertained me. It made me laugh. It made my heart happy. There were so many things that I was just like, "Check, check, check, check."

Evelyne:

The first time they had sex was in a fucking waterfall.

Daniella:

Yep.

Evelyne:

Yep. It was in a waterfall.

Daniella:

Yeah.

Evelyne:

Come on.

Daniella:

It's because he wanted to block the sound from another dragon.

Evelyne:

It's fucking Romancing the Stone from the eighties. You cannot get more romance book than that. You cannot.

Daniella:

I really hope that people are listening that are old enough to know that reference.

Evelyne:

Hey, someone is bound to get that. Someone has to be my age to get that.

Daniella:

Someone has to be, right?

Evelyne:

Someone please comment and say that you got that reference.

Daniella:

Please tell us.

Evelyne:

Or go watch that movie. And I'm sorry if there's something bad in there, I know there's something bad in there, I'm sorry.

Daniella:

I feel like it ages okay. There are a few...

Evelyne:

Bad things.

Daniella:

Moments that are not okay. But for the most part, for the most part, you just have to remember, it was made in the eighties.

Evelyne:

It was made in the eighties. I'm really sorry.

Daniella:

Okay. But if you want a present day remake, you should watch The Lost City.

Evelyne:

Yeah, The Lost City was really good.

Daniella:

Yeah. That one was really good. And it basically is Romancing the Stone reversed.

Evelyne:

Yeah. I'm sorry, I'm 42. I'm old.

Daniella:

I'm turning 40 this year, and I'm also old. So in conclusion, I feel like... Is there anything else that you wanted to talk about?

Evelyne:

They do beat the Lich.

Daniella:

Yes, they do. They win.

Evelyne:

They do. They beat the Lich and they win and they free all of the demons.

Daniella:

And the world is different because of it.

Evelyne:

Yeah.

Daniella:

The entire world is different now because the demons were these feral, insane beasts basically, who would just attack without thinking about it.

Evelyne:

A hundred percent.

Daniella:

And now they're all lucid. And there are shifters, werewolves, there are dragons, there are-

Evelyne:

There's a pirate ship run by a woman.

Daniella:

Yeah, there is.

Evelyne:

Running around. But now they're all sane, essentially.

Daniella:

Yeah. So it changes the entire dynamic of the world.

Evelyne:

So this book sets up the premise for all the other books comes after it.

Daniella:

Exactly. But you have to remember that there are not a lot of women who are "demons" in this world. So all of these males are looking for mates.

Evelyne:

They're on the prowl.

Daniella:

And that kind of sets up the entire universe, right? Because the next book is a romance about a werewolf and blah, blah, blah.

Evelyne:

With the yeeting and the love potion and the tentacles.

Daniella:

The yeeting.

Evelyne:

I love it so much.

Daniella:

So good.

Evelyne:

I know. See, the thing is when you're reading a serious fantasy and they use the word like yeeting, you go, "Ew."

Daniella:

Yep.

Evelyne:

But then you read this and it's just right there in the title. They're just like, Kimberly Lemming is like, "Nope. Fuck that. I'm just going to do it."

Daniella:

Just going for it. Just going for it.

Evelyne:

It's right there.

Daniella:

Exactly. I love it so much. And it was just as good as the first one, I thought.

Evelyne:

Also plus size rep in the next one, because Brie is definitely plus size and owns it and rocks it. She's beautiful and gorgeous and wonderful. And I love that book so fucking much.

Daniella:

Oh, it was so good. It was so good. Loved it. I love everything in it.

Evelyne:

Talking sword. That talking sassy sword, she has become an icon and all of her fans keep asking for more content from her.

Daniella:

That's fair. I get it.

Evelyne:

Ascension sword.

Daniella:

I know. And she is sassy. She's like, "Wow, you're not really good at this are you?"

Evelyne:

Oh my god, can you imagine a person like me with anxiety trying to fight someone and having a sword telling you, "You suck"?

Daniella:

I know. I'd be like, "I give up. I'm done."

Evelyne:

I can't [inaudible 00:27:10].

Daniella:

"Just kill me now." So true.

Evelyne:

Oh my God. I loved it. Oh, God [inaudible 00:27:17] But yes. So yeah, five star recommendation.

Daniella:

Five stars. Yep.

Evelyne:

Kimberly Lemming is a genius. She's just-

Daniella:

So good.

Evelyne:

God, it was so good.

Daniella:

Love her so much. I'm jealous that you are on a live with her. I was not.

Evelyne:

My face was... Well near her face. There was a face in between us.

Daniella:

Still counts. Still counts.

Evelyne:

Still counts, I guess. I don't know.

Daniella:

I really hope she hears this. She's going to be like, "Oh, stay away from those two. They're crazy." Okay. All right. So that was That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming. Please join us next time. And I am Daniella Drake.

Evelyne:

And I'm Evelyne Crowe.

Daniella:

We'll see you next time on an Intoxicated Literature.

Announcer:

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