Hello, fellow audiobook fans. Today, I’d like to share my thoughts about Damned Souls and a Sangria written by Annette Marie and read by Cris Dukehart. The eighth and final audiobook in Annette’s urban fantasy series, The Guild Codex: Spellbound.
My thanks to the publisher, Tantor Audio, for the audiobook in exchange for a candid review.
What’s Damned Souls and a Sangria about?
My Rating: Title: Damned Souls and a Sangria by Annette Marie
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #8
Published by Tantor Audio on 24th November 2020
Genres: Action & Adventure, New Adult (NA), Urban Fantasy
Narrator: Cris Dukehart
Length: 8 hours 35 minutes
Once upon a time, I was your average spunky redhead with the lamest employment history ever, a shaky relationship with my only family member, and no idea what I was doing with my life.
Now, I'm a pseudo mythic with the best bartending job in the world, the most amazing (and hot) best friends I never knew I needed, and a guild of misfit magic users who've become my extended family.
And I'm about to lose it all.
In my desperation to save Ezra, I stumbled into a web of ruthless deception - and seriously pissed off a sleeping hydra. Now its every murderous head is turned toward me and my guild, and I don't know how to stop it. I'm not sure I can.
I'm not sure anyone can.
But if we don't, we're all doomed - Ezra, Aaron, Kai, and my beloved guild.
©2020 Annette Marie (P)2020 Tantor
Source: ARC
I received this ARC for free in exchange for an honest review. This doesn't affect my opinion of the book or influence the content of my review.
Review Format: AudiobookPurchase Links: Amazon* ¦ Audible* ¦ Audiobooks.com*
Listened To: 7th – 13th February 2022
What did I think about it?
A Fitting Finale For This Gripping Urban Fantasy Series!
Annette Marie has become a tried and trusted author with this series. Annette’s writing style is intelligent and easy to sink into. I’m captivated by this world of Mythics, danger and secrecy.
Damned Souls and a Sangria had all the elements that I look for in a gripping story.
It has a great time-restrictive plot, with plenty of action, conflict and desperate, inner turmoil. However, there’s also enough humour to keep me engaged. Tori is a young woman (only 21) and has become a fantastic character. Throughout this series, she’d exhibited many of the personality traits that I love; resilience, humour and self-reliance. Not being born into this dangerous world of Mythics, Tori has had to think on her feet and scramble to fill in all the gaps in her knowledge and skills. I loved it! Tori’s gumption and desperation to save the ones she loves are put to the ultimate test in this story. I wept at the seemingly hopeless situation she found herself in, but Tori’s determination was inspirational.
Cris Dukehart’s performance was fantastic.
I really liked the pace at which Cris read this story and the various emotions she conveyed in the narrative. Cris has managed to create slightly different voices for all the characters in this series; each one captures the character’s personality. This means that I never felt confused about who was speaking during the many conversations in this audiobook. Cris’s performance plunged me into this tumultuous adventure.
The Guild Codex: Spellbound is a wonderful example of the “found family” theme.
Tori has continued to grow and develop with each book. We’ve also learnt more about Aaron, Kai and Ezra as the series has progressed too. New characters have been introduced in each book as has more about the Mythic world. I’ve loved how the multi-faceted relationships within the Crow & Hammer Guild have evolved, and how Tori has earned her place within its ranks.
I’d recommend Damned Souls and a Sangria to fans of action and adventure stories. Especially those who enjoy escapades within urban fantasy settings and don’t mind a bit of slow-burn romance thrown in.
Has my review of Damned Souls and a Sangria encouraged you to find out more? ‘Course it has! 😉 Click on any of my links to check it out yourself.
Keep reading to find out more about Annette Marie. But first, I want to share some info about this fabulous series with you.
The Guild Codex: Spellbound by Annette Marie
Welcome to the Crow & Hammer. Meet Tori. Sassy redhead, ex-waitress with an attitude, and human bartender of a magic guild. Three Mages and a Margarita opens the hilarious and heart-warming Guild Codex series.
Books in the Series
I’ve fallen in love with this series. Click on the book title to be whisked away to my review in a new tab.
- A Damsel and a Demigod (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #0.5) (2020)
- Three Mages and a Margarita (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #1) (2018)
- Dark Arts and a Daiquiri (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #2) (2018)
- Two Witches and a Whiskey (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #3) (2019)
- Demon Magic and a Martini (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #4) (2019)
- The Alchemist and an Amaretto (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #5) (2019)
- Druid Vices and a Vodka (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #6) (2020)
- Lost Talismans and a Tequila (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #7) (2020)
- Damned Souls and a Sangria (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #8) (2020)
And now as promised, here’s Annette’s bio and social media links.
About Annette Marie
Annette Marie is the author of YA urban fantasy series Steel & Stone, its prequel trilogy Spell Weaver, romantic fantasy trilogy Red Winter, and sassy UF series The Guild Codex.
Her first love is fantasy, but fast-paced adventures and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She proudly admits she has a thing for dragons, and her editor has politely inquired as to whether she intends to include them in every book.
Annette lives in the frozen winter wasteland of Alberta, Canada (okay, it’s not quite that bad). She shares her life 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.
And because this is a review about an audiobook, here’s Cris bio and links too.
About Cris Dukehart
An award-winning storyteller and a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Cris Dukehart has narrated over 300 books in a plethora of genres, from romance, science fiction, and young adult to children's literature and autobiography.
Her voice, with an endearing mix of sweetness and pluck, can be heard around the world and across the Web in commercials, e-learning projects, and corporate narrations.
An Audie Nominee and Earphones Award Winner, she lives with her daughter and a hairy white monster dog, dividing her time between a little Post-it Note Cottage in Pennsylvania and a mountaintop house in the Caribbean.
Thank you for stopping by and for taking the time to read my thoughts about Damned Souls and a Sangria. Have you read this one or any others by Annette Marie? Do you have any titles read by Cris Dukehart on your shelves? Drop a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.
I’m enjoying this series so much that I’ve recently added Annette to my favourites page. Therefore, before you go, check out who else is listed in my A to Z of Amazing Authors. Is your favourite author on my list?
Bye for now
Flora x
This series is SO good! I’m glad you enjoyed it!