In which Hannah and Caroline shoot their romance novel shots with each other, listen to everything but audiobooks, and realize that it's always a duke.
Show Notes:
- "The Unknown" from the Glasgow Wonka Experience
- Adriana Herrera's mood board on Instagram
Reminders:
- Fill out this Google Form to receive Romance Your TBR + romance themed friendship bracelets from us! https://forms.gle/N9ZZFfzAm5nCfTnV9
- Subscribe to Romance Your TBR on Substack to get monthly updates from your local spinsters, access to show notes and bingo cards, and exclusive newsletter giveaways!
Intro: (00:00)
- Convincing Each Other to Read Romance Novels - (4:15)
- Caroline’s F1 Update - (46:44)
Outro: (51:40)
Socials:
- Follow the podcast @romanceyourtbr on Instagram & Twitter & Youtube & Goodreads
- Follow Hannah @fringebookreviews on Instagram, Goodreads, & TikTok, and @fringebookhan on Twitter
- Follow Caroline @salty_caroline_reads on TikTok & Instagram, and @salty_caroline_ on Twitter
(Disclaimer: Caroline works for Forever Publishing; all opinions are our own and not affiliated with any other party. Image by Freepik.)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I was gonna start with something, but I always am a little bit wary of if you plugged this into your car and your kids are listening or something.
(00:07):
Throbbing members!
Yeah, I didn't want to start with that, because what if you got in your car and the Bluetooth connected?
No, ours does that.
That's why I'm saying you, because this wouldn't happen to me, but you got in and your Bluetooth connected, and it's just throbbing members all through your car.
It did that today, actually, but it was just my Lady Charlotte always gets her manned audiobook on Spotify.
(00:28):
That one you don't have to worry about.
No, it would truly happen, because I do listen to this, or if I need to, in Spotify.
Maybe we've just written my own history, my future history.
Which is why we can't kick off with throbbing members, but we can after we've said a couple of things first, so you can scramble to turn it off before someone hears it who you don't want to hear it.
(00:53):
We can ease your way into the throbbing members.
Oh god, we're the worst.
Welcome to our new TBR.
It is us.
Caroline, do you recognize us?
It's been so long.
I know, it has been so long.
And truthfully, this one, I was like, I was leaving it up to you.
(01:16):
Well, so what happened was, for those of you who don't know, I work for Forever, which is a publisher of many wonderful books, and Kennedy Ryan had a book come out the Tuesday of this week when we are recording and posting.
And I'm working on that book.
I'm not the only one, but I'm one of the people working on it.
(01:38):
And basically, the past couple of weeks have been just unhinged.
She's going on a 12 stop tour.
She was on the Today Show.
And all of these interviews, lots of people are interested in her.
It's amazing.
We want her on the bestseller list.
Nobody deserves it like Kennedy Ryan.
(02:03):
I'm telling you right now that it's a book I'm working on, so you should know that.
However, this is me using my own podcast as an opportunity to tell you to go buy This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan.
Because I think that you should.
And because it's a great book.
Anyway, but the point is, life has been so unh- like, the amount of overtime that we have worked, gladly and willingly.
(02:31):
And they were great events.
However, today is Thursday as we're recording, and I was like, oh, shit, I have a podcast and we already missed the past two weeks.
We cannot put out another newsletter instead of a podcast for three weeks in a row.
The pitchforks would be at our doors.
I don't think anybody cares that much, but I cared.
(02:52):
They would be throbbing.
Yeah, I just feel like if we didn't, when would we?
We'd get too comfortable.
We would actually just never record another podcast again.
Yeah.
But I was leaving it up to you.
I was like, if she responds- or not responds, because I didn't say anything.
I was like, if she wants to, I will let her.
(03:14):
Well, like, look, Tuesday, I didn't get home until 10.30, which is crazy when you can say- it was my own fault.
That was like a fun thing that I did after work.
I went to like a movie screening that I had won a ticket for.
But that was the day we did the Today Show.
So I was like, I commuted into Manhattan to be at the office by 8 a.m.
And then didn't get home until like 10.30, 11.
(03:36):
And then had to commute into the office again the next day.
And then stayed late that day also, because I had a meeting.
Not crazy, but still.
And I like was sick yesterday afternoon, evening.
And I was like, okay, I'm going home and going to bed.
But yeah, y'all.
(03:59):
Putting together an author tour is no joke.
And I'm not even the one who did the bulk of the work.
It sounds crazy.
I mean, 12 stops is a lot when I like look at other people's work.
Other author schedules.
Yeah.
Go her.
Cool.
I don't have a segue.
Nope.
We're going to try to keep this really short and sweet.
(04:19):
Which I know we say all the time and then fail.
But we really genuinely are going to try so that you don't have to edit.
Very genuinely.
Okay.
So our mission today.
So that you know, listener, because Hannah and I already planned this without you.
We planned something.
(04:39):
Look at us.
I know.
Crazy.
We planned it like an hour ago.
Is that you?
And then we fell apart when I was.
It was like, you were like, oh, wait a minute.
We have each picked one historical romance and one contemporary romance that we have read
semi-recently.
(05:01):
And we're going to try to convince each other.
Like, I'm going to try to convince Hannah to read my recommendations and vice versa.
So you're getting four recommendations.
Lucky you.
Oh my God.
I thought you meant me.
I was like, oh no, sorry.
You listener.
The you listener versus you, Hannah, is confusing.
I was like, I mean, I can whip them up.
(05:23):
No, no, no problem.
I was like, I don't.
Throbbing numbers are getting four.
The throbbing numbers.
That makes sense.
We only get two.
Because we're punk ass losers.
Yes, that is us.
That's us.
Honestly, it is us.
Yeah.
Yeah, that tracks.
(05:44):
Do you want to start?
Do you want me to start?
Sure.
I can start.
I was going through all the historical romances I read recently and I was like, I could pick
any of these because I've read some really good ones.
And then I was like, I have a proposal for this.
Oh, I think you should convince me to read it before telling me the title or the author.
(06:05):
I can do that.
At least this one.
I feel like this one.
I feel like you will get it.
I mean, but I like the little reveal.
Again, I'll end with the thing that I think would hook you the most.
OK.
But I do think you would pick this one up.
Like, I feel like I specifically did this one for you because you're either likely to
(06:29):
have the physical copy on yourself or like one of the ones in the series, because for
some reason I see them everywhere.
And I'm like, oh, like it's one of those ones where like half a series looks different than
the other half.
And then I'm like, that's the same series.
But we had a really good run last year of like paranormal fantasy, like historical romance.
(06:53):
OK.
And so I want to give you another one.
Oh, good.
Excellent.
I always want more.
Yeah, because it was just so fun.
And the narrator was really good.
He was like a British dude, which he was really good.
So there's that.
And again, I told you this in text.
I was like, I don't remember much.
(07:14):
It's OK.
But I was like, I have a sentence that will get it to you.
We'll keep it short and sweet.
Yeah, all I remember really is that he has a family member who is being who he thinks
is being scammed by a psychic or like someone who can pretend to like.
I have read this, I'm pretty sure.
Have you?
This would be.
Continue pitching it to me.
(07:36):
OK.
Either that or I've read something with a similar that.
I don't think I've heard you talk about this.
OK.
Maybe you have.
So his family member, I think it's his mother, is getting scammed.
So she's like invited this lady and her daughter into her home.
Oh, never mind.
And she's like hosting seances.
OK.
So now I think I do know what it might be.
(07:58):
But continue again.
No, you're good.
And the Duke is just I think he's a Duke.
He's probably a Duke.
It's always a Duke.
He's like just angry.
Romance title.
It's always a Duke.
That is.
Look at us.
We'll just write it.
We'll just co-write a romance book on this podcast.
We'll have it.
Just IP it.
Yeah, exactly.
Quote the forever team every time we have a decent idea.
(08:22):
IP it.
IP it.
Actual property.
So basically, he's just angry that this person's taking advantage.
Someone died.
I don't know who it was.
His mother, I think, is the one who wants the person back.
And so he goes to the seance to interrupt it because he's just kind of being a little bit
(08:44):
of a chaos nugget.
I don't know why I said that.
And the heroine is there, but she was also trying to do the same thing, but in a different
way.
And then he like, yeah, so she's there.
And he thinks that she is a scammer, but she's not.
She's like she's one of the ones with a huge family and all of them have siblings and books
(09:06):
and stuff.
But he ruins her plan to ruin that seance.
And then they reconnect after, and he convinces her to go to his estate to help rescue his
mother from the clutches of this phony.
But then is it actually phony?
(09:27):
What's happening?
They're at a haunted manor and things are being weird.
Not the haunted mansion.
Yeah.
And there's like, what I picture, have you seen the Wonka experience going around?
Yeah.
Have you seen the one with the silver face and the black hair?
No.
It's like the un-something.
(09:48):
Well, I'll send you a picture after this and then I'll put it in the show notes.
I just picture that because they see some weird ass thing in the lawn and they're like,
what is going on?
And it keeps you very on your toes of what's happening.
It's very funny, chaotic.
And I think the thing that will get you most is that it really reminded me of the
(10:08):
Teresa Medeiros.
It gave those vibes and I was there for it.
The next two books in the series, not great.
Book three was fine.
Book two, don't read it.
Just don't do it.
It is Mesmerized by Candice Camp.
Huh.
That is not anything that I ever would have guessed.
I don't remember that name.
(10:29):
And if you, Winterset is the one that I've seen a lot.
It looks like that.
Have you seen that?
Yeah.
And then the rest of the series looks like these covers.
It's floating.
Those.
Okay.
I don't think I own any Candice Camp, actually.
(10:49):
Well, she's a good writer.
Definitely, like I said, the second two books weren't great, so I stopped that series for a while.
But the first one was really fun.
It's funny, when you started describing it, I was like, oh, the Courtney Milan.
Because there's now two books, one that I've read and one that I have on my TBR,
that both have the starting premise of the hero thinks his family member or someone is getting
(11:14):
scammed by a psychic, but both of those are the heroine pretending to be the psychic.
And I can't remember the title of either of them, so I'm on my Goodreads trying to find it.
But the Courtney Milan is amazing.
We've now got three nickels.
We've now got three nickels.
What is it about historical romances and women pretending to be psychics?
(11:38):
And they're like, the way it ended, it got into like wacky territory.
I mean, when you start out with that premise, proof by seduction is the Courtney Milan.
And this one also had a little bit, because I had also read another one that was a YA
mystery thriller.
And both of them have to do kind of a little bit with reincarnation.
(12:01):
And like dream, it's cool.
And I loved it.
It is very intriguing.
It is really killing me that I can't remember what the other one, the one that's on my TBR,
it's called, it's one that I hear people talk about a lot, like on historical road,
The Ruin of Evangeline Jones by Julia Bennett, which has a killer cover.
(12:24):
The Ruin of Evangeline Jones.
Alex Stanton just inherited a dukedom, but his true passion is uncovering charlatans
and frauds wherever he finds them.
Why is that literally what I was talking about?
That's weird.
Yeah.
(12:46):
Oh, and there's also the one that I read by Theresa Medeiros where she's the Puritan
witch.
He's trying to expose her as a fraud.
Because he's like, you're not a Puritan witch, you're a fraud.
And she's like, but I am.
So he gets played a little bit there.
Look at that.
Look at us.
We gave you so many wrecks.
So many wrecks.
(13:06):
Okay.
Yeah.
So mine is kind of a two for one, actually, technically a three for one, although I haven't
read the third book.
I can only recommend the first two.
So I'm going to recommend you the second book in the series, but only the third book.
I read the first series, but only because I read it more recently.
And so I remember more of it.
(13:27):
I appreciate that.
But I think I actually preferred the first one just in terms of plot.
You may prefer the second.
Unclear.
So we're civil war era.
We're in, I can't remember where exactly.
Not the deep, deep south, but somewhere in the south.
(13:49):
And our heroine is taken away from her mother, who was a slave, but who has been freed.
So she, the heroine, was born free.
But a white woman comes to take her away.
And it becomes apparent to her, who has been training in root craft with her mother, who's
(14:13):
like a root worker.
She has dreams where she foresees things.
dreams where she foresees things and she had foreseen this and it becomes apparent to her that
clearly the white master of the plantation where they came from, who is this white woman's father,
(14:34):
is her father. And so this must be her half-sister and she's coming to live with her,
not to be enslaved, but like because this woman feels that she is part of the family and wants to
take care of her. So she leaves her mother and goes off to do this and continues her root work,
but also is like a scientist and reads a lot of books on biology and becomes basically like
(15:01):
kind of a genius with creating like healing tonics and things. And she uses this, they go to visit
Union soldiers who are imprisoned and she heals them. They also like make money off of this and
this sister who never says that she's her sister, she just refers to her as family, but won't give
her any more of a label than that, is secretly kind of an abolitionist and is helping, they're
(15:26):
a stop on the Underground Railroad, that sort of thing. But they are not in an area where they can
be very public about that. In this Union prison camp is a very handsome man whose family fled
Scotland. I believe in the clearances, question mark, I don't know, they fled Scotland. His brother
(15:48):
was the hero of book one because of course he was and he is actually very good at escaping prisons.
He's been in prison several times and escaped them all, but he keeps getting captured. And the reason
he's doing that is kind of on purpose and it's because his job in the Union, he's like a terrible
soldier, but what he's really good at doing is torturing Confederates for information.
(16:15):
He's got a particular set of skills. His particular set of skills he's torturing.
He's really really good at it. His dad was really awful, he was like a very abusive alcoholic,
and so he's kind of afraid of himself in some ways. He's also definitely neurodivergent,
like I read him as autistic, but I'm not, you know, there's no language for that in the book.
(16:38):
But so basically he tortured this one guy and he was like a really despicable guy and he started
to enjoy torturing him and that was his like, oh no, no no no, I cannot do this anymore. Because
normally he was very clinical about it, but he did not like that he kind of lost control.
And so now he's been getting kind of intentionally captured and put in prisoner of war camps so that
(17:03):
he doesn't have to torture anyone. So he's been talking to this woman, this woman who's been
coming to heal him, when all of a sudden a bad guy shows up, a Confederate home guard guy,
and this is the man that he tortured. He doesn't recognize him because he has a beard.
The Confederate doesn't recognize the hero because he has a beard, but he's like, oh shit,
(17:26):
this guy is bad news. This man also takes over our heroine's house because her sister-in-law
shows up and is like, well this is my house, and she's super Confederate and super awful,
and she like volunteers their house as a home base for the home guard essentially,
and the home guard's job is rooting out traitors at home. So
(17:49):
what else is not great is the fact that he has since escaped prison and was injured, and so he's
hiding in our heroine's laboratory as the house is getting taken over by the home guard. And so
they are like flirting, passing notes, discussing philosophy, discussing her scientific theories,
(18:11):
and eventually bad things happen and they do have to go on the run together. And then they
do have to go on the run together and end up using the underground railroad themselves.
But listen, do I remember what the revenge is? No. Do I know that most if not all of the people
that you wanted to have it coming to them did have it coming to them?
(18:34):
I love that.
Yes. There might be one character I'm thinking of that I don't remember what happened to them,
so they might have gotten away with it, but folks are dealt with. Oh, also our heroine is a spy,
just also on the side, just for fun. She's passing information along, because why not?
There's secrets about her family history that are revealed. There's lots of flirting and late night
(19:00):
tee-heeing. They have a lovely relationship. That was very long-winded.
God damn it. I can't be concise. Anyway. Me neither. I can't remember the name of the book now.
But you at least tell a coherent story. Look, mine kind of just flows with the wind.
You didn't need all that detail. I just get really excited about Alyssa Cole.
(19:22):
This one was a hope divided, which is the second book. An Extraordinary Union was the first. That
one, they're both spies. He's undercover as a Confederate soldier, and she's undercover as a
mute household slave. I just did one of my daily book chats on another book by Alyssa Cole, but
(19:43):
it's one of her contemporary ones. Love Me Some Alyssa Cole.
Yeah, where she goes to Scotland and becomes a swordmaker's apprentice. I'm like, we're wild.
Living my dream. Exactly. I know. And then he ends up
being a duke. I'm like, please? What is it about the dukes?
It's always a duke. Always a duke.
(20:06):
I know. I saw your reading updates for those, and I'm like, I need to read those.
You do. You do. Only two people I trust to write Civil War-era historical romance.
Beverly Jenkins and Alyssa Cole. The thing about this one is that he really
doesn't like that he's good at torturing people. He's not proud of it. And so when he admits it to
(20:27):
her, she also doesn't like... It's a sensitive thing for her, but she doesn't immediately process
it very well when she finds out that he didn't realize that he was torturing people and had
tortured this dude. And I'm like, me personally, you're like, I torture Confederates. I'm like,
okay. Actually say less. No, exactly. He's like, oh, I shattered that man's kneecaps. And I'm like,
(20:56):
slay? He deserved it though. Why didn't you kill him while you were at it? Because boy,
is that man despicable. I know. There was a Madison Michaels book where the hero... He did some crazy
stuff to the person who killed his mother. And I still think about it. I'm like, oh my God.
(21:19):
I wasn't prepared for that, but he went hard and he was still going hard years later.
Because normally touch her and die is like, okay, he plays golf. But no.
Okay, that's not normal. No, that's one very specific instance.
But this guy was like, touch anyone that I love and you actually won't die. I'll just torture you
(21:44):
and castrate you and remove your limbs and put you on the street. So you have to beg for me
every day of your life. You won't die. So I'll make sure that. And I'll also, I think, cut out
your tongue. So it's a lot to process. Wow. That's a lot. Yeah. But you know, I get it.
(22:11):
And I'm kind of stumped at which one I want to recommend you of my contemporary ones,
because I don't know. I don't know the vibe. Do you want a novella or do you want a full length?
I think full length. Okay. I guess you can pick Ireland, England or Vegas.
(22:34):
Contemporary. Let's do Ireland. I just want that Irish movie that's coming out. That's Irish wish,
which by the way, as a side note, kind of a vibe. I'm excited to watch that. I did not like the
Christmas one that was by the same very low hand. Didn't love it in that movie. I don't remember.
It was just like a small town Christmas movie and I didn't love it. This one, still not amazing
(22:59):
acting on most fronts. However, I did have a great time. Yeah. So March 15th, I believe is when Irish
wish hits Netflix, honestly would recommend, but specifically you watch it with a group
and you commit to like reacting dramatically to everything. Because when I tell you sitting in a
movie theater full of people, including Lindsay Lohan and the rest of the cast and the most
(23:24):
unexpected, it's not like a plot twist. It's just like someone responds in a way to something very
dramatic that you did not anticipate. And when I tell you, it was the loudest collective gasp I
have ever experienced. That entire theater full of people went, it was incredible.
Well, I'm very excited to watch that and gasp. Gasp away. It's the gasp heard around the world.
(23:49):
I bet we'll all hear it. So let's go Ireland. Yeah. This one was, it was so good. I didn't really
expect it to be this good because it was like one of those ones that you get in that galley. That's
kind of like a filler. I had been anticipating it. I liked book one and I liked where this heroin
story was going, but I kind of read it because I was like, okay, I have more faith in some other
(24:11):
ones. And so I didn't think it was going to do what it did to me, but it was so good. Definitely
content warnings for making you cry because I did cry a lot. And like content warnings for
cancer, character dying of cancer, kind of semi on page. Heavy, but also great. Basically in book
(24:42):
one, you meet the heroin. She's a librarian. She basically has kind of like developed hypochondria
because her mother is like very toxic and abusive and very clingy. And she doesn't feel like she can
get away and her hypochondria stemmed from that. So she decides to take a job in Ireland for an
(25:07):
author's assistant for one of her favorite childhood authors who hasn't released a book in a
decade. And it's like the last book in the series. And she'll also work at the local bookstore.
Also living my dream life.
Yeah. No, literally. Like it's a very classic hallmark plot of destination romance. Heroin
(25:28):
goes, shakes up a small town. The hero is absolutely resistant to any type of change.
Of course.
And he automatically takes a disliking to her.
Naturally.
Yep. And you're like, why, dude? Why are you doing this? And then you slowly peel back his
little onion layers and he's a beautiful ogre.
Of course he's got them.
And so she's like working in the bookstore. He's trying to like make her kind of like want to leave
(25:52):
and she's becoming beloved in this small town in Ireland. And then she's working with the author
to like get the final book written. And it just really snuck up on me. Like the writing was,
it was so good. And like, I loved the bits with the author because plot twist, the author's son
(26:13):
is the owner of the bookstore. And so they ended up having to work very closely together to help
the author finish her book. Because she has cancer, which again, it's not like you wouldn't know
that from the back of the book. And I guess it's a spoiler. I think most people probably want that
spoiled just so like you don't stumble upon it. Because I was like, what is the tension?
(26:38):
Like what's going to happen? And I was like, oh,
so not normally one that I would really gravitate towards, like if I knew what was going into it,
but the way it was handled was very good. So it's one if you want to cry, if you want to go to
Ireland and cry. I mean, yeah, but it was so good. And I don't even know when it comes,
when does it come out? It is, the title is Love at First Book by Jen McKinley. And it's actually out
(27:05):
on May 14th, so sooner than I thought. Yeah. And I mean, there's a cat on the cover, but there
should be a dog because there's a cute dog in it. And he should be more gruff looking because he's
a gruff Irishman. But yeah, it was really good. Again, content warnings. It was heavier than I
expected, but also I loved what it did with her mother because like she already went to therapy
(27:29):
and like basically cut her mother off at the beginning of the book. And so it was a good
thing to have her mother off at the beginning of the book. Like she did all of that before the book
started because I was not excited to deal with that type of character. It's a character I've never,
no. So I was very nervous. And then I found out that she did all the work. I only had to take
(27:49):
like a few phone calls from my mother and then it was like, yeah, this is not good for me. And then
basically like cut her off. And I was like, I love that for you. And then like the small town had
like, you know, friendly, like quirky side characters and all of that jazz. And it was a
little funny, cute, but definitely like, I would still say it's like a romance, but women's fiction,
(28:11):
like romance kind of like vibe since the second half is very like heavy on like writing the book
and like spending time with the author and all of that. And I think they're like, yeah, sounds
very like Emily Henry adjacent. Yeah. Yeah. I could see it being in that vein, definitely different
(28:33):
from it was the summer reading was book one where he's librarian and she's like a chef and she has
dyslexia and she does not like to read. And so it's like opposite attract for that one. But yeah,
definitely very Emily Henry ask. And I think you would really like it. I don't think you have to
read book one to read this one. But it makes you want to put on a giant sweater and stare out
(28:57):
into the rain. Well, I always do. So that makes sense. Well, in a very different vein,
although also with parental trauma, not all that it's more like, yeah, because it's shitty dad,
which don't they all got to be a two. This is all it's the second book in a series. You also
(29:21):
don't have to read book one. I thought book one was meh. I thought this one was much better.
I would like you to imagine if you will, that you are interning at this listen, I don't even
know what the company does. It doesn't really matter. It's like a financial thing. Yeah,
(29:42):
I don't know. You're interning there. You like you're doing your best. You live like not with
your parents, but like on the same property as your parents. Your parents are great. You love
your parents. You're in Texas. You're in Austin, Texas. You've got this boyfriend that you've been
with for a while. And like meh, he's fine. You know, not really doing much. But you know what,
(30:11):
he's there. And neither of you really bothers to want to like break up. So you're just you're there.
And you're interning at this company. And you're like really passionate about it. And you're really
trying. This is like a great internship for you to get your foot in the door and work your way up.
And this company is like involved in this deal where I don't listen. I don't really remember
(30:34):
all the details. I don't remember if they're the sponsor or if they're like the financial like,
I think they're the sponsor. We'll go with that. They are getting ready to set up this deal with
this really big Formula One driver who he is like his grandfather was the goat, like this incredible
Spanish driver. His father, like the grandfather's son, Hiro's father, did not live up to the
(31:01):
potential. Really was not great. He was also a driver but meh. And now so this guy is like a
huge name in Formula One. It seems like he I think he is already a world champion or he definitely is
going to be something like that. Great driver, also a playboy. He's not got the best public image.
(31:24):
He is out drinking a lot and partying, sleeping around. But he shows up and delivers on track.
And your company is getting ready to like set up this sponsorship deal. And you're like,
get me in that meeting. And your boss is like no other in like this is a high level meeting.
And you're like, but hear me out. I want to be in the meeting. I will sit in the corner
(31:46):
and say nothing. I will do whatever you want me to do. Just get me in there. And he's like,
you're really persistent about this. So okay, go make sure the room is ready. And like sit in the
corner. Whatever. Take some notes. Do whatever. So you go up. There's this guy like having a panic
attack in like an empty room on a floor that's being renovated. So you go in and you're like,
(32:10):
dude are you good? And he's like kind of gruff. But you're like you're clearly having a panic
attack. And he's like, no I'm not shut up. And you're like, it kind of seems like you are. Do
you need some water? Do you need some help? Whatever. And then you walk into this meeting
and it turns out that guy that you were kind of helping is the Formula One driver. And you're
like, oh yes. You don't know anything about Formula One by the way. I mean that is true.
(32:31):
Like you're just here for the vibes. So you go into this meeting and it turns out that this
meeting is not going like you or he thought it was going to go. Your boss sits him down and is
like, you're not here to sign a contract. And he's like, pardon me. You're about to give me like
billions of dollars so that I'm like the face of your sponsorship. And he's like, no actually I'm
(32:52):
not because these pictures of you drunk and stumbling around from last night just came out.
And we're not here for this. We're a family oriented brand. So we need you to clean up your
public image. And then once you've done that we can agree to this deal. And he's like, what do you
even like I need you to what does that mean? What do you want from me? And he's like, for the next
(33:14):
three months you are going to have a girlfriend and be a stand up wholesome family guy. And he's
like, you can't make me have a girlfriend. Like where am I going to find a girlfriend? And he's
like, don't worry. Here are three candidates I have picked out for you who will pretend to be
your girlfriend. And hands him these file folders. And you're sitting in the corner of this meeting
like what the fuck? What kind of meeting is this? But he's got like these actresses on. What is
(33:40):
happening? And he looks at the the Formula One driver looks at these file folders and he's like,
okay, I will play your game. However, I don't want any of them. I want her to be my girlfriend for
the three months. And he points at you sitting in the corner minding your business. And your
boss is like, bet. And you're like, hang on, I have some concerns. Your boss is like, listen,
(34:05):
you're going to get a crazy promotion slash I will help you get a really good job. If you pull this
off and you're like, you know what, fair enough. And thus you start jet setting around the world
going to races with this dude, sleeping in the same bed because the paparazzi are all over him.
And if there were any whiff of you guys not having the same hotel room or sharing the same room,
whiff of you guys not having the same hotel room or sharing the same bed, you're done. Also, his
(34:30):
dad is hella abusive. So that's a fun little thing. Also, you're like lying to everybody,
you've signed an NDA. Like you have to fully be this man's girlfriend. It was so silly. Also
kind of hot. Anyway, it's called On the Edge by K Bomber. It was a silly, goofy time. And the F1
stuff was fairly accurate, which I appreciated. That sounds really fun. Cruz. He's got some.
(34:57):
What is his name? Cruz? Yeah, like C-R-E-U-Z. Yeah. And then Spanish. He's kind of like for the F1.
If there are listeners who like F1, he's like a mix between Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen
is how I pictured him. I thought you were trying to make Cruz happen like Fetch. Like Cruz. No,
his name is Cruz. That makes a lot more sense. It was a silly, goofy. Can you imagine if you
(35:21):
were in a meeting and your boss like pulled out, they were like, here are some women that will be
your fake girlfriend for three months if you want this billion dollar deal. Romance reasons. Yeah.
I mean, I personally wouldn't say no. Well, and oh, and she had to like break up with her boyfriend
at the start too, because she can't have this boyfriend while pretending to date him. It was a
(35:43):
good time. It was so silly. Yes. Because why not? Is it an ebook or audio or novella? It is an ebook.
I think I read it on KU. Nice. I'm pretty sure. Yeah. It's always so. Yeah. And the author has
(36:08):
written, she's on my list because she had written a whole other F1 series. And then this one is
supposed to be, she's Indy. So she's kind of turning them out pretty quickly. Yeah, it's on KU.
So there are more coming. The first one I didn't love, I didn't love the setup. She's like. Gotcha.
An F1 team owner's daughter and he's not dying. He's got like a chronic illness.
(36:32):
And so he's like kind of secretly training her to take over, even though she hasn't been around the
sport for years for personal reasons, but he like hires her as the marketing person. And then the
hero is like an F2 driver who has to come take the spot of a driver, of like one of their drivers who
was injured. And they start sleeping together, but there's no like thought to HR, I think is my,
(36:55):
they just, she's like, fine, let's sleep together. She had been like sexually assaulted in the past
and has like not been able to enjoy having sex. And they like have a moment in a bar and then
they're enemies because it turns out he was only talking to her for a dare. And then they turn out
working together. It was a whole thing. So they start sleeping together, just like no strings,
but at no point are they like, Hey, this isn't good because I'm going to take over this team.
(37:19):
That's up. Listen, I had some concerns, but the second one was fun. The second one sounds fun.
Kind of disappointed that jet setting around the world sleeping with enough fun driver wasn't part
of my internship. You took one of them, but there was that other one. There was that other one,
(37:44):
probably maybe somehow. I don't know how I would have gotten there. You know, if you dream, if you
close your eyes, spin around three times, wish, fall on your head and then yeah, then it's there.
Oh, but that was a very compelling use of the second person. Thank you. I'm really proud.
I felt like I was there. It was her at the moment. I thought, well, you don't know anything about F1.
(38:08):
So I thought that neither did she. Exactly. I felt she was embodied. We were all embodied
in each other. I really embodied that description. Yes, you did. Yes, you did. Thank you. Well,
what can I say? I love an F1 romance. Yes, you do. I think I just got one. I think it's
(38:30):
one from Berkeley. I think they have one. Is it the Simone Sultani? No, maybe it's not F1 then.
What is it? I do want to read that one though. One of my coworkers, she is best friends with Simone.
So I get some inside tea. What is he? Yeah, she sent it to me, the physical galley. Yes. Yeah,
(38:56):
I told her I sent her your contact information. I was like, hey, can you pass this along? Yeah,
she DM'd me. She was like, I'm really shooting my shot here. Is it okay? I was like, girl,
the easiest shot that has ever been shooted. Of course I want it.
Oh, the one I'm thinking of. Is this rugby? No, skating. Why does that hockey stick look so
(39:19):
fucked up? Collide. Oh. It's that one. Yes, yes, yes. I don't know. The hockey stick looks like a
cricket bat or something. Well, regardless, not F1. No, I thought it was for some reason.
I think it's the Lenny Kaufman cover that confused me. I mean, that'll do it. But no,
(39:39):
I'm excited for Simone's. Yes, I'm excited for Simone's. I'm excited for ours forever. I mean,
the double apex. Double apex, yes. That I remembered it. I did. It's okay. Shame, shame.
I have truly an unhinged list of F1 romances. Do you know how many random indie F1 romances there
(40:06):
are? Just like on Pay You. You are a brave, brave soul. There are several that I started and
immediately did move to my DNF list because there are some that like the Lauren Asher I just kind of
pushed through. They were on audio. I put them on three times speed and suffer. But if I have to
read it with my eyeballs and you assault me with poor grammar and a misogynistic man within the
(40:28):
first paragraph, I'm out. Yeah. Yeah, I know. I'm so much more willing to stick it out in audio.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Because I can do other things.
Exactly. So for I have been watching way too much Dateline and not enough audiobooks.
(40:48):
Listening to not enough. I mean, I've been listening to F1 podcasts instead of audiobooks.
That's where I've been at. Look at that. I know. I'm like,
I should really be listening to not Keith Morrison. But I just can't stop. I know.
The plus side of my fable book club, we picked a Jeannie Lynn, which I'm very excited about
(41:09):
for this month. And excuse me, it's it's one of the only ones that is on audible.
Like not a lot of her books have audiobooks. But this one is one that does. And I was like,
I have a I have a bunch of credits. Maybe I should pick a job. Because I think it's one of those ones
that's like only on audible. I'm not positive, but I was like, oh, perfect. I know. I always try to
(41:33):
look for those ones like when audible those sales and stuff that are like the only on audible.
Or like use my credits on those. Right. My God, did you see Adriana Herrera's new cover?
Yeah, I don't like it as much as the last one, but it is very I mean,
pink. Yeah, it was going to be impossible to top the. I am just obsessed with the summary,
(41:54):
like what that book is going to be about. I'm so excited. Honestly. Yeah.
I need it now. It's Adriana Herrera's. I know. I'm so excited. It's going to be good.
Every time she puts it, you know, when she does like here's like the mood board and it's just like
borderline NSFW pictures and memes. Yep. Her memes are so funny. She posted the one that's like.
(42:19):
We're going to fight. And then it's the picture of the fight. It took me out.
Guys, we'll link Adriana's post because that woman is so funny. She gets it. If I wanted a second
opinion, I'd just ask myself again is also incredible. But yeah, but we're going to fight.
(42:41):
And then the fight is so unhinged. Just.
So yeah, if you haven't read that series, do that. Yeah, get on that.
Where have you been? I can't. I can't. Yeah. So I've been thinking about that all day.
And then Alexis Darius, along came a more very excited for that because I loved both of those
(43:06):
books in that series. I really like her writing. We're being fed. We are. We are. Cool. Well.
Oh, and I've got the galley of the next Julie Soto sitting on my shelf. I love the advent of
(43:26):
cellos. Just I just if you have this is a book that we're work forever is publishing just,
you know, disclaimer. However. This is the horniest cover I've ever seen, possibly.
Did you look at the hand placement? That is like the lightest.
(43:47):
Grays. It's so and like the strap falling down and the ghost cello of it all.
I mean, the cello raises the sexiness of any situation. So true.
Tenfold just automatically. Yes. The fingers vary. And his hand is so big, just like
(44:08):
gently brushing her chin and neck. What's the plot of it? All I know is the cover.
I can surmise a lot from the cover, but probably not enough. I don't. I haven't read it yet.
But the little tagline is in this sizzling and swooning novel, two rival musicians fight
their attraction as they compete for center stage. Hmm. Color me intrigued. I like your first one.
(44:37):
When Gwen is offered the role of first chair of the orchestra, something Xander has secretly
coveted for years, their existing hostility goes up a notch. But obviously there's a sizzling
chemistry between them at the same time. He's a cellist and a rock star. What does that mean?
(44:58):
What does it mean? I love it.
No, that's exciting. See, I have I mean, you obviously have it harder because you have
more access, but I fight the urge to download forever books on neck galley every day. And I
(45:20):
lost that when I downloaded Lady Scandal, even though I had a full neck galley shelf and I was
like, you know what? I don't care. I make the rule and it was so good. Yeah. I think I did that
with the Christina Britton one too. I was like, you know what? Fuck it. I mean, that one,
(45:40):
I mean, that one made more sense to it. It doesn't have an audio book. So I was like,
I'm just good. Like it's now or never. The Lady Scandal will have one. I was just impatient.
And it sounded so good. And then I got the arc for the Scarlet Peckham one that's just coming out,
the mistress experience or something. She's like takes his man to a little shack and just like
(46:00):
teaches him how to have sex. I think that's what I got from the summary and the reviews. I read one
review on Instagram and I was like, okay. Yeah. So I actually want to read that as soon as seemingly
possible because he just think he's like an inexperienced like nobleman and he just hires
(46:20):
a courtesan to like take him to a little shack and teach him the ropes. As one does. Yeah.
And I think the entire thing is him just like convincing her to like be with him, which A plus.
So it's always the Duke. Excited. It is always the Duke. Yeah. I'm really raring to go for that one.
(46:41):
I love it. Do you have an F1 update? Not really. The current state of F1 is just chaos,
but it's not fun chaos. It's like the allegations of workplace misconduct made by a female employee
(47:01):
being horribly mishandled and just everyone being disappointing in how they respond to that. So
it's not like a fun update. It's like, oh God, guys, it's really hard to be a fan of your sport
when you say things like this. What team was it? Or is it? It was against Christian Horner, the Red
Bull team principal. But the thing is, we don't know. There was no transparency about it. Red
(47:25):
Bull, the parent company, not the racing team, but Red Bull did an investigation and a hearing. And
they said that he was cleared. Shocker. But there was no, no one knows what the allegations were
exactly. Just inappropriate work put. But was it sexual misconduct? There were some people who were
(47:48):
saying it wasn't. It was controlling behavior. And what does that mean? And then apparently,
a Google Drive of evidence was anonymously sent to a whole bunch of journalists and other team
principals and things. But to my knowledge, we still don't know if that was even real.
Or like, allegedly, this was evidence, but we don't know. And then
(48:17):
they asked several of the drivers in press conferences about like,
what do you think about? And they were very vague. So part of me is like, maybe the drivers didn't
realize this is what they were asking about. But also a lot of the other drama that has come out
of this is like rumors that Max could go to Mercedes because Max has an unequivocally backed
Christian Horner, which I don't really buy him moving. But then his dad has been saying a lot
(48:38):
of stuff about like, Christian Horner needs to step down because he's causing problems and all
these things. There's just a lot going on. So they asked in a press conference, like, what do you
think about all of the off track stuff going on? Basically, like they worded it super vaguely and
the drivers kind of responded. The ones that were asked were like, I'm just here to drive like all
(48:59):
that noise doesn't really affect me. And all of the women were like, oh, that noise, that's not a
great way to respond. And then today it was announced that Red Bull has suspended the female
Red Bull has suspended the female employee who made the allegations. That's not what I thought
you were gonna say. No, no. I think I mean, suspended, I'm pretty sure like with pay and
(49:25):
everything. But like, why? And I like if he's innocent, why weren't you transparent about
the whole thing? You know what I mean? It's just been very weird. Yeah, super weird. Anyway,
(49:50):
very weird race for now. Tomorrow as of when this episode drops. I can't sign off with Kachow for
Now anymore, because it turns out there's an actual F1 podcast who says Kachow for now at the
end of their episodes. And I'm like, damn it. We need to think of a literary equivalent of Kachow
for now. Nothing's coming to me. Yeah, because they definitely came up with it. I can't steal it.
(50:16):
I mean, technically, Lightning McQueen came up with it. He came up with Kachow. Oh, is Kachow
for now not? No. Oh, he goes, but you know, did you listen to them before you did your email
signature? I wasn't regularly listening to them. But I'm pretty sure they were the ones that I had
heard it from. I don't like I don't think I heard them use it as their sign off. But I think they're
(50:38):
the ones who mentioned they like used it when they reached out to a driver to interview him.
Just say what are their names? I don't remember. TrackDoc.
As what did you say? TrackDoc? That's their podcast as TrackDoc says. As TrackDoc says.
There we go. Just give a credit. Kachow for now. We'll think of a new Throb for Bob. I don't know.
(51:10):
Throb for the pod. I don't know. I hate that. We can't. Yeah, we need to do a different one,
obviously. Unanimous vote there. But yeah, that's unfortunate. But good job setting your sources.
Yeah, I was like, oh, dang it. That's definitely yours. No Kachow for now in a vacuum.
(51:35):
No. Well, that's all she wrote. And hey, I think we can use that one. That one's never been used
anywhere, right? I actually just invented that phrase just now. Quick copyright it.
(51:55):
Okay. I just really wanted to say Kachow for now. That was really invasive right there. Well,
I mean, you can say so long. Farewell. Damn it. That's another one that's taken.
Alfie just saying that to you. Yeah. Okay. Well, stay tuned. Who knows what's in store next,
because we don't either. We are really living this one day at a time.
(52:21):
We are. I can't believe it's already March, like, eighth at the time of you listening to this. And
then like, my aunt was like, yeah, next week is St. Patrick's Day. And I was like, what do you mean?
Like two weeks? No, next weekend. No, it's not. Yes. No, it's not. It really messed with me having
February like, and halfway through the month. And then like, March, no, March. I meant week.
(52:51):
So like last week felt like a full February week rather than like a full March week. And so now
that we're like, it's like March 7th, but it feels like it's not up on you. And then like next week,
and then like, what do you mean? What do you mean? It just doesn't feel real. I know. Yeah. And
I just simply have no idea what I'm doing tomorrow, let alone for this podcast. Not a clue.
(53:20):
Genuinely. So we will be back at some point with the semblance of a schedule. But for right now,
we're just throbbing along. Just throbbing along. Making our way downtown. Okay. I don't know.
Bye bye. So long. Why am I saying that?
I was gonna start with something, but I always am a little bit wary of if you plugged this into your car and your kids are listening or something.
(00:07):
Throbbing members!
Yeah, I didn't want to start with that, because what if you got in your car and the Bluetooth connected?
No, ours does that.
That's why I'm saying you, because this wouldn't happen to me, but you got in and your Bluetooth connected, and it's just throbbing members all through your car.
It did that today, actually, but it was just my Lady Charlotte always gets her manned audiobook on Spotify.
(00:28):
That one you don't have to worry about.
No, it would truly happen, because I do listen to this, or if I need to, in Spotify.
Maybe we've just written my own history, my future history.
Which is why we can't kick off with throbbing members, but we can after we've said a couple of things first, so you can scramble to turn it off before someone hears it who you don't want to hear it.
(00:53):
We can ease your way into the throbbing members.
Oh god, we're the worst.
Welcome to our new TBR.
It is us.
Caroline, do you recognize us?
It's been so long.
I know, it has been so long.
And truthfully, this one, I was like, I was leaving it up to you.
(01:16):
Well, so what happened was, for those of you who don't know, I work for Forever, which is a publisher of many wonderful books, and Kennedy Ryan had a book come out the Tuesday of this week when we are recording and posting.
And I'm working on that book.
I'm not the only one, but I'm one of the people working on it.
(01:38):
And basically, the past couple of weeks have been just unhinged.
She's going on a 12 stop tour.
She was on the Today Show.
And all of these interviews, lots of people are interested in her.
It's amazing.
We want her on the bestseller list.
Nobody deserves it like Kennedy Ryan.
(02:03):
I'm telling you right now that it's a book I'm working on, so you should know that.
However, this is me using my own podcast as an opportunity to tell you to go buy This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan.
Because I think that you should.
And because it's a great book.
Anyway, but the point is, life has been so unh- like, the amount of overtime that we have worked, gladly and willingly.
(02:31):
And they were great events.
However, today is Thursday as we're recording, and I was like, oh, shit, I have a podcast and we already missed the past two weeks.
We cannot put out another newsletter instead of a podcast for three weeks in a row.
The pitchforks would be at our doors.
I don't think anybody cares that much, but I cared.
(02:52):
They would be throbbing.
Yeah, I just feel like if we didn't, when would we?
We'd get too comfortable.
We would actually just never record another podcast again.
Yeah.
But I was leaving it up to you.
I was like, if she responds- or not responds, because I didn't say anything.
I was like, if she wants to, I will let her.
(03:14):
Well, like, look, Tuesday, I didn't get home until 10.30, which is crazy when you can say- it was my own fault.
That was like a fun thing that I did after work.
I went to like a movie screening that I had won a ticket for.
But that was the day we did the Today Show.
So I was like, I commuted into Manhattan to be at the office by 8 a.m.
And then didn't get home until like 10.30, 11.
(03:36):
And then had to commute into the office again the next day.
And then stayed late that day also, because I had a meeting.
Not crazy, but still.
And I like was sick yesterday afternoon, evening.
And I was like, okay, I'm going home and going to bed.
But yeah, y'all.
(03:59):
Putting together an author tour is no joke.
And I'm not even the one who did the bulk of the work.
It sounds crazy.
I mean, 12 stops is a lot when I like look at other people's work.
Other author schedules.
Yeah.
Go her.
Cool.
I don't have a segue.
Nope.
We're going to try to keep this really short and sweet.
(04:19):
Which I know we say all the time and then fail.
But we really genuinely are going to try so that you don't have to edit.
Very genuinely.
Okay.
So our mission today.
So that you know, listener, because Hannah and I already planned this without you.
We planned something.
(04:39):
Look at us.
I know.
Crazy.
We planned it like an hour ago.
Is that you?
And then we fell apart when I was.
It was like, you were like, oh, wait a minute.
We have each picked one historical romance and one contemporary romance that we have read
semi-recently.
(05:01):
And we're going to try to convince each other.
Like, I'm going to try to convince Hannah to read my recommendations and vice versa.
So you're getting four recommendations.
Lucky you.
Oh my God.
I thought you meant me.
I was like, oh no, sorry.
You listener.
The you listener versus you, Hannah, is confusing.
I was like, I mean, I can whip them up.
(05:23):
No, no, no problem.
I was like, I don't.
Throbbing numbers are getting four.
The throbbing numbers.
That makes sense.
We only get two.
Because we're punk ass losers.
Yes, that is us.
That's us.
Honestly, it is us.
Yeah.
Yeah, that tracks.
(05:44):
Do you want to start?
Do you want me to start?
Sure.
I can start.
I was going through all the historical romances I read recently and I was like, I could pick
any of these because I've read some really good ones.
And then I was like, I have a proposal for this.
Oh, I think you should convince me to read it before telling me the title or the author.
(06:05):
I can do that.
At least this one.
I feel like this one.
I feel like you will get it.
I mean, but I like the little reveal.
Again, I'll end with the thing that I think would hook you the most.
OK.
But I do think you would pick this one up.
Like, I feel like I specifically did this one for you because you're either likely to
(06:29):
have the physical copy on yourself or like one of the ones in the series, because for
some reason I see them everywhere.
And I'm like, oh, like it's one of those ones where like half a series looks different than
the other half.
And then I'm like, that's the same series.
But we had a really good run last year of like paranormal fantasy, like historical romance.
(06:53):
OK.
And so I want to give you another one.
Oh, good.
Excellent.
I always want more.
Yeah, because it was just so fun.
And the narrator was really good.
He was like a British dude, which he was really good.
So there's that.
And again, I told you this in text.
I was like, I don't remember much.
(07:14):
It's OK.
But I was like, I have a sentence that will get it to you.
We'll keep it short and sweet.
Yeah, all I remember really is that he has a family member who is being who he thinks
is being scammed by a psychic or like someone who can pretend to like.
I have read this, I'm pretty sure.
Have you?
This would be.
Continue pitching it to me.
(07:36):
OK.
Either that or I've read something with a similar that.
I don't think I've heard you talk about this.
OK.
Maybe you have.
So his family member, I think it's his mother, is getting scammed.
So she's like invited this lady and her daughter into her home.
Oh, never mind.
And she's like hosting seances.
OK.
So now I think I do know what it might be.
(07:58):
But continue again.
No, you're good.
And the Duke is just I think he's a Duke.
He's probably a Duke.
It's always a Duke.
He's like just angry.
Romance title.
It's always a Duke.
That is.
Look at us.
We'll just write it.
We'll just co-write a romance book on this podcast.
We'll have it.
Just IP it.
Yeah, exactly.
Quote the forever team every time we have a decent idea.
(08:22):
IP it.
IP it.
Actual property.
So basically, he's just angry that this person's taking advantage.
Someone died.
I don't know who it was.
His mother, I think, is the one who wants the person back.
And so he goes to the seance to interrupt it because he's just kind of being a little bit
(08:44):
of a chaos nugget.
I don't know why I said that.
And the heroine is there, but she was also trying to do the same thing, but in a different
way.
And then he like, yeah, so she's there.
And he thinks that she is a scammer, but she's not.
She's like she's one of the ones with a huge family and all of them have siblings and books
(09:06):
and stuff.
But he ruins her plan to ruin that seance.
And then they reconnect after, and he convinces her to go to his estate to help rescue his
mother from the clutches of this phony.
But then is it actually phony?
(09:27):
What's happening?
They're at a haunted manor and things are being weird.
Not the haunted mansion.
Yeah.
And there's like, what I picture, have you seen the Wonka experience going around?
Yeah.
Have you seen the one with the silver face and the black hair?
No.
It's like the un-something.
(09:48):
Well, I'll send you a picture after this and then I'll put it in the show notes.
I just picture that because they see some weird ass thing in the lawn and they're like,
what is going on?
And it keeps you very on your toes of what's happening.
It's very funny, chaotic.
And I think the thing that will get you most is that it really reminded me of the
(10:08):
Teresa Medeiros.
It gave those vibes and I was there for it.
The next two books in the series, not great.
Book three was fine.
Book two, don't read it.
Just don't do it.
It is Mesmerized by Candice Camp.
Huh.
That is not anything that I ever would have guessed.
I don't remember that name.
(10:29):
And if you, Winterset is the one that I've seen a lot.
It looks like that.
Have you seen that?
Yeah.
And then the rest of the series looks like these covers.
It's floating.
Those.
Okay.
I don't think I own any Candice Camp, actually.
(10:49):
Well, she's a good writer.
Definitely, like I said, the second two books weren't great, so I stopped that series for a while.
But the first one was really fun.
It's funny, when you started describing it, I was like, oh, the Courtney Milan.
Because there's now two books, one that I've read and one that I have on my TBR,
that both have the starting premise of the hero thinks his family member or someone is getting
(11:14):
scammed by a psychic, but both of those are the heroine pretending to be the psychic.
And I can't remember the title of either of them, so I'm on my Goodreads trying to find it.
But the Courtney Milan is amazing.
We've now got three nickels.
We've now got three nickels.
What is it about historical romances and women pretending to be psychics?
(11:38):
And they're like, the way it ended, it got into like wacky territory.
I mean, when you start out with that premise, proof by seduction is the Courtney Milan.
And this one also had a little bit, because I had also read another one that was a YA
mystery thriller.
And both of them have to do kind of a little bit with reincarnation.
(12:01):
And like dream, it's cool.
And I loved it.
It is very intriguing.
It is really killing me that I can't remember what the other one, the one that's on my TBR,
it's called, it's one that I hear people talk about a lot, like on historical road,
The Ruin of Evangeline Jones by Julia Bennett, which has a killer cover.
(12:24):
The Ruin of Evangeline Jones.
Alex Stanton just inherited a dukedom, but his true passion is uncovering charlatans
and frauds wherever he finds them.
Why is that literally what I was talking about?
That's weird.
Yeah.
(12:46):
Oh, and there's also the one that I read by Theresa Medeiros where she's the Puritan
witch.
He's trying to expose her as a fraud.
Because he's like, you're not a Puritan witch, you're a fraud.
And she's like, but I am.
So he gets played a little bit there.
Look at that.
Look at us.
We gave you so many wrecks.
So many wrecks.
(13:06):
Okay.
Yeah.
So mine is kind of a two for one, actually, technically a three for one, although I haven't
read the third book.
I can only recommend the first two.
So I'm going to recommend you the second book in the series, but only the third book.
I read the first series, but only because I read it more recently.
And so I remember more of it.
(13:27):
I appreciate that.
But I think I actually preferred the first one just in terms of plot.
You may prefer the second.
Unclear.
So we're civil war era.
We're in, I can't remember where exactly.
Not the deep, deep south, but somewhere in the south.
(13:49):
And our heroine is taken away from her mother, who was a slave, but who has been freed.
So she, the heroine, was born free.
But a white woman comes to take her away.
And it becomes apparent to her, who has been training in root craft with her mother, who's
(14:13):
like a root worker.
She has dreams where she foresees things.
dreams where she foresees things and she had foreseen this and it becomes apparent to her that
clearly the white master of the plantation where they came from, who is this white woman's father,
(14:34):
is her father. And so this must be her half-sister and she's coming to live with her,
not to be enslaved, but like because this woman feels that she is part of the family and wants to
take care of her. So she leaves her mother and goes off to do this and continues her root work,
but also is like a scientist and reads a lot of books on biology and becomes basically like
(15:01):
kind of a genius with creating like healing tonics and things. And she uses this, they go to visit
Union soldiers who are imprisoned and she heals them. They also like make money off of this and
this sister who never says that she's her sister, she just refers to her as family, but won't give
her any more of a label than that, is secretly kind of an abolitionist and is helping, they're
(15:26):
a stop on the Underground Railroad, that sort of thing. But they are not in an area where they can
be very public about that. In this Union prison camp is a very handsome man whose family fled
Scotland. I believe in the clearances, question mark, I don't know, they fled Scotland. His brother
(15:48):
was the hero of book one because of course he was and he is actually very good at escaping prisons.
He's been in prison several times and escaped them all, but he keeps getting captured. And the reason
he's doing that is kind of on purpose and it's because his job in the Union, he's like a terrible
soldier, but what he's really good at doing is torturing Confederates for information.
(16:15):
He's got a particular set of skills. His particular set of skills he's torturing.
He's really really good at it. His dad was really awful, he was like a very abusive alcoholic,
and so he's kind of afraid of himself in some ways. He's also definitely neurodivergent,
like I read him as autistic, but I'm not, you know, there's no language for that in the book.
(16:38):
But so basically he tortured this one guy and he was like a really despicable guy and he started
to enjoy torturing him and that was his like, oh no, no no no, I cannot do this anymore. Because
normally he was very clinical about it, but he did not like that he kind of lost control.
And so now he's been getting kind of intentionally captured and put in prisoner of war camps so that
(17:03):
he doesn't have to torture anyone. So he's been talking to this woman, this woman who's been
coming to heal him, when all of a sudden a bad guy shows up, a Confederate home guard guy,
and this is the man that he tortured. He doesn't recognize him because he has a beard.
The Confederate doesn't recognize the hero because he has a beard, but he's like, oh shit,
(17:26):
this guy is bad news. This man also takes over our heroine's house because her sister-in-law
shows up and is like, well this is my house, and she's super Confederate and super awful,
and she like volunteers their house as a home base for the home guard essentially,
and the home guard's job is rooting out traitors at home. So
(17:49):
what else is not great is the fact that he has since escaped prison and was injured, and so he's
hiding in our heroine's laboratory as the house is getting taken over by the home guard. And so
they are like flirting, passing notes, discussing philosophy, discussing her scientific theories,
(18:11):
and eventually bad things happen and they do have to go on the run together. And then they
do have to go on the run together and end up using the underground railroad themselves.
But listen, do I remember what the revenge is? No. Do I know that most if not all of the people
that you wanted to have it coming to them did have it coming to them?
(18:34):
I love that.
Yes. There might be one character I'm thinking of that I don't remember what happened to them,
so they might have gotten away with it, but folks are dealt with. Oh, also our heroine is a spy,
just also on the side, just for fun. She's passing information along, because why not?
There's secrets about her family history that are revealed. There's lots of flirting and late night
(19:00):
tee-heeing. They have a lovely relationship. That was very long-winded.
God damn it. I can't be concise. Anyway. Me neither. I can't remember the name of the book now.
But you at least tell a coherent story. Look, mine kind of just flows with the wind.
You didn't need all that detail. I just get really excited about Alyssa Cole.
(19:22):
This one was a hope divided, which is the second book. An Extraordinary Union was the first. That
one, they're both spies. He's undercover as a Confederate soldier, and she's undercover as a
mute household slave. I just did one of my daily book chats on another book by Alyssa Cole, but
(19:43):
it's one of her contemporary ones. Love Me Some Alyssa Cole.
Yeah, where she goes to Scotland and becomes a swordmaker's apprentice. I'm like, we're wild.
Living my dream. Exactly. I know. And then he ends up
being a duke. I'm like, please? What is it about the dukes?
It's always a duke. Always a duke.
(20:06):
I know. I saw your reading updates for those, and I'm like, I need to read those.
You do. You do. Only two people I trust to write Civil War-era historical romance.
Beverly Jenkins and Alyssa Cole. The thing about this one is that he really
doesn't like that he's good at torturing people. He's not proud of it. And so when he admits it to
(20:27):
her, she also doesn't like... It's a sensitive thing for her, but she doesn't immediately process
it very well when she finds out that he didn't realize that he was torturing people and had
tortured this dude. And I'm like, me personally, you're like, I torture Confederates. I'm like,
okay. Actually say less. No, exactly. He's like, oh, I shattered that man's kneecaps. And I'm like,
(20:56):
slay? He deserved it though. Why didn't you kill him while you were at it? Because boy,
is that man despicable. I know. There was a Madison Michaels book where the hero... He did some crazy
stuff to the person who killed his mother. And I still think about it. I'm like, oh my God.
(21:19):
I wasn't prepared for that, but he went hard and he was still going hard years later.
Because normally touch her and die is like, okay, he plays golf. But no.
Okay, that's not normal. No, that's one very specific instance.
But this guy was like, touch anyone that I love and you actually won't die. I'll just torture you
(21:44):
and castrate you and remove your limbs and put you on the street. So you have to beg for me
every day of your life. You won't die. So I'll make sure that. And I'll also, I think, cut out
your tongue. So it's a lot to process. Wow. That's a lot. Yeah. But you know, I get it.
(22:11):
And I'm kind of stumped at which one I want to recommend you of my contemporary ones,
because I don't know. I don't know the vibe. Do you want a novella or do you want a full length?
I think full length. Okay. I guess you can pick Ireland, England or Vegas.
(22:34):
Contemporary. Let's do Ireland. I just want that Irish movie that's coming out. That's Irish wish,
which by the way, as a side note, kind of a vibe. I'm excited to watch that. I did not like the
Christmas one that was by the same very low hand. Didn't love it in that movie. I don't remember.
It was just like a small town Christmas movie and I didn't love it. This one, still not amazing
(22:59):
acting on most fronts. However, I did have a great time. Yeah. So March 15th, I believe is when Irish
wish hits Netflix, honestly would recommend, but specifically you watch it with a group
and you commit to like reacting dramatically to everything. Because when I tell you sitting in a
movie theater full of people, including Lindsay Lohan and the rest of the cast and the most
(23:24):
unexpected, it's not like a plot twist. It's just like someone responds in a way to something very
dramatic that you did not anticipate. And when I tell you, it was the loudest collective gasp I
have ever experienced. That entire theater full of people went, it was incredible.
Well, I'm very excited to watch that and gasp. Gasp away. It's the gasp heard around the world.
(23:49):
I bet we'll all hear it. So let's go Ireland. Yeah. This one was, it was so good. I didn't really
expect it to be this good because it was like one of those ones that you get in that galley. That's
kind of like a filler. I had been anticipating it. I liked book one and I liked where this heroin
story was going, but I kind of read it because I was like, okay, I have more faith in some other
(24:11):
ones. And so I didn't think it was going to do what it did to me, but it was so good. Definitely
content warnings for making you cry because I did cry a lot. And like content warnings for
cancer, character dying of cancer, kind of semi on page. Heavy, but also great. Basically in book
(24:42):
one, you meet the heroin. She's a librarian. She basically has kind of like developed hypochondria
because her mother is like very toxic and abusive and very clingy. And she doesn't feel like she can
get away and her hypochondria stemmed from that. So she decides to take a job in Ireland for an
(25:07):
author's assistant for one of her favorite childhood authors who hasn't released a book in a
decade. And it's like the last book in the series. And she'll also work at the local bookstore.
Also living my dream life.
Yeah. No, literally. Like it's a very classic hallmark plot of destination romance. Heroin
(25:28):
goes, shakes up a small town. The hero is absolutely resistant to any type of change.
Of course.
And he automatically takes a disliking to her.
Naturally.
Yep. And you're like, why, dude? Why are you doing this? And then you slowly peel back his
little onion layers and he's a beautiful ogre.
Of course he's got them.
And so she's like working in the bookstore. He's trying to like make her kind of like want to leave
(25:52):
and she's becoming beloved in this small town in Ireland. And then she's working with the author
to like get the final book written. And it just really snuck up on me. Like the writing was,
it was so good. And like, I loved the bits with the author because plot twist, the author's son
(26:13):
is the owner of the bookstore. And so they ended up having to work very closely together to help
the author finish her book. Because she has cancer, which again, it's not like you wouldn't know
that from the back of the book. And I guess it's a spoiler. I think most people probably want that
spoiled just so like you don't stumble upon it. Because I was like, what is the tension?
(26:38):
Like what's going to happen? And I was like, oh,
so not normally one that I would really gravitate towards, like if I knew what was going into it,
but the way it was handled was very good. So it's one if you want to cry, if you want to go to
Ireland and cry. I mean, yeah, but it was so good. And I don't even know when it comes,
when does it come out? It is, the title is Love at First Book by Jen McKinley. And it's actually out
(27:05):
on May 14th, so sooner than I thought. Yeah. And I mean, there's a cat on the cover, but there
should be a dog because there's a cute dog in it. And he should be more gruff looking because he's
a gruff Irishman. But yeah, it was really good. Again, content warnings. It was heavier than I
expected, but also I loved what it did with her mother because like she already went to therapy
(27:29):
and like basically cut her mother off at the beginning of the book. And so it was a good
thing to have her mother off at the beginning of the book. Like she did all of that before the book
started because I was not excited to deal with that type of character. It's a character I've never,
no. So I was very nervous. And then I found out that she did all the work. I only had to take
(27:49):
like a few phone calls from my mother and then it was like, yeah, this is not good for me. And then
basically like cut her off. And I was like, I love that for you. And then like the small town had
like, you know, friendly, like quirky side characters and all of that jazz. And it was a
little funny, cute, but definitely like, I would still say it's like a romance, but women's fiction,
(28:11):
like romance kind of like vibe since the second half is very like heavy on like writing the book
and like spending time with the author and all of that. And I think they're like, yeah, sounds
very like Emily Henry adjacent. Yeah. Yeah. I could see it being in that vein, definitely different
(28:33):
from it was the summer reading was book one where he's librarian and she's like a chef and she has
dyslexia and she does not like to read. And so it's like opposite attract for that one. But yeah,
definitely very Emily Henry ask. And I think you would really like it. I don't think you have to
read book one to read this one. But it makes you want to put on a giant sweater and stare out
(28:57):
into the rain. Well, I always do. So that makes sense. Well, in a very different vein,
although also with parental trauma, not all that it's more like, yeah, because it's shitty dad,
which don't they all got to be a two. This is all it's the second book in a series. You also
(29:21):
don't have to read book one. I thought book one was meh. I thought this one was much better.
I would like you to imagine if you will, that you are interning at this listen, I don't even
know what the company does. It doesn't really matter. It's like a financial thing. Yeah,
(29:42):
I don't know. You're interning there. You like you're doing your best. You live like not with
your parents, but like on the same property as your parents. Your parents are great. You love
your parents. You're in Texas. You're in Austin, Texas. You've got this boyfriend that you've been
with for a while. And like meh, he's fine. You know, not really doing much. But you know what,
(30:11):
he's there. And neither of you really bothers to want to like break up. So you're just you're there.
And you're interning at this company. And you're like really passionate about it. And you're really
trying. This is like a great internship for you to get your foot in the door and work your way up.
And this company is like involved in this deal where I don't listen. I don't really remember
(30:34):
all the details. I don't remember if they're the sponsor or if they're like the financial like,
I think they're the sponsor. We'll go with that. They are getting ready to set up this deal with
this really big Formula One driver who he is like his grandfather was the goat, like this incredible
Spanish driver. His father, like the grandfather's son, Hiro's father, did not live up to the
(31:01):
potential. Really was not great. He was also a driver but meh. And now so this guy is like a
huge name in Formula One. It seems like he I think he is already a world champion or he definitely is
going to be something like that. Great driver, also a playboy. He's not got the best public image.
(31:24):
He is out drinking a lot and partying, sleeping around. But he shows up and delivers on track.
And your company is getting ready to like set up this sponsorship deal. And you're like,
get me in that meeting. And your boss is like no other in like this is a high level meeting.
And you're like, but hear me out. I want to be in the meeting. I will sit in the corner
(31:46):
and say nothing. I will do whatever you want me to do. Just get me in there. And he's like,
you're really persistent about this. So okay, go make sure the room is ready. And like sit in the
corner. Whatever. Take some notes. Do whatever. So you go up. There's this guy like having a panic
attack in like an empty room on a floor that's being renovated. So you go in and you're like,
(32:10):
dude are you good? And he's like kind of gruff. But you're like you're clearly having a panic
attack. And he's like, no I'm not shut up. And you're like, it kind of seems like you are. Do
you need some water? Do you need some help? Whatever. And then you walk into this meeting
and it turns out that guy that you were kind of helping is the Formula One driver. And you're
like, oh yes. You don't know anything about Formula One by the way. I mean that is true.
(32:31):
Like you're just here for the vibes. So you go into this meeting and it turns out that this
meeting is not going like you or he thought it was going to go. Your boss sits him down and is
like, you're not here to sign a contract. And he's like, pardon me. You're about to give me like
billions of dollars so that I'm like the face of your sponsorship. And he's like, no actually I'm
(32:52):
not because these pictures of you drunk and stumbling around from last night just came out.
And we're not here for this. We're a family oriented brand. So we need you to clean up your
public image. And then once you've done that we can agree to this deal. And he's like, what do you
even like I need you to what does that mean? What do you want from me? And he's like, for the next
(33:14):
three months you are going to have a girlfriend and be a stand up wholesome family guy. And he's
like, you can't make me have a girlfriend. Like where am I going to find a girlfriend? And he's
like, don't worry. Here are three candidates I have picked out for you who will pretend to be
your girlfriend. And hands him these file folders. And you're sitting in the corner of this meeting
like what the fuck? What kind of meeting is this? But he's got like these actresses on. What is
(33:40):
happening? And he looks at the the Formula One driver looks at these file folders and he's like,
okay, I will play your game. However, I don't want any of them. I want her to be my girlfriend for
the three months. And he points at you sitting in the corner minding your business. And your
boss is like, bet. And you're like, hang on, I have some concerns. Your boss is like, listen,
(34:05):
you're going to get a crazy promotion slash I will help you get a really good job. If you pull this
off and you're like, you know what, fair enough. And thus you start jet setting around the world
going to races with this dude, sleeping in the same bed because the paparazzi are all over him.
And if there were any whiff of you guys not having the same hotel room or sharing the same room,
whiff of you guys not having the same hotel room or sharing the same bed, you're done. Also, his
(34:30):
dad is hella abusive. So that's a fun little thing. Also, you're like lying to everybody,
you've signed an NDA. Like you have to fully be this man's girlfriend. It was so silly. Also
kind of hot. Anyway, it's called On the Edge by K Bomber. It was a silly, goofy time. And the F1
stuff was fairly accurate, which I appreciated. That sounds really fun. Cruz. He's got some.
(34:57):
What is his name? Cruz? Yeah, like C-R-E-U-Z. Yeah. And then Spanish. He's kind of like for the F1.
If there are listeners who like F1, he's like a mix between Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen
is how I pictured him. I thought you were trying to make Cruz happen like Fetch. Like Cruz. No,
his name is Cruz. That makes a lot more sense. It was a silly, goofy. Can you imagine if you
(35:21):
were in a meeting and your boss like pulled out, they were like, here are some women that will be
your fake girlfriend for three months if you want this billion dollar deal. Romance reasons. Yeah.
I mean, I personally wouldn't say no. Well, and oh, and she had to like break up with her boyfriend
at the start too, because she can't have this boyfriend while pretending to date him. It was a
(35:43):
good time. It was so silly. Yes. Because why not? Is it an ebook or audio or novella? It is an ebook.
I think I read it on KU. Nice. I'm pretty sure. Yeah. It's always so. Yeah. And the author has
(36:08):
written, she's on my list because she had written a whole other F1 series. And then this one is
supposed to be, she's Indy. So she's kind of turning them out pretty quickly. Yeah, it's on KU.
So there are more coming. The first one I didn't love, I didn't love the setup. She's like. Gotcha.
An F1 team owner's daughter and he's not dying. He's got like a chronic illness.
(36:32):
And so he's like kind of secretly training her to take over, even though she hasn't been around the
sport for years for personal reasons, but he like hires her as the marketing person. And then the
hero is like an F2 driver who has to come take the spot of a driver, of like one of their drivers who
was injured. And they start sleeping together, but there's no like thought to HR, I think is my,
(36:55):
they just, she's like, fine, let's sleep together. She had been like sexually assaulted in the past
and has like not been able to enjoy having sex. And they like have a moment in a bar and then
they're enemies because it turns out he was only talking to her for a dare. And then they turn out
working together. It was a whole thing. So they start sleeping together, just like no strings,
but at no point are they like, Hey, this isn't good because I'm going to take over this team.
(37:19):
That's up. Listen, I had some concerns, but the second one was fun. The second one sounds fun.
Kind of disappointed that jet setting around the world sleeping with enough fun driver wasn't part
of my internship. You took one of them, but there was that other one. There was that other one,
(37:44):
probably maybe somehow. I don't know how I would have gotten there. You know, if you dream, if you
close your eyes, spin around three times, wish, fall on your head and then yeah, then it's there.
Oh, but that was a very compelling use of the second person. Thank you. I'm really proud.
I felt like I was there. It was her at the moment. I thought, well, you don't know anything about F1.
(38:08):
So I thought that neither did she. Exactly. I felt she was embodied. We were all embodied
in each other. I really embodied that description. Yes, you did. Yes, you did. Thank you. Well,
what can I say? I love an F1 romance. Yes, you do. I think I just got one. I think it's
(38:30):
one from Berkeley. I think they have one. Is it the Simone Sultani? No, maybe it's not F1 then.
What is it? I do want to read that one though. One of my coworkers, she is best friends with Simone.
So I get some inside tea. What is he? Yeah, she sent it to me, the physical galley. Yes. Yeah,
(38:56):
I told her I sent her your contact information. I was like, hey, can you pass this along? Yeah,
she DM'd me. She was like, I'm really shooting my shot here. Is it okay? I was like, girl,
the easiest shot that has ever been shooted. Of course I want it.
Oh, the one I'm thinking of. Is this rugby? No, skating. Why does that hockey stick look so
(39:19):
fucked up? Collide. Oh. It's that one. Yes, yes, yes. I don't know. The hockey stick looks like a
cricket bat or something. Well, regardless, not F1. No, I thought it was for some reason.
I think it's the Lenny Kaufman cover that confused me. I mean, that'll do it. But no,
(39:39):
I'm excited for Simone's. Yes, I'm excited for Simone's. I'm excited for ours forever. I mean,
the double apex. Double apex, yes. That I remembered it. I did. It's okay. Shame, shame.
I have truly an unhinged list of F1 romances. Do you know how many random indie F1 romances there
(40:06):
are? Just like on Pay You. You are a brave, brave soul. There are several that I started and
immediately did move to my DNF list because there are some that like the Lauren Asher I just kind of
pushed through. They were on audio. I put them on three times speed and suffer. But if I have to
read it with my eyeballs and you assault me with poor grammar and a misogynistic man within the
(40:28):
first paragraph, I'm out. Yeah. Yeah, I know. I'm so much more willing to stick it out in audio.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Because I can do other things.
Exactly. So for I have been watching way too much Dateline and not enough audiobooks.
(40:48):
Listening to not enough. I mean, I've been listening to F1 podcasts instead of audiobooks.
That's where I've been at. Look at that. I know. I'm like,
I should really be listening to not Keith Morrison. But I just can't stop. I know.
The plus side of my fable book club, we picked a Jeannie Lynn, which I'm very excited about
(41:09):
for this month. And excuse me, it's it's one of the only ones that is on audible.
Like not a lot of her books have audiobooks. But this one is one that does. And I was like,
I have a I have a bunch of credits. Maybe I should pick a job. Because I think it's one of those ones
that's like only on audible. I'm not positive, but I was like, oh, perfect. I know. I always try to
(41:33):
look for those ones like when audible those sales and stuff that are like the only on audible.
Or like use my credits on those. Right. My God, did you see Adriana Herrera's new cover?
Yeah, I don't like it as much as the last one, but it is very I mean,
pink. Yeah, it was going to be impossible to top the. I am just obsessed with the summary,
(41:54):
like what that book is going to be about. I'm so excited. Honestly. Yeah.
I need it now. It's Adriana Herrera's. I know. I'm so excited. It's going to be good.
Every time she puts it, you know, when she does like here's like the mood board and it's just like
borderline NSFW pictures and memes. Yep. Her memes are so funny. She posted the one that's like.
(42:19):
We're going to fight. And then it's the picture of the fight. It took me out.
Guys, we'll link Adriana's post because that woman is so funny. She gets it. If I wanted a second
opinion, I'd just ask myself again is also incredible. But yeah, but we're going to fight.
(42:41):
And then the fight is so unhinged. Just.
So yeah, if you haven't read that series, do that. Yeah, get on that.
Where have you been? I can't. I can't. Yeah. So I've been thinking about that all day.
And then Alexis Darius, along came a more very excited for that because I loved both of those
(43:06):
books in that series. I really like her writing. We're being fed. We are. We are. Cool. Well.
Oh, and I've got the galley of the next Julie Soto sitting on my shelf. I love the advent of
(43:26):
cellos. Just I just if you have this is a book that we're work forever is publishing just,
you know, disclaimer. However. This is the horniest cover I've ever seen, possibly.
Did you look at the hand placement? That is like the lightest.
(43:47):
Grays. It's so and like the strap falling down and the ghost cello of it all.
I mean, the cello raises the sexiness of any situation. So true.
Tenfold just automatically. Yes. The fingers vary. And his hand is so big, just like
(44:08):
gently brushing her chin and neck. What's the plot of it? All I know is the cover.
I can surmise a lot from the cover, but probably not enough. I don't. I haven't read it yet.
But the little tagline is in this sizzling and swooning novel, two rival musicians fight
their attraction as they compete for center stage. Hmm. Color me intrigued. I like your first one.
(44:37):
When Gwen is offered the role of first chair of the orchestra, something Xander has secretly
coveted for years, their existing hostility goes up a notch. But obviously there's a sizzling
chemistry between them at the same time. He's a cellist and a rock star. What does that mean?
(44:58):
What does it mean? I love it.
No, that's exciting. See, I have I mean, you obviously have it harder because you have
more access, but I fight the urge to download forever books on neck galley every day. And I
(45:20):
lost that when I downloaded Lady Scandal, even though I had a full neck galley shelf and I was
like, you know what? I don't care. I make the rule and it was so good. Yeah. I think I did that
with the Christina Britton one too. I was like, you know what? Fuck it. I mean, that one,
(45:40):
I mean, that one made more sense to it. It doesn't have an audio book. So I was like,
I'm just good. Like it's now or never. The Lady Scandal will have one. I was just impatient.
And it sounded so good. And then I got the arc for the Scarlet Peckham one that's just coming out,
the mistress experience or something. She's like takes his man to a little shack and just like
(46:00):
teaches him how to have sex. I think that's what I got from the summary and the reviews. I read one
review on Instagram and I was like, okay. Yeah. So I actually want to read that as soon as seemingly
possible because he just think he's like an inexperienced like nobleman and he just hires
(46:20):
a courtesan to like take him to a little shack and teach him the ropes. As one does. Yeah.
And I think the entire thing is him just like convincing her to like be with him, which A plus.
So it's always the Duke. Excited. It is always the Duke. Yeah. I'm really raring to go for that one.
(46:41):
I love it. Do you have an F1 update? Not really. The current state of F1 is just chaos,
but it's not fun chaos. It's like the allegations of workplace misconduct made by a female employee
(47:01):
being horribly mishandled and just everyone being disappointing in how they respond to that. So
it's not like a fun update. It's like, oh God, guys, it's really hard to be a fan of your sport
when you say things like this. What team was it? Or is it? It was against Christian Horner, the Red
Bull team principal. But the thing is, we don't know. There was no transparency about it. Red
(47:25):
Bull, the parent company, not the racing team, but Red Bull did an investigation and a hearing. And
they said that he was cleared. Shocker. But there was no, no one knows what the allegations were
exactly. Just inappropriate work put. But was it sexual misconduct? There were some people who were
(47:48):
saying it wasn't. It was controlling behavior. And what does that mean? And then apparently,
a Google Drive of evidence was anonymously sent to a whole bunch of journalists and other team
principals and things. But to my knowledge, we still don't know if that was even real.
Or like, allegedly, this was evidence, but we don't know. And then
(48:17):
they asked several of the drivers in press conferences about like,
what do you think about? And they were very vague. So part of me is like, maybe the drivers didn't
realize this is what they were asking about. But also a lot of the other drama that has come out
of this is like rumors that Max could go to Mercedes because Max has an unequivocally backed
Christian Horner, which I don't really buy him moving. But then his dad has been saying a lot
(48:38):
of stuff about like, Christian Horner needs to step down because he's causing problems and all
these things. There's just a lot going on. So they asked in a press conference, like, what do you
think about all of the off track stuff going on? Basically, like they worded it super vaguely and
the drivers kind of responded. The ones that were asked were like, I'm just here to drive like all
(48:59):
that noise doesn't really affect me. And all of the women were like, oh, that noise, that's not a
great way to respond. And then today it was announced that Red Bull has suspended the female
Red Bull has suspended the female employee who made the allegations. That's not what I thought
you were gonna say. No, no. I think I mean, suspended, I'm pretty sure like with pay and
(49:25):
everything. But like, why? And I like if he's innocent, why weren't you transparent about
the whole thing? You know what I mean? It's just been very weird. Yeah, super weird. Anyway,
(49:50):
very weird race for now. Tomorrow as of when this episode drops. I can't sign off with Kachow for
Now anymore, because it turns out there's an actual F1 podcast who says Kachow for now at the
end of their episodes. And I'm like, damn it. We need to think of a literary equivalent of Kachow
for now. Nothing's coming to me. Yeah, because they definitely came up with it. I can't steal it.
(50:16):
I mean, technically, Lightning McQueen came up with it. He came up with Kachow. Oh, is Kachow
for now not? No. Oh, he goes, but you know, did you listen to them before you did your email
signature? I wasn't regularly listening to them. But I'm pretty sure they were the ones that I had
heard it from. I don't like I don't think I heard them use it as their sign off. But I think they're
(50:38):
the ones who mentioned they like used it when they reached out to a driver to interview him.
Just say what are their names? I don't remember. TrackDoc.
As what did you say? TrackDoc? That's their podcast as TrackDoc says. As TrackDoc says.
There we go. Just give a credit. Kachow for now. We'll think of a new Throb for Bob. I don't know.
(51:10):
Throb for the pod. I don't know. I hate that. We can't. Yeah, we need to do a different one,
obviously. Unanimous vote there. But yeah, that's unfortunate. But good job setting your sources.
Yeah, I was like, oh, dang it. That's definitely yours. No Kachow for now in a vacuum.
(51:35):
No. Well, that's all she wrote. And hey, I think we can use that one. That one's never been used
anywhere, right? I actually just invented that phrase just now. Quick copyright it.
(51:55):
Okay. I just really wanted to say Kachow for now. That was really invasive right there. Well,
I mean, you can say so long. Farewell. Damn it. That's another one that's taken.
Alfie just saying that to you. Yeah. Okay. Well, stay tuned. Who knows what's in store next,
because we don't either. We are really living this one day at a time.
(52:21):
We are. I can't believe it's already March, like, eighth at the time of you listening to this. And
then like, my aunt was like, yeah, next week is St. Patrick's Day. And I was like, what do you mean?
Like two weeks? No, next weekend. No, it's not. Yes. No, it's not. It really messed with me having
February like, and halfway through the month. And then like, March, no, March. I meant week.
(52:51):
So like last week felt like a full February week rather than like a full March week. And so now
that we're like, it's like March 7th, but it feels like it's not up on you. And then like next week,
and then like, what do you mean? What do you mean? It just doesn't feel real. I know. Yeah. And
I just simply have no idea what I'm doing tomorrow, let alone for this podcast. Not a clue.
(53:20):
Genuinely. So we will be back at some point with the semblance of a schedule. But for right now,
we're just throbbing along. Just throbbing along. Making our way downtown. Okay. I don't know.
Bye bye. So long. Why am I saying that?
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