Return to Hoodoo

Evelyne and Daniella discuss Return to Hoodoo by Reggi Dupree. Topics include a themed cocktail that went awry, horny perimenopausal women, and unreliable narrators.

Transcript

Announcer:

This is Intoxicated Literature.

Daniella Drake:

Hello! And welcome to Intoxicated Literature. I am Daniella Drake.

Evelyne Crowe:

And I am Evelyne Crowe.

Daniella Drake:

And tonight we will be discussing Return to Hoodoo by Reggi Dupree.

Evelyne Crowe:

I have heard about this book a lot, actually, on TikTok. It's been all over my feed for years, actually. It's been like a year and a half.

Daniella Drake:

I love it, because it's got its own genre that I've never heard of before.

Evelyne Crowe:

Romantic thriller, I think it was?

Daniella Drake:

Normal women's fiction.

Evelyne Crowe:

I love it.

Daniella Drake:

That sounds like it's made up, but you know what? I'm going to go with it, because [inaudible 00:00:49].

Evelyne Crowe:

Cozy horror was made up too, and we just did one about that.

Daniella Drake:

Exactly, exactly.

Evelyne Crowe:

Let's go with it.

Daniella Drake:

I will take it. So, before we dive in, spoilers, we will talk about the entire book. So, if you have not read it, please push pause and go read it, and come back for the discussion.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yes. And while there is no actual smut in this book, we will still be talking about smut, because there's a lot of heat in this book, and we talk about that.

Daniella Drake:

Yes. We also swear like sailors, so if you do not like cursing, this is probably not the podcast for you.

Evelyne Crowe:

Go away.

Daniella Drake:

We are intoxicated!

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah!

Daniella Drake:

So, let's get into it, let's talk about it.

Evelyne Crowe:

Okay. First off, let's talk about what we are-

Daniella Drake:

Drinking.

Evelyne Crowe:

We tried to drink.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah! I guess.

Evelyne Crowe:

And then what we are actually drinking.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, that is fair. What did we try to drink that was not a success?

Evelyne Crowe:

So, Daniella found a drink that was not good.

Daniella Drake:

It was not good. We have tried a lot of drinks on this podcast, and they have been, for the most part, hits. Right? This was a miss. This was a miss, for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

So, this one had champagne and whiskey. It had whiskey in it.

Daniella Drake:

It did.

Evelyne Crowe:

Because Return to Hoodoo, they drink whiskey, because it's Texas. And it had champagne, whiskey, and cranberry juice. And it was atrocious. I could not drink it. I threw it into the sink.

Daniella Drake:

What was it called? It was a Texas-

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh God.

Daniella Drake:

... something. I can't remember.

Evelyne Crowe:

I closed all my tabs because my computer was too slow.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, same. But yeah, so, don't drink that.

Evelyne Crowe:

Don't drink it. I don't recommend it. I threw it away. So, I am just drinking the champagne.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, and I have wine, because I use sparkling wine instead of champagne, because I am not a rich bitch.

Evelyne Crowe:

And to be fair, I'm not either. But this particular champagne is... What does the label say?

Daniella Drake:

It's almond.

Evelyne Crowe:

Almond flavored sparkling wine. And I got it from Trader Joe's, because I am a white-ass bitch.

Daniella Drake:

Listen, no one can diss the Two-Buck Chuck, right? This is like-

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my God, it was seven bucks from Trader Joe's, and it's fucking delicious.

Daniella Drake:

Trader Joe's has saved me so many times when it comes to alcohol. Yeah, so, Return to Hoodoo, set in Texas.

Evelyne Crowe:

So, it is a story of Reggi Dupree who is-

Daniella Drake:

Not Reggi Dupree.

Evelyne Crowe:

... perimenopausal.

Daniella Drake:

Not Reggi Dupree.

Evelyne Crowe:

No, it's not!

Daniella Drake:

That's the author!

Evelyne Crowe:

That's the author! Sorry, we're intoxicated. It is the story of Gwendolyn, who returns to Hoodoo, which is her childhood home.

Daniella Drake:

Yes. And actually, what I loved about this book was it is paranormal women's fiction, apparently, but it's urban fantasy.

Evelyne Crowe:

It is urban fantasy.

Daniella Drake:

It's urban fantasy, but it's urban fantasy that's not like the supernaturals need to be hidden, and it's this big secret, which is usually a huge trope in urban fantasy. This is everybody is who everybody is, and there's no judgment, there's no fear. It's just everybody is out there, living their lives.

Evelyne Crowe:

You know what? I think my book might be this genre.

Daniella Drake:

Oh yeah, that's a good point.

Evelyne Crowe:

I think I need to switch my genre.

Daniella Drake:

I think you're right.

Evelyne Crowe:

I think I owe Reggi Dupree a call.

Daniella Drake:

Absolutely. Thank you so much.

Evelyne Crowe:

Like, "Hey, thank you for creating this genre."

Daniella Drake:

"For creating this genre." I think you're right, actually. That's awesome.

Evelyne Crowe:

Because everyone's out.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah! Yeah, that's true.

Evelyne Crowe:

Okay, Reggi Dupree, thank you. You're a genius.

Daniella Drake:

I did love that the FMC is a 40-ish year old woman.

Evelyne Crowe:

Perimenopausal. She gives no shits about anybody. Yes.

Daniella Drake:

Love it. Love that.

Evelyne Crowe:

Love it.

Daniella Drake:

You don't see that very often, so I was very much a fan.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yes.

Daniella Drake:

I love, too, that it felt realistic with the 40-year-old woman just noticing how hot all the guys are all the time.

Evelyne Crowe:

I don't know how many of our audience is actually in their forties, but something happens to your hormones-

Daniella Drake:

It's weird!

Evelyne Crowe:

... in your forties, and all of a sudden, you become a raging sex monster.

Daniella Drake:

It's very strange.

Evelyne Crowe:

And I don't know what it is, and I-

Daniella Drake:

I didn't even feel this way when I was in my twenties.

Evelyne Crowe:

No, not at all. And my husband is very thankful for this, actually, at this point in our life. And it's like all of a sudden, you do notice really hot guys. It doesn't matter. You'd all of sudden be walking down the street and be like, "Oh, look at that guy."

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, it's strange. So, that felt very realistic.

Evelyne Crowe:

Absolutely.

Daniella Drake:

Which I very much appreciated. I also loved that she literally had a line like "I see dead people", which was amazing, thank you. Pop culture quotes, chef's kiss. Chef's kiss.

Evelyne Crowe:

The dialogue alone in this book was amazing.

Daniella Drake:

Oh yeah, loved it. It felt very realistic.

Evelyne Crowe:

The way everyone talked was amazing.

Daniella Drake:

Yes, absolutely agree.

Evelyne Crowe:

And it felt very Texas, actually.

Daniella Drake:

It did. It really did.

Evelyne Crowe:

It did.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I thought that was great.

Evelyne Crowe:

And I say this, having been to Texas. I'm not saying this because I just assume this is how Texas talks.

Daniella Drake:

No, we have definitely traveled through Texas.

Evelyne Crowe:

I've been to Texas multiple times.

Daniella Drake:

Multiple times.

Evelyne Crowe:

This was Texas.

Daniella Drake:

Yes.

Evelyne Crowe:

I do find it interesting that this took place in Texas, but at the same time, it makes a lot of sense that it took place in Texas.

Daniella Drake:

When I was first reading it, I was kind of like, "Huh, that's so interesting that you would set it there." And then by about halfway through, I was like, "No, no, that makes sense. Yep."

Evelyne Crowe:

Absolutely.

Daniella Drake:

Yep.

Evelyne Crowe:

Absolutely makes complete fucking sense that this takes place in Texas, just because this is a cultural melting pot-

Daniella Drake:

Absolutely.

Evelyne Crowe:

... of so many different magics and cultures and everything happened in Texas-

Daniella Drake:

For sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

... was amazing.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, absolutely agree. Let's talk about the characters a little bit.

Evelyne Crowe:

Okay. I will say that this book did a really good job at the character building and the different characters.

Daniella Drake:

I absolutely agree.

Evelyne Crowe:

Okay. I want to start with Ash.

Daniella Drake:

Do you know what my notes say about Ash?

Evelyne Crowe:

What do they say about Ash?

Daniella Drake:

They say, "Mysterious, sexy man."

Evelyne Crowe:

Seriously. He appears as... The first time you hear about Ash, he's just this mysterious billionaire who saves her.

Daniella Drake:

Yes. And that's all you know!

Evelyne Crowe:

That's all you know about him!

Daniella Drake:

That is all you know. And you know that he is super hot and super sexy. And that is it.

Evelyne Crowe:

It's literally it. It's hilarious. It's so funny. It cracks me up. You know that he saves her, you know that he is really attractive.

Daniella Drake:

Yes. He's European, in some way.

Evelyne Crowe:

And that he's European, and he's really rich.

Daniella Drake:

Yep. That's it. That's all you know. Which is why my notes say, "Mysterious, sexy man." And then when he comes to town, that scene! That scene where they're in the grocery store, and all the women are just like, "Excuse me."

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my God.

Daniella Drake:

"Who is this man?"

Evelyne Crowe:

Every woman is checking this man out.

Daniella Drake:

So good! Until someone's head explodes. But we can't have everything.

Evelyne Crowe:

That was super disturbing.

Daniella Drake:

It was so disturbing. I was just vibing, I was just reading and vibing along, and then someone's head exploded! And I was like, "Shit!"

Evelyne Crowe:

Not just exploded, bugs came out of it and then it exploded!

Daniella Drake:

Listen, I purposely blocked that part out because it disturbed me so much.

Evelyne Crowe:

I was kind of doing the same thing. I'm like, "Hot, sexy guy, we're going grocery shopping. This is great."

Daniella Drake:

They're making out in the aisle, the canned good aisle, great.

Evelyne Crowe:

My God, where is my hot, sexy, billionaire guy making out with me in the fucking grocery aisle?

Daniella Drake:

Thank you, yes.

Evelyne Crowe:

I would like this. And then, no, bugs? Bugs? Why are there bugs?

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. Also, she's making a new friend.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah!

Daniella Drake:

She's making a new friend with the cashier, and then this woman comes in and she's... Bugs! And I'm just like, "Oh my God!"

Evelyne Crowe:

It just, all of a sudden, we're in a horror novel. It was like, "What is happening?"

Daniella Drake:

It was very upsetting.

Evelyne Crowe:

And then she's arrested!

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. Yes, let's talk about Carlos for a moment.

Evelyne Crowe:

Let's talk about the fact that all the cops are shifters.

Daniella Drake:

Yes. I did not enjoy that. I didn't enjoy that. Just because it felt cliquey.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

And not good.

Evelyne Crowe:

No, it felt really gross.

Daniella Drake:

Really gross. Yeah, I didn't enjoy that. I also did not enjoy that Carlos, her once love, immediately believed that she was capable of murder.

Evelyne Crowe:

I didn't like that everyone in the town basically thought that she was capable of murder.

Daniella Drake:

I also did not enjoy that.

Evelyne Crowe:

But I will say that I feel like she might be an unreliable narrator.

Daniella Drake:

Oh, for sure. Absolutely. Anytime I see a book written in first person, I assume that the narrator is unreliable.

Evelyne Crowe:

Completely unreliable. So, I think in this case, Carlos is completely unreliable or completely judgey.

Daniella Drake:

Oh yeah, for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

But I also think that Gwendolyn is bringing plenty of her own opinion into this.

Daniella Drake:

Yes, I absolutely agree with that, for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

And we don't know for sure how much of the town actually thinks that she is a murderer.

Daniella Drake:

Yes. She might be projecting a little bit.

Evelyne Crowe:

A little bit.

Daniella Drake:

I will say, though, as the book progressed, I was getting increasingly frustrated with her for not listening to Duncan.

Evelyne Crowe:

I just wanted her to sit down and be like, "Let's have a conversation, Duncan."

Daniella Drake:

He has said, multiple times, "I need to talk to you. I have important information for you." And she blows him off. And I just don't understand why.

Evelyne Crowe:

I get that she's angry.

Daniella Drake:

Exactly.

Evelyne Crowe:

But it's been 20 years.

Daniella Drake:

Right. And there's a ghost telling you, "You're in danger, girl." Just like in Ghost.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know!

Daniella Drake:

And she's just saying-

Evelyne Crowe:

Which she even mentions!

Daniella Drake:

I know! That's what I'm saying-

Evelyne Crowe:

She even mentions that she's-

Daniella Drake:

She recognizes.

Evelyne Crowe:

She even mentions Ghost.

Daniella Drake:

I was getting frustrated with that. I had a problem with that, for sure. But if she had listened to him, I feel like it would've been a much shorter book.

Evelyne Crowe:

That's true.

Daniella Drake:

So, I do understand why, but I also think it was incredibly frustrating and not entirely realistic.

Evelyne Crowe:

I get that. I get that a lot. Yeah, I do. I feel like, actually, there were some pacing issues actually with that.

Daniella Drake:

Yes, I agree, for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

There were some pacing issues with that and with Ash's reveal.

Daniella Drake:

Yes.

Evelyne Crowe:

Actually, with a lot of the lore itself.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. It was odd.

Evelyne Crowe:

Look, I'm a whore for lore. I will eat up all of the lore-

Daniella Drake:

For sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

... you want to fucking give me. I am a fantasy bitch. Give me all of it.

Daniella Drake:

Absolutely.

Evelyne Crowe:

I will eat up magic, I will eat up lore, I will eat it all up.

Daniella Drake:

I will never complain. Give me all the lore. Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

I don't care how long your book is.

Daniella Drake:

Mm-hmm, I will read it.

Evelyne Crowe:

If you feel it's too long, it's not.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, exactly.

Evelyne Crowe:

It's not, it's not. I will read it, because I want all of that information.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, and then there were some parts in this that felt kind of abrupt, and then there were some parts that felt oddly drawn out, and-

Evelyne Crowe:

And I felt like there were parts that she maybe had a plan for that didn't happen, or that she had maybe... I don't know. It just seemed like there were things that maybe happened maybe later, or-

Daniella Drake:

Maybe they happened in the second book, which I haven't read yet?

Evelyne Crowe:

I don't know.

Daniella Drake:

Because she sends her ghostly maid off to spy.

Evelyne Crowe:

And I'm like, "Oh, what does she learn?" And then we never learn anything.

Daniella Drake:

And then she just disappears for the rest of the book. Literally, she doesn't come back the rest of the book.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know. I was so sad. I wanted to know.

Daniella Drake:

And I was disappointed. Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know. It was sad.

Daniella Drake:

So, that was kind of a loose thread that never really got wrapped up, which was disappointing.

Evelyne Crowe:

Maybe she does come back in book two? I don't know.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I don't know. Also, the scary basement that she opened with her blood.

Evelyne Crowe:

I want to know.

Daniella Drake:

I want to know what's down there.

Evelyne Crowe:

And I want to know what's in the portal in the library.

Daniella Drake:

That is the scary basement.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah, see? I want to know what's in there.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, exactly. And maybe, I assume, that's in the second book.

Evelyne Crowe:

It has to be, right?

Daniella Drake:

And I don't really blame her for not going down there right away.

Evelyne Crowe:

Dude!

Daniella Drake:

That would be terrifying.

Evelyne Crowe:

Even I'm not that white.

Daniella Drake:

Exactly! Even I'm like-

Evelyne Crowe:

Even I'm not that white.

Daniella Drake:

... "Don't go down there."

Evelyne Crowe:

Even I'm like, "Nope. Sorry."

Daniella Drake:

Don't go down there, no, no, no.

Evelyne Crowe:

That just used my blood to open up, I am not going in there right now. Thank you.

Daniella Drake:

Agreed. Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

Nope, nope, nope. Yeah, even I'm not that white. So, I do not blame her for that. But still, how cool that she has a fucking magic house?

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I loved that house. I feel like that's the dream house, right?

Evelyne Crowe:

That's the dream house.

Daniella Drake:

You have a house full of ghost servants.

Evelyne Crowe:

Like, oh my God.

Daniella Drake:

Listen, I would probably jump every time, because I am easily startled.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my God.

Daniella Drake:

So, I might have a heart attack and die early, but it would be worth it, I feel like.

Evelyne Crowe:

We just hear you yelling every day. "Don't worry about it, it's just Daniella. She's getting her bath drawn."

Daniella Drake:

Exactly! It's so true, though.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my God.

Daniella Drake:

"Oh, she's just brushing her teeth, she got startled, she's fine."

Evelyne Crowe:

"They're brewing her her tea." Oh my God.

Daniella Drake:

Too real.

Evelyne Crowe:

Every time.

Daniella Drake:

Every time. I also found it-

Evelyne Crowe:

We never got to meet Cook.

Daniella Drake:

I know. We never got to meet Cook. And I was disappointed, because they set that up so well that I was so excited to finally meet the cook, whoever it was.

Evelyne Crowe:

We did get to see Ash cooking pancakes, though, so-

Daniella Drake:

Half naked. Half naked, cooking pancakes.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know.

Daniella Drake:

That's not a bad way to start the day.

Evelyne Crowe:

It's true. So, I feel like if Reggi would just do a rewrite, and sell a special edition or a new edition, she could really sell a lot.

Daniella Drake:

I absolutely agree. I would actually-

Evelyne Crowe:

I would buy one and put it on my-

Daniella Drake:

I would be the first line, probably, to read the new version, because there were so many things that were set up that were not paid off.

Evelyne Crowe:

I agree.

Daniella Drake:

That I think could hit so well.

Evelyne Crowe:

Mm-hmm.

Daniella Drake:

I also, at the end, when the sheriff shows up where everybody is, and they just know where it is, and they just happen to be there, and I'm like-

Evelyne Crowe:

And all of a sudden, Carlos is like, "Hey, how's it going?"

Daniella Drake:

Yeah!

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm like, "Fuck you!"

Daniella Drake:

And how? How did you know that they would be at the Crossroads?

Evelyne Crowe:

Why are you all buddy-buddy now? I don't like you.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. It just felt odd.

Evelyne Crowe:

Although I will say her trying to talk around her new teeth and that whole thing was hilarious.

Daniella Drake:

I loved that scene so much. She's got those giant wings, and she's like eight feet tall or whatever, and I'm just like-

Evelyne Crowe:

And she's trying to figure out, "Why am I looking down? Carlos?"

Daniella Drake:

That was so funny. I loved that so much. Yeah, I thought that was amazing. That was great. I really did enjoy that. I was surprised by the final scene where she has that flashback. It wasn't a surprise, what was revealed, but I was surprised to see it in this book. I thought it would be in the next book.

Evelyne Crowe:

Maybe the opening scene for the second book.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

So, that was surprising.

Evelyne Crowe:

I did think it worked well in this book, though.

Daniella Drake:

100%, I agree. I absolutely agree.

Evelyne Crowe:

It makes you want to go, "What?" And then read book two.

Daniella Drake:

And it makes you want to read the next one. Absolutely agree. Yeah, for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

So, I do think it works really well.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

Absolutely.

Daniella Drake:

But it was a surprise. It was a twist that I was not expecting.

Evelyne Crowe:

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

What did we feel about Merri?

Evelyne Crowe:

Merri?

Daniella Drake:

I felt like she was a little bit... She was a little bit... I don't want to say cliché.

Evelyne Crowe:

No, but...

Daniella Drake:

But... Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. I liked her as the villain, but I also knew she was the villain pretty early on. And it was frustrating that Gwen didn't.

Evelyne Crowe:

The thing is, though, is Gwen brought a lot of her own prejudices-

Daniella Drake:

That is absolutely true.

Evelyne Crowe:

... to Hoodoo.

Daniella Drake:

Yes, that is definitely true.

Evelyne Crowe:

So, I think that that played well.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. Okay. That's a fair point. I didn't really think about that. That's a fair point.

Evelyne Crowe:

And Merri was a part of that. And so I think that without those prejudices, without that baggage, that Gwendolyn would've figured this out way earlier.

Daniella Drake:

She would've seen a lot more clearly, yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. That makes sense.

Evelyne Crowe:

But she had a lot of her own baggage, because she knew, she knew it had to have been a witch. She saw all these ghosts with all of their lips sewn shut, she knew, she could see the pieces.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

She's not stupid.

Daniella Drake:

No, not at all. That's what I liked about her.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah. She's not dumb, but she just was blinded by her own prejudices and her own baggage.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, she was projecting a lot of the time.

Evelyne Crowe:

Exactly.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

And so she's thinking, "It had to have been so-and-so, it had to have been this person, and it had to be someone who already hated me."

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. She was seeing what she expected to see, rather than what was actually there.

Evelyne Crowe:

Exactly.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

And that made us think that was true too.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, that's fair. That's a good point.

Evelyne Crowe:

And I do like, though, the way that the witches were prettier-

Daniella Drake:

I know!

Evelyne Crowe:

... when they were evil.

Daniella Drake:

So, when they summon Ograt at the Crossroads, I found her to be super hot and terrifying.

Evelyne Crowe:

I think she was a perfect demon queen.

Daniella Drake:

I agree. I absolutely agree.

Evelyne Crowe:

And I think she wasn't what they were expecting.

Daniella Drake:

No. And that means that it wasn't what I was expecting either, which landed so perfectly. I didn't know... So, I figured out Merri was the bad person, fine. But I did not know who the big bad was. And so when they summon Ograt, I was just like, "Oh. Oh my."

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

And then the fact that she's kind of interested in Gwen, is like, "I find you interesting. What are you going to do now?" I found that really intriguing, too.

Evelyne Crowe:

And I think that it wasn't like she's like, "Okay, I need a sacrifice." And it wasn't like instantaneously, "Okay, I'm going to kill you now." It was like, "Oh, wait."

Daniella Drake:

Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Ash? My Ash?"

Daniella Drake:

Exactly.

Evelyne Crowe:

"Wait a minute."

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. No, and then she really looks at her and she's like, "Wait, I find you interesting. What are you going to do here? I'm going to give you the opportunity to make your move first. I want to see what happens." And I thought that that was really smart and cool. I really enjoyed that part.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah. It was really, really interesting. And I think that the witches were like, "What is happening?"

Daniella Drake:

Oh, for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

And then they're realizing maybe demons are not the best people to be making bargains with.

Daniella Drake:

Right? You can't count on them. What are you doing? They are not your friends. Yeah, I totally agree.

Evelyne Crowe:

Okay. Okay, okay, okay. But, I may be completely out of pocket here, but we have the story of three sisters in Hoodoo. One is a vampire, one became a witch, and one decided to say, "Fuck everything, I'm just going to stay human."

Daniella Drake:

Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

Does anyone else besides me see a parallel between the three brothers of the Christian Bible who one became this, one became that, and one said, "Fuck everything, I'm going to do my own thing"?

Daniella Drake:

I'm not going to say that we were raised in the same household with the same upbringing, but I definitely noticed that.

Evelyne Crowe:

Just saying-

Daniella Drake:

I thought that was-

Evelyne Crowe:

... I kind of noticed a parallel.

Daniella Drake:

I thought that was quite interesting myself.

Evelyne Crowe:

Because my brain just kind of went, "What?"

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I did the same thing. And I expect that, in the next book, it'll be addressed.

Evelyne Crowe:

There has to be more lore. There has to be. I was craving more lore in this book.

Daniella Drake:

And I kept thinking, because of what opened in the basement with her blood, I was like, "Is that where she's going to find out more about her heritage, maybe, in the basement of the house?" Which would make sense to me.

Evelyne Crowe:

She's staring at this triptych on the wall. There's got to be more. I'm dying for more lore.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. So, I feel like I have to read the next book, just so I can answer those questions. Because I was thinking the same thing, where the parallels were just too parallel. I was like, "What's going on here?"

Evelyne Crowe:

And Ash could not have been the one who killed her mom.

Daniella Drake:

No, there's got to be more information.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

There's got to be something else that happened. Someone was attempting it and he was protecting them, and then there was an accident. I just cannot believe that he was the one that was responsive, like wholly responsible.

Evelyne Crowe:

There is no way he can expect her to love him if he killed her mom. There's just no way. Even if he is a demon.

Daniella Drake:

You don't come back from that.

Evelyne Crowe:

No.

Daniella Drake:

No.

Evelyne Crowe:

And he knows that.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

So, there's got to be more to that story.

Daniella Drake:

I was laughing a little bit, because as I was reading this, I knew that he was a demon, but part of me was like, "What if he's a dragon?" I just really wanted him to be-

Evelyne Crowe:

The story is so wild, it could have been anything.

Daniella Drake:

I was like, what if this just takes a huge left turn, and just does something so crazy?

Evelyne Crowe:

The thing is, the story could have, that's the thing about this book, is at any point it could have.

Daniella Drake:

Right!

Evelyne Crowe:

Kyle showed up.

Daniella Drake:

Right, right!

Evelyne Crowe:

And all of a sudden you're like, "What?"

Daniella Drake:

And is a god?

Evelyne Crowe:

God?

Daniella Drake:

Unexpected. I expected Kyle to be something.

Evelyne Crowe:

Something.

Daniella Drake:

But I did not think that Kyle would be a god.

Evelyne Crowe:

Just, surprise!

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. Loved that. That was an excellent detail. I kind of wish that we got to see a little bit more action from Kyle. Didn't really get to see any godlike anything.

Evelyne Crowe:

Both Ash and Kyle missed all of the action at the end.

Daniella Drake:

All the time. And I don't know. I feel like they were kind of just forgotten about sometimes.

Evelyne Crowe:

It's like, "Oh yeah, these guys are in there."

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. Which I don't mind, because she gets to save herself, which is never a bad thing.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

But also, I like the big baddies that fight and protect. That works for me.

Evelyne Crowe:

You can have them in there.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, let them have their moment.

Evelyne Crowe:

He can stand there and be like, "She can take care of herself. She doesn't need me to take care of her."

Daniella Drake:

Right, and he can just be there and look pretty. What's wrong with that?

Evelyne Crowe:

Not a damn thing. He can look pretty all he wants, I can look at him.

Daniella Drake:

All he wants. That's his prerogative.

Evelyne Crowe:

Mm-hmm. Absolutely.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. So, from reading this book, do you understand what happened fully with Duncan and the murder she was accused of?

Evelyne Crowe:

No.

Daniella Drake:

Me neither.

Evelyne Crowe:

I do know that he was possessed by an evil being.

Daniella Drake:

Yes.

Evelyne Crowe:

I do know that he took his own life, I think? But even that was kind of questionable?

Daniella Drake:

And then he had his journals that he had written questionable things about Gwen in?

Evelyne Crowe:

Mm-hmm.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

So, I think that the next books have to be addressing more of this, because even that was like...

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, it never really got... Not a lot really got wrapped up.

Evelyne Crowe:

We need to learn about her mom's journals.

Daniella Drake:

Yes.

Evelyne Crowe:

We need to know about Duncan's journals.

Daniella Drake:

Yep.

Evelyne Crowe:

There's a lot of lore and more information. That is my biggest critique about this book, is that I needed more information.

Daniella Drake:

There were too many missing pieces.

Evelyne Crowe:

And that's not necessarily a bad thing, because it makes me want to read more of the books. I'm just like, "Okay, more please."

Daniella Drake:

No, I absolutely agree. So, I will probably read the next one, just because I want to get all the answers. I like having it all.

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm just a completionist.

Daniella Drake:

I know. I like having all the answers with a nice little bow.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know! Me too.

Daniella Drake:

But yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

Even the vampires were interesting, and you don't even like vampires.

Daniella Drake:

I know. I thought it was an interesting take on vampires. I thought that having her be raised in that house was an interesting choice. Again, we don't really get the full idea of what that was like for her. We get little bits and pieces here and there. So, I would like to see that.

Evelyne Crowe:

I feel like it was a really good introduction to a urban fantasy world, and that's what it was. It was an introduction to a world, and it was a start to a series.

Daniella Drake:

And now you have to read the rest to really get the full picture. Yeah, I agree.

Evelyne Crowe:

I feel like it's a start of a lot of urban fantasy series. If you look at any of the urban fantasy series that we've read, that's what book one is.

Daniella Drake:

Absolutely. You have to set up a lot of information-

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh, God, yeah.

Daniella Drake:

... before you can really get into the full plot. That's just the way that it works.

Evelyne Crowe:

If you look at Ilona Andrews, it's the same thing, a lot of people are... Magic Bites, if you look at that one, everyone's like, "Oh, it's okay." Because it's a lot of info-dumping.

Daniella Drake:

Seanan McGuire with her October Daye series, that is the same thing, just setting up all of that world.

Evelyne Crowe:

You have so much information you have to give.

Daniella Drake:

Absolutely.

Evelyne Crowe:

So, I think it's very similar to a lot of urban fantasy, that you have to-

Daniella Drake:

Yes. And this one poses enough questions that it doesn't answer that it makes you want to read more to figure it out.

Evelyne Crowe:

Absolutely.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

Absolutely.

Daniella Drake:

So, I would recommend it. I do think that there is an opportunity to tie up some loose ends that-

Evelyne Crowe:

The ghost thing was a little weird.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, the ghost thing is weird.

Evelyne Crowe:

I think that is one. Either take that out or add the solution.

Daniella Drake:

Because I was really looking forward to her ghostly spying, and then she just vanished.

Evelyne Crowe:

I feel like that might be the key to how Carlos ends up at the end?

Daniella Drake:

Oh, maybe. Maybe. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

But I don't know, because we never figure out what happens, so.

Daniella Drake:

Right. Yeah. That would be cool though, wouldn't it?

Evelyne Crowe:

That would be.

Daniella Drake:

They get some kind of ghostly message where it's like, "Go to the Crossroads!" I don't know that that's what happened, but that would be cool. That would be cool. I would be down for that.

Evelyne Crowe:

I was just so annoyed at him, because, "We knew it couldn't be you, because you couldn't do this spell." I'm like, "Then why are you arresting her? Goddamn it."

Daniella Drake:

Right! They just keep arresting her. They arrest her so many times! My dude!

Evelyne Crowe:

Why are you so mean?

Daniella Drake:

Can't you arrest someone else for once? What are you doing?

Evelyne Crowe:

Why are you like this?

Daniella Drake:

Right.

Evelyne Crowe:

Knock it off.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. Yeah, I wanted to shake him a little bit. Also, the jealousy thing between him and Ash. Him and Ash being manly, and trying to out-man-

Evelyne Crowe:

God, I wanted to just-

Daniella Drake:

... each other all the time.

Evelyne Crowe:

... walk away. I just want to turn around and just walk away.

Daniella Drake:

It's just like, "I can't, I can't with you guys right now. It's too much. There's too much testosterone happening."

Evelyne Crowe:

I think Gwendolyn does at some point.

Daniella Drake:

She does.

Evelyne Crowe:

"Whatever."

Daniella Drake:

"I can't."

Evelyne Crowe:

"I can't even. I just can't even, with either of you."

Daniella Drake:

And that's a fair response. That is how I felt too, so...

Evelyne Crowe:

God.

Daniella Drake:

That said, though, the heat between her and Ash was very good.

Evelyne Crowe:

You and your slow burns. You must've enjoyed the fuck out of this.

Daniella Drake:

When they made out in the canned goods section of the supermarket, I was like, "Damn!"

Evelyne Crowe:

Even I was like-

Daniella Drake:

"This is amazing!"

Evelyne Crowe:

"Ooh."

Daniella Drake:

Yeah! And all the women are looking at him, and they're just like, "Oh, who is this man?" I'm like, "Yeah, that's right."

Evelyne Crowe:

So, apparently, there is a novella, and the narrator for the audiobook stories is a friend of mine, and she's like, "You will really like the novella." And now I'm like, "Why?"

Daniella Drake:

Have to read it!

Evelyne Crowe:

"Why will I like the novella?"

Daniella Drake:

I didn't even know there was a novella.

Evelyne Crowe:

It's like a prequel to this story.

Daniella Drake:

Oh, so we'd probably find out what happens in Europe. I assume?

Evelyne Crowe:

And I'm like, "Why will I like it? What happens?"

Daniella Drake:

I assume it's not a slow burn.

Evelyne Crowe:

Why?

Daniella Drake:

No, but they can't have sex, because they talk about how they have it.

Evelyne Crowe:

No, they can't! But now reading this, I'm going, "But they can't have fucking sex?"

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, that would piss you off.

Evelyne Crowe:

You teasing me?

Daniella Drake:

Exactly.

Evelyne Crowe:

Fucking tease.

Daniella Drake:

This sounds more my speed than yours.

Evelyne Crowe:

This whole series sounds like your fucking speed!

Daniella Drake:

This was your pick, man.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know. I don't regret, but at the same time, I'm like, "Goddammit."

Daniella Drake:

I know. I know. But yeah, I don't regret reading it for sure. It was interesting.

Evelyne Crowe:

I love a good urban fantasy.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. It was different, and it was nice. It was kind of nice to get back to a true urban fantasy, which I really enjoyed.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh, I love urban fantasy. It was super fun. Super fun.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I thought it was really fun. Yeah. I liked it.

Evelyne Crowe:

Her sneaking through the secret tunnels, spying on people. And Ash being like, "I know you're there."

Daniella Drake:

Ash was like, "I know you're there and listening. I'm saying this now for your benefit while I'm on the phone."

Evelyne Crowe:

Ash was like, "I'm not stupid. I know you're there." That whole thing was hilarious.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I thought that was really funny.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my God.

Daniella Drake:

There were some really funny moments in this book that made me laugh out loud.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh yeah.

Daniella Drake:

For sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my God.

Daniella Drake:

For sure. Even the opening, where she goes into the bar, the very first thing, and this woman is just trying to pick a fight with her, and she's like, "I don't have time for you. Go away. I don't care."

Evelyne Crowe:

And the thing is, is I'm trying to imagine going in my hometown, walking into a bar, and having someone I haven't seen in 20 years come up to me and try to pick a fight. Oh my God, that's exactly how I would react.

Daniella Drake:

Exactly. No.

Evelyne Crowe:

Why are you here?

Daniella Drake:

It felt so real. It was just like, "Why? Why are we doing... Please go away. I don't care about you at all."

Evelyne Crowe:

The dialogue in this was perfect. It was just perfect.

Daniella Drake:

Yes. Absolutely agree. That was so good.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my God. It was perfect.

Daniella Drake:

It was so good.

Evelyne Crowe:

I love it so much.

Daniella Drake:

And her obsession with her boots.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh God.

Daniella Drake:

She's obsessed with her boots.

Evelyne Crowe:

Her boots.

Daniella Drake:

Every time she loses them, "Where are my boots?"

Evelyne Crowe:

The thing is, is a well broken in pair of boots-

Daniella Drake:

So hard to find. Impossible.

Evelyne Crowe:

Impossible.

Daniella Drake:

Impossible to replace.

Evelyne Crowe:

They fit perfectly and they don't rub. They don't give you blisters.

Daniella Drake:

Yep!

Evelyne Crowe:

People who don't know don't understand.

Daniella Drake:

No, it's true. It is true.

Evelyne Crowe:

But I sound like I live in California.

Daniella Drake:

Listen.

Evelyne Crowe:

Listen.

Daniella Drake:

We have met many interesting people in our lives.

Evelyne Crowe:

And lived and visited many places.

Daniella Drake:

Interesting places.

Evelyne Crowe:

And the pair of well-worn boots is worth its weight in gold.

Daniella Drake:

It's so true, though, because it takes so long to break them in.

Evelyne Crowe:

It really does.

Daniella Drake:

And then you finally do, and they are like heaven. You slip them on and you're just like, "This is perfection."

Evelyne Crowe:

It doesn't matter what they look like. It doesn't matter if they're ugly.

Daniella Drake:

No, absolutely not.

Evelyne Crowe:

They fit your feet-

Daniella Drake:

Absolutely agree.

Evelyne Crowe:

... perfectly.

Daniella Drake:

So, I understood her obsession.

Evelyne Crowe:

Carlos can get bent.

Daniella Drake:

Exactly! Yes. Agreed.

Evelyne Crowe:

God. Carlos can get bent for multiple reasons.

Daniella Drake:

So many reasons. What an ass.

Evelyne Crowe:

God.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

And his deputy or whatever.

Daniella Drake:

His freaking deputy, who I didn't even write his name down, because he pissed me off so much.

Evelyne Crowe:

Seriously.

Daniella Drake:

What the fuck? Go away. No one cares.

Evelyne Crowe:

Mm-mm.

Daniella Drake:

No. No.

Evelyne Crowe:

I was concerned at how little sleep she got, actually, though? She was awake a lot.

Daniella Drake:

I did have that thought, but then I remember that I also wake up for hours-

Evelyne Crowe:

I know.

Daniella Drake:

... in the middle of the night.

Evelyne Crowe:

That did occur to me, and I'm like, "Maybe I don't sleep enough?"

Daniella Drake:

That's what I thought, too! I was like, "Jesus, I need more sleep."

Evelyne Crowe:

Look, perimenopause is hard, okay?

Daniella Drake:

It's so hard! I hate it!

Evelyne Crowe:

It's the worst.

Daniella Drake:

It's the worst.

Evelyne Crowe:

And everyone needs to be nice to people over 40 who are women. Okay?

Daniella Drake:

Yes, we are not sleeping enough.

Evelyne Crowe:

If you have a uterus, be nice to them.

Daniella Drake:

Yes. Even if you don't have a uterus, be nice to them. First of all, we don't have a lot of patience for most things anymore, but also, we are not sleeping enough, and it makes us short-tempered. So, we are a little bit irritable, and maybe don't make sense all the time.

Evelyne Crowe:

And our moods are everywhere.

Daniella Drake:

Everywhere. Oh my God. I cried at a commercial the other day. An ad that I saw on a streaming service that wasn't even an emotional thing. And I started crying. And I was crying and thinking, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Evelyne Crowe:

You don't cry at anything!

Daniella Drake:

It was so stupid. It was so stupid. I was embarrassed. I was by myself, and I was embarrassed. That's how bad it was.

Evelyne Crowe:

So, see, we feel seen by this book.

Daniella Drake:

Yes.

Evelyne Crowe:

So, thank you, Ms. Dupree. We appreciate you.

Daniella Drake:

Nailed it.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yes.

Daniella Drake:

For sure. Yes.

Evelyne Crowe:

Because we also are up at 3:00 AM.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

For no damn reason.

Daniella Drake:

Every freaking morning. That's when I read most of this book.

Evelyne Crowe:

We're up at 3:00 AM and we're horny all the time.

Daniella Drake:

Yep.

Evelyne Crowe:

Sounds about right.

Daniella Drake:

Sounds about right. Nailed it. Yep. Have no patience for people. People start getting into your business and you're like, "Why are you in my business?"

Evelyne Crowe:

No fucks left to give. Okay. Whatever.

Daniella Drake:

No fucks left to give at all. So yeah, I really enjoyed it.

Evelyne Crowe:

No, I would recommend this book to people. 100%. Yeah, it was fun. It was a really unique take on the whole thing. I really enjoyed it.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I liked it. It was different, for sure. It was refreshing to read something that was so different from-

Evelyne Crowe:

Everything.

Daniella Drake:

... a lot of the books that I've read, yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. So, props.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. Props. Props to you, Reggi Dupree.

Evelyne Crowe:

Another reason to read diversely. Get out of your comfort zone.

Daniella Drake:

Also, can I just say that Reggi Dupree is the best author name ever.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my God.

Daniella Drake:

That is such a perfect author name.

Evelyne Crowe:

I love it.

Daniella Drake:

I love it. I think it's so good. It just rolls off the tongue.

Evelyne Crowe:

Reggi Dupree.

Daniella Drake:

Reggi Dupree.

Evelyne Crowe:

It's perfect.

Daniella Drake:

Ah, love it. Makes me think of weeping willows, and I don't know. I love it. I think it's great.

Evelyne Crowe:

No, it works perfectly for this series.

Daniella Drake:

Oh, for sure. You could not pick a better name for this series.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know!

Daniella Drake:

It's so good.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know!

Daniella Drake:

So good. Also, Return to Hoodoo is a great name for a book.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my God. The town's name is Hoodoo.

Daniella Drake:

I know.

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm like, "What?"

Daniella Drake:

I cannot. I cannot with this. Yeah. Yeah. So-

Evelyne Crowe:

Chef's kiss.

Daniella Drake:

Chef's kiss.

Evelyne Crowe:

Everything.

Daniella Drake:

Everything.

Evelyne Crowe:

Everything. I loved it.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my God.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. Absolutely agree. So, what are we reading next?

Evelyne Crowe:

So, we're going from Return to Hoodoo, and we're going from Texas, hot, humidity, still pretty wealthy, but fairly low-

Daniella Drake:

Middle class.

Evelyne Crowe:

... class seeming to billionaires in New York, and we're reading King of Wrath by Ana Huang.

Daniella Drake:

Oh, boy. It's going to be a different experience than this one was, for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

Now, I love an arranged marriage. It's one of my favorite tropes ever. So, I'm very excited.

Daniella Drake:

Really? That's one of your favorite tropes?

Evelyne Crowe:

I love a forced proximity, like arranged marriage thing.

Daniella Drake:

Okay. Yeah, that's fair. That's fair. I do like a forced proximity.

Evelyne Crowe:

And that's what an arranged marriage is, essentially, is a forced proximity.

Daniella Drake:

That's true. That's true. I never really thought about it, because I don't read as much romance as you, but that makes sense. That makes sense. Okay. Okay. Join us next time for King of Wrath, and I am Daniella Drake.

Evelyne Crowe:

And I'm Evelyne Crowe.

Announcer:

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