This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Two Witches and a Whiskey

When the MPD shows up for a surprise investigation at The Crow and Hammer, Tori is snuck out the back door and told to lay low. Faced with the possibility her time at the guild has come to an end, Tori throws back a few shots of whiskey and tries to avoid thinking about it. Just as she’s reaching a nice level of buzz, two witches show up at her door. Fey have begun to go missing, and they believe dark magic users are enslaving them. The witches ask for help from The Crow and Hammer, and Tori unknowingly signs up the guild for the investigation.

With the threat of being cast out fresh in her mind, Tori begins to overthink and spread doubt over every relationship she’s formed with the guild members. The only comparison she has are the human coworkers turned friends who ultimately dumped her when she left a job. And while she mulls over the what-ifs, readers will watch as Tori uncovers the fact she enjoys being part of the magical community. It is by no means safe, but she’s found a kinship among the guild members. It’s disheartening to see how quickly Tori believes everyone will abandon her despite reassurances.

But when the witches show up at her door, Tori has to explain how she somehow involved the guild with the fey disappearances. And true to the nature of the series, Tori ends up right in the middle of it all. As Tori and the boys take on the investigation, things go sideways pretty quickly. And despite best efforts, Tori ends up in the dark arts casting the guild was sent to interrupt. Choosing between running away, or letting a dark magic guild enslave a powerful fey, Tori opts to save the fey. And unknowingly causes herself a world of magical trouble.

With the MPD already sniffing around, Tori’s playing with fire. But to save herself from the repercussion magic is ready to unleash on her, she has to dive deeper into the mythic community. And along the way, she’s going to uncover dark secrets about those she calls friends. Her relationships will be put to the test as the revelations snowball into all aspects of her life. Tempers will run high and when boundaries are crossed, Tori won’t be able to keep all the pieces together.

Two Witches and a Whiskey is another fun installment of The Guild Codex. It’s beginning to dive into the deeper aspects of Tori’s life while still maintaining a steady dose of magical mayhem. Each book uncovers another aspect of the mythic community, immersing readers in a world that is sure to keep entertaining them. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is the third book in the Guild Codex: Spellbound series. I borrowed this through Kindle Unlimited. There are going to be seven books total in this series. There is also a sister series to this called Guild Codex: Demonized that weaves in and out of the Spellbound timeline but features different characters. Previous to reading this I have read and enjoyed all of Annette Marie’s other series.

Story (5/5): This story was everything I hoped for and more. When Tori has to hide away from the bar because of the magical police, she gets accidentally duped into lending the guild’s help to a couple of witches. Then Tori ends up bound to a sea god and in a load of trouble. This was sooo much fun and incorporated a lot of elements I loved from earlier books. Yes, there are dragons and our rouge druid makes an appearance in a big way.

Characters (5/5): I continue to love the characters in this series, they are a highlight of this series for me. Our sexy mage trio is back and Tori is learning more and more about the magical world she has stumbled into. Not to mention the dragon and rogue druid, oh my! Add to that some insane rogue mages and a bound sea god and there are interesting characters aplenty. I love the new characters just as much as the old ones.

Setting (5/5): I continue to enjoy the setting even though it is fairly typical urban fantasy. The twists around demonology and the fae that were introduced to the world add a lot of dimension to it and I love how the mysteries of this world continue to unravel book by book.

Writing Style (5/5): Marie is one of my favorite authors to read when I am in the mood for a light and fun read. She just does such a great job with characterization, amazing action scenes and pacing. Her worlds are creative, intriguing and engaging. I have really enjoyed every single book I have read by her.

My Summary (5/5): Overall this series just gets better and better with every book. I love the action, the characters, the magic, and the mystery. It’s a perfect blend of elements that makes for a fast-paced story that is an incredibly fun read! I would recommend if you are in the mood for a humorous, magical urban fantasy. ( )

4.5

Book source ~ Kindle Unlimited

Quick-tempered bartender Tori Dawson is a human slinging drinks at a guild for the mythical magic users in town. Well, until the MPD find out and fire her ass. No humans allowed. Pfft. But until then, she’s happier than she’s ever been and earning more money than she ever has. Too bad it’ll eventually end. Or will it?

Tori’s slide into the magical mythical world gets a little deeper with each book. This time she gets mixed up in a nasty business involving disappearing lesser Fae and an attempt to bind a powerful sea Fae Lord. Whoa, boy. There’s danger galore and humor as well as great characters. And the ending is pretty awesome. I love it and I’m looking forward to more of Tori’s adventures with her guild friends. ( )

Two Witches and a Whiskey
The Guild Codex: Spellbound, Book 3
By: Annette Marie
Narrated by: Cris Dukehart
This continues the great series with more of Ghost, an accidental binding to a Fae Lord that is slowly killing her, a fall out with her brother, and more awesome magical situations!
The narration continues to be excellent! ( )

Two Witches and a Whiskey is the third in The Guild Codex series by Annette Marie. This is easily my favorite in the series so far. Stories from both previous books come together in a new adventure that puts Tori right in the middle of a problem of some disappearing fae.

I am enjoying the character development in these books. Tori has a unique challenge being the only human among many magic users and we get to see her internal struggles with feeling inadequate. I liked how she's starting to overcome this while still being "just" a human. The relationships with the other characters continues to be great and I love seeing their friendships. Aaron, Kai and Ezra all have their parts. It was good to learn more about Kai in particular, though Tori is the primary focus of the story.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Cris Dukehart. Cris continues to do a great job. You can tell she's having a lot of fun with the fae voices, especially Twiggy!

These books are just so much fun. I am officially addicted to this series. Only one more published book to go before I'm caught up. ( )