Lovely photo by @hkgbooks!
Hi Fairy Friends!
Welcome back to day 2 of our readalong of What the River Knows. I hope you’re all loving the book so far! I’m excited to see what Inez will get up to in this section!
Today we’re reading from Capítulo Siete (Chapter 7) to the end of Capítulo Catorce (Chapter 14). Let’s go!
Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez, from Capítulo Siete (Chapter 7) to Capítulo Catorce (Chapter 14). Please only read on if you’ve finished this section!
-!SPOILERS!-
You know, from what we saw of Inez in the first section I wasn’t expecting her to go down without a fight and our girl has COME 👏 THROUGH 👏 and uses the first opportunity she gets to escape from Hayes and steal away to the bazaar. Hayes ends up following in tow and I think this could be a good thing? She kind of sees a different side of him. It’s nice!
Ohhhh, she’s potentially found another of Cleopatras artefacts. It’s a trinket box. It’s interesting that Inez has this sense when it comes to Cleopatra. Do we think it’s just her or something she inherited from the ring she had?
It’s time for goodbyes, again, Hayes leaves her in her room and bids her farewell with a kiss on the cheek.
Before she goes though, she roots around her parents room and what she finds changes everything. Her mother wrote a letter before she went missing. It wasn’t stamped or sent, but it’s a letter proclaiming Ricardo’s illicit activity, worrying for her safety. Surely Ricardo’s not responsible for what happened to her parents??? What’s this illicit activity though?
Her chaperone is an elderly lady and you’ve really got to admire Inez’s tenacity when it comes to seeing an opening and taking it! She manages to trick her into thinking they’re actually leaving tomorrow, and then escapes to the docks where she knows Ricardo and Hayes are going to leave on a ship tonight.
Once at the docks, a young boy called Kareem helps her stowaway as a staff member under the guise of her wanting to surprise her uncle. No one recognises her immediately… until the next day when she manages to fall overboard into the Nile, outing herself!
Hayes has to safe her, and I love how happy he seems to see her? Do I feel love blossoming, fairies????
He has to protect her from Fincastle, her uncle’s security, and then he has to go with Inez to come clean to Ricardo. He’s livid, but Hayes manages to convince him it’s too late now to turn around and he agrees to let her stay.
When she leaves, Inez hears Ricardo asking Hayes if he should be worried about the pair of them. Hayes tells him her beauty doesn’t turn his head. Hayes, after you accidentally letting loose that you thought you could recognise her scent the first night she was stowed away on the boat, I do not believe that for one second!!!
So Inez is officially on board! If the letter she found was true, there’s potential for her to be in grave danger here. I hope she made the right choice!
Are you shipping Inez and Hayes as hard as I am?
Do you think the letter from Inez’s mother was real?
If so, do you think it was true? From what we’ve seen of Ricardo so far I just don’t buy into it yet!
I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m excited to find out more! I hope you’re all loving this as much as I am. 😍
Love,
Shannon
I’m ruling out any judgment I have about Ricardo until I get more information, but some of the things he says or does is just so sketchy. It’s like he wants people to think he had something to do with Inez’s parents’ disappearance.
I love the interactions between Hayes and Inez. Hayes is fooling himself if he believes he’s not attracted to Inez. They’re just so cute and funny when they’re together.
I’m really enjoying this book so much. I need answers to so many questions and more interactions between Inez and Hayes.
So glad you’re enjoying it! 💜
Do we ship them? I don’t know, I just spent 3H looking at fanart of that two ahahaha
I think that Inez’s mother’s letter was just a move and Inez read it out of context, so her uncle comment on her dad.
Ps: but mostly I ship Inez and her bug adventure. I’m here for the ride.
Three hours!!!! 😂 The dedication, incredible!
Oh yes the banter 🤌
It’s a little suspicious that the letter wasn’t stamped, but maybe she didn’t have time? It could be a forgery by someone to arouse suspicion. Or maybe there’s a secret message hidden in there. Or her mom is just a bad apple…
Ricardo seems too set up to be the “villain” to actually be the villain to me though.
This! I think it’s toooooo much of them trying to put Ricardo as the bad guy and that letter just happens to be around.
No I don’t ship them because I want Mr. Whit to myself! Haha just kidding…or am I? I do love them together and their little banter is perfecto!
My thing with finding “mom’s letter” is a little suspicious. Since it wasn’t stamped, I feel like her mom may have planted it there to make it seem like Ricardo is untrustworthy and done something to their disappearance. I don’t know why but I feel like that letter has more coming than we think.
That being said, I don’t necessarily trust Ricardo either with his 10000% against keeping Inez around because it does feel like he’s scared she’s going to run into something that he’s trying to purposely hide. But also seems protective, but i guess this is more so my detective and untrustworthy side coming out.
What I do know is, this book is great and I’m already feeling a book hangover coming.
I think we all want to steal Whit 😂 I’m glad you’re enjoying it! 💜
Oh my god I love those two! I love that they’re in denial as well, cmon Hayes you LOVE Inez. I keep looking at the FL reverse cover at them both 🥹 they’re just too cute!
Yes, I think the letter from Inez’s mother was real and possibly true too. I’m not 100% on Ricardo being trustworthy at the moment and fully think he’s into something shady!
Yeah, there’s definitely something odd going on! 💜
I am so in love with this book, I love how Inez just goes for what she wants, she’s such a great heroine!!
I am obsessed with her and Whit, the kiss on the cheek? How he saved her from the river? I’m seriously so 😍😍😍! I love how she calls him out and he is slowly coming around to her.
As for Ricardo, I do have a weird vibe about him. I dunno if he’s the villain? It seems to set up ? But maybe he’s being forced to do things he doesn’t like?
I’m really curious about Inez’s connection Cleopatra and I’m excited to learn more!!
Right??? I can’t get enough of their dynamic honestly! 💜
Nearly finished todays section! Kareem is a sweetheart 🥲
I love him 😍 he needs to be protected at all costs!
Are you shipping Inez and Hayes as hard as I am?
I have shipped Inez and Whit since they first met! And now that her uncle has expressly forbidden it, I’m shipping them even more!
Do you think the letter from Inez’s mother was real?
If so, do you think it was true? From what we’ve seen of Ricardo so far I just don’t buy into it yet!
Something shady is definitely going on. I keep flipping back and forth on whether her uncle is the bad guy or not. I’m inclined to believe he is as from what Inez says I can’t fathom why her dad would send her the ring if he wasn’t trying to prevent her uncle from doing something bad.
I can’t wait to read more! I am loving Inez’s little sketches in the book, it think its a nice touch.
Also does anyone think maybe her parents are still alive?
Yassss, we LOVE a forbidden romance! 😂
I’m living for the interactions between Inez and Hayes. The banter is just so good!
The letter could be a set-up. Her uncle seems very suspect, but it’s too obvious. I’m not buying it. There is something else going on here. And I’m dying to find out!
Definitely agree, I adore their banter! 😍
Yes I’m 100% shipping Inez and Hayes. I’ve definitely been sitting with a smile on my face reading about them.
I’m really not sure about the letter I assumed it was real and true but the whole situation is a bit suspicious I’m starting to doubt it 🤔
That’s how I’m feeling too, there’s just something off about it all! 💜
Are you shipping Inez and Hayes as hard as I am?
Yes!!! All of the yes!!!! It’s been a while for me to fall in love with this relationship. But I love this duo! They are both so witty! And the banter is amazing.
Do you think the letter from Inez’s mother was real?
I do think it was real. However, I think we are still missing a big piece of the puzzle.
If so, do you think it was true? From what we’ve seen of Ricardo so far I just don’t buy into it yet!
I’m not sure about Ricardo. Perhaps he thinks that he is doing the right thing by protecting Inez, like truly protecting her. But, the way he shows his protection is wrong. Like, if he truly is mixed up with the wrong sort of people- is it because he’s scared to lose more of his family members? Or, it can go the opposite way and he’s so desperate for power. Like I mentioned above, there is still a piece missing.
Agreed, there’s definitely a piece missing, I’m desperate to know what! 💜
Okay, so I’m really starting to like Hayes. I sense a relationship coming soon!
I think her uncle seems quite shady, especially after that letter. I could tell he was hiding something from the first time we met him and he had guests over. I figured there was much more to that. Maybe I have him pegged wrong, but I think he may have something to do with the death of her parents. This may be accidental or purposely, but I do think he had a role in it for sure.
I guess it’s possible the letter wasn’t real… but didn’t she recognize the handwriting as her mothers? Surly it’s real. Maybe her mother was forced to write it though? I’m excited for tomorrows reading 🙂
Oooh, that’s a good theory that her mum could’ve been coerced into it! I never considered that 💜
Oh my goodness, the slight tension between them is adorable! I eagerly await turning the page to see if they are interacting with each other. 😍
The letter, ahh, how strange that neither Whit nor Ricardo would have discovered it initially, don’t you think? It seems a little off to me that they didn’t see the letter and that she found it pretty easily considering that they were searching for something and the room was in such a mess.
Ricardo makes a lot of effort to send Inez back “home, suggesting that he deeply care for her well being even if he doesn’t really know her, so I don’t think he kill her parents
He is not our bad guy.
Orrrrr maybe he feel really guilty because he did kill her parents and he act this way for his “redemption”” hahahhaha
See you tomorrow 💖✨️
Right?? I’m living for the tension 😍😍😍
I am stressed, what is happening with her Uncle?! I want him to be good but he is really making that hard, dismissing her, the letter about illicit activities, the fact that he has full access to her family’s money, and how he is keen to use Inez now that he knows the magic imprinted on her. That is a lot of tally marks against him. I’m hoping its all a misunderstanding, he is truly trying to keep her safe and her parents will be alive somehow. T^T please please please
I’m proud of Inez’s several escapes in this chunk of chapters! Girl has grit!
She really does have grit! She might be a new fave main character for me, girly knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it! 💜
This book has me very emotionally attached! I’m shipping very hard for Inez and Whit. I still don’t like her uncle’s behaviour but I don’t think he is a criminal. However the comments he made about Inez’s dad were very disturbing. And why did her father sent her the ring?
I wonder if Inez will become friends with the other young woman.
This book is so good!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! 🥺
I’m totally shipping them!
I have my doubts about Ricardo though. He’s definitely hiding something and seems too willing to ship Inez to the other corner of the globe. But, on the other hand, it’s so easy to suspect him that it makes me wonder. I don’t know…
Yeah, there’s definitely something odd going on there! 💜
Do I ship them? Yes ma’am I do! Between Inez sketching him at Groppi and Whit jumping into the Nile to save her, I can’t choose what scene made me squeal more (and no, I’m not forgetting the kiss scene, but that one outright killed me 😂)
I don’t buy all the hints to Ricardo being a bad guy (and possibly causing the death of Inez’s parents). He’s definitely not on the bestest of term with the British law, hiring people like Hayes and Fincastle, but I don’t think his intentions are bad. I feel like we need more information about Inez’s parents before jumping to conclusions.
I think the scene in the Nile might be my favourite! 🥺
I love Inez and Whit! Not counting Whit’s denial, I like how he treats her.
Something fishy is going on with Ricardo but I’m not convinced he is a criminal or a bad guy. I think there is something else going on with the note. I think we haven’t seems the last of that ahole Sterling, who probably knows something about what happened to Inez’s parents. But is he using Inez’s money?! Did he buy the boat with those? He would have had quite the nerve to ban Inez from the boat that is tecnically hers!
Ooooh, that’s a good point actually! Is this all his money or is it hers 👀
Am I shipping Inez and Hayes um not currently but I will probably will when something more happens between them.
Do I think the letter from Inez’s mother was real? ooo I didn’t think about that it could be a fake! I just assumed it was from her mother.
But then I don’t trust Ricardo that much.
Something suspicious is going on! 💜
I definitely hope Inez’s letter was real. I cant wait to see what Tio Ricardo is hiding and whose tomb we get to enter. Cuz you know we’re going to be entering a tomb at some point. We have to!
I would be very surprised if we don’t end up visiting a tomb! 💜
I’m falling so far behind with the readalong and trying desperately to catch up because it’s such a good read!!
Are you shipping Inez and Hayes as hard as I am?
YES! I love the idea of the two of them… and I really hope he falls first.
Do you think the letter from Inez’s mother was real? If so, do you think it was true?
I’m not sure. There are definitely some dodgy dealings happening. I’m not sure where I put Ricardo yet… whether he is being set up too much as the villain or whether there’s something weird with the Dad. I can’t wait to see where we are taken with this story.
Are you shipping Inez and Hayes as hard as I am?
-Their banter is *everything*!!!
Do you think the letter from Inez’s mother was real?
-I’m not entirely sure about that yet. Like others have said, it wasn’t stamped, so we’ll see how that shakes out.
If so, do you think it was true? From what we’ve seen of Ricardo so far I just don’t buy into it yet!
-Yeah, I don’t trust Ricardo either, but I need more information to say exactly why.
Yesssss, I love their banter! 💜