Tentacles and Teeth

Evelyne and Daniella discuss Tentacles and Teeth by Rowan Merrick. Topics include whether bigger is better, character careers in urban fantasy, and, of course, tentacles.

Transcript

Announcer: This is Intoxicated Literature.

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

Evelyne: And I'm Evelyne Crowe.

Daniella: And tonight, we are talking about Tentacles and Teeth by Rowan Merrick.

Evelyne: I love Rowan so much. They are just such a lovely person.

Daniella: This was a really fun read. Not very long, but you know what? I loved it. I loved it.

Evelyne: I actually got this as an ARC when it was first released.

Daniella: Oh, nice.

Evelyne: It kept me company while I had COVID.

Daniella: Oh, no.

Evelyne: Back years ago when COVID was still a thing, I think we were almost still quarantined at the time, and so I got it as an ARC way back when. And I remember thinking, "Holy shit. I'm glad I got to read this." It kept me company.

Daniella: Good.

Evelyne: It was so much fun.

Daniella: Yeah. Before we really dive into it, spoilers.

Evelyne: Spoilers.

Daniella: We will ruin the entire book. So if you haven't read it, please pause, read the book, and come back.

Evelyne: And this is nothing but adult content.

Daniella: Yes. So much adult content.

Evelyne: So it's practically erotica.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: So just know that going in.

Daniella: Adults only, please and thank you.

Evelyne: Mm-hmm. So yes.

Daniella: And what are we drinking tonight?

Evelyne: We are drinking a blackberry bourbon smash as requested by Rowan themselves.

Daniella: Yes. They were very kind to make us... We asked and they delivered.

Evelyne: They did. So they Googled. They did a Google.

Daniella: They did a Google.

Evelyne: That's a direct quote. And they came back with this one. And I asked why they recommended this, because we thought we would be a beer or a mead or something because we were at a loss at what we would drink for this book. And they said, "Well, there's bourbon for Fenn, there's purple for Sid, there's honey for Kat, there's blackberries for sweetness, and it's fruity because it's fruity."

Daniella: This is probably going to be the most accurate themed drink of any book that we read.

Evelyne: They put some thought into this.

Daniella: They did, way more than we usually do if we're being honest.

Evelyne: Yes. I know. I love it so much. It's fabulous.

Daniella: And it's quite good.

Evelyne: It is. It's delicious.

Daniella: So I was very happy with this. This was not something I've ever had before. So.

Evelyne: I know. It's got blackberries, it's got mint, it's got ginger beer in it, and bourbon.

Daniella: And smooshing up the blackberries was fun.

Evelyne: I know. Smashing. There's a lot of smashing.

Daniella: There's a lot of smashing. That's the theme.

Evelyne: I know. This drink fits so well.

Daniella: So well.

Evelyne: Okay. So yes, perfect drink.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: Absolutely. All right. So the setting, we kick it off right away because we have Kat, Katarina, who is... There's three main characters, but I guess she's the main character.

Daniella: I would say so.

Evelyne: And right off the bat, there is someone having sex in the parking lot of this bar.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: I mean, just right off.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: She pulls in and there's someone having sex in the parking lot. So already, you're going, "Okay."

Daniella: The book starts with a bang.

Evelyne: It does, it does.

Daniella: I'm sorry.

Evelyne: It's okay. I love it. Fabulous. So she's walking up and she actually is giving them a thumbs up like, "Hey."

Daniella: Yeah, she's excited for them. She's like, "They're having a good time."

Evelyne: I know. And then she walks into the Broken Crown.

Daniella: Oh, love this bar.

Evelyne: I know. I would totally hang out at this bar.

Daniella: Absolutely. I wish I could.

Evelyne: I know. I would hang at the bar, sip a beer, have a gin and tonic or whatever, and people watch the fuck out of this bar.

Daniella: Absolutely. It seems so cool. It's a motorcycle club bar for fae.

Evelyne: For fae. I'm not... I would sit there and just watch.

Daniella: Yes. You know there are interesting people coming in-

Evelyne: Holy shit.

Daniella: ... and out of there.

Evelyne: Oh my God.

Daniella: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Evelyne: Yes. So it is a motorcycle club bar, and the president of the motorcycle club is one of the owners. Khalon, I think, is how you say his name. And he and his sister own it, and his sister is one of the other protagonists, Sid.

Daniella: Yes. Love Sid. She's great. She's a pleasure dom.

Evelyne: Yes, she is. Yes, she is.

Daniella: She is a shadow fae.

Evelyne: Yes, she is.

Daniella: Which is amazing.

Evelyne: Because she can-

Daniella: She's got tentacles.

Evelyne: She can summon tentacles with her shadow power.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: Which is a definite benefit.

Daniella: Very hot.

Evelyne: 100% behind that whole thing.

Daniella: Yes. Super attractive.

Evelyne: Oh my God.

Daniella: Very hot.

Evelyne: And she and Kat have an instant attraction.

Daniella: Instant.

Evelyne: And when Silk sits down... Silk is this other... I love the glossary in this because Rowan just is like, "He has fuckboy energy."

Daniella: That's it. That's all you get, but it's true.

Evelyne: It's true.

Daniella: I mean, that is the essence.

Evelyne: And even Kat's like, "Yeah, I'm not talking to you. I don't want anything to do with you. You remind me too much of my ex-boyfriends."

Daniella: Yeah. Leave me alone.

Evelyne: But she and Sid are like, "Yeah, you're my type." And Sid's like, "I'm your type, huh? Okay. I can get behind that."

Daniella: And Katarina's just... She's looking for a good time. She's just there. She wants something different. She's on an adventure quest. She is like, "I have to leave town. I want some fun."

Evelyne: Yeah. And she's human. She is not-

Daniella: She's human.

Evelyne: ... fae or meta. She is just looking for fun.

Daniella: And curvaceous.

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: Truly curvaceous, not like the nonsense you get when they're writing and they're like, "She's curvy, but she had a flat stomach," and all this bullshit. No.

Evelyne: She's curvy, but can go and buy off the rack.

Daniella: Right. Yeah.

Evelyne: It's like, "What?"

Daniella: That is not what we're doing.

Evelyne: She's curvy, but size nine? No. Okay. All right.

Daniella: Right. Exactly. No, no. That's not what we're doing here.

Evelyne: Yes, she has curves and she is, you know.

Daniella: And she owns it. She rocks it.

Evelyne: Oh, she does.

Daniella: She feels hot.

Evelyne: I-

Daniella: She's wearing a slinky dress.

Evelyne: I know. Yeah, totally.

Daniella: She's on the prowl.

Evelyne: Yes, she is.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: And she finds it with Sid.

Daniella: Yes, she does.

Evelyne: And I love it because Sid half owns this bar and she bartends, but she does not want to be part of the motorcycle club at all.

Daniella: At all.

Evelyne: And-

Daniella: There's no desire there.

Evelyne: None whatsoever.

Daniella: No, no.

Evelyne: Every time her brother comes in and tries to talk to her about business about the motorcycle club, she's like, "Fuck off. I'm just here to bartend. I don't want to know what's going on with you."

Daniella: Nope. No interest whatsoever. And she distracts him with some girl.

Evelyne: I know.

Daniella: Which I thought was hilarious. She's like, "Hey, you. Get over here."

Evelyne: I know. Here's some pussy for you. Go away.

Daniella: Yeah, just stop.

Evelyne: Oh my God. And the thing about Sid is that she is a lesbian. She is not interested in-

Daniella: At all.

Evelyne: ... dick at all.

Daniella: No.

Evelyne: She does not want men.

Daniella: Not her type.

Evelyne: Nope.

Daniella: At all.

Evelyne: Which comes into play later.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: It's important.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: So she is just... She and Kat are instantaneously like, "Okay." But Kat, as far as we can tell, is bi.

Daniella: Yeah, she never says specifically.

Evelyne: [inaudible 00:06:40].

Daniella: But-

Evelyne: But she, as we can tell, is bi.

Daniella: She is down for it.

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: She can go either way.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: And so she and Sid go and they have fun.

Daniella: They have lots of fun.

Evelyne: Lots.

Daniella: Lots of fun.

Evelyne: Sid makes sure she has lots of fun.

Daniella: Yes. Goodness.

Evelyne: And while they're having lots of fun, Sid's roommate-

Daniella: Poor Fenn.

Evelyne: ... who's a werewolf.

Daniella: Can smell all the fun.

Evelyne: And hear.

Daniella: And hear all of the fun. And he's like, "I want some of that fun."

Evelyne: I know. I would like-

Daniella: What I liked about it, though, is that he's very excited by Katarina, but every time he catches a whiff of Sid, he's like, "Ugh."

Evelyne: I know. He doesn't want anything to do with Sid.

Daniella: He's like, "That's my sister."

Evelyne: I know. He does not want to have anything to do with Sid, and Sid doesn't want to have anything to do with Fenn.

Daniella: At all.

Evelyne: They do not want each other.

Daniella: There is no attraction between them whatsoever.

Evelyne: But they-

Daniella: They're roommates and they are strictly roommates.

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: There is no hint that it will ever become anything more.

Evelyne: None.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: There is no hint that it's actually ever going to be a threesome.

Daniella: Ever.

Evelyne: Like they're ever going to be with each other.

Daniella: No.

Evelyne: They just both want Katarina.

Daniella: And that was actually one of my favorite things about this, is it's a polyamorous relationship, but it really isn't ever a true three.

Evelyne: Yeah. They do all come together.

Daniella: They do.

Evelyne: But it's always all just about Kat.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: Fenn and Sid never-

Daniella: Never.

Evelyne: ... enjoy each other.

Daniella: Never. No.

Evelyne: So I really did like that.

Daniella: Yeah. I like that aspect a lot.

Evelyne: Because you never see a true polyamorous... I haven't anyway, and maybe I just haven't read enough polyamorous romance.

Daniella: Yeah. Maybe you guys have some recommendations.

Evelyne: Yeah. If you do, shoot them our way.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: But I really enjoyed that part of it.

Daniella: Yeah, I agree.

Evelyne: A lot. But yeah, Fenn was just like, "I want to have sex with Katarina, please. I want to see what she looks like when she has an orgasm."

Daniella: But I liked it, too, because consent was such a huge part of it.

Evelyne: Oh, yeah.

Daniella: For Fenn and for Sid, both of them were constantly checking in like, "Is this something you really want?" And they gave Kat so many opportunities to say no. And if she did, they would have been like, "Okay."

Evelyne: I don't know. That morning after in the kitchen was pretty funny.

Daniella: Yes, it was. I liked that scene so much.

Evelyne: Oh my God.

Daniella: I love that Fenn just refused to wear pants.

Evelyne: I know. He just walked in-

Daniella: Just refused to wear-

Evelyne: ... naked as the day he was born.

Daniella: Just refused to wear pants all the time and Sid's like, "You have to wear pants. What are you doing?"

Evelyne: Kat is here. She doesn't know you.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: You are naked.

Daniella: Stop being naked.

Evelyne: And Fenn's like, "What the fuck is wrong with being naked?"

Daniella: I'm in my own home.

Evelyne: And Sid, "We have a person who doesn't live here in our house. You have to put on pants."

Daniella: Yep. Although I got to say Kat did not seem to mind.

Evelyne: Kat was very curious about Fenn.

Daniella: Yes. Yes, indeed.

Evelyne: And was not opposed to him not wearing pants, necessarily.

Daniella: No.

Evelyne: And Fenn was like, "You're not opposed to me not wearing pants. I can sense this about you."

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: "And so Sid can go fuck off."

Daniella: Yep.

Evelyne: And Sid's just like, "Oh, God."

Daniella: Rolling her eyes.

Evelyne: "Kat, don't encourage him."

Daniella: I know.

Evelyne: It was hilarious.

Daniella: It was so good.

Evelyne: It was so funny.

Daniella: I actually really enjoyed the interactions between Fenn and Sid. It was so sibling-like-

Evelyne: It was.

Daniella: ... where it was just like, "I can't handle any more of your shit. Will you just stop it?"

Evelyne: It's so true.

Daniella: They're so frustrated with each other so much of the time, like when he was trying to cook for Katarina later-

Evelyne: I know.

Daniella: ... and Sid just could not sit still and was trying to help, but was just making things worse. And Fenn is like, "Get the fuck away from me."

Evelyne: Leave. Do not open the fucking oven again.

Daniella: "You're going to ruin my dinner."

Evelyne: Stop helping.

Daniella: And finally, Sid's like, "I'm leaving. I'm leaving. I know. I'm sorry." It was so good.

Evelyne: Oh my God.

Daniella: But it was interesting, too, because Kat hooks up with Sid and then immediately has to go off to this convention to be a guest speaker. She is this big deal.

Evelyne: She is. She's a really big deal. She's doing a guest speaker thing in business finance or whatever, so she leaves and Fenn does not have a chance to woo her and seduce her to his side or whatever. So he has to... It's all via text. And so she's in a bath texting him, and it's actually sweet.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: So this part of the book was not steamy, necessarily.

Daniella: No.

Evelyne: It was very sweet and it was romantic and it was-

Daniella: Well, and it was nice, too, because she obviously... She doesn't really go into detail, but her background is obviously a little bit more conservative. She's got a little bit of leftover shame. She's interested in the polyamory, but she also feels that she shouldn't do it.

Evelyne: She's like, "I shouldn't want this."

Daniella: Yes, yeah.

Evelyne: "I want it, but I shouldn't."

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: "And that makes me uncomfortable."

Daniella: Exactly. And so she really wrestles with it a lot. And even the first time that all three of them are participating, and she has this moment of, "I can't do this. This is wrong," and has to flee. And poor Sid and Fenn are standing there going, "What did we do?"

Evelyne: I know.

Daniella: "What happened?"

Evelyne: They're literally like, "Do we go after her?"

Daniella: Yeah, yeah.

Evelyne: "What just happened?"

Daniella: Yeah, like, "We were having fun and then we weren't, and "Is she okay?" and...

Evelyne: But I do like that they didn't pressure her to continue.

Daniella: Absolutely not.

Evelyne: There was a lot of, "Are you okay? Do you need to go home? Are you safe?"

Daniella: And even Fenn at one point was like, "You can say no at any time. You can say no, and everything stops."

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: "You need to know we are all on the same page here. If you say no at any point, everybody stops."

Evelyne: Regardless of how much I want this-

Daniella: Exactly.

Evelyne: ... or Sid wants this, if you don't want this-

Daniella: Then we're not doing it.

Evelyne: ... this doesn't happen.

Daniella: Exactly. 100%.

Evelyne: So we understand that this is a lot for you.

Daniella: And it's hard, too, because they're both supernatural beings. They're meta, as they're termed in this universe. The meta is the supernatural community. So they both have super hearing and super senses, so they can hear her in the bathroom just pacing.

Evelyne: Yeah.

Daniella: She's obviously having a freak out moment, and they don't know why.

Evelyne: Mm-hmm.

Daniella: And even she's like, "I don't know why either. I do want this, and I feel terrible that I've made us stop. I'm just wrestling with this whole idea. And just give me a minute and I'll be okay."

Evelyne: Exactly.

Daniella: Yeah. But I love the way that whole thing was handled. It was just very much like... Both of them were just like, "You tell us what you need."

Evelyne: Well, also, there's no assumption that a polyamorous relationship is something that you should just jump into.

Daniella: Absolutely not. And it is not.

Evelyne: I know. I mean, nowadays, it's something that's much more common than it was even 10 years ago.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: But.

Daniella: But.

Evelyne: It is something that's much more complicated. A sexual relationship is complicated.

Daniella: It's way more complicated than you think.

Evelyne: And so a polyamorous relationship, you have to have boundaries. You have to have conversations. You have-

Daniella: Communication is so important.

Evelyne: So important.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: I just appreciate so much that this conversation happened even in such a short book.

Daniella: Exactly.

Evelyne: It's so important, and I love-

Daniella: The fact that so much real estate was given to this moment was so great to me.

Evelyne: And I love that Rowan did that.

Daniella: Yes, I absolutely agree.

Evelyne: It's one of my favorite parts of the whole book.

Daniella: Yes, I absolutely agree.

Evelyne: 100%.

Daniella: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Evelyne: It's one of my favorite things about it, and it's one of the reasons why I recommend it so highly.

Daniella: Yeah. I did also really enjoy the "If you're really interested in this, run."

Evelyne: Okay, I love feral chases.

Daniella: Mm-hmm.

Evelyne: I am... I don't know if it's the religious trauma or the conservative religious thing. I don't know what it is about that, but being chased?

Daniella: Chase play?

Evelyne: Oh my God.

Daniella: I'm good. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Hot, hot.

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: Hot, hot. Yes.

Evelyne: He said, "Run," and I went, "Okay."

Daniella: I know.

Evelyne: I was like, "Please run." I'm down. Are you down?

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: Oh, she's running. Okay.

Daniella: She's running. Yeah.

Evelyne: Yeah, I'm 100% behind that.

Daniella: Yeah, that was hot.

Evelyne: Mm-hmm.

Daniella: And I loved it, too, because Sid vanishes into the shadows. She's also a predator.

Evelyne: Yeah.

Daniella: Right? Because Fenn is a werewolf, and so he's chasing her. Katarina has no idea that Sid is also hunting her until later when she's almost been caught and then Sid's like, "Ha, ha. Gotcha."

Evelyne: I know, I know.

Daniella: That whole scene was so fun.

Evelyne: Oh my God.

Daniella: So hot.

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: Yes, yes.

Evelyne: Jesus.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: That whole last part of it.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: My God.

Daniella: Oh my God. I did think it was a bold choice to have the first time with Fenn be in his wolf form, because he was so much bigger in that form. And I'm like, "That's interesting to me that he wouldn't allow her to adjust a little bit with his normal..." Because he's already a big dude, and he even says, "I'm already a big dude, and this going to hurt."

Evelyne: Katarina didn't say no.

Daniella: I know. And that whole thing, it was almost hard for me to read because the whole time she's like, "Oh, the agony. But also, it felt really good. But the agony." And I'm just like, "Ooh."

Evelyne: See, this is... A lot of people are size queens though. They really enjoy that.

Daniella: See, and I'm... That is not a thing for me.

Evelyne: It's not... I know.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: So this is where we differ from a lot of other people.

Daniella: Yeah, I think so too. That did not sound fun to me. I was like, "Wow, that sounds traumatic."

Evelyne: That sounds ouchy.

Daniella: So I don't want it.

Evelyne: That sounds ouchy.

Daniella: Yeah. I was like, "Ooh, that doesn't sound like a good time."

Evelyne: I'm going to say no to that.

Daniella: Yeah. No thank you.

Evelyne: I'm okay with the running.

Daniella: Exactly. Yes. Chase me down. Great.

Evelyne: But no with the ouchy.

Daniella: But no with the ouchy. That's where I draw the line.

Evelyne: I know.

Daniella: You have to change back to your normal size.

Evelyne: I know, I know. You can chase me in the wolf form all you want.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: Then I'd be asking questions like, "Can you chase me in the wolf form and maybe still play in the wolf form, but change that part of you back to your human self?"

Daniella: Yes. Right, right. And that's the thing too. He was biting her and drawing blood, and I was fine with that.

Evelyne: Yeah, yeah.

Daniella: The claws, the whole thing.

Evelyne: The clawing, the biting, all of that was fine.

Daniella: Fine. It was just-

Evelyne: But I would literally just be like, "Can you just put that part of yourself the little smaller?"

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: Because then it'd be perfect.

Daniella: Yes. Because there was also tentacle... I was just like-

Evelyne: The whole thing.

Daniella: I was just like, "This sounds not fun."

Evelyne: Just that part.

Daniella: Just that part.

Evelyne: I know.

Daniella: And you know what? Katarina was here for it. She was having a good time, obviously.

Evelyne: Oh, yeah. Oh no, if she were actually not enjoying it, I really wouldn't have enjoyed it.

Daniella: Yes, absolutely. But she was definitely having a good time.

Evelyne: She was absolutely enjoying it.

Daniella: And I was happy for her that she was having such a good time. It was just not necessarily my thing.

Evelyne: I would say 98% of that whole scene was hot as [inaudible 00:17:30].

Daniella: So hot. Absolutely.

Evelyne: Again, the chasing and the running and the blood and the biting, and I'm just like, "Okay."

Daniella: Yeah, exactly.

Evelyne: Totally down for this.

Daniella: Yes, yes. Well, and then the knot thing, there were a lot of aspects that I'm just not-

Evelyne: Okay, the knot is very omegaverse.

Daniella: I know, I know. And it just is not my thing. Knot.

Evelyne: Oh my God.

Daniella: I'm on a pun craze right now.

Evelyne: Yeah, you are. Oh my God. So here's the thing about knots, is you can buy toys now that have-

Daniella: No, you can't.

Evelyne: ... a wider base like a knot.

Daniella: See, here's my question. Anatomically, the joyful part of the knot should be higher so that it hits a different part of you.

Evelyne: I'm just telling you what exists.

Daniella: I am a practical person, and I need to understand how it works. I am just very curious. Maybe I don't... It doesn't resonate with me because I don't understand it.

Evelyne: So do you know how they came into existence, the knots?

Daniella: You mean the knot on an actual animal?

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: Okay. So werewolves [inaudible 00:18:40]... Yes. Okay.

Daniella: Yes. Biologically, they have it. Yes.

Evelyne: So the idea is that it keeps everything in there.

Daniella: Right. Yeah.

Evelyne: And they can't separate.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: Those of you who aren't familiar with knotting... I'm sure a lot of you are if you're younger. If you're not, the knots came into existence from actual dogs mating. And the knot is a part on their penis that swells inside the vagina of the female dog and prevents them from separating for a period of time to keep the semen inside the female dog to-

Daniella: To make it more likely they're going to get pregnant.

Evelyne: Exactly. So in the omegaverse, when they started in fan fiction, that-

Daniella: With shifters and things like that.

Evelyne: Exactly. That transferred into fan fiction. So werewolves have knots.

Daniella: Which makes sense to me biologically.

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: I'm not saying that doesn't.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: The idea being that the feeling of fullness.

Daniella: Right.

Evelyne: It's a feeling of fullness.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: And I can see if your G-spot is lower, closer to the entrance-

Daniella: Yeah, that's true.

Evelyne: ... it could feel pretty good.

Daniella: It could feel pretty good. I don't know. I just don't really-

Evelyne: I think it varies from person to person.

Daniella: It must. It must.

Evelyne: I think it just depends.

Daniella: Yeah. That seems to be-

Evelyne: You cannot say a blanket statement because-

Daniella: No, and I don't want to.

Evelyne: Yeah. I think-

Daniella: I just don't really...

Evelyne: But you can, for those of you who want to try.

Daniella: You can buy a toy apparently.

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: Interesting. There's a toy for everything.

Evelyne: Oh, there is a toy for everything.

Daniella: There it is. That is 100% a true statement. That is a blanket statement that is correct.

Evelyne: There is a toy for everything. And I can say this is true because I have seen some where I went, "What? Well, okay, then."

Daniella: Yes, yes.

Evelyne: But yes.

Daniella: Interesting. I didn't even know that... I mean, I should've known that that was a thing because it's pretty big.

Evelyne: And it's not as... They don't look as weird as you think they do. It's more normal.

Daniella: Yeah, I-

Evelyne: It's normal, but not as long as you think. And then wider.

Daniella: I mean, I didn't think that it would look weird, necessarily.

Evelyne: I don't know how I pictured it, but the narrower part isn't as long as you think it is.

Daniella: Okay.

Evelyne: At least the one I saw.

Daniella: Okay. Maybe that's what I'm having a hard time with-

Evelyne: They might differ.

Daniella: ... because I don't really-

Evelyne: Yeah.

Daniella: I'm also having a hard time. I'm saying hard and I'm saying all kinds of things that are-

Evelyne: (singing)

Daniella: ... just making my brain go...

Evelyne: This is a very sex heavy book, y'all.

Daniella: It really is. It really is. And for me, I mean we all know Daniella doesn't really read this stuff.

Evelyne: I made her read some doozies the last couple of books.

Daniella: Every once in a while, I read something and I'm just like, "I'm getting educated."

Evelyne: I made her read some doozies. Yes, I did.

Daniella: I mean, I did enjoy this book. I thought it was very well written. I loved the characters. Everybody is very interesting. They all have interesting jobs that you don't really see a lot.

Evelyne: No. Fenn's job was a conduit engineer.

Daniella: Yeah, and he's involved with civil planning in some way, getting people power.

Evelyne: Yeah. And I'm like, "I've never heard of this job before."

Daniella: Ever.

Evelyne: And that sounds really cool.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: I want... That sounds amazing.

Daniella: It sounds really cool and necessary.

Evelyne: Yeah.

Daniella: I thought that was really interesting.

Evelyne: That sounds amazing.

Daniella: Well, and even Kat is a business analyst. And they never really specify what her actual job is, but having her be this big deal and going to conventions and stuff and, I don't know, she's got an assistant that teases her all the time. I was just like, "This is so cool."

Evelyne: You see a lot of heroines and stuff be blue collar jobs, but you don't see a lot of white collar jobs.

Daniella: Exactly, and I appreciated that a lot.

Evelyne: Yeah.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: Or there are white collars. They're secretaries.

Daniella: Right. Yes.

Evelyne: Or receptionists or whatever-

Daniella: Right.

Evelyne: ... they're called.

Daniella: And so it was nice for me because my day job's an accountant, so it was nice to see someone that has something similar to that. I was like, "Oh, that's cool."

Evelyne: No, administrative assistants. That's what they're called now.

Daniella: Yes. You can't call them secretaries.

Evelyne: They're not secretaries.

Daniella: That is incorrect.

Evelyne: That is sexist.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: I'm sorry.

Daniella: Unacceptable.

Evelyne: I'm old, and they used to be called secretary.

Daniella: You're fired.

Evelyne: But I'm thinking of the movie.

Daniella: I know.

Evelyne: Secretary was a fucking awesome movie.

Daniella: It was. It was.

Evelyne: And it's necessary watching for everybody.

Daniella: Yes.

Evelyne: And everyone should go watch it.

Daniella: It's David Spade. It's Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Evelyne: It's amazing. Yes.

Daniella: You can't go wrong.

Evelyne: So much better than Fifty Shades, so go watch it.

Daniella: Oh my God. Fifty Shades.

Evelyne: Go watch Secretary.

Daniella: I feel like we should do an episode of Fifty Shades just so we can talk about how terrible it is.

Evelyne: But yeah, so Fenn has this great job.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: It was amazing.

Daniella: Yeah. It was really interesting seeing these different careers that you don't usually see.

Evelyne: Yeah, especially for meta type of people.

Daniella: Yeah, exactly.

Evelyne: They weren't segregated into this whole other-

Daniella: No, it was just a part of the world.

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: Everybody had these kind of roles.

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: I liked it, too, because they didn't have a water heater at their apartments, Sid and Fenn, and so they had to go in and warm up the water for Kat whenever she had to shower. And I was just like, "Oh my God. That's so funny." I mean, if you could do it yourself-

Evelyne: I know. Why get one?

Daniella: ... why wouldn't you?

Evelyne: I know.

Daniella: I absolutely would do that.

Evelyne: I agree.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: Why waste the power?

Daniella: Exactly.

Evelyne: I totally agree.

Daniella: Exactly.

Evelyne: So this is a prequel to Bound and Beguiled. And you see the introduction from Tereza, I think that's how you say her name. Tereza? Tereza. That is also a very good book, and you delve a little deeper into the meta world in that one.

Daniella: I have to say, the covers on these books? Beautiful.

Evelyne: Rowan does-

Daniella: So beautiful.

Evelyne: ... their own art.

Daniella: So beautiful.

Evelyne: When you see the cover, they do their own art.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: They are extremely talented.

Daniella: Oh, absolutely.

Evelyne: I am always blown away by what they put out.

Daniella: Yeah. I mean, that's why I said yes to reading this book when you suggested it last time. I looked at the cover and I was like, "Well, I have to read that."

Evelyne: Oh my God. I love-

Daniella: It's stunning.

Evelyne: Every time I see this cover, I'm like... You see the cover and you put it on your shelf and you forget about the book. And then you pull it out and you go, "Holy shit."

Daniella: Mm-hmm.

Evelyne: It's so gorgeous.

Daniella: It's just beautiful.

Evelyne: You haven't seen the art that came with this book.

Daniella: I did not see the art.

Evelyne: One, there is a still of just the cover.

Daniella: Beautiful. Love it.

Evelyne: And then there's [inaudible 00:24:56].

Daniella: Ooh, that's pretty good.

Evelyne: It's of three of them.

Daniella: Yeah. That's pretty good. He's got a little tail.

Evelyne: He's got a little tail. He's got a little tail. And it's not the tail that you think we're talking about.

Daniella: No. It's beautiful work. Very talented artist.

Evelyne: They [inaudible 00:25:15].

Daniella: Great writer. Great, great art.

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: I am jealous because I got the writing talent, but I did not get the art talent.

Evelyne: Well, they do take commissions.

Daniella: Love that for me.

Evelyne: So.

Daniella: I once drew a dog and Mom asked me...

Evelyne: I'm spilling my bourbon.

Daniella: Oh, she spilled it. She's spilling all over her couch.

Evelyne: My notes are blurry, but my bourbon's been saved. So you drew a dog.

Daniella: I once drew a dog and Mom asked me why I was drawing a toilet. And I knew that that was the end of my artist career. And you have to know our mom. She is the most supportive woman ever and she was so excited for me. And she was like, "Oh, you drew this toilet. Why'd you draw that?" And I was like, "That's not-"

Evelyne: A toilet?

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: Daniella.

Daniella: I know. I was like six, and it stuck with me for 30-something years.

Evelyne: Oh my God.

Daniella: I know. Poor Mom. She has no idea.

Evelyne: Oh, no.

Daniella: She has no idea. She was trying so hard to be excited for me. Poor Mom.

Evelyne: Oh my God.

Daniella: I know.

Evelyne: That is... Oh my God.

Daniella: Mama, if you're listening, I'm not that traumatized. It's all good.

Evelyne: [inaudible 00:26:34]. I'm going to try to move on from this very traumatic experience for you.

Daniella: Oh no, it's fine. I knew then I wasn't an artist. It's all good.

Evelyne: Oh my God.

Daniella: My art lies in words.

Evelyne: We're going to move on-

Daniella: Yes. Let's move on.

Evelyne: ... to Tereza and the Bwbachod.

Daniella: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Evelyne: So we meet them at the end. And they do work around the Broken Crown and-

Daniella: They're like brownies-

Evelyne: They are.

Daniella: ... is their equivalent, I guess.

Evelyne: Yes. And they're like a clan.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: There's a clan of them.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: And Tereza and the Bwbachod are the second book.

Daniella: Oh, interesting. Okay.

Evelyne: All of them.

Daniella: Oh, boy. Oh, dear.

Evelyne: All of them.

Daniella: That sounds intense.

Evelyne: It's so good. There aren't any chases, but it's called Bound and Beguiled so...

Daniella: Yeah. Okay. Gotcha, gotcha.

Evelyne: And if you look at the cover.

Daniella: Yeah, it's very pretty, that cover.

Evelyne: It's so gorgeous.

Daniella: Yeah. They're so good.

Evelyne: They're so good. But Tereza is bound, tied up. It's good.

Daniella: I believe you.

Evelyne: Highly recommend.

Daniella: Yeah, I believe you.

Evelyne: Yes. I mean, Tentacles and Teeth, it was a very good introduction to whole world.

Daniella: Yeah. It was a good setup for the world.

Evelyne: It was.

Daniella: The world-building was really good. It eases you in-

Evelyne: It does.

Daniella: ... but expects you to keep up.

Evelyne: Yes.

Daniella: So it wasn't holding your hand at all, which I appreciated.

Evelyne: It was not. This book was much more, I would not say necessarily erotica because there was breaks, but I would not also say that there's whole lot of story.

Daniella: Story. Yeah. It was more about the relationship.

Evelyne: The relationships. It's definitely romance.

Daniella: It was about Katarina growing and being okay with it.

Evelyne: It is about Katarina escaping that conservative mindset.

Daniella: Yes, yes. But yeah, I agree there wasn't a huge amount of story.

Evelyne: There was an additional story to the romance.

Daniella: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Evelyne: It was definitely the romance of the three of them.

Daniella: Was the focus. Yes, for sure.

Evelyne: Yes. Which is fine. [inaudible 00:28:39].

Daniella: Yeah. Not a problem. Yeah, that's fine.

Evelyne: Yeah. And I do love... That chase scene was one of my favorite things in the whole thing.

Daniella: Yeah.

Evelyne: Yeah. Okay, so what are we reading next?

Daniella: Next time is my pick. I picked The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

Evelyne: All right. So you notice we're going to go from Tentacles and Teeth to a cozy book.

Daniella: That's right, because Daniella reads cozy.

Evelyne: This is why we're doing this together, y'all.

Daniella: Yes. You know what? We're expanding each other's horizons. This is what we do.

Okay. Well, thank you very much for joining us for this episode of Intoxicated Literature. I am Daniella Drake.

Evelyne: And I'm Evelyne Crowe.

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