Three Mages and a Margarita

The main character in this book is a badass, snarky, strong female lead and I fell in love with her immediately. But I also loved the humour in this book.

Annette Marie is particularly good at creating humourous dialogue and she did it so well in this book. There is also a reverse harem type of feel with several mages all of whom are kind of competing for the attention of the lead character.

However, unlike some reverse harem series on the market, this one is very clean with light romance – the plot is more focused around mystery-solving and… show more.

I lived in Vancouver for many years, so I really enjoyed the familiar Vancouver setting of Three Mages and a Margarita, not that you have to know Vancouver to enjoy the books (Vancouver is much like any other big city). Marie writes like a troublemaker, tosses in a dash of romance, and spices it up with sassy dialogue. Her use of magic guilds and their brands of magic is unique and imaginative: two of my favourite things in an urban fantasy. The heroine, Tori Dawson, kicks butt, but she’s also big-hearted. The mages, who practically live at the bar… show more.

The magical world reveal is a favorite trope of mine and Tori handles it with pluck and a ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ attitude. Things don’t always work out as she intends and she seems to always get into trouble, but she plows through it and I admire that. I also like that she isn’t an all-powerful chosen one. This one has a younger feel though not quite YA and the series includes a slow-burn romance. Despite the title, please note this isn’t a reverse harem situation. It is a delightfully easy read and, if you’re like me, you’ll… show more.

I absolutely love the protagonist, Tori, with her blazing red hair and snarky red-headed temper. She is so bold and calls it like it is, yet has enough self-doubt to make her relatable and has lots of room for character growth. Her snarky internal dialog puts me in stitches! I love that she stands up for herself and others, even when it gets her in trouble, and she never plays the victim or thinks of herself as helpless. The book is expertly rounded out with fascinating worldbuilding, wonderful side characters, and an engrossing plot that is fun and full of… show more.

Tori is a waitress whose firecracker temper loses as many jobs as her red-headed appeal gets her. Having blundered into the guild of the Crow and Hammer, she lands a new gig as a bartender, and three new and devoted friends in Aaron, Ezra, and Kai. Her dream job comes with a large helping of danger, and a built-in use-by date when the Powers that Be must inevitably discover Tori can’t legally work for the guild because she’s not a mythic. Or… can she possibly get a new classification? Strictly speaking, Tori’s new identity kicks in well after this book,… show more.