WEBVTT
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Welcome to Book Teams.
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I'm the most joy, little Sassy Southern Mama that likes her fiction filthy.
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Join me each week as we celebrate the power of well-written smut.
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We explore new themes every month, and book titles are revealed before episodes are released.
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So read ahead and treat book teams like your own personal, slightly chaotic book club.
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Let's get spicy.
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Welcome to Book Tees.
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I'm your host, Jamie, and this is the podcast that celebrates the power of well-written smut.
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June is our sexy murder month.
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So we are covering Morally Gray, main characters, and all kinds of fun things.
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We are questioning our very sanity this month, and it's honestly been a blast.
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As a reminder, this podcast does contain spoilers.
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So if you haven't read the book this week, then you might want to pause, read the book, and come back.
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Because I do spoil the entire book.
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There's no holding back.
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I just go for it.
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You'll know exactly what's going on in this book by the end of this episode.
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So if you don't want to be spoiled, pause, read the book, and come back.
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The book this week is There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark.
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And it is book one in the Sinners Duet.
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This has been on my TBR.
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I've heard good things about it.
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And we will see if it holds up to the hype.
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Spoiler alert, I don't think it did.
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I didn't hate the book.
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I didn't hate the book just before we even go on, but it's not a five-star.
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We'll just say that.
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Every book this month does have a trigger warning.
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You know, sexy murder.
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So it's fair to say there's some sort of murder going on in every book this month.
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The trigger warnings for this book are murder, of course, torture, stalking, kidnapping, child abuse is mentioned, dubious consent, CNC.
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Stop right there.
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A funny story.
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My husband and I own a custom cabinet shop.
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And we have a CNC machine.
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So when I first saw CNC as a trigger warning, and it wasn't actually written out what that means, I was very confused.
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I was like, what is what is that?
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What is a CNC?
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I know what it is in relation to a machine that cuts parts for you, but CNC means consensual, non-consensual.
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So dubious consume.
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That's just a funny little side note.
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Um, and the last trigger warning for this book is self-harm is mentioned.
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Okay, y'all.
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This book is also available on Kindle Unlimited for all my Kindle Unlimited babes out there because I know I'm one and I love reading a good book that is included in my membership and not having to spend extra money for a book.
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It's awesome.
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Let's get into it.
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We have Cole Blackwell, our main male character.
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Our MMC is Cole Blackwell.
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He is rich and he is very rich, and he is an established artist.
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And I have a lot to say about Cole.
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Needless to say, he did not make it into my book boyfriend's list.
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But I don't think he gives a shit about that.
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Honestly, I don't think Cole Blackwell gives a shit about anything that isn't him.
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He is in competition with Alistair Shaw, who is another rich established artist.
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They're just kind of like fire and ice, light and dark, I guess, except they're both serial killers.
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So they're both artists, they're both well established, they're both highly popular and famous artists, and they are both serial killers.
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I mean, what are the odds?
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But that's what we have in this book.
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And they basically take turns winning different art competitions and reaching a claim, and they're always trying to one up each other, and they both know their secret about being serial killers.
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How?
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I don't know.
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We don't get that backstory.
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We just know that they are in direct competition with each other.
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Now, they are total opposites, despite all they have in common.
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They are total opposites.
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Alistair Shaw is blonde.
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He looks like he should be in a prep school rowing club situation, blonde hair, dimple, very charming.
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But oh, and he's a painter.
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But he, when he kills, he kills strictly women, and he does it in like a crazy way.
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Like he beats them to death, cuts him up, rapes.
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I mean, he like this is his outlet for going crazy because otherwise he's known as being a very charming, charismatic guy, and then he like has to go lose his mind a bit and beat someone to oblivion in order to keep his cool, I guess.
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Question mark.
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And then Cole Blackwell is his opposite.
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He is highly controlled, not charismatic at all.
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He has no problem being a complete asshole to literally everyone.
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He's got dark hair, like brunette, black hair situation.
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Yeah, he's known as being kind of like a loner.
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He does sculptures.
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And when he kills, he's very controlled about it.
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It is very well planned.
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He has not yet killed a woman.
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It is not a fit of passion, it is just something he does, and he a lot of times incorporates it into his art.
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In the book, he kills this um art critic who's kind of an ass to him.
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He's very arrogant.
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And Cole Blackwell's just sick of dealing with them.
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So he kills him and because he wants, he just said, because I wanted to, and he uses his bones in his sculpture, in a sculpture that he does.
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That just kind of gives you a little backstory about these two.
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And we're starting with these two and totally ignoring the FMC because it feels like this book is a love story between these two guys, because everything they do is with the other in mind.
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It feels like in this book the FMC is just kind of an afterthought.
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Let's go ahead and talk about the FMC.
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Mara Eldritch is a starving artist.
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She's very artsy, she's in her 20s, she's very, very thin, very skinny, but she's apparently got this like energy, manic energy.
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I don't know.
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But she has several jobs.
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She's just trying to stay afloat.
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She lives in a house with like several other poor starving artists.
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And yeah, that's Mara.
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She is just, doesn't even have a niche in her artwork.
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She likes to just do all different kinds of things.
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She's worked in textiles, she's worked painting, she has worked in um collages, all different types.
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She can't find it in her to whittle it down to just to mastering one.
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And she has several different jobs.
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She's a dog walker, she works at this place that does brunch.
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So, anyway, that's what she does.
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And we learned very early on in the book that she has unresolved childhood trauma.
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She had a rough childhood, her mother was abusive emotionally, then she got a stepfather who was abusive physically and borderline sexually.
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I don't think he took it all the way, but there is definitely some sexual abuse going in there.
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Like he likes the spanker with no panties on, but I don't think he actually molests her other than that.
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I don't know.
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It's all very gray.
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I will say, with this book and things being kind of in the dark, faded, kind of, huh?
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This book is very artsy written.
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It was like, it was like reading an art film.
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Everything's nuanced, and it's all about describing the lighting.
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And it's like it, and I'm gonna go ahead and say I wouldn't give a shit about watching this as a movie because I feel like that's how it would have to be done.
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And it would be one of those films that people are sitting around talking about the level of cinematography and how it contributed to the overall structure of the movie, and you know, who cares about the plot because it's all about how it's shot.
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And I feel like that's what's going on in this book.
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It emphasizes the art community and the artwork that they are doing and the competition in the art world and breaking into the art world.
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And then, like, there's these scenes where it's like you're getting.
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I'll give you an example.
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That's the easiest way I can do.
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There is a scene, because I'm jumping ahead and letting you know Cole is a stalker.
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Once he gets obsessed with Mara, he stalks her.
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So he rents the building right across from where she lives because he can.
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He has the money to do so.
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And so he posts up in there like he has nothing else to do with his day with his binoculars, and he sits there and just watches her sleep because it's hot during the summer, so she sleeps outside because she can't afford to buy a fan.
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Question mark.
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I don't know.
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But she's out as she's sleeping outside, and then it rains.
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And instead of pulling her mattress inside out of the rain, because if you're gonna be practical, having your mattress be completely soaked by rainfall will likely ruin it.
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How are you gonna dry it out completely?
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Then you're gonna have mold inside, and it's just gonna be stinky and icky to lay on.
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But we're just gonna ignore that for this visual.
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She's laying out on her balcony on her mattress.
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There's a downpour of heavy rainfall.
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And instead of going inside, oh, and she's naked because she wants to sleep naked outside on her mattress.
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Then the rain, and then so instead she like arches up into the rain and fervently masturbates, and he's watching her, and it describes the angles of her body and the lighting of the thunder and or the lightning, and it's just yeah, it's supposed to be hot, and I couldn't get out of my head thinking about how impractical it is what she's doing.
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So there you go.
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But we had great, beautiful visuals, right?
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And okay, that's just an example of why I I didn't like the book and why I think it would make a a movie.
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That wouldn't interest me, it would interest someone, but not me.
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So here we go.
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Let's bump into the plot here.
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Um, Mara goes to an art showing, and both Cole and Shaw or Alistair, they're there.
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Okay, they're both there.
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And this is where we get the kind of intro of the two and how they are well established with knowing each other because they're like, Cole's like, Oh, I saw what you did because there was someone in the news who got killed in in Shaw's MO, and he's like, I know you did it, you're so classless, and I'm so much better than you because I'm finessed.
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And Shaw honestly, rightfully, is like, dude, we're the same.
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So he's annoyed with Cole at this point.
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And Cole sees Mara, and Cole is really like set up and described as being a sociopath.
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He has muted emotion, he doesn't understand a lot of emotions, he understands emotions like rage and annoyance and irritation.
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He understands the negative emotions, the really strong ones, but he doesn't understand the more nuanced empathy, um, kind like he doesn't, he knows about them academically, but he doesn't really understand them.
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Any display he puts on of sympathy, empathy, anything like that is is purely an imitation of what he has studied.
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He is set up as being a clinical sociopath, and that's how we're supposed to understand him.
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He thinks he's his own god, he only cares about things in relation to himself, very arrogant.
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He's the center of his own world.
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Everyone else is a tool to be used for to further his own well-being.
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That's how Cole is set up.
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So he notices Mara because she's at the buffet table getting some yummy treats because she's a starving artist and yay.
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And I'm gonna get some free yummy treats at this art showing.
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And um he just kind of disregards her as a skinny young artist, typical.
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Of course, they're here trying to get food for free.
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You know, that's his inner thought process.
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And then this guy is arrogant, the guy he ends up killing, the arrogant um art critic, bumps into Mara and spills red wine all over her dress and doesn't even apologize or say, excuse me.
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He's just like, oh.
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So this catches Cole's attention.
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The fact that she doesn't trip out or say anything.
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She's just casually leaves and then comes back and she has taken wine and like did a tie-dye textile pattern on her dress so that it actually looked cool.
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I'm guessing she dried it under the.
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I don't know.
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You know what?
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Here I go, being practical again, whatever.
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She ends up tie-dying her dress in wine and making a cool pattern, and he is like, huh.
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And it kind of like intrigues him a little bit, I guess.
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And Shaw notices Cole noticing Mara.
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And he decides, hmm, okay, I really want to get Cole's attention and prove to him that we are cut from the same cloth, even though Cole thinks he's so much better than me.
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So he targets Mara and he kidnaps her after the showing, and he pierces her nipples, both of them, puts her in some kind of weird bondage outfit, drives her out to Cole's preferred dumping ground, which is like in the hills, and there's mines there or something, and it's very deserted.
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Nobody ever goes there.
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And so Cole loves dumping his bodies out of these mines.
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And I guess Shaw knows that.
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So he drags her out there and he slices her wrists and leaves her to bleed out as a gift for Cole.
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Because they're just so cute and romantic together, even though we're not to believe that they have any attraction or feelings towards each other other than annoyance and arrogance and wanting to be superior over the other.
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But honestly, this book would have been way more interesting if the romance was between these two.
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Just throwing that out there because that's how I feel about it.
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Anyway, I'm just digressing all over the place.
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But luckily, Cole decided to kill that art critic, and then he went to dump the rest of his body in the mines.
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And when he did, he finds Mara still alive, but her wrists are cut.
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She's bleeding out, and she's in this bondage outfit with her boobs out on display, and both nipples are pierced.
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And I'm pretty sure she's mostly naked.
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Like they it does mention her, her pussy being out to the winds.
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So I'm guessing he's like, here's your, I'm serving her up to you because you are all about how you don't kill women and you don't act out of passion.
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And so you notice this chick, and I noticed you noticing her.
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So now I'm going to tempt you into killing a woman or tempt you into acting out of passion.
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And Cole is tempted.
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He is tempted, and he's like really turned on by this display, and he kind of wants to go ahead and kill her the rest of the way.
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He kind of wants to take his way with her, but he refrains and instead very coldly steps over her and leaves and just leaves her to bleed out and die.
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Isn't that how the best romances begin?
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Oh my god.
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So anyway, she is like, am I hallucinating?
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She's lost a shit ton of blood at this point.
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And she's like thinking he's some sort of dark angel.
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Well, she's so irritated.
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Like, I can't believe this guy's just gonna leave me here.
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So she decides to muster up the strength despite the extreme dizziness.
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And y'all, this was very much described on page.
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I was starting to feel a little ick, like, oh my God, I'm starting to feel like I'm losing blood and you know, that's how I was starting to feel reading this.
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It's very graphic.
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But she manages to stumble to the street just as a car is coming and gets rescued.
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Well, she's back at work serving brunch just a few months later.
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Like seemingly no reaction.
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She went to the cop.
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They did not believe her that she was kidnapped because she has scars from previous self-harm on her wrists.
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And so this asshole cop, even though her nipples have been pierced, she's clearly in distress, dirty.
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She has like clearly been through something.
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He's like, Oh, you just tried to kill yourself because look at look, you have scars on your wrist from self-harming previously.
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She's disregarded by the cops.
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So she does have trouble sleeping by herself outside for a little bit.
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And other than that, she it's like it seems to just be she has no lingering issues.
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It's just business as usual.
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She's back at work.
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And she ends up going to an art show in Cole sees her, and she sees him, and she's like, that's the avenging, the angel that left me to die, angel of death.
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And he's like, Holy fuck, she survived.
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How'd she survive?
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I just assumed she died and they hadn't found the body yet.
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So this really intrigues him.
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How did she end up surviving?
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And from here, he becomes absolutely obsessed.
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He becomes obsessed with her because she didn't die.
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And once he becomes obsessed with her, he starts stalking her, like I mentioned.
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He ends up going into her room and smelling dirty underwear of hers and then ejaculates in those panties and then just leaves them in the floor.
00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:22.000
And this nasty girl here comes home, realizes she has no clean panties, picks up these dirty underwear to put on to go on a date, gets come on her and is like, oh my God, how freaky.
00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:29.359
And then doesn't ever question it or any of her roommates about what the actual fuck.
00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:35.920
And then she's like, oh, maybe that's discharged that hasn't dried.
00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:42.400
Excuse me, even if you pissed your pants, if they've been sitting on your floor all day, they would have dried by now.
00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:44.480
What the I you know what?
00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:45.680
Oh my God.
00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:48.720
So anyway, all that happens.
00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:51.759
And he's stalking her and he's following her around.
00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:57.039
And the more he is, the more he is becoming more and more intrigued by her.
00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:06.880
The more he is thinking she's beautiful and he's noticing these little things about her, and he's starting to just really, really become infatuated.
00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:18.720
So he integrates himself into her life by forming a whole scholarship for burgeoning artists just so she could win it.
00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:20.880
And it's all his money.
00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:44.000
And then um also having his assistant reach out to her like she had applied for this uh studio when she didn't, and he owns it and he's like, rent it to her at a discounted rate and say that it's a um, it's just a thing that we do for new artists sometimes, and like all these little things.
00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:49.920
And then he has a camera in the studio that he's renting to her so he can watch her.
00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:55.920
She realizes it because he's not staying hidden or subtle about any of the stalking.
00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:58.240
And she's like, Well, he's helping me out.
00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:00.960
So I guess she's Just okay with it?
00:22:01.039 --> 00:22:02.000
I don't know, y'all.
00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:06.640
He helps her get her foot in the door of the art world and get a show.
00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:09.200
She paints this big, beautiful thing.
00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:15.839
And anyway, she's challenging him because she has no fear, apparently.
00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:18.960
Like she knows that he's a very cold.
00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:22.079
She knows that he is in control.
00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:25.200
She knows that he is stalking her.
00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:26.640
She knows all this stuff.
00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:29.599
And she still like needles him sometimes.
00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:30.400
I don't know.
00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:32.000
It's a strange dynamic.
00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:36.559
Like I said, she has no lingering issues from being kidnapped by someone she's not.
00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:39.039
And for a while, she even thinks it's him.
00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:42.319
She thinks he's the one who kidnapped her and nearly killed her.
00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:49.359
And I guess she's still so desperate to get into the art world that she just overlooks that.
00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:53.680
And she's questions him about it a couple of times and just takes what he says.
00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:55.680
And it's very strange.
00:22:55.920 --> 00:23:00.960
That's my overall take is this book is very, very strange to me.
00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:05.200
He debates killing her right up until the end of the book, y'all.
00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:12.160
Like, we're supposed to believe this is a romance novel and that this is some sort of dark romance.
00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:16.960
Well, even with dark romances, I mean, he really debates killing her right up until the end.
00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:21.279
He has no feeling and she has an abundance of feeling.
00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:24.240
So he starts to just kind of feel by proxy.
00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:27.200
And that's another thing that draws him to her.
00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:34.640
Again, everything from his perspective, every feeling he has, everything is self-serving completely.
00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:38.880
Even when they have sex, it is dubious consent.
00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:42.000
Let's talk about the intimacy levels here.
00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:47.200
After her showing goes really well, she's getting to know him.
00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:49.519
He has forced her to get to know him.
00:23:49.759 --> 00:23:53.279
He shows up at her place at work, he follows her around, all this stuff.
00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:56.240
He talks to her, he forces her to talk to him.
00:23:56.559 --> 00:24:00.799
He forces her to tell him about all her childhood traumas.
00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:05.759
Like he loves hearing about her abuse that she dealt with.
00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:08.160
Because she's so emotional about it.
00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:10.880
It's like he's soaking up the emotion from her.
00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:12.960
She's starting to feel close to him.
00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:15.119
Form of Stockholm syndrome, maybe.
00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:16.240
I don't know.
00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:23.440
But they have a heated moment where she drops to her knees, uh, like she's gonna give them a blowjob.
00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:29.279
And they realize that the room is occupied by an art critic or someone that was there.
00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:39.279
And he's looking, and Cole embarrasses her by saying, Hey, while she's down there, while she's at it, I'm sure she wouldn't mind getting you off too.
00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:44.480
And he's doing it to push the envelope and see how far he can go, but it embarrasses her and it pisses her off.
00:24:44.559 --> 00:24:45.759
So she runs off.
00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:47.039
She's like, Fuck you.
00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:50.319
I was actually genuinely interested, but I'm no one's whore.
00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:51.920
And so she runs off.
00:24:52.079 --> 00:24:55.119
She ends up pulling this tattoo artist.
00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:56.720
It was a it's a friend of a friend.
00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:58.720
He's the one who did her tattoo.
00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:00.799
She doesn't really know him outside of that.
00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:16.160
He pulls she pulls him off, brings him to her studio that she's renting from Cole and bangs him very performatively so that Cole could see it on his camera that he's watching because she knows he's watching.
00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:22.640
And then they even like do it all over this blank canvas with paint and make this weird picture.
00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:29.920
And then she takes this painting and hangs it up in Cole's office that's in the same building as kind of a fuck you to him.
00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:31.279
And he likes it.
00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:32.960
I mean, he pisses him off.
00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:38.720
He wrecks his office, but at the same time, he is like, she's got guts.
00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:41.119
I like that about her.
00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:43.279
It makes him more intrigued.
00:25:43.440 --> 00:25:50.559
But anyway, uh his response to that is confronting the tattoo artist, saying, She's mine.
00:25:50.720 --> 00:25:51.920
How dare you fuck her?
00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:53.759
And the guy's like, I had no idea.
00:25:54.000 --> 00:26:04.799
And instead of killing him, which was he was very close to doing, he takes his tattoo equipment, ties her up in the studio, and forces a tattoo on her.
00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:08.079
He's like, I'm gonna tattoo, I'm gonna make your tattoo better.
00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:11.839
That way you're wearing my mark on your skin and not this random guy's.
00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:20.160
And then after he does that, he makes her give him a tattoo so he can wear her mark on his skin.
00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:22.160
But at this point, he's doing this.
00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:24.880
He still hasn't decided if he's gonna let her live or not.
00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:26.400
So I don't know, man.
00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:27.440
Who's to say?
00:26:27.599 --> 00:26:28.559
I have no idea.
00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:39.119
At some point, he drops he drops the masks because he always has a mask, he always is presenting himself as somewhat okay to society.
00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:51.200
So he at some point decides to tell her that he's a killer, and he says it without saying, and just drops the mask.
00:26:51.359 --> 00:26:54.000
She can see how cold and unfeeling he really is.
00:26:54.160 --> 00:27:05.359
It freaks her out, but then she decides to accept it, and she accepts his invite to go see his studio, which he's never shown anybody.
00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:10.799
He's got some works in progress or failed, failed artworks there, all this stuff.
00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:18.319
And he actually cares about what her perception of them would be and what she would think if they would be salvageable.
00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:22.480
He's like, I like how she, I like her artist's eye, essentially.
00:27:22.640 --> 00:27:24.640
And so he invites her there.
00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:35.680
And this is where they have the dubious consent sex, and he ties her up, forces her to have multiple orgasms, y'all.
00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:39.599
An insanely painful amount of orgasms.
00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:43.039
He hadn't decided if he was gonna kill her or not at this point.
00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:46.640
And I honestly thought the man was gonna kill her via orgasm.
00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:50.960
Like that was his plan because her body can't take all that, dude.
00:27:51.119 --> 00:28:02.720
Like he had he made a vibrator specifically for her and tied her up and gave her orgasm after orgasm after orgasm with it.
00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:05.920
I mean, relentlessly.
00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:07.039
That's not all he does.
00:28:07.119 --> 00:28:09.839
I'll go ahead and finish and then I'll tell you what I thought about this whole thing.
00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:12.720
Orgasm after orgasm, she loses counts, it's insane.
00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:16.960
They're just described as this is happening repeatedly for hours.
00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:20.400
He fucks her, he has sex with her.
00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:24.799
I mean, and they're describing it as he is just going to town, like pounding it.
00:28:25.119 --> 00:28:29.599
And then he forces anal on her, which she's never had.
00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:33.119
And I guess he loves that there's a pain aspect to it.
00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:36.799
And he's still forcing orgasms with this vibrator.
00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:48.720
So even though it's painful for her and she didn't want the anal, I guess because she's having multiple orgasms still and is not even in her own head, it's supposed to be conceived as okay.
00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:56.240
And then when he finally unties her, apparently she's so far gone, she rides them doing anal.
00:28:56.799 --> 00:29:01.039
And I mean, if this is your first time ever, that's an advanced move.
00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:01.759
I'm sorry.
00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:02.480
I don't know.
00:29:02.640 --> 00:29:03.759
This whole thing was weird.
00:29:03.839 --> 00:29:07.279
All I could think is this girl's gonna get a yeast infection for real.
00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:09.839
UTI is oncoming.
00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:12.720
And he's like, are you serious?
00:29:13.039 --> 00:29:19.759
The oversensitivity of multiple orgasms with a vibrator.
00:29:20.079 --> 00:29:21.440
This was not sexy to me.
00:29:21.519 --> 00:29:24.160
This was uncomfortable and gave me the ick.
00:29:24.319 --> 00:29:26.000
I was just like, I can't.
00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:29.039
And this is the one and only time they have sex in the book.
00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:33.119
Afterwards, they take a shower and then watch a movie.
00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:34.720
They watch the labyrinth.
00:29:34.880 --> 00:29:39.039
And that's supposed to be sweet, like a cuddle afterwards.
00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:40.960
I wouldn't even want to look at this dude.
00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:42.799
I'd be like, don't touch me.
00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:45.200
I can't even feel my lower body.
00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:47.039
Fuck you, you know.
00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:52.799
But apparently it's okay because they cuddled and watched the labyrinth.
00:29:53.119 --> 00:29:57.440
Well, while they're doing that, Shaw has realized she's alive.
00:29:57.519 --> 00:30:02.559
He has figured out that she's alive some kind of way, and that Cole is obsessed with her.
00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:07.519
So he, since he can't get to her, she's at Cole's studio.
00:30:07.920 --> 00:30:12.720
He gets her best friend and kills her best friend, who's also her roommate.
00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:23.599
So when she goes home after this orgasm fest, she goes into her room and her friend is laying there dead, posed as Ophelia.
00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:30.160
The artwork Ophelia, the same one Taylor Swift references in her Fate of Ophelia video.
00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:39.519
So uh she's been drowned and her hair's wet, and she's got wildflowers, and she's posed just like Ophelia.
00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:46.000
And she goes and actually calls the cops, the cops who did not believe her.
00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:48.640
And she tells the cops, it's Shaw, he did it.
00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:50.559
He's the one who kidnapped me, blah, blah, blah.
00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:52.400
And they're like, Yeah, we're not gonna believe you.
00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:55.759
This famous artist is fucking with you.
00:30:55.920 --> 00:30:57.039
Like, give me a break.
00:30:57.279 --> 00:31:06.960
Cole told her that the cops wouldn't believe her and that there was nothing he can do because even if they did, Shaw has influence, Shaw has power, Sean has Shaw has money.
00:31:07.119 --> 00:31:11.680
There's no way she's gonna get chosen over him.
00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:15.599
But she just chooses to be naive and ignore him.
00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:20.079
And so now Cole's upset and he's like, Shaw's gonna kill you.
00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:22.319
There's nothing I'm gonna be able to do about it.
00:31:22.400 --> 00:31:25.599
You have to let me because he's he has decided to keep her.
00:31:25.759 --> 00:31:30.160
He likes her at this point, or at least he's getting something out of this relationship for now.
00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:34.079
And so he convinces her to move to his house.
00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:36.319
And that's where the book ends.
00:31:36.480 --> 00:31:46.319
I did not realize this was going to be a book that ends on a cliffhanger, and then you got to pick up the second book to finish the whole story.
00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:48.400
I did not realize that.
00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:55.279
I'm probably going to because I feel invested enough that I'm like, okay, I need to know how this ends.
00:31:55.359 --> 00:32:06.880
Because honestly, I'm still holding out hope that Mara just gets to go live her life, and then Shaw and Cole get together, have some explosive sex, and then kill each other.
00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:09.839
That's what I'm hoping actually happens in the second book.
00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:10.960
Can't say it will.
00:32:11.119 --> 00:32:16.160
I have no idea, but um, it's not likely that that's what's gonna happen.
00:32:16.240 --> 00:32:18.559
But that's how I think it should end.
00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:22.400
I think that would be the most interesting way for the book to end.
00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:25.359
My overall take, y'all, is that this book is weird.
00:32:25.519 --> 00:32:27.440
I didn't find Cole sexy.
00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:29.920
I don't believe he's capable of love.
00:32:30.240 --> 00:32:46.960
I don't think this is a rela lasting relationship or something that I really need to invest energy or the energy to give a shit about, honestly, because he only does things as much as they interest him.
00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:52.160
He's only gonna keep her around as long as she's interesting or he feels like he's getting something out of it.
00:32:52.400 --> 00:32:55.599
That's what I think, based on how his character.
00:32:55.680 --> 00:33:08.960
Now, maybe there'll be a big character shift in the second book and it'll blow my mind, and I'll be like, oh, okay, okay, okay, now I believe it because this is a book that has been recommended as a good series to me.
00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:11.359
And it's a duology, so there's just the two.
00:33:11.440 --> 00:33:26.079
So maybe in the second half, something will pop off where he has a break and she becomes more to him because right now she's just an interesting distraction and he likes her artist's eye.
00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:30.160
And everything he does for her benefits him.
00:33:30.400 --> 00:33:37.440
He has her being his protege, which now, since they're linked together, he she is a talented artist.
00:33:37.599 --> 00:33:41.599
Any success she has will be a benefit to him now.
00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:46.960
So it's kind of hard to invest in this type of dynamic.
00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:49.759
And Cole is insanely arrogant.
00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:59.119
He's not kind to anybody, he doesn't even pretend to be nice, even to his own assistant, who's arguably one of the closer people to him.
00:33:59.279 --> 00:34:01.440
He is not even nice to her.
00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:03.119
He's just an ass.
00:34:03.680 --> 00:34:07.440
Mara is supposed to be like she's emotionally damaged.
00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:20.079
She's been through a lot, and she's got an abundance of emotion, and we're supposed to believe that she's going to find a way to be infatuated with this guy.
00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:29.760
Other than the way he's been helping her get into the break into the art world, have a nice studio, things like that.
00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:34.159
I don't, I don't even see how she would love him.
00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:37.119
I just think it's it's hard to invest.
00:34:37.440 --> 00:34:38.639
Okay, on to my ratings.
00:34:38.719 --> 00:34:40.400
I'm giving this one a 2.5.
00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:42.719
I felt it was very average.
00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:45.760
It was not terrible.
00:34:45.920 --> 00:34:47.280
It wasn't the worst book I've ever read.
00:34:47.360 --> 00:34:48.400
I didn't hate it.
00:34:48.559 --> 00:34:54.480
But at the same time, it wasn't a book that I found really interesting.
00:34:54.880 --> 00:34:58.639
There's nothing I'm like, there was a lot of things that irritated me.
00:34:58.800 --> 00:35:02.559
I'm not like holding on to hell, but this was really interesting or good.
00:35:02.639 --> 00:35:04.239
I'm not finding that here.
00:35:04.559 --> 00:35:11.519
In fact, I feel like in a month, I'm gonna forget all about this book.
00:35:11.679 --> 00:35:12.800
That's how I feel.
00:35:12.960 --> 00:35:18.639
If there was nothing that really stood out, is great and interesting, and I'll probably forget about it in a month.
00:35:18.880 --> 00:35:21.679
So I'm gonna give it a totally average rating.
00:35:22.320 --> 00:35:24.719
The spice, I would say, is a three.
00:35:24.880 --> 00:35:33.840
There's not a lot of sex, there is a lot of talking about wanting sex or talking about the obsession and thinking about her.
00:35:34.159 --> 00:35:42.000
There's a lot of masturbation, and then there's um a couple of scenes where he forces an orgasm.
00:35:42.159 --> 00:35:49.679
He loves to force an orgasm, and then there's the big sex scene that I've already described, and that's it.
00:35:49.840 --> 00:35:53.039
It is a little graphic when we do get sex.
00:35:53.280 --> 00:36:01.599
It's some of it, like I said, gave me the ick, but it's the sex is more intense than hot to me.
00:36:01.760 --> 00:36:05.039
And so I'm giving it, I'm giving the spice a three.
00:36:05.280 --> 00:36:07.119
And I'm sure that's just something.
00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:12.960
I mean, though those tropes, the dubious consent, the consensual, non-consensual.
00:36:13.119 --> 00:36:16.239
I'm gonna full up say the anal was non-consensual.
00:36:16.320 --> 00:36:18.880
She straight up said, No, I've never done that.
00:36:19.280 --> 00:36:21.519
She was tied up, so what's she gonna do?
00:36:21.760 --> 00:36:23.360
But um, I mean, people like that.
00:36:23.519 --> 00:36:24.559
Some people really like that.
00:36:24.639 --> 00:36:26.960
It just happens to not be something that I'm into.
00:36:27.039 --> 00:36:28.079
It's just not for me.
00:36:28.320 --> 00:36:29.760
Okay, here are my quotes.
00:36:29.920 --> 00:36:30.960
This is Cole.
00:36:31.519 --> 00:36:34.079
I feel no sympathy, no guilt.
00:36:34.239 --> 00:36:36.639
Those are emotions I've never experienced.
00:36:36.800 --> 00:36:40.719
I'm aware academically of the full range of human emotions.
00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:47.199
I've studied them intently so I can mimic their effects, but they have no power over me.
00:36:47.440 --> 00:36:52.639
What I do feel, I feel intensely rage, revulsion, and pleasure.
00:36:52.880 --> 00:36:55.360
Which is a clinical sociopath.
00:36:56.239 --> 00:37:06.480
The inability, because of the chemicals and the way your brain is set up or wired, the inability to feel certain emotions, the more nuanced type of emotions.
00:37:06.639 --> 00:37:13.679
You can feel the powerful ones, rage, anger, revulsion, um, pleasure, that stuff you can feel.
00:37:13.920 --> 00:37:19.599
But as for the more nuanced empathy, the more learned emotions is what it's described as.
00:37:19.840 --> 00:37:22.159
It's harder to feel.
00:37:22.400 --> 00:37:42.400
The ones that are how you treat other people, the ones that aren't hardwired in, that you don't just automatically feel as a toddler, the ones that you have to learn through social dynamics, those are the ones that clinical sociopaths have trouble mastering, have trouble learning.
00:37:42.639 --> 00:37:44.159
There's a disconnect.
00:37:44.480 --> 00:37:47.760
And Cole is described as a sociopath.
00:37:48.559 --> 00:37:57.199
But not all sociopaths can go on to be psychopaths and not falling in, you know, not falling in love and just being killers.
00:37:57.280 --> 00:38:00.000
And that's just not what a sociopath is.
00:38:00.400 --> 00:38:11.119
They can have a tendency to move that direction, but you know, just to make sure we know that a sociopath and a psychopath, they are not the same exact thing.
00:38:11.199 --> 00:38:12.880
They are not synonyms for one another.
00:38:13.039 --> 00:38:16.159
There are two different things that sometimes overlap.
00:38:16.559 --> 00:38:20.880
Anyway, getting off my soapbox, let's read the next quote.
00:38:21.039 --> 00:38:22.719
Um, this is also cool.
00:38:22.960 --> 00:38:25.519
If there's a God of this world, it's me.
00:38:25.679 --> 00:38:28.800
But even Zeus found mortals interesting from time to time.
00:38:28.960 --> 00:38:30.400
What a fucking arrogant ass.
00:38:30.559 --> 00:38:31.840
You think you're God now?
00:38:32.000 --> 00:38:33.840
I guess in his own world, he is.
00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:35.679
He could do whatever he wants.
00:38:35.840 --> 00:38:44.880
And he does even so much as like, I feel like killing this person, so I'm just gonna do it because it makes me happy, and it's just what I want to do, and who's gonna tell me no?
00:38:44.960 --> 00:38:46.000
I'm God anyway.
00:38:46.159 --> 00:38:54.320
And so that's what he says in relation to hanging out with Mara is she's a mortal that I just find interesting to pass the time with.
00:38:54.400 --> 00:38:56.159
And then he becomes obsessed with her.
00:38:56.320 --> 00:39:00.960
Not my idea of a sexy man, but here's a quote by Mara.
00:39:01.280 --> 00:39:05.760
All I learned is that no amount of submission is good enough for a man.
00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:16.400
You can roll over, show your belly, beg for mercy, and they'll just keep hitting you because the very act of breathing is rebellious in the eyes of an angry male.
00:39:16.639 --> 00:39:21.840
What she honestly needs is therapy to deal with her past.
00:39:22.320 --> 00:39:29.360
And her mom is described as the one that is the was incredibly emotionally abusive.
00:39:29.920 --> 00:39:46.320
Um, she seemed to not care at all about her daughter, and everything was just to her benefit, which is ironic that Mara is drawn to Cole, who everything he does for her is for his benefit.
00:39:46.639 --> 00:39:50.400
But I'm not here to diagnose Mara.
00:39:51.039 --> 00:39:54.800
I need to keep my armchair psychology to myself.
00:39:55.119 --> 00:40:00.320
But uh yeah, her stepdad would would hit her and things like that.
00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:02.400
And so that's what she's like, an angry male.
00:40:02.559 --> 00:40:04.239
That's there's no appeasing them.
00:40:04.320 --> 00:40:07.760
And I'm like, oh man, girl, you you're with the wrong dude.
00:40:07.920 --> 00:40:09.119
All right, this is Mara.
00:40:09.280 --> 00:40:11.039
First time she kisses Cole.
00:40:11.119 --> 00:40:13.840
This is what she has to say about it.
00:40:14.079 --> 00:40:18.239
I'm jolted awake, my brain opening up like a portal into the universe.
00:40:18.400 --> 00:40:20.400
I kiss him and I taste his mouth.
00:40:20.639 --> 00:40:24.320
I kiss him, not the mask, not the pretender.
00:40:24.480 --> 00:40:26.079
I taste the fucking animal.
00:40:26.320 --> 00:40:37.039
That's a great quote to explain what I mean by this book is written very artsy, and my brain's opening like a portal to the universe.
00:40:37.199 --> 00:40:43.599
This is Cole, and this completely describes why he's even intrigued with Mara.
00:40:43.840 --> 00:40:48.559
Why he's deeming to interact with a mortal in his godlike stature.
00:40:48.960 --> 00:40:50.320
Uh, this is Cole.
00:40:50.559 --> 00:40:57.440
I'm starting to realize that what entices me about Mara is the contact high I get when I'm near her.
00:40:57.679 --> 00:41:02.079
She feels things so intensely that it makes me feel them too.
00:41:02.320 --> 00:41:05.519
So, very healthy relationship dynamic.
00:41:05.840 --> 00:41:11.440
Um, moving on to casting, because I do feel like I did really well on this casting.
00:41:11.679 --> 00:41:15.199
For Mara, I'm going with Christine Froseth.
00:41:15.360 --> 00:41:20.400
She was in The Buccaneers, she was in Looking for Alaska, and she was in a movie called The Assistant.
00:41:20.559 --> 00:41:29.679
She, okay, Mara is described again because they're very heavy on description, very heavy on um angles and lighting and things like that.
00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:44.400
Mara is described as having these pretty green eyes that are very slanted, and he loves that they're very slanted, and it gives her kind of an elvish appearance, and she's in very, very tiny.
00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:52.000
She's got an energy and a stubbornness to her and this will to fight and will to survive.
00:41:52.320 --> 00:42:01.039
But she's, you know, got a very almost childlike, elvish type of appearance with these slanted green eyes and pale skin.
00:42:01.360 --> 00:42:05.440
And, you know, she looks up at him and it makes her eyes look even more slanted.
00:42:05.519 --> 00:42:12.320
And he starts like really hyper-fixating on her eyes and the extreme thinness of her body.
00:42:12.400 --> 00:42:14.719
And Christine Froseth has that look.
00:42:15.199 --> 00:42:25.119
She looks like an otherworldly pixie elf type, very beautiful, beautiful eyes.
00:42:25.440 --> 00:42:29.679
She just really fits the whole vibe Mara gives off.
00:42:29.760 --> 00:42:39.280
And like this artist, incredibly vulnerable, but has like a maybe a steely undercurrent.
00:42:39.519 --> 00:42:44.000
For Cole, I'm going with John Catarina.
00:42:44.480 --> 00:42:49.280
And he is a Spanish supermodel, first and foremost.
00:42:49.360 --> 00:42:51.440
And then he was he's also an actor.
00:42:51.599 --> 00:42:52.719
He was in some stuff.
00:42:52.880 --> 00:42:55.840
He was in a single man, he was in The Immortal.
00:42:56.000 --> 00:43:00.719
And Cole has a very strong appearance.
00:43:01.039 --> 00:43:09.360
He's got almost a swimmer's body, really tight muscles, really dark, heavy eyebrows.
00:43:09.599 --> 00:43:14.000
So she describes that the only emotion he shows is through these eyebrows.
00:43:14.079 --> 00:43:16.000
I guess if he's doing that, I don't know.
00:43:16.159 --> 00:43:24.880
But he's got a very severe appearance, and he always looks moody and like the angel of death.
00:43:25.119 --> 00:43:31.760
And so I feel like John has this like dominating presence.
00:43:32.480 --> 00:43:41.119
He's incredibly attractive, and he's got full lips, and he's got eyebrows.
00:43:41.360 --> 00:43:45.119
So like I think he could pull off this look.
00:43:45.360 --> 00:43:55.360
And the contrast between her slight frame with the very delicate features and his like extreme strength.
00:43:55.679 --> 00:44:03.519
And he looks very rich and just severe, but still incredibly angelic and attractive.
00:44:03.679 --> 00:44:10.159
Uh, I think the contrast between the two would land perfectly for casting purposes.
00:44:10.320 --> 00:44:14.719
But like I said, I'm not watching this movie if it's made because I'm not into it.
00:44:15.360 --> 00:44:15.679
Okay.
00:44:15.920 --> 00:44:19.199
I think I've really given you exactly what I think about it.
00:44:19.440 --> 00:44:24.719
I will probably read the next book, but it's gonna be lower on my TBR, honestly.
00:44:24.800 --> 00:44:26.960
It's gonna be like, I've got nothing else.
00:44:27.119 --> 00:44:29.199
Let me go ahead and finish this out.
00:44:29.280 --> 00:44:30.719
It's not, I'm not in a rush.
00:44:30.800 --> 00:44:32.079
I'm not in a rush to do it.
00:44:32.239 --> 00:44:35.039
Let me know if you read it and you were just taken away.
00:44:35.119 --> 00:44:36.000
And if so, why?
00:44:36.079 --> 00:44:36.719
What did you like?
00:44:36.880 --> 00:44:37.440
What did you like?
00:44:37.519 --> 00:44:38.400
What did I miss?
00:44:38.639 --> 00:44:39.440
Please let me know.
00:44:39.599 --> 00:44:43.280
Maybe, maybe it is the second book, is what really nails it.
00:44:43.440 --> 00:44:44.559
And just let me know.
00:44:44.800 --> 00:44:46.000
Should I continue it?
00:44:46.079 --> 00:44:48.639
Uh is the second book worth worth it?
00:44:48.880 --> 00:44:51.119
Does Sean Cole get together?
00:44:51.360 --> 00:44:54.159
Because I think that was what would make it interesting.
00:44:54.400 --> 00:44:58.159
If you've liked this episode, please like and describe, rate and review.
00:44:58.320 --> 00:45:00.480
Um, I would love to hear from you.
00:45:00.800 --> 00:45:03.599
And until next time, stay spousey.
00:45:04.159 --> 00:45:06.159
That's it for this episode of Book Tease.
00:45:06.320 --> 00:45:12.000
Book and theme reveals and episode commentary can be found on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook at Book Tease Pod.
00:45:12.239 --> 00:45:15.360
Each episode can also be found on YouTube at Book Tease Pod.
00:45:15.760 --> 00:45:17.360
The music is Bob Scrubs.
00:45:17.440 --> 00:45:19.519
So until next time, stay spicy.
00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:05.120
Welcome to Book Teams.
00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:09.119
I'm the most joy, little Sassy Southern Mama that likes her fiction filthy.
00:00:09.439 --> 00:00:12.960
Join me each week as we celebrate the power of well-written smut.
00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:18.079
We explore new themes every month, and book titles are revealed before episodes are released.
00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:23.600
So read ahead and treat book teams like your own personal, slightly chaotic book club.
00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:25.039
Let's get spicy.
00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:28.399
Welcome to Book Tees.
00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:33.679
I'm your host, Jamie, and this is the podcast that celebrates the power of well-written smut.
00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:36.479
June is our sexy murder month.
00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:42.719
So we are covering Morally Gray, main characters, and all kinds of fun things.
00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:48.320
We are questioning our very sanity this month, and it's honestly been a blast.
00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:51.359
As a reminder, this podcast does contain spoilers.
00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:57.119
So if you haven't read the book this week, then you might want to pause, read the book, and come back.
00:00:57.359 --> 00:00:59.679
Because I do spoil the entire book.
00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:01.119
There's no holding back.
00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:02.240
I just go for it.
00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:06.159
You'll know exactly what's going on in this book by the end of this episode.
00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:09.760
So if you don't want to be spoiled, pause, read the book, and come back.
00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:14.239
The book this week is There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark.
00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:17.680
And it is book one in the Sinners Duet.
00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:19.280
This has been on my TBR.
00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:21.280
I've heard good things about it.
00:01:21.599 --> 00:01:25.439
And we will see if it holds up to the hype.
00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:28.719
Spoiler alert, I don't think it did.
00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:30.000
I didn't hate the book.
00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:34.560
I didn't hate the book just before we even go on, but it's not a five-star.
00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:35.599
We'll just say that.
00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:38.239
Every book this month does have a trigger warning.
00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:40.319
You know, sexy murder.
00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:45.599
So it's fair to say there's some sort of murder going on in every book this month.
00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:58.159
The trigger warnings for this book are murder, of course, torture, stalking, kidnapping, child abuse is mentioned, dubious consent, CNC.
00:01:58.400 --> 00:01:59.120
Stop right there.
00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:00.079
A funny story.
00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:02.959
My husband and I own a custom cabinet shop.
00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:05.120
And we have a CNC machine.
00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:13.919
So when I first saw CNC as a trigger warning, and it wasn't actually written out what that means, I was very confused.
00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:16.560
I was like, what is what is that?
00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:18.080
What is a CNC?
00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:29.759
I know what it is in relation to a machine that cuts parts for you, but CNC means consensual, non-consensual.
00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:31.439
So dubious consume.
00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:33.280
That's just a funny little side note.
00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:37.520
Um, and the last trigger warning for this book is self-harm is mentioned.
00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:38.960
Okay, y'all.
00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:52.719
This book is also available on Kindle Unlimited for all my Kindle Unlimited babes out there because I know I'm one and I love reading a good book that is included in my membership and not having to spend extra money for a book.
00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:53.759
It's awesome.
00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:55.520
Let's get into it.
00:02:55.919 --> 00:03:01.599
We have Cole Blackwell, our main male character.
00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:03.759
Our MMC is Cole Blackwell.
00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:09.599
He is rich and he is very rich, and he is an established artist.
00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:12.800
And I have a lot to say about Cole.
00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:17.280
Needless to say, he did not make it into my book boyfriend's list.
00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:20.159
But I don't think he gives a shit about that.
00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:25.360
Honestly, I don't think Cole Blackwell gives a shit about anything that isn't him.
00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:32.800
He is in competition with Alistair Shaw, who is another rich established artist.
00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:40.080
They're just kind of like fire and ice, light and dark, I guess, except they're both serial killers.
00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:50.960
So they're both artists, they're both well established, they're both highly popular and famous artists, and they are both serial killers.
00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:52.479
I mean, what are the odds?
00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:55.199
But that's what we have in this book.
00:03:55.439 --> 00:04:11.520
And they basically take turns winning different art competitions and reaching a claim, and they're always trying to one up each other, and they both know their secret about being serial killers.
00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:12.080
How?
00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:12.719
I don't know.
00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:14.240
We don't get that backstory.
00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:17.920
We just know that they are in direct competition with each other.
00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:22.240
Now, they are total opposites, despite all they have in common.
00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:23.680
They are total opposites.
00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:26.319
Alistair Shaw is blonde.
00:04:26.639 --> 00:04:36.720
He looks like he should be in a prep school rowing club situation, blonde hair, dimple, very charming.
00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:39.040
But oh, and he's a painter.
00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:47.839
But he, when he kills, he kills strictly women, and he does it in like a crazy way.
00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:52.720
Like he beats them to death, cuts him up, rapes.
00:04:52.879 --> 00:05:10.720
I mean, he like this is his outlet for going crazy because otherwise he's known as being a very charming, charismatic guy, and then he like has to go lose his mind a bit and beat someone to oblivion in order to keep his cool, I guess.
00:05:10.879 --> 00:05:11.680
Question mark.
00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:15.600
And then Cole Blackwell is his opposite.
00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:20.639
He is highly controlled, not charismatic at all.
00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:24.560
He has no problem being a complete asshole to literally everyone.
00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:29.519
He's got dark hair, like brunette, black hair situation.
00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:32.959
Yeah, he's known as being kind of like a loner.
00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:35.040
He does sculptures.
00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:40.959
And when he kills, he's very controlled about it.
00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:42.800
It is very well planned.
00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:44.959
He has not yet killed a woman.
00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:55.199
It is not a fit of passion, it is just something he does, and he a lot of times incorporates it into his art.
00:05:55.439 --> 00:06:01.279
In the book, he kills this um art critic who's kind of an ass to him.
00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:02.399
He's very arrogant.
00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:05.120
And Cole Blackwell's just sick of dealing with them.
00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:15.040
So he kills him and because he wants, he just said, because I wanted to, and he uses his bones in his sculpture, in a sculpture that he does.
00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:18.000
That just kind of gives you a little backstory about these two.
00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:30.399
And we're starting with these two and totally ignoring the FMC because it feels like this book is a love story between these two guys, because everything they do is with the other in mind.
00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:35.279
It feels like in this book the FMC is just kind of an afterthought.
00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:37.759
Let's go ahead and talk about the FMC.
00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:42.319
Mara Eldritch is a starving artist.
00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:52.800
She's very artsy, she's in her 20s, she's very, very thin, very skinny, but she's apparently got this like energy, manic energy.
00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:53.439
I don't know.
00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:55.199
But she has several jobs.
00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:56.879
She's just trying to stay afloat.
00:06:56.959 --> 00:07:01.680
She lives in a house with like several other poor starving artists.
00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:04.720
And yeah, that's Mara.
00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:09.839
She is just, doesn't even have a niche in her artwork.
00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:12.480
She likes to just do all different kinds of things.
00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:22.399
She's worked in textiles, she's worked painting, she has worked in um collages, all different types.
00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:28.720
She can't find it in her to whittle it down to just to mastering one.
00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:31.680
And she has several different jobs.
00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:36.000
She's a dog walker, she works at this place that does brunch.
00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:38.160
So, anyway, that's what she does.
00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:43.920
And we learned very early on in the book that she has unresolved childhood trauma.
00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:52.959
She had a rough childhood, her mother was abusive emotionally, then she got a stepfather who was abusive physically and borderline sexually.
00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:59.600
I don't think he took it all the way, but there is definitely some sexual abuse going in there.
00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:06.720
Like he likes the spanker with no panties on, but I don't think he actually molests her other than that.
00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:07.360
I don't know.
00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:08.879
It's all very gray.
00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:17.120
I will say, with this book and things being kind of in the dark, faded, kind of, huh?
00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:20.160
This book is very artsy written.
00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:24.079
It was like, it was like reading an art film.
00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:30.720
Everything's nuanced, and it's all about describing the lighting.
00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:40.240
And it's like it, and I'm gonna go ahead and say I wouldn't give a shit about watching this as a movie because I feel like that's how it would have to be done.
00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:55.200
And it would be one of those films that people are sitting around talking about the level of cinematography and how it contributed to the overall structure of the movie, and you know, who cares about the plot because it's all about how it's shot.
00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:58.799
And I feel like that's what's going on in this book.
00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:10.000
It emphasizes the art community and the artwork that they are doing and the competition in the art world and breaking into the art world.
00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:14.480
And then, like, there's these scenes where it's like you're getting.
00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:16.000
I'll give you an example.
00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:17.759
That's the easiest way I can do.
00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:22.639
There is a scene, because I'm jumping ahead and letting you know Cole is a stalker.
00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:26.000
Once he gets obsessed with Mara, he stalks her.
00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:30.960
So he rents the building right across from where she lives because he can.
00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:33.039
He has the money to do so.
00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:50.399
And so he posts up in there like he has nothing else to do with his day with his binoculars, and he sits there and just watches her sleep because it's hot during the summer, so she sleeps outside because she can't afford to buy a fan.
00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:51.519
Question mark.
00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:52.559
I don't know.
00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:57.759
But she's out as she's sleeping outside, and then it rains.
00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:11.200
And instead of pulling her mattress inside out of the rain, because if you're gonna be practical, having your mattress be completely soaked by rainfall will likely ruin it.
00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:13.039
How are you gonna dry it out completely?
00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:17.759
Then you're gonna have mold inside, and it's just gonna be stinky and icky to lay on.
00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:21.519
But we're just gonna ignore that for this visual.
00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:24.559
She's laying out on her balcony on her mattress.
00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:28.399
There's a downpour of heavy rainfall.
00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:35.919
And instead of going inside, oh, and she's naked because she wants to sleep naked outside on her mattress.
00:10:36.240 --> 00:11:01.279
Then the rain, and then so instead she like arches up into the rain and fervently masturbates, and he's watching her, and it describes the angles of her body and the lighting of the thunder and or the lightning, and it's just yeah, it's supposed to be hot, and I couldn't get out of my head thinking about how impractical it is what she's doing.
00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:02.960
So there you go.
00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:05.919
But we had great, beautiful visuals, right?
00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:14.639
And okay, that's just an example of why I I didn't like the book and why I think it would make a a movie.
00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:17.360
That wouldn't interest me, it would interest someone, but not me.
00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:18.240
So here we go.
00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:19.919
Let's bump into the plot here.
00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:29.600
Um, Mara goes to an art showing, and both Cole and Shaw or Alistair, they're there.
00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:31.600
Okay, they're both there.
00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:55.679
And this is where we get the kind of intro of the two and how they are well established with knowing each other because they're like, Cole's like, Oh, I saw what you did because there was someone in the news who got killed in in Shaw's MO, and he's like, I know you did it, you're so classless, and I'm so much better than you because I'm finessed.
00:11:55.840 --> 00:12:00.480
And Shaw honestly, rightfully, is like, dude, we're the same.
00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:03.679
So he's annoyed with Cole at this point.
00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:12.240
And Cole sees Mara, and Cole is really like set up and described as being a sociopath.
00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:24.960
He has muted emotion, he doesn't understand a lot of emotions, he understands emotions like rage and annoyance and irritation.
00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:43.679
He understands the negative emotions, the really strong ones, but he doesn't understand the more nuanced empathy, um, kind like he doesn't, he knows about them academically, but he doesn't really understand them.
00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:54.000
Any display he puts on of sympathy, empathy, anything like that is is purely an imitation of what he has studied.
00:12:54.240 --> 00:13:00.799
He is set up as being a clinical sociopath, and that's how we're supposed to understand him.
00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:08.559
He thinks he's his own god, he only cares about things in relation to himself, very arrogant.
00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:10.639
He's the center of his own world.
00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:18.720
Everyone else is a tool to be used for to further his own well-being.
00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:20.960
That's how Cole is set up.
00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:31.360
So he notices Mara because she's at the buffet table getting some yummy treats because she's a starving artist and yay.
00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:35.279
And I'm gonna get some free yummy treats at this art showing.
00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:44.720
And um he just kind of disregards her as a skinny young artist, typical.
00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:47.840
Of course, they're here trying to get food for free.
00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:50.639
You know, that's his inner thought process.
00:13:50.960 --> 00:14:06.559
And then this guy is arrogant, the guy he ends up killing, the arrogant um art critic, bumps into Mara and spills red wine all over her dress and doesn't even apologize or say, excuse me.
00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:07.519
He's just like, oh.
00:14:08.240 --> 00:14:11.679
So this catches Cole's attention.
00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:14.399
The fact that she doesn't trip out or say anything.
00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:30.399
She's just casually leaves and then comes back and she has taken wine and like did a tie-dye textile pattern on her dress so that it actually looked cool.
00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:32.720
I'm guessing she dried it under the.
00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:33.759
I don't know.
00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:34.480
You know what?
00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:38.240
Here I go, being practical again, whatever.
00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:43.440
She ends up tie-dying her dress in wine and making a cool pattern, and he is like, huh.
00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:46.399
And it kind of like intrigues him a little bit, I guess.
00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:50.320
And Shaw notices Cole noticing Mara.
00:14:50.879 --> 00:15:07.519
And he decides, hmm, okay, I really want to get Cole's attention and prove to him that we are cut from the same cloth, even though Cole thinks he's so much better than me.
00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:35.039
So he targets Mara and he kidnaps her after the showing, and he pierces her nipples, both of them, puts her in some kind of weird bondage outfit, drives her out to Cole's preferred dumping ground, which is like in the hills, and there's mines there or something, and it's very deserted.
00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:36.320
Nobody ever goes there.
00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:40.320
And so Cole loves dumping his bodies out of these mines.
00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:42.559
And I guess Shaw knows that.
00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:50.799
So he drags her out there and he slices her wrists and leaves her to bleed out as a gift for Cole.
00:15:51.039 --> 00:16:04.480
Because they're just so cute and romantic together, even though we're not to believe that they have any attraction or feelings towards each other other than annoyance and arrogance and wanting to be superior over the other.
00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:11.600
But honestly, this book would have been way more interesting if the romance was between these two.
00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:14.879
Just throwing that out there because that's how I feel about it.
00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:18.720
Anyway, I'm just digressing all over the place.
00:16:19.039 --> 00:16:28.320
But luckily, Cole decided to kill that art critic, and then he went to dump the rest of his body in the mines.
00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:34.240
And when he did, he finds Mara still alive, but her wrists are cut.
00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:42.480
She's bleeding out, and she's in this bondage outfit with her boobs out on display, and both nipples are pierced.
00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:45.600
And I'm pretty sure she's mostly naked.
00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:51.679
Like they it does mention her, her pussy being out to the winds.
00:16:51.919 --> 00:17:01.279
So I'm guessing he's like, here's your, I'm serving her up to you because you are all about how you don't kill women and you don't act out of passion.
00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:05.599
And so you notice this chick, and I noticed you noticing her.
00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:12.240
So now I'm going to tempt you into killing a woman or tempt you into acting out of passion.
00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:15.200
And Cole is tempted.
00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:25.200
He is tempted, and he's like really turned on by this display, and he kind of wants to go ahead and kill her the rest of the way.
00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:37.759
He kind of wants to take his way with her, but he refrains and instead very coldly steps over her and leaves and just leaves her to bleed out and die.
00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:40.880
Isn't that how the best romances begin?
00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:42.480
Oh my god.
00:17:43.119 --> 00:17:46.799
So anyway, she is like, am I hallucinating?
00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:49.519
She's lost a shit ton of blood at this point.
00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:53.039
And she's like thinking he's some sort of dark angel.
00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:55.519
Well, she's so irritated.
00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:58.240
Like, I can't believe this guy's just gonna leave me here.
00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:04.480
So she decides to muster up the strength despite the extreme dizziness.
00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:08.559
And y'all, this was very much described on page.
00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:19.119
I was starting to feel a little ick, like, oh my God, I'm starting to feel like I'm losing blood and you know, that's how I was starting to feel reading this.
00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:20.319
It's very graphic.
00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:26.480
But she manages to stumble to the street just as a car is coming and gets rescued.
00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:30.960
Well, she's back at work serving brunch just a few months later.
00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:34.079
Like seemingly no reaction.
00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:35.440
She went to the cop.
00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:43.359
They did not believe her that she was kidnapped because she has scars from previous self-harm on her wrists.
00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:51.039
And so this asshole cop, even though her nipples have been pierced, she's clearly in distress, dirty.
00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:54.240
She has like clearly been through something.
00:18:54.319 --> 00:19:03.759
He's like, Oh, you just tried to kill yourself because look at look, you have scars on your wrist from self-harming previously.
00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:06.000
She's disregarded by the cops.
00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:10.640
So she does have trouble sleeping by herself outside for a little bit.
00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:18.400
And other than that, she it's like it seems to just be she has no lingering issues.
00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:20.319
It's just business as usual.
00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:21.680
She's back at work.
00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:33.920
And she ends up going to an art show in Cole sees her, and she sees him, and she's like, that's the avenging, the angel that left me to die, angel of death.
00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:36.559
And he's like, Holy fuck, she survived.
00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:37.839
How'd she survive?
00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:41.519
I just assumed she died and they hadn't found the body yet.
00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:43.839
So this really intrigues him.
00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:45.920
How did she end up surviving?
00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:50.640
And from here, he becomes absolutely obsessed.
00:19:50.799 --> 00:19:53.359
He becomes obsessed with her because she didn't die.
00:19:53.680 --> 00:19:58.079
And once he becomes obsessed with her, he starts stalking her, like I mentioned.
00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:09.599
He ends up going into her room and smelling dirty underwear of hers and then ejaculates in those panties and then just leaves them in the floor.
00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:22.000
And this nasty girl here comes home, realizes she has no clean panties, picks up these dirty underwear to put on to go on a date, gets come on her and is like, oh my God, how freaky.
00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:29.359
And then doesn't ever question it or any of her roommates about what the actual fuck.
00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:35.920
And then she's like, oh, maybe that's discharged that hasn't dried.
00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:42.400
Excuse me, even if you pissed your pants, if they've been sitting on your floor all day, they would have dried by now.
00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:44.480
What the I you know what?
00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:45.680
Oh my God.
00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:48.720
So anyway, all that happens.
00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:51.759
And he's stalking her and he's following her around.
00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:57.039
And the more he is, the more he is becoming more and more intrigued by her.
00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:06.880
The more he is thinking she's beautiful and he's noticing these little things about her, and he's starting to just really, really become infatuated.
00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:18.720
So he integrates himself into her life by forming a whole scholarship for burgeoning artists just so she could win it.
00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:20.880
And it's all his money.
00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:44.000
And then um also having his assistant reach out to her like she had applied for this uh studio when she didn't, and he owns it and he's like, rent it to her at a discounted rate and say that it's a um, it's just a thing that we do for new artists sometimes, and like all these little things.
00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:49.920
And then he has a camera in the studio that he's renting to her so he can watch her.
00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:55.920
She realizes it because he's not staying hidden or subtle about any of the stalking.
00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:58.240
And she's like, Well, he's helping me out.
00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:00.960
So I guess she's Just okay with it?
00:22:01.039 --> 00:22:02.000
I don't know, y'all.
00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:06.640
He helps her get her foot in the door of the art world and get a show.
00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:09.200
She paints this big, beautiful thing.
00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:15.839
And anyway, she's challenging him because she has no fear, apparently.
00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:18.960
Like she knows that he's a very cold.
00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:22.079
She knows that he is in control.
00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:25.200
She knows that he is stalking her.
00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:26.640
She knows all this stuff.
00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:29.599
And she still like needles him sometimes.
00:22:29.839 --> 00:22:30.400
I don't know.
00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:32.000
It's a strange dynamic.
00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:36.559
Like I said, she has no lingering issues from being kidnapped by someone she's not.
00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:39.039
And for a while, she even thinks it's him.
00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:42.319
She thinks he's the one who kidnapped her and nearly killed her.
00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:49.359
And I guess she's still so desperate to get into the art world that she just overlooks that.
00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:53.680
And she's questions him about it a couple of times and just takes what he says.
00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:55.680
And it's very strange.
00:22:55.920 --> 00:23:00.960
That's my overall take is this book is very, very strange to me.
00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:05.200
He debates killing her right up until the end of the book, y'all.
00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:12.160
Like, we're supposed to believe this is a romance novel and that this is some sort of dark romance.
00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:16.960
Well, even with dark romances, I mean, he really debates killing her right up until the end.
00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:21.279
He has no feeling and she has an abundance of feeling.
00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:24.240
So he starts to just kind of feel by proxy.
00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:27.200
And that's another thing that draws him to her.
00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:34.640
Again, everything from his perspective, every feeling he has, everything is self-serving completely.
00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:38.880
Even when they have sex, it is dubious consent.
00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:42.000
Let's talk about the intimacy levels here.
00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:47.200
After her showing goes really well, she's getting to know him.
00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:49.519
He has forced her to get to know him.
00:23:49.759 --> 00:23:53.279
He shows up at her place at work, he follows her around, all this stuff.
00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:56.240
He talks to her, he forces her to talk to him.
00:23:56.559 --> 00:24:00.799
He forces her to tell him about all her childhood traumas.
00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:05.759
Like he loves hearing about her abuse that she dealt with.
00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:08.160
Because she's so emotional about it.
00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:10.880
It's like he's soaking up the emotion from her.
00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:12.960
She's starting to feel close to him.
00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:15.119
Form of Stockholm syndrome, maybe.
00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:16.240
I don't know.
00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:23.440
But they have a heated moment where she drops to her knees, uh, like she's gonna give them a blowjob.
00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:29.279
And they realize that the room is occupied by an art critic or someone that was there.
00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:39.279
And he's looking, and Cole embarrasses her by saying, Hey, while she's down there, while she's at it, I'm sure she wouldn't mind getting you off too.
00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:44.480
And he's doing it to push the envelope and see how far he can go, but it embarrasses her and it pisses her off.
00:24:44.559 --> 00:24:45.759
So she runs off.
00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:47.039
She's like, Fuck you.
00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:50.319
I was actually genuinely interested, but I'm no one's whore.
00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:51.920
And so she runs off.
00:24:52.079 --> 00:24:55.119
She ends up pulling this tattoo artist.
00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:56.720
It was a it's a friend of a friend.
00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:58.720
He's the one who did her tattoo.
00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:00.799
She doesn't really know him outside of that.
00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:16.160
He pulls she pulls him off, brings him to her studio that she's renting from Cole and bangs him very performatively so that Cole could see it on his camera that he's watching because she knows he's watching.
00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:22.640
And then they even like do it all over this blank canvas with paint and make this weird picture.
00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:29.920
And then she takes this painting and hangs it up in Cole's office that's in the same building as kind of a fuck you to him.
00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:31.279
And he likes it.
00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:32.960
I mean, he pisses him off.
00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:38.720
He wrecks his office, but at the same time, he is like, she's got guts.
00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:41.119
I like that about her.
00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:43.279
It makes him more intrigued.
00:25:43.440 --> 00:25:50.559
But anyway, uh his response to that is confronting the tattoo artist, saying, She's mine.
00:25:50.720 --> 00:25:51.920
How dare you fuck her?
00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:53.759
And the guy's like, I had no idea.
00:25:54.000 --> 00:26:04.799
And instead of killing him, which was he was very close to doing, he takes his tattoo equipment, ties her up in the studio, and forces a tattoo on her.
00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:08.079
He's like, I'm gonna tattoo, I'm gonna make your tattoo better.
00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:11.839
That way you're wearing my mark on your skin and not this random guy's.
00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:20.160
And then after he does that, he makes her give him a tattoo so he can wear her mark on his skin.
00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:22.160
But at this point, he's doing this.
00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:24.880
He still hasn't decided if he's gonna let her live or not.
00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:26.400
So I don't know, man.
00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:27.440
Who's to say?
00:26:27.599 --> 00:26:28.559
I have no idea.
00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:39.119
At some point, he drops he drops the masks because he always has a mask, he always is presenting himself as somewhat okay to society.
00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:51.200
So he at some point decides to tell her that he's a killer, and he says it without saying, and just drops the mask.
00:26:51.359 --> 00:26:54.000
She can see how cold and unfeeling he really is.
00:26:54.160 --> 00:27:05.359
It freaks her out, but then she decides to accept it, and she accepts his invite to go see his studio, which he's never shown anybody.
00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:10.799
He's got some works in progress or failed, failed artworks there, all this stuff.
00:27:10.960 --> 00:27:18.319
And he actually cares about what her perception of them would be and what she would think if they would be salvageable.
00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:22.480
He's like, I like how she, I like her artist's eye, essentially.
00:27:22.640 --> 00:27:24.640
And so he invites her there.
00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:35.680
And this is where they have the dubious consent sex, and he ties her up, forces her to have multiple orgasms, y'all.
00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:39.599
An insanely painful amount of orgasms.
00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:43.039
He hadn't decided if he was gonna kill her or not at this point.
00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:46.640
And I honestly thought the man was gonna kill her via orgasm.
00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:50.960
Like that was his plan because her body can't take all that, dude.
00:27:51.119 --> 00:28:02.720
Like he had he made a vibrator specifically for her and tied her up and gave her orgasm after orgasm after orgasm with it.
00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:05.920
I mean, relentlessly.
00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:07.039
That's not all he does.
00:28:07.119 --> 00:28:09.839
I'll go ahead and finish and then I'll tell you what I thought about this whole thing.
00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:12.720
Orgasm after orgasm, she loses counts, it's insane.
00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:16.960
They're just described as this is happening repeatedly for hours.
00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:20.400
He fucks her, he has sex with her.
00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:24.799
I mean, and they're describing it as he is just going to town, like pounding it.
00:28:25.119 --> 00:28:29.599
And then he forces anal on her, which she's never had.
00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:33.119
And I guess he loves that there's a pain aspect to it.
00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:36.799
And he's still forcing orgasms with this vibrator.
00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:48.720
So even though it's painful for her and she didn't want the anal, I guess because she's having multiple orgasms still and is not even in her own head, it's supposed to be conceived as okay.
00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:56.240
And then when he finally unties her, apparently she's so far gone, she rides them doing anal.
00:28:56.799 --> 00:29:01.039
And I mean, if this is your first time ever, that's an advanced move.
00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:01.759
I'm sorry.
00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:02.480
I don't know.
00:29:02.640 --> 00:29:03.759
This whole thing was weird.
00:29:03.839 --> 00:29:07.279
All I could think is this girl's gonna get a yeast infection for real.
00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:09.839
UTI is oncoming.
00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:12.720
And he's like, are you serious?
00:29:13.039 --> 00:29:19.759
The oversensitivity of multiple orgasms with a vibrator.
00:29:20.079 --> 00:29:21.440
This was not sexy to me.
00:29:21.519 --> 00:29:24.160
This was uncomfortable and gave me the ick.
00:29:24.319 --> 00:29:26.000
I was just like, I can't.
00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:29.039
And this is the one and only time they have sex in the book.
00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:33.119
Afterwards, they take a shower and then watch a movie.
00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:34.720
They watch the labyrinth.
00:29:34.880 --> 00:29:39.039
And that's supposed to be sweet, like a cuddle afterwards.
00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:40.960
I wouldn't even want to look at this dude.
00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:42.799
I'd be like, don't touch me.
00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:45.200
I can't even feel my lower body.
00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:47.039
Fuck you, you know.
00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:52.799
But apparently it's okay because they cuddled and watched the labyrinth.
00:29:53.119 --> 00:29:57.440
Well, while they're doing that, Shaw has realized she's alive.
00:29:57.519 --> 00:30:02.559
He has figured out that she's alive some kind of way, and that Cole is obsessed with her.
00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:07.519
So he, since he can't get to her, she's at Cole's studio.
00:30:07.920 --> 00:30:12.720
He gets her best friend and kills her best friend, who's also her roommate.
00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:23.599
So when she goes home after this orgasm fest, she goes into her room and her friend is laying there dead, posed as Ophelia.
00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:30.160
The artwork Ophelia, the same one Taylor Swift references in her Fate of Ophelia video.
00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:39.519
So uh she's been drowned and her hair's wet, and she's got wildflowers, and she's posed just like Ophelia.
00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:46.000
And she goes and actually calls the cops, the cops who did not believe her.
00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:48.640
And she tells the cops, it's Shaw, he did it.
00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:50.559
He's the one who kidnapped me, blah, blah, blah.
00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:52.400
And they're like, Yeah, we're not gonna believe you.
00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:55.759
This famous artist is fucking with you.
00:30:55.920 --> 00:30:57.039
Like, give me a break.
00:30:57.279 --> 00:31:06.960
Cole told her that the cops wouldn't believe her and that there was nothing he can do because even if they did, Shaw has influence, Shaw has power, Sean has Shaw has money.
00:31:07.119 --> 00:31:11.680
There's no way she's gonna get chosen over him.
00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:15.599
But she just chooses to be naive and ignore him.
00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:20.079
And so now Cole's upset and he's like, Shaw's gonna kill you.
00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:22.319
There's nothing I'm gonna be able to do about it.
00:31:22.400 --> 00:31:25.599
You have to let me because he's he has decided to keep her.
00:31:25.759 --> 00:31:30.160
He likes her at this point, or at least he's getting something out of this relationship for now.
00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:34.079
And so he convinces her to move to his house.
00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:36.319
And that's where the book ends.
00:31:36.480 --> 00:31:46.319
I did not realize this was going to be a book that ends on a cliffhanger, and then you got to pick up the second book to finish the whole story.
00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:48.400
I did not realize that.
00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:55.279
I'm probably going to because I feel invested enough that I'm like, okay, I need to know how this ends.
00:31:55.359 --> 00:32:06.880
Because honestly, I'm still holding out hope that Mara just gets to go live her life, and then Shaw and Cole get together, have some explosive sex, and then kill each other.
00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:09.839
That's what I'm hoping actually happens in the second book.
00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:10.960
Can't say it will.
00:32:11.119 --> 00:32:16.160
I have no idea, but um, it's not likely that that's what's gonna happen.
00:32:16.240 --> 00:32:18.559
But that's how I think it should end.
00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:22.400
I think that would be the most interesting way for the book to end.
00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:25.359
My overall take, y'all, is that this book is weird.
00:32:25.519 --> 00:32:27.440
I didn't find Cole sexy.
00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:29.920
I don't believe he's capable of love.
00:32:30.240 --> 00:32:46.960
I don't think this is a rela lasting relationship or something that I really need to invest energy or the energy to give a shit about, honestly, because he only does things as much as they interest him.
00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:52.160
He's only gonna keep her around as long as she's interesting or he feels like he's getting something out of it.
00:32:52.400 --> 00:32:55.599
That's what I think, based on how his character.
00:32:55.680 --> 00:33:08.960
Now, maybe there'll be a big character shift in the second book and it'll blow my mind, and I'll be like, oh, okay, okay, okay, now I believe it because this is a book that has been recommended as a good series to me.
00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:11.359
And it's a duology, so there's just the two.
00:33:11.440 --> 00:33:26.079
So maybe in the second half, something will pop off where he has a break and she becomes more to him because right now she's just an interesting distraction and he likes her artist's eye.
00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:30.160
And everything he does for her benefits him.
00:33:30.400 --> 00:33:37.440
He has her being his protege, which now, since they're linked together, he she is a talented artist.
00:33:37.599 --> 00:33:41.599
Any success she has will be a benefit to him now.
00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:46.960
So it's kind of hard to invest in this type of dynamic.
00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:49.759
And Cole is insanely arrogant.
00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:59.119
He's not kind to anybody, he doesn't even pretend to be nice, even to his own assistant, who's arguably one of the closer people to him.
00:33:59.279 --> 00:34:01.440
He is not even nice to her.
00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:03.119
He's just an ass.
00:34:03.680 --> 00:34:07.440
Mara is supposed to be like she's emotionally damaged.
00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:20.079
She's been through a lot, and she's got an abundance of emotion, and we're supposed to believe that she's going to find a way to be infatuated with this guy.
00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:29.760
Other than the way he's been helping her get into the break into the art world, have a nice studio, things like that.
00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:34.159
I don't, I don't even see how she would love him.
00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:37.119
I just think it's it's hard to invest.
00:34:37.440 --> 00:34:38.639
Okay, on to my ratings.
00:34:38.719 --> 00:34:40.400
I'm giving this one a 2.5.
00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:42.719
I felt it was very average.
00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:45.760
It was not terrible.
00:34:45.920 --> 00:34:47.280
It wasn't the worst book I've ever read.
00:34:47.360 --> 00:34:48.400
I didn't hate it.
00:34:48.559 --> 00:34:54.480
But at the same time, it wasn't a book that I found really interesting.
00:34:54.880 --> 00:34:58.639
There's nothing I'm like, there was a lot of things that irritated me.
00:34:58.800 --> 00:35:02.559
I'm not like holding on to hell, but this was really interesting or good.
00:35:02.639 --> 00:35:04.239
I'm not finding that here.
00:35:04.559 --> 00:35:11.519
In fact, I feel like in a month, I'm gonna forget all about this book.
00:35:11.679 --> 00:35:12.800
That's how I feel.
00:35:12.960 --> 00:35:18.639
If there was nothing that really stood out, is great and interesting, and I'll probably forget about it in a month.
00:35:18.880 --> 00:35:21.679
So I'm gonna give it a totally average rating.
00:35:22.320 --> 00:35:24.719
The spice, I would say, is a three.
00:35:24.880 --> 00:35:33.840
There's not a lot of sex, there is a lot of talking about wanting sex or talking about the obsession and thinking about her.
00:35:34.159 --> 00:35:42.000
There's a lot of masturbation, and then there's um a couple of scenes where he forces an orgasm.
00:35:42.159 --> 00:35:49.679
He loves to force an orgasm, and then there's the big sex scene that I've already described, and that's it.
00:35:49.840 --> 00:35:53.039
It is a little graphic when we do get sex.
00:35:53.280 --> 00:36:01.599
It's some of it, like I said, gave me the ick, but it's the sex is more intense than hot to me.
00:36:01.760 --> 00:36:05.039
And so I'm giving it, I'm giving the spice a three.
00:36:05.280 --> 00:36:07.119
And I'm sure that's just something.
00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:12.960
I mean, though those tropes, the dubious consent, the consensual, non-consensual.
00:36:13.119 --> 00:36:16.239
I'm gonna full up say the anal was non-consensual.
00:36:16.320 --> 00:36:18.880
She straight up said, No, I've never done that.
00:36:19.280 --> 00:36:21.519
She was tied up, so what's she gonna do?
00:36:21.760 --> 00:36:23.360
But um, I mean, people like that.
00:36:23.519 --> 00:36:24.559
Some people really like that.
00:36:24.639 --> 00:36:26.960
It just happens to not be something that I'm into.
00:36:27.039 --> 00:36:28.079
It's just not for me.
00:36:28.320 --> 00:36:29.760
Okay, here are my quotes.
00:36:29.920 --> 00:36:30.960
This is Cole.
00:36:31.519 --> 00:36:34.079
I feel no sympathy, no guilt.
00:36:34.239 --> 00:36:36.639
Those are emotions I've never experienced.
00:36:36.800 --> 00:36:40.719
I'm aware academically of the full range of human emotions.
00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:47.199
I've studied them intently so I can mimic their effects, but they have no power over me.
00:36:47.440 --> 00:36:52.639
What I do feel, I feel intensely rage, revulsion, and pleasure.
00:36:52.880 --> 00:36:55.360
Which is a clinical sociopath.
00:36:56.239 --> 00:37:06.480
The inability, because of the chemicals and the way your brain is set up or wired, the inability to feel certain emotions, the more nuanced type of emotions.
00:37:06.639 --> 00:37:13.679
You can feel the powerful ones, rage, anger, revulsion, um, pleasure, that stuff you can feel.
00:37:13.920 --> 00:37:19.599
But as for the more nuanced empathy, the more learned emotions is what it's described as.
00:37:19.840 --> 00:37:22.159
It's harder to feel.
00:37:22.400 --> 00:37:42.400
The ones that are how you treat other people, the ones that aren't hardwired in, that you don't just automatically feel as a toddler, the ones that you have to learn through social dynamics, those are the ones that clinical sociopaths have trouble mastering, have trouble learning.
00:37:42.639 --> 00:37:44.159
There's a disconnect.
00:37:44.480 --> 00:37:47.760
And Cole is described as a sociopath.
00:37:48.559 --> 00:37:57.199
But not all sociopaths can go on to be psychopaths and not falling in, you know, not falling in love and just being killers.
00:37:57.280 --> 00:38:00.000
And that's just not what a sociopath is.
00:38:00.400 --> 00:38:11.119
They can have a tendency to move that direction, but you know, just to make sure we know that a sociopath and a psychopath, they are not the same exact thing.
00:38:11.199 --> 00:38:12.880
They are not synonyms for one another.
00:38:13.039 --> 00:38:16.159
There are two different things that sometimes overlap.
00:38:16.559 --> 00:38:20.880
Anyway, getting off my soapbox, let's read the next quote.
00:38:21.039 --> 00:38:22.719
Um, this is also cool.
00:38:22.960 --> 00:38:25.519
If there's a God of this world, it's me.
00:38:25.679 --> 00:38:28.800
But even Zeus found mortals interesting from time to time.
00:38:28.960 --> 00:38:30.400
What a fucking arrogant ass.
00:38:30.559 --> 00:38:31.840
You think you're God now?
00:38:32.000 --> 00:38:33.840
I guess in his own world, he is.
00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:35.679
He could do whatever he wants.
00:38:35.840 --> 00:38:44.880
And he does even so much as like, I feel like killing this person, so I'm just gonna do it because it makes me happy, and it's just what I want to do, and who's gonna tell me no?
00:38:44.960 --> 00:38:46.000
I'm God anyway.
00:38:46.159 --> 00:38:54.320
And so that's what he says in relation to hanging out with Mara is she's a mortal that I just find interesting to pass the time with.
00:38:54.400 --> 00:38:56.159
And then he becomes obsessed with her.
00:38:56.320 --> 00:39:00.960
Not my idea of a sexy man, but here's a quote by Mara.
00:39:01.280 --> 00:39:05.760
All I learned is that no amount of submission is good enough for a man.
00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:16.400
You can roll over, show your belly, beg for mercy, and they'll just keep hitting you because the very act of breathing is rebellious in the eyes of an angry male.
00:39:16.639 --> 00:39:21.840
What she honestly needs is therapy to deal with her past.
00:39:22.320 --> 00:39:29.360
And her mom is described as the one that is the was incredibly emotionally abusive.
00:39:29.920 --> 00:39:46.320
Um, she seemed to not care at all about her daughter, and everything was just to her benefit, which is ironic that Mara is drawn to Cole, who everything he does for her is for his benefit.
00:39:46.639 --> 00:39:50.400
But I'm not here to diagnose Mara.
00:39:51.039 --> 00:39:54.800
I need to keep my armchair psychology to myself.
00:39:55.119 --> 00:40:00.320
But uh yeah, her stepdad would would hit her and things like that.
00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:02.400
And so that's what she's like, an angry male.
00:40:02.559 --> 00:40:04.239
That's there's no appeasing them.
00:40:04.320 --> 00:40:07.760
And I'm like, oh man, girl, you you're with the wrong dude.
00:40:07.920 --> 00:40:09.119
All right, this is Mara.
00:40:09.280 --> 00:40:11.039
First time she kisses Cole.
00:40:11.119 --> 00:40:13.840
This is what she has to say about it.
00:40:14.079 --> 00:40:18.239
I'm jolted awake, my brain opening up like a portal into the universe.
00:40:18.400 --> 00:40:20.400
I kiss him and I taste his mouth.
00:40:20.639 --> 00:40:24.320
I kiss him, not the mask, not the pretender.
00:40:24.480 --> 00:40:26.079
I taste the fucking animal.
00:40:26.320 --> 00:40:37.039
That's a great quote to explain what I mean by this book is written very artsy, and my brain's opening like a portal to the universe.
00:40:37.199 --> 00:40:43.599
This is Cole, and this completely describes why he's even intrigued with Mara.
00:40:43.840 --> 00:40:48.559
Why he's deeming to interact with a mortal in his godlike stature.
00:40:48.960 --> 00:40:50.320
Uh, this is Cole.
00:40:50.559 --> 00:40:57.440
I'm starting to realize that what entices me about Mara is the contact high I get when I'm near her.
00:40:57.679 --> 00:41:02.079
She feels things so intensely that it makes me feel them too.
00:41:02.320 --> 00:41:05.519
So, very healthy relationship dynamic.
00:41:05.840 --> 00:41:11.440
Um, moving on to casting, because I do feel like I did really well on this casting.
00:41:11.679 --> 00:41:15.199
For Mara, I'm going with Christine Froseth.
00:41:15.360 --> 00:41:20.400
She was in The Buccaneers, she was in Looking for Alaska, and she was in a movie called The Assistant.
00:41:20.559 --> 00:41:29.679
She, okay, Mara is described again because they're very heavy on description, very heavy on um angles and lighting and things like that.
00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:44.400
Mara is described as having these pretty green eyes that are very slanted, and he loves that they're very slanted, and it gives her kind of an elvish appearance, and she's in very, very tiny.
00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:52.000
She's got an energy and a stubbornness to her and this will to fight and will to survive.
00:41:52.320 --> 00:42:01.039
But she's, you know, got a very almost childlike, elvish type of appearance with these slanted green eyes and pale skin.
00:42:01.360 --> 00:42:05.440
And, you know, she looks up at him and it makes her eyes look even more slanted.
00:42:05.519 --> 00:42:12.320
And he starts like really hyper-fixating on her eyes and the extreme thinness of her body.
00:42:12.400 --> 00:42:14.719
And Christine Froseth has that look.
00:42:15.199 --> 00:42:25.119
She looks like an otherworldly pixie elf type, very beautiful, beautiful eyes.
00:42:25.440 --> 00:42:29.679
She just really fits the whole vibe Mara gives off.
00:42:29.760 --> 00:42:39.280
And like this artist, incredibly vulnerable, but has like a maybe a steely undercurrent.
00:42:39.519 --> 00:42:44.000
For Cole, I'm going with John Catarina.
00:42:44.480 --> 00:42:49.280
And he is a Spanish supermodel, first and foremost.
00:42:49.360 --> 00:42:51.440
And then he was he's also an actor.
00:42:51.599 --> 00:42:52.719
He was in some stuff.
00:42:52.880 --> 00:42:55.840
He was in a single man, he was in The Immortal.
00:42:56.000 --> 00:43:00.719
And Cole has a very strong appearance.
00:43:01.039 --> 00:43:09.360
He's got almost a swimmer's body, really tight muscles, really dark, heavy eyebrows.
00:43:09.599 --> 00:43:14.000
So she describes that the only emotion he shows is through these eyebrows.
00:43:14.079 --> 00:43:16.000
I guess if he's doing that, I don't know.
00:43:16.159 --> 00:43:24.880
But he's got a very severe appearance, and he always looks moody and like the angel of death.
00:43:25.119 --> 00:43:31.760
And so I feel like John has this like dominating presence.
00:43:32.480 --> 00:43:41.119
He's incredibly attractive, and he's got full lips, and he's got eyebrows.
00:43:41.360 --> 00:43:45.119
So like I think he could pull off this look.
00:43:45.360 --> 00:43:55.360
And the contrast between her slight frame with the very delicate features and his like extreme strength.
00:43:55.679 --> 00:44:03.519
And he looks very rich and just severe, but still incredibly angelic and attractive.
00:44:03.679 --> 00:44:10.159
Uh, I think the contrast between the two would land perfectly for casting purposes.
00:44:10.320 --> 00:44:14.719
But like I said, I'm not watching this movie if it's made because I'm not into it.
00:44:15.360 --> 00:44:15.679
Okay.
00:44:15.920 --> 00:44:19.199
I think I've really given you exactly what I think about it.
00:44:19.440 --> 00:44:24.719
I will probably read the next book, but it's gonna be lower on my TBR, honestly.
00:44:24.800 --> 00:44:26.960
It's gonna be like, I've got nothing else.
00:44:27.119 --> 00:44:29.199
Let me go ahead and finish this out.
00:44:29.280 --> 00:44:30.719
It's not, I'm not in a rush.
00:44:30.800 --> 00:44:32.079
I'm not in a rush to do it.
00:44:32.239 --> 00:44:35.039
Let me know if you read it and you were just taken away.
00:44:35.119 --> 00:44:36.000
And if so, why?
00:44:36.079 --> 00:44:36.719
What did you like?
00:44:36.880 --> 00:44:37.440
What did you like?
00:44:37.519 --> 00:44:38.400
What did I miss?
00:44:38.639 --> 00:44:39.440
Please let me know.
00:44:39.599 --> 00:44:43.280
Maybe, maybe it is the second book, is what really nails it.
00:44:43.440 --> 00:44:44.559
And just let me know.
00:44:44.800 --> 00:44:46.000
Should I continue it?
00:44:46.079 --> 00:44:48.639
Uh is the second book worth worth it?
00:44:48.880 --> 00:44:51.119
Does Sean Cole get together?
00:44:51.360 --> 00:44:54.159
Because I think that was what would make it interesting.
00:44:54.400 --> 00:44:58.159
If you've liked this episode, please like and describe, rate and review.
00:44:58.320 --> 00:45:00.480
Um, I would love to hear from you.
00:45:00.800 --> 00:45:03.599
And until next time, stay spousey.
00:45:04.159 --> 00:45:06.159
That's it for this episode of Book Tease.
00:45:06.320 --> 00:45:12.000
Book and theme reveals and episode commentary can be found on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook at Book Tease Pod.
00:45:12.239 --> 00:45:15.360
Each episode can also be found on YouTube at Book Tease Pod.
00:45:15.760 --> 00:45:17.360
The music is Bob Scrubs.
00:45:17.440 --> 00:45:19.519
So until next time, stay spicy.
