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My Review:Title: Three Mages and a Margarita
Author: Annette Marie
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #1, Guild Codex Universe #1
Published by: Tantor Audio
Release Date: October 16, 2018
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Cris Dukehart
Length: 7 hours and 14 minutes
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Hoopla
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2020 Audiobook Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ IndieBound ✩ iTunes ✩ Libro.FM
My rating:
Blurb:Broke, almost homeless, and recently fired. Those are my official reasons for answering a wanted ad for a skeevy-looking bartender gig.
It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview — to see if I'd mesh with their "special" clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an asshole right back. That's the definition of fitting in, right?
I expected to get thrown out on my ass. Instead, they… offered me the job?
It turns out this place isn't a bar. It's a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I'm exactly the kind of takes-no-shit bartender this guild needs, or there's a good reason no one else wants to work here.
So what's a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course — with a pay raise.
4.5 stars — This was just everything I was looking for and more. It did start off a wee bit slow for me, but once I got sucked in I honestly had a hard time putting it down. I don’t read a lot of urban fantasy, but I can definitely see reading a lot more books in this series/universe.
LOVED the narrator, Cris Dukehart…always love Cris Dukehart. She just has the perfect sassy voice for Tori. And her range of voices is really impressive and consistent! I also find her emotions to be just spot on — there were moments in the battle scenes where Tori was terrified, and Cris NAILED it…so much so that I was terrified too! My only complaint is that she pronounced quay wrong…which I only know because I used to pronounce it the same way as she did. Should be like key. Weird, right?
Tori was fantastically sassy and snarky and just exactly what I wanted in a heroine. I loved that we could still see her vulnerabilities too, and room for her to grow.
Honestly? The star for me was the way the cast played together. I ADORED those three mage boys, they were all so unique and hilarious and adorable. I started to wonder if it was a reverse harem, but apparently not. It’ll be interesting to see how things play out in the series. Any romantic elements were super slow and mostly background. But I didn’t even mind because it was the friendships being formed that really sucked me in…anything more was just a bonus.
And it wasn’t just the mages. I loved some of the other guild members, and some really surprised me in a fabulous way! I also hated some, and obviously hated the bad guys. The story kept me on my toes, and while I suspected some of it, I definitely fell for some red herrings along the way!
And can I say that I also really loved that it was set in my country? I’m a proud Canadian, and it’s fun to recognize some things.
So yeah…I’ve had friends recommend this author/series to me before, and I’m glad I finally got off my ass and checked it out…because now I’m totally sucked in.
I’m glad this one was so good for you! It’s always fun when books are set in recognizable areas. I like it when they’re set close to home for me, too.