Review: Three Mages and a Margarita by Annette Marie – blog tour

Posted October 23, 2018 by Lola in Blog Tour, Fantasy, Review / 8 Comments

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Today I am part of the blog tour for Three Mages and a Margarita by Annette Marie. I was lucky to receive a review copy of this book and will share my review with you today. As well as some information about the book, the author and a tour wide giveaway!

Book Information

Three Mages and a Margarita (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #1)
by Annette Marie

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy

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.

Note: The three mages are definitely sexy, but this series isn’t a reverse harem. It’s 100% fun, sassy, fast-paced urban fantasy.

My Review

I received a free copy from Xpresso Book Tours and voluntarily reviewed it.

Three Mages and a Margarita was a fun read. I’ve had some of this author’s books on my to-read list for a while now, but this is the first book by her that I actually read. If you’re looking for an enjoyable urban fantasy read this is definitely a good one to check out.

Three Mages and Margarita is told from first person point of view from Tori’s perspective. At the start of the book she gets fired from another job, she has a hard time keeping a job because of her temper. I don’t really care for characters with a temper, but in most situation I thought her temper made sense. She didn’t just got angry all the time, only when people really went too far. And instead of letting things slide she exploded with her temper then. She sure isn’t afraid to tell anyone what she thinks and knows how to stand up for herself.

After another failed interview she stumbles upon a job to be a bartender and decides to check it out, which is how she lands in a magic guild working as a bartender. I liked the set-up for this story, with how a normal human desperate for a new job accidentally stumbles upon a guild and start working there as a bartender. It also was interesting to see how the magic people reacted to Tori and they weren’t too happy at first with a normal human in their midst. And even tough Tori is just a normal human, she still can contribute things and holds her own surrounding by all the magic users. I kinda liked how she is a human while being swept up in some magic problems.

I liked Tori as a main character. She has a bit of a temper, but also works hard and doesn’t back away from danger. I liked how she was just a normal human surrounding by people with all sorts of magic, but still hold her own. This book also touched upon some fears she has, but that didn’t get explored as much as I would’ve liked. I do have the feeling we’re going to see more of that in later books. Overall I liked her, but would like to get to know her better. And I had hoped to see a bit more about the whole bar tending thing, but while most of the book takes place while she’s bar tending, except for her first day there, we don’t get as many details about her actual work.

There are a bunch of side characters as well that play a role in the story. Most noticeable the three mages that the title refers to. Aaron, Kai and Ezra are three mages that sit at the bar during Tori’s first shift and she slowly befriends all three of them. All of them had their own personality and I liked how they were close friends that had each other’s back.

My favorite so far is probably Ezra, he is the quiet and mysterious type, who has a soft side and actually cares a lot. There’s a bit of mystery surrounding his past that gets hinted to. I liked the hug scene with Tori as it really shows he has a lot of emotions even tough he doesn’t always show them. Aaron is a bit fiery and talks a lot and there are some great interactions he has with Tori too. There’s also a bit of history he has with how and why he joined this guild, which was kinda interesting. Kai is the one I probably find the hardest to get a good feel for. He’s Aaron’s best friend. He is described as hot, just like the other two and there is a cool action scene at the end of the book, but besides that I wasn’t fully sure what to think of him. There are a few pieces of information that give a bit of a look into his personality tough.

Overall I am looking forward to getting to know these guys more and I am a tad sad this isn’t a reverse harem as I have no clue how Tori is going to choose between these 3 if it ever comes to a romance. Tori gets to know all three of the guys and there is a small hint of a possible romance, but it doesn’t quite get there. And while she kisses one of the guys, she also seems pretty close to one of the other too, so not sure where that is going yet.

I liked the set-up for this world building with the guild thing and how the magical people police themselves. There are also a bunch of different types of magic users, anything from the mags who throw elemental powers to alchemists, sorcerers who learn spells, powers like telepathy and more. There are grouped in some main categories and we get a feel for the different types of powers. It is a bit of an everything exists world when it comes to the magic and paranormal, but I did like how the main groups and things like the guild gave an unique touch to it all. And I have the feel we only have a glimpse of what this world has to offer.

To summarize: this was a fun urban fantasy read. There was a good solid story and the main storyline gets mostly wrapped up by the end of the book, I liked how Tori a normal human who stumbles upon a guild and gets hired for a trial job as bartender. I liked Tori as a main character, she has a bit of a temper, but she works hard and can hold her own surrounded by magic users. She also doesn’t shy away from some danger, but also realizes what she can and can’t do. The three mages are have their own personalities and befriend Tori. There is a hint it might become a romance, but in this book it doesn’t go further than her getting to know all three of them and kissing one of them. I liked how close the three mages were and they seemed good friends. I liked the set-up for the world with the guilds. It does have most paranormal and magic type of abilities fit in this world, but there are different main categories and the whole guild system which gives it an unique touch. This was a fun read and I am curious to see where the series goes next.

4 Stars

Links

Goodreads
Amazon

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

About the Author

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.

Links:
Website
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter

Giveaway

There’s a tour wide giveaway during this blog out. US/CAN only. One winner wins: Three (3) paperbacks, a copy of each of Annette’s first in series. Chase the Dark, The Night Realm, and Red Winter.

You can enter the giveaway below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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8 responses to “Review: Three Mages and a Margarita by Annette Marie – blog tour

  1. Even the title is fun and makes me smile. I do love how you describe the opening of the story and her intro to the magical world. I don’t like characters with a temper, either, but if she saves it for when people really cross a line, I can appreciate that. LOL, yes, reverse harems are much better than being struck with a love triangle.

    I’ll have to mark this one.
    Sophia Rose recently posted…Afternoon Delight: Aton by Cara BristolMy Profile

    • The title sure is a fun one. And it was great how she got introduced to the magical world. I think her temper was handled well as she only got angry if someone really crossed a line. Sadly I think she will pick one guy in the end, so now I just hope it’s the one I like best.

  2. You’re right, it was a nice setup for how she got involved withe magic stuff that felt believable. It can be fun reading about normal humans mixed up with supernatural stuff but still holding their own. I feel the same about Tori, and you know Ezra’s my favorite of the mages too 😛 Great review!
    Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Gaming News: November/December 2018 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Game Releases to Get Excited AboutMy Profile

    • The setup was nicely done and it was interesting how she didn’t have any magic, but held her own. It’s fun to read the same book and see what we agree about :). I am curious to see how the series continues.

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