Title: Two Witches and a Whiskey (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #3)
Author: Annette Marie
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy
Release Date: February 8th, 2019
Standalone/Series: Series 06
Genre: New Adult – Urban Fantasy
My rating in stars: 4,5 stars
My rating in words: Loved it!
WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
Three months ago, I landed a job as a bartender. But not at a bar—at a guild. Yeah, the magic kind.
I’m not a badass mage like my three smokin’ hot best friends. I’m not a sorcerer or an alchemist, or even a wussy witch. I’m just a human, slinging drinks like a pro and keeping my non-magical nose out of mythic business. Seriously, I know my limits.
So why am I currently standing in a black-magic ritual circle across from a fae lord?
Somewhere behind me, my three mage friends are battling for their lives. Somewhere near my feet is the rogue witch I just knocked out with a stolen spell. And I have about five seconds to convince this very angry sea god not to shmoosh me like a bug.
I’m pretty sure this wasn’t part of the job description.
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Note: The three mages are definitely sexy, but this series isn’t a reverse harem. It’s 100% fun, sassy, fast-paced urban fantasy.
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THE GUILD CODEX: SPELLBOUND
Three Mages and a Margarita (#1)
Dark Arts and a Daiquiri (#2)
Two Witches and a Whiskey (#3)
Demon Magic and a Martini (#4)
MY THOUGHTS (SPOILER-FREE):
Note: I received an Advanced Reading Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Did you know that Two Witches and a Whiskey is the FIFTEENTH Annette Marie book I have read? Did you know that this is the official record of most books I’ve read by one author?
Yeah, that’s already quite cool, BUT did you also know I have rated every single book 4-5 stars? This is legendary, people. This NEVER happens. That alone should tell you that you should definitely check out this author. And you know what else? I FREAKING LOVED Two Witches and a Whiskey too! And I know I rave about Annette Marie’s books a lot. But, I don’t go into her books thinking “yeah, this will be a sure hit, AGAIN!” I actually go into each book thinking “Oh no, what if this is the book that ends the streak? What if I am disappointed by this one?” But every single time I am beyond ecstatic to find that the spell that took a hold of me in the very first Annette Marie book is still there in the umpteenth one. THIS IS MAGIC.
So why is Two Witches and a Whiskey so magical, you may ask? Well, allow me to rave for a bit:
The characters. I fall in love with these characters a little bit more every time. Even though I was a little unsure about Tori at first, she has grown on me so much and this book only cemented my love for her. She’s a human being who stumbled into a magical world and found friends who became her family. This book focuses some more on her insecurity about fitting into this magical place and her fear of losing everything because of who she is. It made her feel more real to me and I really appreciated seeing this side of her and how her worries were handled.
But other than Tori, there’s so many great characters and I feel like some other characters got a bit more time to shine this time. We got some great Kai scenes that I’m thrilled about, so as a Kai fangirl I thank you, Annette Marie, so so much for these scenes which I’ll reread many times for sure! We also got some lovely Ezra scenes which have me both swooning and intrigued and some sassy banter with my favorite green-eyed mythic (I can have lots of favorites, okay? Okay!)
The humor. This is such a FUN series. Tori’s a hoot and I love being inside her head because she gets herself into all these hilarious (yet also dangerous) situations that have me snorting while reading and earning funny looks from my husband, who does not get why I’m smiling like a goon while reading. And not just the situations she gets herself into are funny, but also her thoughts. I mean, half the time she’s in grave danger but at the same time also thinking about how hot the men around her actually are, and normally I would find this super annoying, but with Tori it’s just HILARIOUS. (And girl, I get it)
The heart. Though this series is laugh-out-loud funny, fast-paced and action-packed, it also has so much heart. The first two books already made me feel, but this one really hit me hard with all the emotions. I especially adore the love and friendship these characters feel for eachother. It’s such a tight group of friends who become an actual family for Tori, and I’m a sucker for the ways in which these characters are so obviously loyal and devoted to eachother. They just care so much, which makes me all sentimental while reading, which in turn is a good balance with the humor.
So in conclusion, if a book can manage to make me both snort in laughter one chapter, and a teary-eyed mess in the next chapter, it’s a win for me. Two Witches and a Whiskey was an amazing addition to the series, and I’m already eagerly anticipating Demon Magic and a Martini!
Check out TWO WITCHES yourself:
Author bio:
Annette Marie is the author of Amazon best-selling YA urban fantasy series Steel & Stone, its prequel trilogy Spell Weaver, and romantic fantasy trilogy Red Winter. Her first love is fantasy, but fast-paced adventures and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She lives in the frozen winter wasteland of Alberta, Canada (okay, it’s not quite that bad) with her husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat—Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.
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