When the Night Falls (aka Skin of the Night 2nd Edition) by C.K. Bennett

In chapter 50, Torry (she/her) recaps When the Night Falls (previously named Skin of the Night 2nd Edition) by C.K. Bennett (11:09). Then she gets into her Internet Investigation, Wonder Whys, Gripes and Grumbles, Side Character Spotlight, and Sequel Scoop (1:08:57).

Spoiler Warning: While we explore When the Night Falls/Skin of the Night in detail, rest assured that there won't be any spoilers in the episode beyond this book.

Leave a voicemail question or comment for Torry to include in a future episode. Suggest a book here.

Follow Torry on Instagram, Letterboxd, and GoodReads. Check out Torry’s pop culture podcast: Ready to Be Petty. Subscribing and leaving a rating helps us find new listeners! Thank you.

Music by Simon Tebbenham.

Episode Transcript

(00:19):
Welcome to Ready to Be Romanced.I'm Tori and today we're
discussing Skin of the Night. It is the 50th episode and I
decided as a little treat to myself for making it for 50
episodes. Which is funny because like this
really seemed like a labor of love just because each episode I
am essentially reading a book. So it's like each episode takes

(00:42):
20 plus hours to make. And my other podcast, I have
over probably 400 episodes, but again, making it to 50 on this
one feels really special to me. And so yeah, I decided to do my
favorite book and I decided to do it so low because I truly
just couldn't fathom having a discussion with someone who

(01:05):
didn't like the book. So like, sometimes I'll ask
guests to come on and sometimes they suggest the book.
Sometimes we're just covering something that's really popular.
Neither of us have read it or one of us has read it or
whatever. But I generally like don't know
what their opinions are. And no one I know has really
read this book. It's actually kind of an indie.

(01:28):
It's an indie author. It was a pretty self published I
believe. And it did go, it had a moment
on TikTok where it went viral. That's how I found out about it
through book talk. But it is not by any means a
mainstream book. So no one I knew had read it.
So I was like, I would be askingthem to read it.

(01:50):
I very vocally have been on thispodcast and on Instagram so and
said that this is my favorite book.
And I was just worried that someone that I suggested it to
wouldn't like it. And then we would be like
debating points that I didn't want to debate.
So I decided I'll do it myself. It'll be the 50th episode and

(02:10):
here we are. I know I said that I was going
to, I was trying to make it to 50 before the spring, but then
just personal stuff happened andended up recording the last like
4:00-ish episodes over the summer.
Now I'm going on vacation, so I want, I really wanted to get 50
episodes out and then I'll be back in November, I believe.

(02:32):
I think I and it's always so fucking annoying when podcasters
say like literally, I've been podcasting for seven years.
So annoying when people say we'll be back at this time and
then they aren't. So my apologies.
And also so funny. I've been podcasting for so long
and I'm just completely blowing some of the like core tenets of
podcasting, which is like you show up at the time that you

(02:55):
said you would every week. So you are in someone's routine.
All of that to say that I'll be back in November with episode
51. OK, let's get into it.
Spoiler warning, we will be discussing Skin of the Night,
but not anything that comes after that.
So it is a book written by CK Bennett and it was first

(03:16):
published in spring 2021, but since then, CK has published a
second edition in September 2022.
Some of the dates are like even a little bit murky, but
basically she is an author that was writing on Wattpad under the

(03:37):
pen name Claire D Bennett. And she had put out the series
The Night series. And then she had also put out
Memento Mori, which is also a really good book.
And then I saw Whispers online when I was doing my Internet
investigation. Spoiler alert did she put out
another duet called The FacelessMan?

(03:59):
And I why I'm saying this in such a vague way is because her
website and stuff doesn't exist anymore.
She hasn't posted on Instagram in years.
And basically what happened was she published the first book and
then a lot of people she said was was they were

(04:21):
misinterpreting some of Will's behavior, like the jealousy that
he had and stuff, and some of his pursuit of her didn't seem
fair or something like that. So she edited it and published
the second edition in September 2022.
I thought because I had the first, I had read the first

(04:44):
edition of the book. I thought that I had that on my
Kindle still, but for some reason I cannot find it in my
files at all. So I have this second edition
which we're going to be talking about today.
But if anybody has a hard copy or an ebook of the 1st edition,
I would like love, love, love itbecause I am partial to the 1st

(05:05):
edition, probably just because Iread it first.
But yeah, there is some also maybe confused, confusing things
online because the book was called Skin of the Night and
then it changed to When the Night falls and then the second
book was called Into the night, but then it was changed to Heart
of the Night. So a lot going on, but I feel

(05:27):
like that is just kind of like the Watt Paddy self published
work, right? Like that kind of makes sense to
me and it's kind of fun. Also the fluidity.
And like I, I find that too as an indie podcaster, like you do
have some, some more or just like less rigid things that you
have to fall like follow. And I, I like that about this.

(05:49):
I am a little worried. That she's going to.
Listen to this So just because we have interacted before, she
used to be really active on Instagram and lots of people
would send her messages and stuff like that and she would
reply as well as she asked for beta readers for the second
edition of the second book. And I applied and then my sister

(06:11):
is totally fine now. But at the time she had gotten
into a really bad car accident. So most of 2024 people might not
know this, but I was not well because my sister was not well.
And I think I had some late episodes around that time, but I
was still way more consistent than I than I am now.
But anyways, I just had so much personal stuff going on that I

(06:36):
wasn't able to read it and give my opinions on it.
And it's like, I want her to like me so bad because just
because when you have a favoritebook, I just feel like it.
And that's when it means so muchto you.
You just, I don't know, you wantthe person to like you, I guess.
It very much reminds me of Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift
because they obviously had a falling out and Olivia Rodrigo

(06:59):
used to be the biggest Taylor's fan.
I always just think nowadays, like it probably sucks and it
probably is painful to listen tosome of her favorite music
because they ended up getting toknow each other and then had a
falling out. And I know that that is
obviously not the case since we've had like literally 2 text
exchanges, but I don't know. You just never want that from

(07:21):
people that you admire. So before we get to the recap,
why is Skin of the Night my favorite book?
I really like a lot of concepts of it.
So I read obviously mostly romance and a lot of romance, a
lot of it is really plot driven versus like narrative driven.

(07:42):
This book is very narrative driven.
Actually quite worried about howthis episode is going to turn
out because it's so narrative driven that when we recap the
plot points of the story, not much actually happens.
And a lot of it is so much turmoil within the characters
that I feel like is going to be maybe just a little bit harder

(08:04):
to explain. But it's very much the summer I
turn pretty and I feel like we're missing that in in S3.
Like I do feel like we're missing some of Belly's inner
thoughts. That's what makes the book
really special. So I am a little nervous about
that, but it just feels so normal compared to a lot of

(08:24):
romance novels. It seems very honestly
realistic. Like I just think it's very
grounded in reality. I think like the characters mess
up, they make up, they, you know, stutter, they say the
wrong thing, they make some bad decisions.
And I do think that and like they have, they have negative
emotions like jealousy and stufflike that.

(08:46):
And I do think that obviously some aspects of those are in
lots of romance novels, but I'm just finding a lot of the ones
that I have been reading maybe as of lately are the ones that
are mainstream. They seem, even if they are of
this world, they seem like such fantasy.
It's like. Well, you wouldn't.

(09:06):
You wouldn't say that or this wouldn't turn out so perfect or
you to be honest, the guy wouldn't act like unfortunately
it's a guy written by a woman, right?
And I know that's the case here,but I do think it is just really
grounded in reality. So I really appreciated that.
It seems like it would it would be a story that happened to me

(09:28):
or my friends. And then the other thing that I
like about it is like the characters.
So she Cara's like inability to be vulnerable or like be like
taking care of in this way, I think is really relatable the
way that they've like seen otherpeople and have had other
experiences. That's another thing that
happens sometimes in romance novels.

(09:48):
It's like really trying to be the soulmate or like, this is
the one person and stuff like that.
And yes, that is the case in this book, but it seemed it
again, feels a lot more realistic when you find the
partner that you want to marry versus like some of the other
books that I've read on this podcast.

(10:09):
And then, yeah, like I mentionedbefore, there are differences
from the 1st edition to the second edition.
We're reviewing the second edition very much.
A lot of the jealousy stuff cameout to me.
It was Will really gives Edward Cullen.
So I feel like you can really see some of those like that

(10:29):
archetype in Will. So I think that you can really
see that it's really banter heavy and I feel like I talk on
this podcast all the time about loving the banter and the in
jokes and like flirting that's teasing and stuff.
And then my ex was a lawyer and this features 2 lawyers and I

(10:49):
feel like that some something inme has a type.
And when I first read this book,I think it was the first book, I
was like, wow, this like male lead is just right up my alley.
Like truly, truly. OK, enough chitchat.
Let's get into it. So it's April 2019 and we meet

(11:12):
our FMC Kara and she's out for drinks with her best friend Livy
and they're at a bar called Disrepute in London and they are
on the hunt for deck. Like after Livy, I'd broken up
with her long term boyfriend Colin and they are both third
year law students at UCL. And, and I know that obviously

(11:37):
Canada has different barrister and solicitor things and
different schooling. Like in Canada, you have to get
your undergrad first before you get your JD.
It seems like that's not the case here because they're about
21 and they're in their third year.
This is like their, it's their law degree, but it would I think
be kind of like an undergrad. And they're both very serious

(11:59):
about school and they are graduating this year.
So that's another thing. It's a three-year program, which
again, very rarely happens in Canada.
They're out on the prowl for some men, which I really
respect. And I do feel like maybe those
bars where I live that are like,OK, a lot of like cops frequent
this, which like the OR a lot oflike firefighters work here

(12:22):
better. But I feel like I've never heard
of a place that like is very like, oh, the lawyers hang out
here. So it's like, let's start.
Let's start sharing that information because this is the
perfect place if you're in a spying lawyer to pick yourself
up a lawyer boyfriend. So they finally see 2 hot men

(12:46):
that they can approach and Liviais into one that ends up being
Will and Cara is into the other one.
So she's like, I'm happy to wingwoman you.
I'm going to talk. I'll try to chat up the other
one so you can speak to the one that you like.
They approach them ballsy, so impressive.
And Cara gets this like really rude reply from who we will find

(13:12):
out as well. So what basically had happened
was Andy and Will were kind of in a deep conversation about how
Andy broke up with his long termgirlfriend because she wants
kids and he doesn't know that ifhe's ready, he wants that.
And so when these girls interrupt, clearly on the prowl,

(13:35):
they're like, fuck, we're tryingto like, talk about something
intimately. I also really love that this
book showcases really like, beautiful friendships between
men because I think that's so important for men.
Like, I would want my future boyfriend to have good
relationships with other men. Because a lot of times you see

(13:59):
women like in hetero relationships, the woman ends up
being the sole support system, the only friend, the only person
providing an accountability or asking for accountability from
from these men. I just love that Will has a
really solid group of guy friends and he's really good

(14:21):
friends with his brother Jason. So I really like that.
And they have real conversationsabout life that they're not
going to dump all the emotional labor on their partner.
So he's like you're interruptingand she at first is stunned
because he looks really familiarand obviously big spoiler alert.

(14:44):
But that's because and it's so funny.
I'm so dumb like the first time reading this, I never would have
clocked this. But it's because he is the
brother of her friend and futureflat meet Jason.
So that's why he looks familiar to her.
So she immediately she's shockedand she goes have we met?
And then Will is like, Oh my God, that's like such a classic

(15:07):
pick up line. Like, have we met somewhere
before? And she goes in, she has
absolutely no time for this man.And this is really funny thing.
And I like these types of men that are like, OK, yeah, like
give it to me. And remember when I met my
sister's current boyfriend? Hopefully not.

(15:29):
And he was describing the first time that he had met her and
that basically she said something kind of rude to him.
And he was like, oh, I like, love this.
And so I thought that this was really fun.
And he is just really impressed at how quick witted and sharp,
but like cuts like a knife that Cara is.

(15:50):
So they go back to their table, the girlies, they lick their
wounds. And when it's time to get
another drink from the bar, Livygoes up and the men and Dean
will are like, we're so sorry. We were like in the midst of a
deep conversation. You guys kind of caught us off
guard. We're not.
We weren't here with the purposeof meeting people.

(16:15):
So we just kind of overreacted and we'll buy you a drink as an
apology. So Livia brings back 2 drinks
and Care refuses to drink it. She's like, why would I placate
these boys, Make them feel better?
But what they did because they were fucking Dicks.
So she's like, I'm going up to the bar and buying my own drink,
which is like actually like feellike something that I would do.

(16:38):
I'd be like on principle, I'm not drinking this.
But also I was like, you're kindof cringe because you obviously
it's like, I think the thing to be the winner in this situation
is to look unbothered. And she just looks obviously so
bothered. So she goes up to the bar and

(16:59):
will intercept her again and insist on buying her her drink.
So then they go back to the table and Will and Andy saddle
up and they she has like 4 drinks in front of her.
He really apologizes and explainwhat's happening and he's just
obviously very amused by Cara. She at one point is like, I feel

(17:20):
like you're like getting off on this argument almost.
And he's like, yeah, it's true. And she's like super shocked at
his, just at how forward he is. And again, this is something I
love, love, love, love so much about Will is he is really
direct. And I'm not even talking about
in the crude sense, but like he truly just like shares what's on

(17:43):
his mind and like, I just feel like it's so opposite of me.
I just feel like I never say what's on my own or like I do,
but I don't, I don't, I do in a lot of situations and I and I
don't in a lot of situations, but I do feel like when people
are saying what's on their mind and it feels vulnerable,
obviously they're like embarrassed or whatever.

(18:05):
And he just says what's on his mind in a way that it's like
this is what's happening. This is like a fact.
It's not devoid of emotion though.
It's, it's just like, this is the way it is.
And I really, really like that about him.
And so he is fishing for Kara's name.
He's really intrigued by her. And so she says, my name is

(18:26):
Cassandra, or you can call me Sandra.
And so like I said, they go backto their table.
She is like, by the way, my nameisn't Kara.
It's Sandra. And Livia's just like, oh, fuck.
OK. And I, like, love this because
it is kind of funny that they'redoing this with, like, hot
prospects. But like, it's so fun to go to a

(18:49):
bar with girls and like, with your girlies and you put on a
fake accent or you just, like, fully lie about everything in
your life or whatever. I wouldn't do that with, like,
these hot, obviously sophisticated men.
But it's like, it's so fun goingto a bar and just being, like,
an absolute hooligan, just having a little bit of fun.
So Livi's like, Will is obsessedwith you.

(19:11):
And yeah, I'll go along with thecharade that your name is
Sandra. So the guys ask what the girls
do and Libby's like well I am a UCL student and Carol lies and
says that she's a Med student inEdinburgh and she thinks that
this is a good excuse because Jason, her friend and future
flatmate and Will's brother is aMed student.

(19:34):
So she's like, I feel like I could fake enough for this to
look real. And Will again, like he like he
calls her stunning and he's likequite forward, not in a creepy
way, but like quite forward and very clear that he wants to
sleep with her. And she's so shook because he's
so crude, I guess again, but it's not in it's not in a way

(19:57):
that like he wants to be crass or like uncouth or something
like that. It's just, it's just for him
and. Just feels like it's like, well
this is just the way it is. Andy and Livvy leave to buy more
drinks but I feel like they alsowanted to give these two some
time by themselves and will justask her to come back to his
apartment and she declined. She's like well I'm visiting

(20:19):
Livvy and I don't want to bail her.
Like my purpose is bail on her. My purpose is to hang out with
her. She thought was a very good
excuse and kind of true. She was there to console Livy,
to hype her up, to be on the prowl, so ditching her would
seem rude. Also we hate those girls that
just do that. And and like he's just so smart

(20:41):
at reading situations. He like immediately clocks that
Cara was actually initially attracted to Andy and he just, I
feel like reads the situation ina way that is accurate.
The only thing that he doesn't know is that she's lying about
everything, but at one point he turns her face and he holds the

(21:02):
drink up to her lips and tells her to finish it.
Which like she explains it as like one of the most erotic
things that have ever happened to her.
Very reminiscent. I thought of the Peach scene in
the summer it turned pretty, where Conrad wipes Peach juice
off of Belly's face with his shirt, him holding like a

(21:26):
martini glass up to her lips. And then like watching her
drink. It does feel like so erotic.
And then he has to kiss her and then he kisses her.
So it's a very cute see, I really liked it.
And it's so funny because she's like drinking.
And then she's like, and he's like, slow down Sandra.
Like I like my women like coherent.

(21:47):
I don't know. It's very, very cute.
So they decide to leave. They get Andy and Livy's
approval and they're walking to his apartment and Cara's like,
no, I am being a bad friend. So.
And this is the other thing. Like Will is definitely
persistent and he's definitely doing the chasing.

(22:08):
And I think that's also something that I really like is
that he just seems so clear on what he wants.
But when Cara is like, I feel like I'm being a bad friend,
he's like, OK, let's call her like, let's talk this out.
Like they talk about it. And again, lay out like the
facts of the situation. And I really also like that

(22:30):
about him. Like nothing that she says, I
think that changes at some pointin the book, but like at this
point, nothing that she says seems like unreasonable and
stuff. And I really like that.
So Libby's like, no, you're all good.
And she's like, it's definitely friend vibes with Andy.
But I'm having a good time, so go ahead, call me when you get

(22:51):
home and so will and care. I'll walk back to his apartment
and he's in this really, really posh apartment, or flat, should
I say. They go up to the top floor
because he lives in the penthouse of the and he starts
kissing her in the hallway once they get into the inside of the
apartment and he lifts her up onthe two shoulders, which this

(23:13):
part is like so crazy to me. I've seen this in like I've seen
I've obviously like seen this. I can't believe I've seen this a
lot. I've obviously like seen this in
some like porn scenes. I've definitely heard it
described in books where the guyhe seems like a lean, like he's
definitely over 6 foot. I think he's described in the

(23:34):
book, but he seems lean to me. He works out at the gym a lot,
but I don't see him like, as, like a bulky guy.
And she also really likes working out.
So again, I see her as like, more of a muscular, in shape
girl, not like a really frail, skinny girl.
So he, yeah, lifts her up and, like, pushes her against the
wall, but she's on a shoulder. Please.

(23:57):
This is how I interpret it. And I always just think that's
so crazy because I just, I thinkit's like, I just live in like
such a tiny apartment. Like if anyone ever did that to
me. Maybe would not.
Be able to lift me up my head would like hit my roof
basically. But anyways, love that for her.

(24:17):
And he like starts going down onher.
It's like really good. He's like really trying to make
this pleasurable for her, which is also obviously something
that's really important in romance novels.
After that, he takes her into his dining room and he lays her
out on the table. She's like gripping the side of
the table and her body's like over the dining room table, so

(24:39):
her butt's like off of it. And then he fucks her and she is
like, there's a point because they're like, we need to wear
condoms obviously and practice safe sex.
And there's a point where she like basically doesn't even feel
him put the condom on, which he does off the and it's just
because she's like so blissed out from all the orgasms that
he's giving her, which is multiple obviously again.

(25:02):
And so he takes her to his bedroom after this and keeps
fucking her by the way. And he hasn't come yet.
This is also crazy. They have like marathon sex.
So she is like orgasming multiple times and he like is
delaying his orgasm by like stopping and like giving her

(25:23):
head and like stuff like that. And we hear more about this at
the end of the book. But this is also crazy.
And I never understood how I guess guys could be so in
control of this. And also I just felt this is so
damn. I just feel like a lot of guys
are like really like 1 and done or like.
And I've only ever been with oneperson that has like almost like

(25:46):
planned it out so he could either come multiple time or
hold off his orgasm for a reallylong time.
And I just think that is like socrazy.
But that's him. Like he's putting like
forethought into this. He really wants to make it good
for his partner. And he's like definitely
dominant. But like, I wouldn't say he's
necessarily like dominant in a kinky way.

(26:09):
He's just like a more dominant person.
Like he's like calling the shotsof like what what positions
they're in and stuff like that. But it's not necessarily like
restraining or pain per SE, eventhough I do think he likes
spanks her. Anyways, she falls asleep,
obviously she is spent. And when she wakes up in the
morning, he's made her breakfastand she gets to shower and she

(26:32):
gets a little shirt from him andstuff like that.
And he calls her a cab. And during this breakfast a she
eats his like omelette or whatever.
And it's like, this is also likereminiscent of of something I've
had before. And it's because obviously Jason
has made her eggs. And then they kind of have
another frank conversation. He's like, I want to see you

(26:52):
again. I know that you live out of
town, but you're not that far away.
So I could come see you or something like that.
Or whenever you come here to seeLivvy, we could see each other.
She's just like, no, that's not going to work.
I'm really dedicated to my studies.
And boy, does he learn that later on in the book.
And he's he's upset that it's a one time thing, but he you know,

(27:14):
he says his piece and then lets her go.
He says something like one of myfavorite banter lines.
I think again in like Ben Tire. Then like all of the books I've
ever read. I think like recent from Akadar
had some really good lines too. But there's a moment where
they're having sex and she says something I think that he really

(27:37):
likes. And he says something like like,
who are you? And she says I could be whoever
you want me to be for, for tonight or whatever.
And then he says, he says like mine, like, I don't know.
It sounds so lame when I say it,but it's one of my favorite
lines because I know they're talking about.
I think she wants to go down on him or something like that.

(27:59):
And, and he's like, are you likethe devil?
Like just, he's like, you're going to fuck me up because you
don't like this is so perfect. And we're never going to do this
again. And so this this conversation
ensues. And it's like both romantic, but
like hot and vulnerable, but nottoo much.
And yeah, it really does something for me.
The next scene is when they're at uni and we meet Aaron, which

(28:24):
is 1 of Livian. Cara's classmates actually know
it. It's so funny.
I call her Cara, obviously because I'm Canadian, but I bet
it's Cara, which is so funny because I always just think it's
Cara. But in I feel like in England it
would be Cara. But anyways, Livi and Kara are
with their classmate Aaron. Aaron is someone that she sleeps

(28:46):
with casually. But for the past three years.
This is one of the things that Ijust talked about this in the
deep end episode that I did. But like, sometimes it's
frustrating when the characters are like so obtuse about things
like she's like, I don't have feelings for this guy.
And it's it's clear, it's clear for her that she doesn't have
feelings, but she's so shook when he has feelings for her.

(29:07):
And it's like, I just don't understand how you could not
only sleep with somebody for three years, but be their
friend, which friendship has a lot of characteristics of a
romantic relationship. And be surprised when this is
something more because it's likeyou literally hang out with his
mom. Like you go for dinner at his

(29:28):
mom's house. So it's like a little bit
obtuse, but anyways, she is always talking about how easy it
is with Aaron even says that to will like because they both are
talking about how they don't really do one night stands and
it's because they have casual partners.
But she says it's almost like air, like it's just so part of
her routine at this point. And they're all studying.

(29:49):
And Carrie gets an e-mail from Day and Night, which is the law
firm that she's going to be doing an internship app.
And it's also Jason. So Jason nights dad like it's
his dad's firm. So she is like fully, she's
like, I guess not a Neppo baby, but like using her connections
to get a internship over the summer.

(30:11):
And she gets an e-mail from themsaying that a paralegal at the
firm is going on mat leave and they want her to extend her
placement to cover for this person.
And so she's like, stoked on this.
They're heading out. And Aaron's like, do you want to
like, go hook up? And she says no because she's
like, well, I'm moving this coming weekend.

(30:33):
But the truth is, is that she just actually doesn't want to
have sex with him because she had sex with Will.
And their arrangement allows that.
But she feels emotionally conflicted.
And she's really conflicted at this point because Aaron and
her, yeah, have this communication.
But she says in the last three years, he's never mentioned

(30:55):
another person. And she has mentioned very few.
And this is the first time that it has, like, impeded their type
of relationship. She says.
Just like how she so rarely saysno to him.
Yeah. So she moves in with Jason and
then she heads to day and Night to sign her contract.

(31:18):
And we meet Jason and Will's dad, John, and they're walking
up to Will's office and John's like, so you're going to meet
your new boss. He has more bark than bite.
Like you'll do fine, but he can be like a little bit cold or
like whatever. And by the way, it's like
Jason's older brother and stuff like that.
And we meet again, William. Obviously she is like.

(31:42):
Fucking shook to her. Core he's pissed because he is
in real time finding out that she completely lied to him.
They have this moment where like, it's so obvious that they
know each other, that they're like.
Have we met before in front of John and it?
I feel like it becomes almost like a inside joke.

(32:04):
And he is pissed because, yeah, she's lying.
And he's like, I could have met you like, you were under my nose
this whole time. Like you've been friends with
Jason for years. I could have met you earlier.
And I think that, like, that again, is like, that is such a
sweet sentiment. And I feel like a lot of people
that meet later in life, this bitch is 20 months and not

(32:26):
necessarily in this case, but are like, I wish I met you
earlier. And that's the case.
Very cute. And she's like, OK, I got to
quit this internship. This is so inappropriate and I
could never do that. And he's like, I'll behave.
This will be detrimental to yourcareer because you won't get
another placement this late in the game.
And this because we're like a really good law firm and I'm a

(32:47):
really good lawyer. This will be only a plus to your
career. So she gets the contract and
while she's reading it at her desk, Andy walks by.
Cuz he also fucking works there of course, and has to pretend
not to know her, which is reallyfunny.
And then she goes back into his office to give him the signed

(33:08):
contract and he says something inappropriate about her.
But. Because she has like.
A really good bud that gets commented on the whole book.
It's so fucking random and so weird.
I do think that this is a littlebit of the CK Bennett like IRL
treatment A she's a law student or maybe a current lawyer and BI

(33:28):
feel like she has post a lot on her Instagram about working out
a lot. So I feel like this is a little
bit of her in Cara, but she's like, OK, this is a mistake.
Like you can't behave like you said you would.
But then she event again, eventually agrees to to stay on.

(33:50):
And she's like, can we just keepthis between us though?
Like, I really don't want you totell Jason.
And he's like, yeah, that's fine.
That's like fair. But by the way, like I do hang
out with him and I do have like a close relationship with him.
So Kara heads back to her apartment and Jason's like
asking about how it went with Will and it just.
This is the start of many lies obviously.

(34:13):
So Friday comes along and Cara is assembling some furniture in
her new room in Jason's apartment and Will just lets
himself in because he has a key and they watch all the Chelsea
games together and she thinks it's Jason.
So she like is yelling and like I'm going to make us dinner and
like blah blah blah blah. Then she finds out it's him and

(34:35):
she is shook and he flirts with her like so openly.
He like helps her with making her wardrobe.
And Jason comes home eventually and they all hang out.
But at this time Aaron interrupts.
He calls her and it's like superclear that he's calling her to

(34:56):
ask her to go have sex and Will gets jealous again.
So Kara goes back like she declines.
She says I'm busy, goes back to her bedroom to finish her
wardrobe, and because she's obsessed with but not willing
to, not willing haha to admit itto herself, she leaves the door

(35:19):
open so she can hear them talk. Jason asks.
If Will is going to go to Violet's.
Who Cara met a day and night so another lawyer and it's the
person that will casually sleepswith and she is also jealous and
then he also mentions another woman I believe it's Francesca,

(35:40):
who he also at some point was casually sleeping with.
He admits that he had met this girl at on Friday at distress,
disrepute or whatever the fuck. Her name's Sandra and he's quite
hung up on her. And Jason, I feel like is a

(36:00):
little bit surprised by that because Will had a previous
partner named Kate when he was in law school, I believe, or
like doing his master's or something like that.
And it just seems like it's not very easy.
Like he doesn't get hung up on people a lot.
I don't even think he was reallyseemingly that hung up on Kate.
So. When Will goes to leave, he

(36:23):
stops by Cara's room and says bye and it's obvious to him that
she was listening. This is again very much reminds
me of Edward Cullen because he Edward Cullen in Twilight.
He can't read Bella's thoughts, but he can hear conversations

(36:43):
that Bella is having with her classmates.
And so when she gets asked aboutEdward and stuff like that, she
says things about him that she knows that he will hear.
And I'm going to read you. It switches to Wills POV at this
point and I'm going to read you a quote from him because I read
this a million times. I've read this book a million
times. This is also very Edward coded.

(37:05):
But I just love and I, I feel like this was something that
maybe people actually didn't like in the 1st edition.
But, and I, I, I could see how people could not like this.
But I love this quote so much. Think it really explains Will's
character. And again, it just shows the
beauty of this narrative driven book.
OK so the chapter is Chapter 11 and it's called Hunt of a

(37:29):
Lifetime and it's wills POV 1 cannot choose with whom to fall
in love. It is entirely primal and has
been ruled by instincts as long as humankind has existed.
Had I been a victim of the delusion that we had such a
thing as free will, I would havebelieved that you could only
choose whether to pursue or not,But I wasn't.

(37:51):
I knew full well that my reaction to her existence was
embedded in my DNA and that it was encoded in my genes, that I
would pursue her despite her rejection.
However, I was a strategic type of suitor, the calculating kind.
Someone even say cunning. Unlike those who went straight
for the kill, I preferred to lure my target into my web.

(38:14):
In order to do that, I had to know my prey, how it operated,
how it thought, how it could be seduced and finally overcome.
Indeed, the beginning of love isvery much a hunt, thrilling,
rapacious, and utterly instinctual.
All at once. The brain and the body have
turned toward one person. The senses have sharpened to

(38:35):
perceive even the slightest signof their existence.
However, when falling in love, you never recognize it at the
very moment it happens. In retrospect, it's easy to
identify the moment which triggered the realization, but
one cannot recognize it in the exact moment when love first
begins to manifest. Because of that, I was entirely

(38:57):
unaware of just how profound my feelings were on the verge of
becoming. In fact, as I glanced at Cara
across the gym, I thought all I was guilty of was fleeting
interest or rude curiosity that was based on primitive
reproductive urges. I hadn't realized that the
process had begun, that with each second that ticked by, I

(39:19):
was gradually losing myself and her, that my sense of self was
slowly waning to create room forher in favor of her.
Instead, I was under the impression that I was mainly
looking to sway her mind to repair my bruised ego.
I was bitter that she hadn't found my offer sufficient
enough, bitter that she had beenable to remain sensible despite

(39:42):
my ardent efforts to stir romanticisms in her.
And I was bitter that she didn'tseem as as preoccupied with me
as I was with her. I simply hadn't grasped that how
I reacted to her soft voice delivering sharp remarks was a
sign of love manifesting, that her seductive eyes and the total
fire they contained had instead lured me into the heat.

(40:06):
Nor did I at the time fathom thereason.
I would gladly have made a fool of myself merely for the chance
to hear her laugh. Oblivious to the truth, I
mistook genuine affection for aninjured ego and assumed it was
only my vanity that urged me to change her mind.
I had no idea that it was the prelude to love.

(40:28):
I was convinced that if I managed to change her verdict
about us, I would finally be able to exercise her constant
presence in my thoughts. I was aware it was cynical
motivation, but to spare my sanity, I considered it a
necessary evil. However, I was so contemplating
which route to take in order to achieve my goal.

(40:48):
Thus far, I had settled on the tactic of trying to be friend,
my foe, because if I did, I could perhaps locate her
weakness and eventually exploit it.
The trouble was that I never encountered an enemy quite so
strong before. She seemed impossible to read,
like she existed in a language entirely foreign to me.
There was a mystery to her, likethe suspense of a tale I had

(41:11):
never heard before and couldn't predict the end of.
She was whole all on her own, and frankly, I admired her for
that. She didn't need anyone but
herself, much less me. She wore her independence like
armor, and it protected her to afault.
So then, how does one defeat an enemy boasting such a brilliant
defense? The Trojan way, I supposed.

(41:35):
I would have to trick her into letting me past her walls, and
once inside I would make them crumble, 1 by 1, until only she
remained. Then at last, my mind would be
free of her, my ego restored. Perhaps the extent of my
determination should have encouraged me to suspect that
something about my fascination with her was beyond the
ordinary. Had I truly not cared for her,

(41:58):
then her rejection wouldn't haveinjured me as badly as it had.
But I didn't suspect. Instead, I had gone blind and
was desperately groping in the dark.
I love that this is when they goto the gym together.
At this point. I was like, OK, guys, like,
she's going to be working for you in a little while.
Why, Jason, are you suggesting that they all work out at the

(42:18):
gym? Like, I do kind of feel like
it's inappropriate for a workplace.
But then I also think it's like some places are just like that,
or maybe. It's different, a different
culture there than it is here. But I'm like that's loke crazy
and he flirts with her again. He really likes to rile her up.
And I think that's another thingthat I that I like because I

(42:40):
feel like I am often the one riled up.
And after they work out, Jason and will are in the locker room
and a man makes a comment again about Kara's ass because
apparently her ass is fucking and will like threatens to fight
him. And Jason is like really taken
back by this because he why would he like, threaten to fight

(43:04):
this person? And so they get out of the
locker room and Jason tells Karawhat happened and Will goes on
this like. Feminist.
A little bit of a. Feminist rant and she is kind of
surprised but impressed and confused.
So later that night they had to the night household for dinner
and Kara comes along and I guesslike, it's not weird because

(43:28):
they're family friends, but it is kind of weird.
And this is just how books like books are.
And I guess like when you think this happened a lot in Pumpkin
Spice Cafe or whatever. But like, I guess also when you
meet someone and they're now in your orbit, you I guess just run
into them more often. But it's like she's been friends

(43:49):
with Jason for years enough to like move in with him, but she's
never met the, I think the parents and the and Will the
brother. Like that kind of seems weird to
me if they all live in London, but they ask her if she's dating
someone. She gives the party line that
her studies are the most important thing.

(44:10):
Will is kind of realizing that he's falling in love, but she's
so dead set on her studies that he's never going to change her
mind. So he is like completely zoned
out, but he apologizes and just says there's stuff going on at
work that's tough, but I'll snapout of it.
And then we move on to Kara's POV and it's the exam period and

(44:34):
they're all studying for their final exams.
Will Instagram messages Kara, which is like low key kind of
crazy because like, obviously that's not super appropriate.
He didn't like really ask, but like, how else is he going to
contact her? But should he even contact her?
Kind of weird I would be stoked because obviously she loves him

(44:54):
but like I could see where this if is actually if this is an
unwanted suitor how you wouldn'twant this to happen.
But she's like I'm screwed because I can tell that I like
him. I'm waiting on all his responses
and being a freak about it and will.
Offers to help her study, but she.

(45:15):
Declines doesn't talk to her fora week, which I don't know why
she didn't take him up on this too because I truly think that
if you have a like a possible mentor like that, you would just
do so much better. But obviously she's smart and
studies really hard, but I thinkif they sat down and studied
like she would do even better. That night Cara can't sleep so

(45:37):
Jason cuddles her. So we get a little bit of
insight to more of their relationship, which obviously
this becomes a big pop point later on.
There's a night where Cara, Liviand Aaron go for dinner at
Aaron's mom's house. Livi asks if Will has made any
more moves on Cara and she lies about the Instagram messages.
So they're still studying. And after that, Aaron and Cara

(46:00):
go back to her place to have sex.
Like we saw at the beginning of the book, sometimes when Will
Jason are going to watch the game?
Will gets there before Jason does and she doesn't know that
he's coming over, so they're hooking up.
There is clothes scattered from the front door to the bedroom

(46:23):
and Will lets himself in. He hears them hooking up so he
knocks over the shoe rack to stop them from fucking.
This is also very much like thatchapter I read out of him being
a cunning and strategic suitor. They go to see what's happening
obviously and Aaron is stoked tomeet Jason's brother and Kara's
future boss. So he's really obviously nice

(46:46):
and like nonchalant. He goes and puts on the game for
Will and they start cleaning up Kara and Will and Will's like, I
can't fucking do this. I I just have to go.
And Aaron assumes it's because it was awkward that her boss was
seeing her in this state, but obviously it's because he was

(47:08):
hearing like moaning and that's something that he dreams about
and can't get out of his head and stuff like that.
So he was really upset and then Kara does see that he had
messaged him her earlier that day and said that he was coming
over, but obviously she didn't see it and she feels really bad.

(47:29):
So she apologizes but Will doesn't respond, which is bad.
I feel like again, it's like notreally her fault.
Like she technically did nothingwrong so it's shitty not to
respond but I would probably do the same.
And then there's a night where Jason and Will and their friends
are playing poker. They do this like once a month

(47:51):
or whatever and Jason gets blackout wasted and Will is
helping him back to the apartment and Kara gets woken up
by them and goes and checks on him.
Jason says that he wants to sleep in Kara's bed and
obviously Will doesn't know that.
They cuddle and see each other naked and like all of this
stuff. And even when Kara explains that

(48:14):
and Jason explains that he like still is like no.
And like, I kind of get that, like he can't say no to them,
but I get why he would be suspicious and upset about that
because a, she doesn't like he knows her obviously.
But like up until this point, she has lied so many times that

(48:37):
when she says like, I've never fucked him and like, it's so
platonic and stuff like that. How would he actually know that
she's telling the truth? Because she's like lied about
her identity and like just lied about like a million things,
right? And they're lying to Jason
currently and like all of this stuff.
So he's like, don't fuck him. And that almost makes Kara cry

(49:00):
because she feels like he doesn't trust her.
And I see both perspectives. It would be upsetting for Kara
that your potential boyfriend thinks that you would sleep with
his brother. But then also I feel like I
don't know. I just don't know any like 21
year olds that cuddle and sleep together and see each other

(49:23):
naked that aren't dating. And maybe that's a weird thing
we as a society have with intimacy and stuff like that but
I just, I don't know. I, I, I would be sussed too and
I would be jealous. It's not a good thing but I
would be. And Kara's like you can't even
say anything, you're fucking other people.

(49:43):
That means I can too. Like technically I did nothing
wrong. Which is true.
And he says that he has not slept with anyone since he slept
with her and is planning to callit off with both Violet and
Francesca. Then he kisses her and she's
happy, but she's also mad and hecan also see that she's like

(50:04):
turned on and stuff like that. Then he gets upset.
He's like, does she just want tofuck me?
Like I don't know. All of these things are
happening at one time. She's like, it's not that.
It's like she finally kind of admits like it's not that I
don't want to date you, it's that I just can't.
I can't at this moment give you what you want.
Again, I really just think this shows Kara's immaturity and

(50:27):
Will's maturity because and it'slike, why?
Why couldn't you? I think obviously the placement
like her summer job makes thingscomplicated and the Jason stuff
makes things complicated for sure.
But like generally partners, youknow, like help each other out.
Like I feel like she would, you should have more time to study

(50:50):
if he's making dinner or buying her dinner or whatever, or
driving her to school or like, Idon't know, like I just I'm
helping her study. Like I just, he's obviously like
a well respected lawyer and is really successful.
So I just feel like his mentorship, his tutelage would
actually be really good for her.But she just like can't see it.

(51:11):
So he's like, OK, I'll just see you when I see you at work in
June. So we get a flash forward to
June. Kara and the crew have graduated
their first day at day and night.
And she's really nervous. And they arrive at like fucking
half, half 7 or whatever the fuck they say.

(51:31):
But 7:30 AM. And that is so early.
And he brings her a coffee. It's slightly awkward, but the
coffee says a peace offering. And we see these in this book,
like there's a running joke thatthey have about whatever the guy
is in literature that wants to sleep with his mom or whatever,
the Freud stuff. And then there's an Electra like

(51:52):
reference. And so he writes a lecture on
her cap and or he'll like write True Grit, like from a
conversation they had or whatever.
I just like, it's so funny. And I think in the second book,
she ends up going to Starbucks and seeing the people that make
her drink every morning. But it's just like so funny
because could you ever imagine IRL?

(52:13):
Like it's so romantic and so cute, but like, because it's
like he's thinking about you andhe's like purposely picking out
these like funny jokes and namesand stuff like that.
But could you imagine IRL, you go every morning to get a coffee
and then you start getting a flat weight for your girlfriend
and you make the barista write apeace offering.

(52:34):
Electra True Grit. Like, I guess like some of these
aren't that weird, but like I just like they're like, oh, who
can I make this one out to? And he's like Electra, like,
it's just, it's so, it is so funny.
But anyways, so she's kind of relieved that maybe he has
forgiven her because obviously that has been eating her up.

(52:58):
And she is getting into the duties of her job.
She goes to a meeting and just like, write a report for him.
And she is so impressed by how he handles this meeting.
And this is fucking crazy. I get being like turned on or
like excited or whatever or likein awe, but she gets so wet that

(53:18):
she has to go change her underwear.
And she doesn't take any notes during the meeting, which is
relatable. But Ellie helps her and Will's
like really impressed by her work, which is so nice.
Like he thinks she's so smart. And I would just fold.
Like I, I would have folded months ago.
This type of guy was pursuing me.

(53:40):
She is like, I guess so dedicated to her studies, which
is admirable. But and that's what Will thinks
too. He's like the thing about her
excuses or main excuses, like it's admirable.
And he's like, at some point I probably would have done the
same thing. And we see that later on when
Jason and like is hanging out with Will and Karen.

(54:04):
He's like, I don't actually knowwhy I didn't set you guys up
earlier because you guys actually have so many like,
common personality traits. It's the second day at work.
He brings her another coffee andFrancesca arrives and obviously
she is starting to get insecure and for good reasons.
He's actually like breaking it off with her at this point but

(54:27):
Francesca is doing like a last ditch effort to have them get
together before she moves to like Spain or something like
that. And Will asks Kara to go get her
from the lobby which is bad. He is like clearly trying to use
this situation to his advantage.And then Ellie implies that they

(54:48):
have sex. I don't think I said, but Ellie
is like, I think, like, Will's kind of like assistant.
Francesca leaves and Cara goes back into Will's office and she
is like, Oh my God, they had sex, the windows open,
Francesca's hair is fucked, his lips were swollen, blah, blah,
blah. So she like, makes some side
jokes and they, like, kind of bicker.
And she's clearly this is reallyeating her up.

(55:11):
And then this was really relatable.
But Will is like, yeah, on Fridays we go to disrepute.
Like obviously she knows that, but he asked you say that in
front of everyone else. He's like, we would love to like
celebrate your first week in theoffice.
And she's like, I can't go. I have plans.
But really it's because she doesn't trust herself around

(55:31):
alcohol and will. And I was like, that is so
relatable, girl. Just when you know, you're like,
see, I'm on the verge of textingthis man or whatever, but I
won't because I'm sober and I know better.
But as soon as I get drunk, I don't know better and I have an
excuse. So that was smart of her.
And Cara heads home one night orthat night I guess, and tells

(55:57):
Jason about Will having sex. And he's like, that doesn't
sound like Will. I don't think he would do that.
But like, that's so inappropriate.
Can I talk to him about it? And she's like, yes, Which I
would have been like, no, absolutely not.
But then this, and this is bad because she is bold faced, lying
to Jason, obviously. But she asks, she's like, it was

(56:20):
this woman, Francesca. Like.
I like I know about Violet and Kate and Kate was an
ex-girlfriend, but what about that Sandra girl?
And Jason's like, Oh yeah, he hasn't mentioned her lately so
she's upset. And I was like, that's what you
get for asking. And Cara, like we can just see
the like steady decline of her Will, haha, willpower and just

(56:44):
like just her grip on the situation because she's dreaming
about Will and her having sex and she like masturbates, but
that almost makes it worse. And she's upset that he has, you
know, maybe allegedly moved on, but she hasn't.
And because she's having these sex dreams, when she gets to

(57:07):
work, she blushes so hard and will like he always is, Like,
that's such a lovely color in your cheeks or like, no one's
ever blushed, like just that my mere presence and stuff like
that. And it's so cute as a blusher.
I think it's very cute. And she's kind of being rude to
him, but apologizes. But it's just because again,
she's just like really like, I don't know what I'm doing when I

(57:30):
clearly want this man brings up Francesca and he's like, no, we
broke up. We didn't have sex.
She tried to kiss me, but that'sit.
And then she's like, Oh my God, I just like assumed this.
This is also bad because he doesn't correct her.
He doesn't say, well, you assumed that because I made the
situation to look like that. But he admits like, she's like,
why did you guys break up? And he's like, because of you

(57:52):
basically. And she obviously likes that,
but doesn't like that. So another week passes and it's
Friday and the office goes to disrepute and she decides to,
she decides to go. Ellie wants to take her out to a
club afterwards. And like, she just, I think it,

(58:12):
it's the right thing to do. She can't avoid it forever.
And Will's not there yet, so it's everything's OK.
But he does arrive and what do you know, they're wearing the
same shade of burgundy. And Will comes up to Karen, says
you look like you frequent this place, which is obviously really
funny. And we get some conversation

(58:34):
about Andy and his girlfriend, Chloe getting back together,
children being the big sticking point.
And again, seeing Will talk to his mates about relationship
stuff is just like, so refreshing and so hot to me.
And then Violet's there and she bumped into care in the bathroom
and she's like, Will would ever like, would fucking kill me if

(58:57):
he knew I was saying this. But you should just give him a
chance. Like, he'll treat you like a
goddess. And I was like, fucking fold,
girl fold. So she's obviously even more
confused. She basically does the exact
same thing she does the first night that she meets Will.
There's like 2 strangers that are chatting her up and Ally as

(59:17):
well and she lies about her nameand and all the details about
her life and they're like plyingher with drinks.
So eventually Will and Andy likepull her away, get her some
water, etcetera. But they're like no we have
plans to go to the club like we're going to Andy and Will
join. They're dressed up in suits,
obviously, because they came from work and they like kind of

(59:38):
roll up their sleeves and stuff like that.
And Kara goes, and this is againthat.
Alcohol. Talking she goes that color
really suits you and he says hardly as much as you do.
They like lose each other in thecrowd.
Kara starts saying to the stranger.
The stranger like follows her tothe bathroom and tries to kiss
her, but Will finds them and stops stops him.

(01:00:01):
Which is a very classic romance novel kind of trope.
He like checks in with her to see if she's OK.
And then they end up dancing andshe's like, I'm nervous.
And she's like, I'm never nervous around guys.
Like this is just like she just knows that this is important
that this isn't just like a fleeting crush that this is like

(01:00:22):
something so because she's drunkand this is so like this is like
what a girls girl like this is just so funny.
But she's dancing with Will and then she runs away.
But she's like follow me. And he runs after her and they
go to a secluded part of the club and they kiss.
Then he fingers her, then he licks her cum from his fingers

(01:00:44):
and is like delicious appetizer or something like that.
And then he's like, let's go home.
Like this is dumb. We don't need to play games.
Like you clearly want me. I want you like let's just do
this. And she's like fine.
So like I'm like, let's fucking go.
He goes to find Andy to tell himthat they're leaving.

(01:01:05):
Which babe, it's like you shouldhave just texted him.
But she goes and again, she's like nervous and she I think
she's kind of like, Oh my God, I'm like, if I do this like I
can't lead him on or whatever. So she I think is nervous about
her decision. So she goes and pounds three
tequila shots. Also very relatable.
And now she's like off her face.So will just ends up taking her

(01:01:29):
home. Obviously she's throwing up and
Jason is like helping her just like she did a few weeks ago to
him. And Will's like, I'm going to
stay over. And then Jason's like, OK, for
sure. Like you can have my room.
I'll sleep with Kara. And he's like, no, like why do
you guys always sleep together? Like it's weird.

(01:01:52):
Have you guys ever had sex? Which is like bad and so.
Kara pretends to be asleep. At this point and Will goes and
he like Kara talks about how he is inebriated too, so he's not
making the best judgement calls,but he says don't fuck her.

(01:02:12):
I have to Jason. So Jason is obviously shocked,
shocked and quote UN quote wakesup Cara and she is crying
because of all of this lying andwill like he's so logical and
like I do feel like Cara had to apologize for a lot and will
kind of got away with things Scott free, but he's illogical.

(01:02:36):
He's like, OK, your problems where you were studying for
school, you graduated and the other problem that we didn't
really super talk about, but like you didn't want to tell
Jason and now he knows so there's no problem.
We can date. And will tells Jason to leave so
he can have a sleepover with Kara.

(01:02:58):
They bicker and she admits finally, finally the real reason
that he she can't date him, thatshe's scared.
She's scared to have a boyfriend.
She's never had one before and she just knows that this is
going to be serious. And he's like we can take it
slow, we can figure this out together.
And they start to hook up. Will asks her out on a proper

(01:03:20):
date and she finally gives in. And then he stops kissing her
and she's like, no, like I want to have sex.
And he's like, I don't fuck drunk women, which is which is
like consent king. So in the morning, Jason and
Kara talk things through. They patch things up.
And like I said before, he's like surprised that he actually
didn't set them up sooner. And Will is like, let's go for

(01:03:43):
dinner tonight, Like let's do our first date tonight, which is
like so crazy. He's so eager.
But again, that's why like I like him so much is because it's
like, it's like obviously he is playing games to some extent,
but like I just feel like everyone tries to be so
nonchalant and not eager and notyour like yearn and like not

(01:04:05):
like always have the upper hand and stuff like that.
And I. Just feel like he's.
Not like that. And I really appreciate that,
but she's like, I can't, I have a birthday party.
But in reality, she actually hasplans with Aaron and it's like a
double date. So she lies to Will.
And again, this is so bad because it's just like lie after
lie after lie that she's obviously going to get caught.

(01:04:26):
And so they're like, OK, well, we could meet up afterwards.
So she's really stoked about that.
Meaning Will and Jason are goingto another poker night and she's
going to the quote UN quote birthday party.
So she tells Aaron that she doesn't want to have sex because
obviously she is starting thingsup with Will, which is good.
But then like, 'cause he's like,well, we don't have to have sex,

(01:04:47):
but like, let's have a sleepover'cause that's like what what we
normally do. And then she like, she's like,
yeah, that's like true. And she just felt like at that
point and like, I would do this too.
It's a very people pleaser thing, but she just felt like at
that point she had to go along with it.
She didn't want. To explain.
The will stuff because it's weird as he's her boss and I do

(01:05:09):
feel like Kara, 'cause she's a smart girl and she reads
situations really well. Like I do think in her heart of
hearts she knows that Aaron probably likes her but is
denying it so adamantly. So he's like, yeah, I'll, I'll
stay over. Like, don't worry, we don't have
to have sex or anything like that.
Which is also like, this guy is obviously great as well.

(01:05:31):
And so Kara texts Will and says I can't meet up because she's
going to be with Aaron. And then they walk back to
Kara's place and obviously they expect it to be empty because of
the poker night. But they had to move the poker
night to Jason and Kara's place.And so they walk in, they say

(01:05:51):
shoes and they're like, Oh my God.
Then Will comes out because he thinks it's probably Kara coming
home. He's fucking pissed.
So he asks to speak with Kara byherself and he's like, why did
you lie? I'm mad that you lied.
Were you going to have sex with him?
I actually don't believe you when you say you weren't.

(01:06:14):
How am I supposed to trust anything that you said?
And so she is really upset and Aaron comes back to check in on
her. He Aaron like finally clocks in
that they have slept together orwhatever.
And so they get into a fight andthen Cara asks him to leave.
And I think people think that she would ask Will, but she asks

(01:06:37):
Aaron to leave. And Will is so upset seeing Cara
upset. So he's like all is forgiven.
I'm sorry that I made you upset.Which I thought was very, very
cute. And she's like, I just want some
alone time. But later after the poker games
ended, he checks him on her and they fall asleep together.
So in the morning, Jason and Kara talk while Will is still

(01:07:02):
asleep, which is like, he wakes up so early.
And then like on this day, he sleeps till like fucking noon or
something like that. And all is right in the world.
And when Will wakes up again, they're on good terms.
They have sex. And Jason's there.
And like, this is, again, so fucking weird because it's like
your brother and like your flatmate, but they have sex.
He's there. He like, turns music on to like,

(01:07:22):
drown them out. And then after, because it's
such marathon sex, he's like asking for sex tips.
And stick around for the roundtable discussion because
there is a difference in this conversation from the 1st
edition to the second edition that is actually so fucking
funny. Will is like OK we need to go
like a proper date like we triedbefore but like let's like do

(01:07:44):
this. Properly and they hang.
It all day and it's like the best thing ever.
And he sleeps over again and it's it's like how it should be
like because they can again all hang out together.
Obviously the office doesn't know what happened.
They just think that Will helpedCara get home and they're like
embarrassed on her behalf. They decide that they have to
keep it above board at work, butthey can kiss each other at the

(01:08:08):
end of each day. But of course, on the first day
that they tried to do that, their kiss gets like super out
of hand. And then we kind of come to the
conclusion of the book. Kara goes over to apologize to
Aaron for kicking him out and not telling him about Will and
stuff like that and he's so upset and he admits that he's in
love with her and was just waiting for her to change her

(01:08:28):
mind about him and like finish school and all of that.
And everyone is like I told you so.
And so she calls Livy for support and then she calls Will
and he comes over. They order in food and fall
asleep and he supports her. And I was like, this is exactly
why it's nice to have a partner to help you, Kara.
And you were so bullheaded. And that's the end of Skin of

(01:08:52):
the Night. Let's get into our round table
discussion. This is our Internet
investigation, our cursory proves of the Internet of Things
you need to know. So as I said at the beginning of
the episode, CK Bennett is like fully offline.
I know she's very private IRL and she was last working on a
fantasy novel, which I thought was interesting too because she

(01:09:16):
said that was actually more her style, not this like romancey
love story stuff. But yeah, there's no follow up
to Heart of Stone, which is the memento Mori series that I
mentioned at the beginning of the app.
And her Instagram says like she was hoping to release it in
2025, but there's like no new update.

(01:09:39):
Her website used to have updateson because she again edited
these books for second editions.And then that means she had to
edit also the second book. So she had all these progress
trackers on the story she was writing, but now we can't see
those. And I want to know what
happened. And I want my first edition book

(01:10:00):
and I want my follow up to heartof stone.
Heart of stone is actually like a really good book.
It's a mafia romance. I actually like highly suggest
it. So anyways, girly, I hope you're
doing well. I always think when I first so I
first read this book in 2020 when it had a little moment on
TikTok and I was really listening to a lot of lover by

(01:10:21):
Taylor Swift and false God just reminds me of Will and Kara so
much. So I whenever I'm reading this
book or whatever that like saxophone is playing in my head
just because I think that song feels so like sensual and Will
is like a very like sensual person.

(01:10:43):
Like I do think like it just seemed like a rot.
Like she Cara always describes them having sex as a gal, like
sensual and like erotic and likeand like a teensy bit romantic,
but he's like, I'm only romanticwith you again, Barry Conrad.
I'm only I'm cold to everyone, but not you.
That song I just feel like really suits them.

(01:11:06):
And then I think, and I don't know this for sure, but I think
CK Bennett said when she pictures will she pictures a
certain person And when she pictures Cara, she pictures kind
of like Cara Delevingne, Like I think this like gap in the
tooth. I I think she filled that in.
But OK, let's move on to our wonder wise.

(01:11:27):
These are unanswered questions for the listeners.
One of my only wonder wise is, yeah, like, why did Kara not
know Will before, especially if she wanted to be a lawyer?
There's no way that Jason wasn'tlike, I guess I think there was
like, something like, there werelike, studying abroad or like,
he went to school somewhere elseor like, whatever.

(01:11:47):
But like, I just think if you are friends with an aspiring
lawyer, you would connect. I guess he did connect Kara with
John, But like I feel like you would connect her to will too,
just like my sister's a doctor and whenever like I've had a few
friends that have wanted to go to Med school or some students
that I work with that I've wanted to go to Med school and I

(01:12:09):
like always hook them up so theycan talk, talk shop and I just
don't know why. And then I think the other
wonder why is like Cara is so logical in like every other
matter. It's why I think her and will
get along so well. But all the lying is like so

(01:12:30):
crazy. Like I know it comes from a
place of like not being able to be vulnerable.
But like I just think that it seems like her values like with
laws like fairing, justice, justice or justness.
And I just don't know why she would make up this web of lies.

(01:12:52):
And I feel like she's a logical person to be like, to just be
like, I will eventually get caught up in these because
that's what happens when you build a web of lies and then our
grapes and grumbles. These are nitpicky problems we
have with the book. Again, I have very few problems.
These are my picky nits. Though.
Again, the nakedness around Jason, like, obviously that's

(01:13:14):
going to stop once they start dating.
But like and like, maybe I'm just like a prude puritanical.
Freak that shouldn't. Sexualize bodies.
But like, I just think, I don't know, it's like kind of crazy.
And I feel like they continue to, I guess like he didn't know,
but she knew. But it'd be weird if she all of

(01:13:35):
all of a sudden asked him to work.
I don't know. Whatever, it doesn't matter.
It's weird. I think.
I think it's weird. And then, yeah, some of my
grapes and grumbles are just like, yeah, like the Instagram
messages, like stuff like that is just like, so inappropriate
or like he him getting her coffee every day.
It's like, so cute. And then she's like, well, do
you get Ellie coffee every day? Like, it's going to look weird
if you get me coffee every day. And he's like, no, well, I'm

(01:13:56):
like, yeah, well, Oh my God, this is such a small thing, but
it bugs me every time I read this.
And I've read this book like a billion times.
But when they're in the club andhe fingers her, she's like, I've
never come with just someone's fingers.
And I like want him to be the first to do that or whatever.
And I think that's insane because I don't think she like,

(01:14:21):
she obviously is a sexual personand stuff like that.
I'm just like, and she talk, shetalks about how Aaron is good in
bed. And I'm just like, I just feel
like that's crazy. I feel like it would have been
more realistic if he's if she said I've never come from like
oral sex or something like that,but the fingers like I feel like
that's would never be true. I don't know why romance novels.

(01:14:44):
I guess it shows the connection and why the?
MMC is so great but I'm like there's.
Always this thing of like he made me come for the first time
or like we did this for the first time together.
We stopped using condoms and I've never done that before.
Like all these like first thingsand a lot of them I'm like, he's

(01:15:05):
just like, really don't matter. And then some of the differences
between the 1st edition, there'sthis farm girl scene where they
like go out for lunch at one point that I guess people really
didn't like and she cut it from the second edition.
And then actually Livy and Jasonkind of have some moments in I

(01:15:25):
think the first edition of the book, but it's not in the second
edition. And then this is the real
kicker. So Will obviously likes marathon
sex like she he talks all the time about this.
I also think this was taken out of the second edition.
But like please don't quote me on this because I thought kind
of I was reading the 1st editionall the time, but I would the

(01:15:46):
last like 3 times I've read this, I've only read the second
edition because again, I like lost my copy of the 1st edition
and I fucking need it. But when they have sex for the
first time, he makes her count to 10 with how many orgasms that
she has. He likes marathon sex.
Obvi there are ways that guys can do this.

(01:16:06):
Like obviously you can increase your stamina, but I think most
of the time it's just like swapping.
It's like once you feel like an orgasm is coming on, you stop
and you do some other activity like give her head or like
whatever to like stave it off and then you start having sex
again. We could have left it at that.
But when they have marathon sex,when Jason's there and he has to

(01:16:30):
turn on the music after Jason's like how like are you alive?
Like how did you just have sex for like 3 hours?
And they're like laughing because Jason hasn't had sex in
a really long time. And in the 1st edition he says
well like I do like kegels and stuff like that and like talks

(01:16:51):
about when I feel like I'm goingto come I.
Do something else or. Whatever.
So I was like OK, normal in the.1st.
Edition and I even I just. Said all of that.
Aloud into a microphone that hundreds of people are going to
hear. I am blushing when I say in the
1st edition he talks about doingexercises with his Dick where he

(01:17:16):
is using weights. It's giving yoni egg, it's
giving goop. And I just was like.
That sounds crazy to. Me that he's like doing kegels
with like a weight on the end ofhis deck.
Like I'm so, so embarrassed. It's funny because I have a
private Twitter that I really use, but sometimes will randomly

(01:17:36):
tweet. And when I read this book in
2020 or whatever, it's like I, it was like page like 398 or
something like that. And I was like reading it for
the first time and I remember I came across this and I tweeted
like when you read the most perfect like your all time

(01:17:57):
favorite book and it ruins it all on page like 390. 8 or
whatever like that's. So disappointing, but it's not
in the second edition, I swear to God, so maybe she got
feedback on that one too. OK, next is our side character
spotlight. This is our nomination for an
unforgettable supporting character who deserves their

(01:18:17):
due. Because sometimes the best
characters aren't the main eventand I'm giving it to Jason
because Livia is so annoying. I'm also very curious about
Violet but I know IRL I would bereally threatened by her so I
couldn't pick her. Ellie's really funny and really
helps Kara out so she was a contender.
Aaron obviously tried and true, I feel like he gets like really

(01:18:40):
upset with Kara and obviously it's like he has a right to be
upset with her, but I do feel like because she's like crying
and being really upset about it.And I do kind of feel like if
you if someone hurts you, but they.
Feel so bad. About it.
Not that you have to like immediately forgive them, but
like I, I do feel like you should kind of like soften the
blow. At least that's what I think.

(01:19:02):
And he just really doesn't. But yeah, Livy's annoying to me.
Andy's kind of annoying to me and Jason, I think he's really
funny. He's really like golden
retriever puppy dog and stuff like that.
And I do wonder if if she this it was supposed to actually,
this series is actually supposedto be a trilogy.
Then when she of the first editions.

(01:19:23):
So something in there's a major Cliff under the Cliff hanger at
the end of book 2 first edition.But then when she reworked book
one, she reworked book 2. So now it's a duet, but I am
always curious if she was going to have Lily Livvy and Jason

(01:19:44):
together like or like have like a spin off series or something
like that. But yeah, Jason is my side
character that deserves the spotlight.
OK, finally, sequel scoop. This is our team.
Any upcoming sequel seasons and the general reception.
So the next book, like I said, is if you're reading the 1st
edition Into the Night. If you're reading the second

(01:20:07):
edition, technically this book is called When the Night Falls
and the second one is called Heart of the Night.
There's like some really beautiful covers and she kind of
explains why she picked those covers and stuff.
So I like all of that stuff. But yeah, if anyone has a first
edition, fucking hit me up and let me know if I should cover

(01:20:30):
book two. OK, That's the story of Skin of
the Night. Thank you so much for listening
and thank you to me for today's show.
I I've not been reading as much just because I don't know, I
feel like I've been a little bitup and down mental health wise.
I've also been real life dating trying that out and I feel like

(01:20:51):
that's been hard to do and read books and still enjoy it.
So I'm hoping that this little reread moves me into another
reading phase. I'm sure it will as winter is
upon us, but I'll be back in November after my vacation.
If you want to keep in touch during the break, you can follow

(01:21:13):
me on socials at Ready to Be Romanced.
You can also check out my other.Podcast at Ready to be petty.
It's on Patreon only. And of course, subscribe so you
know when we're back and leave arating and review to let me know
that I'm on track. If you want to suggest a book
for a future episode, you can doso.

(01:21:34):
Via the links. In the episode show notes, our
next episode is undecided, but I'm excited for whatever we
pick. Until then, happy reading for
ready to be romanced. I'm Tori.
Goodbye.