Dark Arts and a Daiquiri by Annette Marie

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Title: Dark Arts and a Daiquiri
Author: Annette Marie
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #2, Guild Codex Universe #2
Published by: Tantor Audio
Release Date: November 16, 2018
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Cris Dukehart
Length: 7 hours and 39 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:

When I found myself facing down the scariest black-magic felon in the city, practically daring him to abduct me, I had to wonder exactly how I ended up here.

It all started when I accidentally landed a job as a bartender - but not at a bar. At a guild, populated by mages, sorcerers, alchemists, witches, and psychics. Good thing this lame-o human is adaptable, right?

Then my favorite guild members - three sexy, powerful, and intermittently charming mages - asked for my help. Did they want access to my encyclopedic knowledge of cocktails? Oh no. They wanted to wrap me up in a pretty ribbon and plunk me in the crosshairs of a murderous rogue to lure him out of hiding.

So that's what we did. And that's why I'm here. About to be kidnapped. Oh, and our grand plan for safely capturing said murderous rogue? Yeah, that completely fell apart about two minutes ago. Why did I agree to this again?

My Review:

5 stars — DUDES!!!  It got even better!!!  I think part of that is that I was already introduced to the characters and the world, and definitely invested.  But part of it is the twists and turns and surprises in the story.

Cris Dukehart was amazing at narration as always.  Honestly, I need to find more books by her.  She really is perfect for Tori though.

Tori!!  Goddamn that girl got into shit in this one.  I was nervous for her, but she made me laugh and laugh, sometimes in disbelief at her gall.  Honestly, that girl has a mouth on her and not enough sense of self-preservation at times.  But I like that she’s almost a breath of fresh air to many of these mythics.  I also really love that she is genuinely human (at least so far).  So many stories surround a secret mega powerful person, that it’s kinda fun to have our heroine be someone relatively ordinary, but with enough strength and ingenuity to survive.

I seriously did not see some of what happened with “The Ghost” coming…like at all.  I started to have suspicions about some things, but I really love how Ms. Marie plays with the gray areas between black and white.

Loved the descriptions of some of the new creatures we encountered too.  I was genuinely worried and anxious many times, but especially in battles.

Obviously still love our mage boys, and the rest of the cast.  Really hoping we get to visit Zach (Zack? Zak?) again in the future…he’s very intriguing.

And I feel a series binge coming on…