What do you think?
Rate this book
Odd Jobs #1
Witches for Hire
Odd Book One
All recovering drug addict and witch Jeremy Ragsdale wants is to shamble on to the next job without any disasters. Instead, the temp agency saddles him with a fellow witch who hates him, an Amazon one violent outburst away from deportation, and a knight from another world as his boss. Even worse, their jack-of-all-trades magic business stumbles upon a conspiracy to kill Desmond the Great, Atlanta’s sexy star magician. Jeremy must prevent it without letting his colleagues know that he not only has ties to the energy vampires behind the plot, but that his past misdeeds might have instigated the attacks.
Despite Jeremy sporting a suit and tie like a good witch, his lies snowball to bite him in the ass. The lack of trust brewing between him and his teammates could cost Desmond his life and Jeremy his progress on the straight and narrow path if his secrets are revealed. Because no matter how much Jeremy has reformed, there’s still enough bad witch in him to kill anyone who messes with him or the people he cares about.
All recovering drug addict and witch Jeremy Ragsdale wants is to shamble on to the next job without any disasters. Instead, the temp agency saddles him with a fellow witch who hates him, an Amazon one violent outburst away from deportation, and a knight from another world as his boss. Even worse, their jack-of-all-trades magic business stumbles upon a conspiracy to kill Desmond the Great, Atlanta’s sexy star magician. Jeremy must prevent it without letting his colleagues know that he not only has ties to the energy vampires behind the plot, but that his past misdeeds might have instigated the attacks.
Despite Jeremy sporting a suit and tie like a good witch, his lies snowball to bite him in the ass. The lack of trust brewing between him and his teammates could cost Desmond his life and Jeremy his progress on the straight and narrow path if his secrets are revealed. Because no matter how much Jeremy has reformed, there’s still enough bad witch in him to kill anyone who messes with him or the people he cares about.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2017
54 people are currently reading
911 people want to read
About the author
Sam Argent
6 books441 followersSam Argent is a ball of gluttony who devours delicious food and great books to find whatever pleasure she can in a world getting crazier by the minute. Over the years, she got tired of characters like her dying tragically or excluded from fiction due to “historical accuracy” while totz real creatures such as zombies got a pass. Being a hip writer who still says totz, Sam gathered all of her perverted thoughts, her love of sword and sorcery, and wrote a book. It was a mess, so she wrote a second one that people laughed at for the right reasons. Now, Sam writes full-time because she underestimated how many steamy scenes and knife fights were trapped in her head.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
April 7, 2017
Loved!
This is gonna be a quick and dirty review ‘cause there’s nothing I can say about it without spoiling the book.
I’ll just come out and say… I. Loved. This. Book. I loved the characters, the action, the plot, the romance, the world building, the angst and the humor. But most of all I loved the writing. Oh, the writing! If ever there was something to debate about this story, it’s the writing. There will be some that don’t like the author’s style. In fact, I think most people will be frustrated by it and potentially abandon it before they reach the halfway point. Not me. I was so attuned to it I felt it deep in my soul.
There’s not one single bit of telling in this book. Everything is show, show, show. And what a show it is! The world building is extremely organic. You’re viewing the world as if you are expected to already know how it works. The story unfolds in bits and pieces and seemingly unnecessary offshoots, giving you absolutely no clue as to what is going on and feeling like maybe you missed something. You’re left to discover the secrets on your own. Once I got about a third of the way in, it all started coming together and suddenly I was riveted. I could not put the book down! And the way everything culminated in the end left me breathless. I was in absolute awe.
It’s like Sam Argent has direct access to my brain and fine-tuned the words to align perfectly with my patterns. The story is chaotic and goes back and forth between four or five different points of view. One minute you’ll feel like you’re getting somewhere with a plot point and then you turn the page and she’s gone off in a different direction. This is where I feel a lot people will abandon the book because they just can’t wrap their mind around what is going on. For me, though, my brain is already chaotic; my mind works in this exact way so I was ecstatic to say the least. Can I just tell you how freaking amazing it feels to find a book that speaks to you in your own personal language? I mean, just knowing there is someone else out there in the world that thinks the exact same way I do is exhilarating. I don’t feel so alone in the world any more.
This book is quirky. So, so, so damned quirky. Between Jeremy’s snark, the drugged out werewolf who thinks the trees look like angels and his witch mate (who really wears the pants in that family), the Amazon who kicks ass with glee, the absolutely swoon-worthy magician and the wizard who puts up with it all (he’s just trying to get his green card, people, c’mon!) there’s something in here for everyone. The action is non-stop; you’ll hardly be able to catch your breath between chapters. I highly, highly recommend this to those who maybe think a little differently than the norm. If you loved her other book, Family of Lies: Sebastian, then I guarantee you’ll like this one too.
And if all this wasn’t enough to convince you to read this book, I’ll leave you with two words:
Ass goblins
*mic drop*
This is gonna be a quick and dirty review ‘cause there’s nothing I can say about it without spoiling the book.
I’ll just come out and say… I. Loved. This. Book. I loved the characters, the action, the plot, the romance, the world building, the angst and the humor. But most of all I loved the writing. Oh, the writing! If ever there was something to debate about this story, it’s the writing. There will be some that don’t like the author’s style. In fact, I think most people will be frustrated by it and potentially abandon it before they reach the halfway point. Not me. I was so attuned to it I felt it deep in my soul.
There’s not one single bit of telling in this book. Everything is show, show, show. And what a show it is! The world building is extremely organic. You’re viewing the world as if you are expected to already know how it works. The story unfolds in bits and pieces and seemingly unnecessary offshoots, giving you absolutely no clue as to what is going on and feeling like maybe you missed something. You’re left to discover the secrets on your own. Once I got about a third of the way in, it all started coming together and suddenly I was riveted. I could not put the book down! And the way everything culminated in the end left me breathless. I was in absolute awe.
It’s like Sam Argent has direct access to my brain and fine-tuned the words to align perfectly with my patterns. The story is chaotic and goes back and forth between four or five different points of view. One minute you’ll feel like you’re getting somewhere with a plot point and then you turn the page and she’s gone off in a different direction. This is where I feel a lot people will abandon the book because they just can’t wrap their mind around what is going on. For me, though, my brain is already chaotic; my mind works in this exact way so I was ecstatic to say the least. Can I just tell you how freaking amazing it feels to find a book that speaks to you in your own personal language? I mean, just knowing there is someone else out there in the world that thinks the exact same way I do is exhilarating. I don’t feel so alone in the world any more.
This book is quirky. So, so, so damned quirky. Between Jeremy’s snark, the drugged out werewolf who thinks the trees look like angels and his witch mate (who really wears the pants in that family), the Amazon who kicks ass with glee, the absolutely swoon-worthy magician and the wizard who puts up with it all (he’s just trying to get his green card, people, c’mon!) there’s something in here for everyone. The action is non-stop; you’ll hardly be able to catch your breath between chapters. I highly, highly recommend this to those who maybe think a little differently than the norm. If you loved her other book, Family of Lies: Sebastian, then I guarantee you’ll like this one too.
And if all this wasn’t enough to convince you to read this book, I’ll leave you with two words:
Ass goblins
*mic drop*
Read
March 17, 2017DNF at 18%. I can barely follow the story, and I can't stand the shifting POVs (there are at least 4). Not for me.
April 30, 2017
That cover! The Blurb! The book :/
I was really excited to say the least when I stumbled across this story the blurb sounded awesome and the cover...I mean seriously? Who doesn't want to read this book once they've read the blurb and seen that cover so on a promotional level this book nailed it because really that's what the blurb and the cover are...they're promotional materials meant to draw the reader in and gain their interest in the book and if I was giving stars for that this book would probably get at least 4 out of 5. But that's not what I'm giving stars for...nope, those two stars are for what comes after the cover and the blurb.
Sadly what came after the blurb for me was a bit confusing. 'Witches for Hire' is the first book in Sam Argent's series 'Odd Jobs' unfortunately for most of this book I felt like I'd been plunked into the middle of a series without the background info that often helps things make sense. As the story progressed I was given a fair bit of background that did help sort out much of my confusion but I would have really liked some of this info to have come sooner than it did.
'Witches for Hire' was a bit of a mixed bag for me because while there were things that I liked about it, there were also things that just didn't work for me and as much as I would like to go into more detail about what I didn't like, I don't feel that I can do this without divulging some pretty pertinent information in regards to the story's plot. So, I'm going to focus a little more on some of what worked for me.
One of the things that worked the best for me were the characters. I liked Jeremy. He was interesting and far more complex than he initially seemed. Many of the secondary characters were also rather interesting and what we were given of their background hinted at strong potential for their own stories...Simone, Witches for Hire's receptionist, a witch who is married to a werewolf and has no coven and also seems to be far more powerful than she lets on, Clive a knight from another realm who is the new owner of 'Witches for Hire' who is extremely powerful running out of realms he can go to. Clive's friends Mia and her husband, Raj, who run their own magical detective agency, also knights and seem to show up when they're least expected. The Amazon, Edarra, who works at 'Witches for Hire' and has some heroic deeds she needs to accomplish. Senator Ragsdale, Jeremy's father. Desmond the Great, Atlanta's star magician and someone with much stronger ties to Jeremy than most realize, council member Salvatore someone who wants much stronger ties to Jeremy.
It all sounds so intriguing and has the potential be one hella' good read but somewhere along the line the waters got muddied and things were oftentimes confusing with POVs jumped around and scene changes happening in such a way that I was left wondering if I was missing pages or paragraphs, at least, because I'd find myself going back and re-reading to try and figure out when and how I suddenly went from point 'A' to point 'E' and what happened to the stuff in between.
So in summary this wasn't so much a bad story as one that simply didn't work for me. There was strong potential and I did find the last 20 to 30% far more cohesive and interesting. Most of all I really wish that this had felt more like the first novel in a series with stronger background and world building rather than leaving me feeling like I was reading the third or fourth book in a series that needed to be read in order.
The result for me was that rather than enjoying what should have been a fun and interesting story, I was often left frustrated and disappointed. However, in spite of the potential for future stories I'm not really sure whether or not I'll continue, I definitely need to give that a lot of thought...but in truth...I doubt it, the again one never knows... never say never, right?
********************
An ARC of 'Witches for Hire' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was really excited to say the least when I stumbled across this story the blurb sounded awesome and the cover...I mean seriously? Who doesn't want to read this book once they've read the blurb and seen that cover so on a promotional level this book nailed it because really that's what the blurb and the cover are...they're promotional materials meant to draw the reader in and gain their interest in the book and if I was giving stars for that this book would probably get at least 4 out of 5. But that's not what I'm giving stars for...nope, those two stars are for what comes after the cover and the blurb.
Sadly what came after the blurb for me was a bit confusing. 'Witches for Hire' is the first book in Sam Argent's series 'Odd Jobs' unfortunately for most of this book I felt like I'd been plunked into the middle of a series without the background info that often helps things make sense. As the story progressed I was given a fair bit of background that did help sort out much of my confusion but I would have really liked some of this info to have come sooner than it did.
'Witches for Hire' was a bit of a mixed bag for me because while there were things that I liked about it, there were also things that just didn't work for me and as much as I would like to go into more detail about what I didn't like, I don't feel that I can do this without divulging some pretty pertinent information in regards to the story's plot. So, I'm going to focus a little more on some of what worked for me.
One of the things that worked the best for me were the characters. I liked Jeremy. He was interesting and far more complex than he initially seemed. Many of the secondary characters were also rather interesting and what we were given of their background hinted at strong potential for their own stories...Simone, Witches for Hire's receptionist, a witch who is married to a werewolf and has no coven and also seems to be far more powerful than she lets on, Clive a knight from another realm who is the new owner of 'Witches for Hire' who is extremely powerful running out of realms he can go to. Clive's friends Mia and her husband, Raj, who run their own magical detective agency, also knights and seem to show up when they're least expected. The Amazon, Edarra, who works at 'Witches for Hire' and has some heroic deeds she needs to accomplish. Senator Ragsdale, Jeremy's father. Desmond the Great, Atlanta's star magician and someone with much stronger ties to Jeremy than most realize, council member Salvatore someone who wants much stronger ties to Jeremy.
It all sounds so intriguing and has the potential be one hella' good read but somewhere along the line the waters got muddied and things were oftentimes confusing with POVs jumped around and scene changes happening in such a way that I was left wondering if I was missing pages or paragraphs, at least, because I'd find myself going back and re-reading to try and figure out when and how I suddenly went from point 'A' to point 'E' and what happened to the stuff in between.
So in summary this wasn't so much a bad story as one that simply didn't work for me. There was strong potential and I did find the last 20 to 30% far more cohesive and interesting. Most of all I really wish that this had felt more like the first novel in a series with stronger background and world building rather than leaving me feeling like I was reading the third or fourth book in a series that needed to be read in order.
The result for me was that rather than enjoying what should have been a fun and interesting story, I was often left frustrated and disappointed. However, in spite of the potential for future stories I'm not really sure whether or not I'll continue, I definitely need to give that a lot of thought...but in truth...I doubt it, the again one never knows... never say never, right?
********************
An ARC of 'Witches for Hire' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
November 29, 2017
4 Stars
This had the potential to be a 5-star read but OMFG I should have taken that series title as a hint!
See, it seems like the first 30-40% of the book was nothing but a series of "odd-jobs" for these characters to take & solve...and while it all coalesced later it just took too long for everything to develop. Plus, I counted at least 6 different POV - not head-hopping, thank heavens - but that's just too many for me; two of them felt incredibly unnecessary, even with all the other MCs weighing in on the assorted cases.
I almost wish that the primary story (Jeremy & Desmond with the energy vamp antagonist plus the England background issue) was the only focus for this novel...with maybe the bits from Simone, Clive & Edarra POV as codas, side-stories, or their own novellas. While I thought the Amazon's were funny, Simone's never really advanced the plot IMHO...and Clive was kind of a well-meaning, judgmental ass. (But he's a Knight who sees things like honor & motivation in black & white so I guess that goes with the territory.)
But still, it was an entertaining read - with some holy hell, white-hot sex magic that was absolutely essential to the plot. And those almost hate-fucks were definitely worth the time spent reading everything extraneous!
This had the potential to be a 5-star read but OMFG I should have taken that series title as a hint!
See, it seems like the first 30-40% of the book was nothing but a series of "odd-jobs" for these characters to take & solve...and while it all coalesced later it just took too long for everything to develop. Plus, I counted at least 6 different POV - not head-hopping, thank heavens - but that's just too many for me; two of them felt incredibly unnecessary, even with all the other MCs weighing in on the assorted cases.
I almost wish that the primary story (Jeremy & Desmond with the energy vamp antagonist plus the England background issue) was the only focus for this novel...with maybe the bits from Simone, Clive & Edarra POV as codas, side-stories, or their own novellas. While I thought the Amazon's were funny, Simone's never really advanced the plot IMHO...and Clive was kind of a well-meaning, judgmental ass. (But he's a Knight who sees things like honor & motivation in black & white so I guess that goes with the territory.)
But still, it was an entertaining read - with some holy hell, white-hot sex magic that was absolutely essential to the plot. And those almost hate-fucks were definitely worth the time spent reading everything extraneous!
dnf
May 7, 2017I really, really wanted to love this, but this was not my book.
April 22, 2017
Probably the most schizophrenic thing I've ever read. 2.5 stars.
Want to read
April 24, 2017Sebastian: Family of Lies really won me over. I didn't quite take to this book as much. I think there needed to be more page time on the romance. Still, Argent writes great banter. ;)
April 4, 2017
Already fallen out of the graces of the Council, Jeremy Ragsdale is running out of chances to show that he can make it on his own. But until he does, he is stuck working for an ex-Knight–who is trying to get his green-card–and a couple of other last-chance magic users–who pretty much hate him and everything he stands for. Starting up a new business, working with people who can barely stand each other, is hardly a recipe for success…but most of them have run out of other options. Things get especially tricky when someone with a lot of power starts pulling strings around the city, and people start turning up dead–and the next one likely to be cut is Jeremy’s ex-lover, and famous stage-magician, Desmond the Great.
I should probably say, right off the bat, that I am not a huge fan of stories that are told from multiple viewpoints outside of the main characters. I tend to find it annoying. It spreads the story out too much, and instead of making me care equally about all the characters, I mostly end up caring about none of them. Sadly that is the case with this book. And it probably had a rather big effect on the over all rating of this story. So if that doesn’t bug you, there is a chance that you will find this story a lot more enjoyable than I did.
And to be honest I struggled a lot with this book.
My biggest problem was the fact that with the exception of Clive and Edarra, I couldn’t stand any of the characters in this story. Like, not even just that. I was actively hoping that they would just die already by the end of the book. Nearly everyone in this story is an asshole. Bitchy, argumentative, assholes. If you were to take out all the conversations that were only there for them to bitch at each other, you’d lose like 40 pages of this book. And I kept holding on, hoping for some character growth or god knows what, but it never happened. It felt like no one in this book liked each other, and so I felt absolutely no reason to like any of them. And while Clive and Edarra were not so grating on the nerves they seemed to almost always slip into the background of the story, so even that short reprieve was always short lived.
And Jeremy and Desmond’s…I’m honestly not sure it could even be called a relationship…was off-putting to put it lightly. They hate-fuck their way thru the book, and I could never really buy their whole thing. Whatever it was. I have never been one to get why you’d want to sleep with someone you hate, and even if they do for whatever reason, I have no desire to then read about it. I would have much preferred if that part of the book was just taken it all together. Instead the story kept wanting me to buy that they were in love…but I never felt anything close to love between them. They have chemistry, sure, but it more the kind of chemistry that leads to body bags and long jail sentences.
Which leaves me with the “mystery” aspect of this book. Ugh. Ok, here’s the thing. I liked all the side cases that these guys went on. They were by far the most entertaining thing in this story. They however dragged the pacing of this book down to a crawl. By the 75% mark of this story, the plot had been so back and forth that I no longer cared about who was trying to kill Desmond (which, ok, the dude was a smarmy asshole, so that didn’t help matters either). I just wanted them to get it done or get the fuck out of Atlanta already. It never felt like the book wanted to focus on it, so I lost interest rather early in the book. The multiple povs, while giving us a wider range, kinda made everything a bit fuzzy and indistinct, rather than giving us a better and clearer picture of what was going on. It tried to tie way too many different threads into this one plot and ended creating a snarled mess.
I don’t know. There was a lot here to work with, and I can’t help but feel that maybe I just got off on the wrong foot (and ended up tumbling down a mountain). Maybe someone else will find these characters engaging and interesting. I mostly just spent about 7 hours of my life pissed off at everyone being so damn bitchy. And I don’t really like books that do that to me.
2.5 stars
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
I should probably say, right off the bat, that I am not a huge fan of stories that are told from multiple viewpoints outside of the main characters. I tend to find it annoying. It spreads the story out too much, and instead of making me care equally about all the characters, I mostly end up caring about none of them. Sadly that is the case with this book. And it probably had a rather big effect on the over all rating of this story. So if that doesn’t bug you, there is a chance that you will find this story a lot more enjoyable than I did.
And to be honest I struggled a lot with this book.
My biggest problem was the fact that with the exception of Clive and Edarra, I couldn’t stand any of the characters in this story. Like, not even just that. I was actively hoping that they would just die already by the end of the book. Nearly everyone in this story is an asshole. Bitchy, argumentative, assholes. If you were to take out all the conversations that were only there for them to bitch at each other, you’d lose like 40 pages of this book. And I kept holding on, hoping for some character growth or god knows what, but it never happened. It felt like no one in this book liked each other, and so I felt absolutely no reason to like any of them. And while Clive and Edarra were not so grating on the nerves they seemed to almost always slip into the background of the story, so even that short reprieve was always short lived.
And Jeremy and Desmond’s…I’m honestly not sure it could even be called a relationship…was off-putting to put it lightly. They hate-fuck their way thru the book, and I could never really buy their whole thing. Whatever it was. I have never been one to get why you’d want to sleep with someone you hate, and even if they do for whatever reason, I have no desire to then read about it. I would have much preferred if that part of the book was just taken it all together. Instead the story kept wanting me to buy that they were in love…but I never felt anything close to love between them. They have chemistry, sure, but it more the kind of chemistry that leads to body bags and long jail sentences.
Which leaves me with the “mystery” aspect of this book. Ugh. Ok, here’s the thing. I liked all the side cases that these guys went on. They were by far the most entertaining thing in this story. They however dragged the pacing of this book down to a crawl. By the 75% mark of this story, the plot had been so back and forth that I no longer cared about who was trying to kill Desmond (which, ok, the dude was a smarmy asshole, so that didn’t help matters either). I just wanted them to get it done or get the fuck out of Atlanta already. It never felt like the book wanted to focus on it, so I lost interest rather early in the book. The multiple povs, while giving us a wider range, kinda made everything a bit fuzzy and indistinct, rather than giving us a better and clearer picture of what was going on. It tried to tie way too many different threads into this one plot and ended creating a snarled mess.
I don’t know. There was a lot here to work with, and I can’t help but feel that maybe I just got off on the wrong foot (and ended up tumbling down a mountain). Maybe someone else will find these characters engaging and interesting. I mostly just spent about 7 hours of my life pissed off at everyone being so damn bitchy. And I don’t really like books that do that to me.
2.5 stars
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
April 4, 2017
I loved Sabastian: Family of lies. One of my favorite books that year. I also loved the audiobook. Seeing another release from this author has me very excited!
August 3, 2020
Where do I even begin?
4.5, rounded up!
I'm not the most concise reviewer, so to minimize confusion and reduce the risk of you going "Huh?," I'll break in up into sections such as WORLD/PLOT/CAST, etc.
Just a forewarning for potential readers: you might've noticed some reviewers saying that the narrative switches between AT LEAST four characters.
THEY'RE NOT HYPERBOLIZING.
I do have to say, though, that there aren't any more POV's than six, and the last two that aren't one of the four MC's only have, like, one or two paragraphs. So don't worry.
Also another warning (although not really), is that Argent uses sharp wit and a blunt pen to write this story and pace the dialogue and plot, so if you're like me and don't enjoy reading novels where it seems like the author is being paid by the word and waxes poetic about a shirt button and the coffee place the MC likes to haunt (WHICH SHOULDN'T HAVE AS MUCH PAGE TIME AS THEY DO IN A LOT OF NOVELS - there are exceptions, obviously) then you're GONNA LOVE THIS BOOK.
THE WORLD
As far as a storyline that takes place in a multiverse where there are superpowered Amazons, magical knights, goblins, witches, and werewolves, Argent doesn't take overtures when it comes to intricately explaining...ANYTHING, really.
She's only had two novels out, but there's already a distinctive style that shows in her work.
Nuance and subtlety is her forte, and even though the story is action-packed from beginning to end, don't expect any info-dumping.
She baits you with small glimpses into the other worlds and how life was like there, without ever shoving the architecture or hierarchy or creatures down you throat, which I appreciate.
There's obviously magic, too, and admittedly, she does skimp out on a few details, but not so much that it leaves you scratchin' your head.
When it comes to the magic, she writes the outline for you, gives you subtle details. She gives you enough that when you flesh the rest out with your own imagination, you're able to justify it to an extent.
THE CAST
If you read her first novel, you'll know that there were A TON of characters there.
For a reader like myself, I meticulously cast the characters from actors/real people I know and make a "mind-movie". So her first book was total hell for me.
This one, however, had a very manageable cast. Four main MC's that look very different, sound VERY different, and act very different from one another.
This was another thing that impressed me with Argent's writing.
I've read a lot of novels where there are multiple POV's and they sound like the exact same person. Argent manages to switch between the four POV's with a distinct difference in the writing, the personality, the VOICE of the character. She writes and explains things differently based on whoever has the reins, because they're all different people. You'll never be like "Hmm, Clive sounds like Edarra," or vice versa.
THE DIALOGUE
The dialogue was awesome. POINT BLANK. It was fast paced, not too repetitive (which works in some novels, but I wouldn't put it in this one), and had a very Guy Ricci vibe to it. You'll know it when ya read it.
I do agree with the other reviewers saying that there was lots of of cattiness, but what can ya do? It's characterization, folks, C'MON! ><
Another thing I enjoyed was her minimalistic approach in regards to the scenery of the moment. The dialogue between the characters was very intimate and allowed you to enjoy the banter, the wit, the story, without focusing too much on the weather or what's around them if it's not integral to the plot. You'll never know what colour the bed sheets are or how the characters like their coffee unless the scene calls for extra atmosphere.
THE PLOT
This is the only thing that kinda fell short for me.
The novel is written nicely, but the pacing of the main plot vs. the little sub adventures and mini-arcs that are involved with running a jack-of-all trades witches-for-hire shop was choppy.
There wasn't enough of the Big Bad spliced in with everything else goin' on. Or at least there were, but in super subtle ways that weren't gratifying enough in that "gasp-OMG" kind of way when you learn something new about how the villain is involved.
The Big Bad is mentioned maybe a few times after the first 1/4 of the story, and then pops up out of the blue in the very last stretch of the novel.
I won't get into any detail, 'cause I really believe the plot is something you need to immerse yourself in, as with any novel, but more so with this one, as it's so intricately woven that I don't think I'll do it justice. Just know that there's enough action in it to keep it titillating.
Anyways, that's the end of my review! I hope you read it, and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Tata!
Muah!
- M
4.5, rounded up!
I'm not the most concise reviewer, so to minimize confusion and reduce the risk of you going "Huh?," I'll break in up into sections such as WORLD/PLOT/CAST, etc.
Just a forewarning for potential readers: you might've noticed some reviewers saying that the narrative switches between AT LEAST four characters.
THEY'RE NOT HYPERBOLIZING.
I do have to say, though, that there aren't any more POV's than six, and the last two that aren't one of the four MC's only have, like, one or two paragraphs. So don't worry.
Also another warning (although not really), is that Argent uses sharp wit and a blunt pen to write this story and pace the dialogue and plot, so if you're like me and don't enjoy reading novels where it seems like the author is being paid by the word and waxes poetic about a shirt button and the coffee place the MC likes to haunt (WHICH SHOULDN'T HAVE AS MUCH PAGE TIME AS THEY DO IN A LOT OF NOVELS - there are exceptions, obviously) then you're GONNA LOVE THIS BOOK.
THE WORLD
As far as a storyline that takes place in a multiverse where there are superpowered Amazons, magical knights, goblins, witches, and werewolves, Argent doesn't take overtures when it comes to intricately explaining...ANYTHING, really.
She's only had two novels out, but there's already a distinctive style that shows in her work.
Nuance and subtlety is her forte, and even though the story is action-packed from beginning to end, don't expect any info-dumping.
She baits you with small glimpses into the other worlds and how life was like there, without ever shoving the architecture or hierarchy or creatures down you throat, which I appreciate.
There's obviously magic, too, and admittedly, she does skimp out on a few details, but not so much that it leaves you scratchin' your head.
When it comes to the magic, she writes the outline for you, gives you subtle details. She gives you enough that when you flesh the rest out with your own imagination, you're able to justify it to an extent.
THE CAST
If you read her first novel, you'll know that there were A TON of characters there.
For a reader like myself, I meticulously cast the characters from actors/real people I know and make a "mind-movie". So her first book was total hell for me.
This one, however, had a very manageable cast. Four main MC's that look very different, sound VERY different, and act very different from one another.
This was another thing that impressed me with Argent's writing.
I've read a lot of novels where there are multiple POV's and they sound like the exact same person. Argent manages to switch between the four POV's with a distinct difference in the writing, the personality, the VOICE of the character. She writes and explains things differently based on whoever has the reins, because they're all different people. You'll never be like "Hmm, Clive sounds like Edarra," or vice versa.
THE DIALOGUE
The dialogue was awesome. POINT BLANK. It was fast paced, not too repetitive (which works in some novels, but I wouldn't put it in this one), and had a very Guy Ricci vibe to it. You'll know it when ya read it.
I do agree with the other reviewers saying that there was lots of of cattiness, but what can ya do? It's characterization, folks, C'MON! ><
Another thing I enjoyed was her minimalistic approach in regards to the scenery of the moment. The dialogue between the characters was very intimate and allowed you to enjoy the banter, the wit, the story, without focusing too much on the weather or what's around them if it's not integral to the plot. You'll never know what colour the bed sheets are or how the characters like their coffee unless the scene calls for extra atmosphere.
THE PLOT
This is the only thing that kinda fell short for me.
The novel is written nicely, but the pacing of the main plot vs. the little sub adventures and mini-arcs that are involved with running a jack-of-all trades witches-for-hire shop was choppy.
There wasn't enough of the Big Bad spliced in with everything else goin' on. Or at least there were, but in super subtle ways that weren't gratifying enough in that "gasp-OMG" kind of way when you learn something new about how the villain is involved.
The Big Bad is mentioned maybe a few times after the first 1/4 of the story, and then pops up out of the blue in the very last stretch of the novel.
I won't get into any detail, 'cause I really believe the plot is something you need to immerse yourself in, as with any novel, but more so with this one, as it's so intricately woven that I don't think I'll do it justice. Just know that there's enough action in it to keep it titillating.
Anyways, that's the end of my review! I hope you read it, and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Tata!
Muah!
- M
April 13, 2017
I picked up Witches For Hire because I loved Family of Lies: Sebastian, and I was delighted that Argent created another asshole protagonist for me to hug and adore. I literally squealed with joy when the ARC popped into my inbox. To my delight, this work was equally feisty, with carefully plotted social dynamics and intrigue, but unfortunately the plot was terribly slow. I barely made it through (but I’m glad I did because the ending left a smile on my face).
I did like Jeremy. He reminded me a bit of Sebastian, prickly and entitled, but he had a level of darkness to him that was skillfully used. In that way I think I liked him more (but don’t tell Sebastian that). And I’m sorry for making comparisons between this work and Family of Lies, but I did pick this up based on the fact I enjoyed Sebastian so much (and the blurb seemed like it would be my kinda thing—snarky, dark paranormal). If you liked that work, give this a try, and vice versa.
I also enjoyed Desmond, even though that guy was a wreck—and a wrecking ball—with magic. At first I thought the love interest was going to be Clive, for whatever reason, and to be honest, I wasn’t completely certain of Clive’s purpose in the story when he didn’t end up being the love interest. Jeremy’s dad also sort of came out of nowhere, but ended up being a really neat addition to the plot, and I liked the other witch on the team. Her husband was a bossy werewolf, and their kids were wild and all over the place. It was cute.
The worldbuilding was a bit trippy. From what I could understand, this was an alternate Earth where everything was pretty much the same, except there were paranormal elements. Not only that, but there were portals into even more worlds, and that’s where Clive and some of the cast came from.
The magic system was…haphazard. There was abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, illusion, nature-based magic, divine-based magic, necromancy, and transmutation, including shape-shifting. It was like all these worlds created some sort of Heinz-57 of a magic system, which—while interesting—was a bit crazy. You had to suspend disbelief on another level for this one.
The plot was also slow. There was backtracking in the storyline when a new point of view was introduced (which I hate), and there were several minor plot points that stalled the pacing. This will be a series, I’m assuming, so maybe some of my frustrations with the characters and minor plot points have to do with that. I’ll also recognize my bias on preferring more concise works and standalones.
I think the real win for me with this story ended up being Desmond. I wasn’t expecting him to be a major character, and though I thought I knew what he was about, he not only surprised me but influenced me to carve out a little place in my heart for him. Artfully done.
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach Reviews
I did like Jeremy. He reminded me a bit of Sebastian, prickly and entitled, but he had a level of darkness to him that was skillfully used. In that way I think I liked him more (but don’t tell Sebastian that). And I’m sorry for making comparisons between this work and Family of Lies, but I did pick this up based on the fact I enjoyed Sebastian so much (and the blurb seemed like it would be my kinda thing—snarky, dark paranormal). If you liked that work, give this a try, and vice versa.
I also enjoyed Desmond, even though that guy was a wreck—and a wrecking ball—with magic. At first I thought the love interest was going to be Clive, for whatever reason, and to be honest, I wasn’t completely certain of Clive’s purpose in the story when he didn’t end up being the love interest. Jeremy’s dad also sort of came out of nowhere, but ended up being a really neat addition to the plot, and I liked the other witch on the team. Her husband was a bossy werewolf, and their kids were wild and all over the place. It was cute.
The worldbuilding was a bit trippy. From what I could understand, this was an alternate Earth where everything was pretty much the same, except there were paranormal elements. Not only that, but there were portals into even more worlds, and that’s where Clive and some of the cast came from.
The magic system was…haphazard. There was abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, illusion, nature-based magic, divine-based magic, necromancy, and transmutation, including shape-shifting. It was like all these worlds created some sort of Heinz-57 of a magic system, which—while interesting—was a bit crazy. You had to suspend disbelief on another level for this one.
The plot was also slow. There was backtracking in the storyline when a new point of view was introduced (which I hate), and there were several minor plot points that stalled the pacing. This will be a series, I’m assuming, so maybe some of my frustrations with the characters and minor plot points have to do with that. I’ll also recognize my bias on preferring more concise works and standalones.
I think the real win for me with this story ended up being Desmond. I wasn’t expecting him to be a major character, and though I thought I knew what he was about, he not only surprised me but influenced me to carve out a little place in my heart for him. Artfully done.
Reviewed by Ben for The Novel Approach Reviews
April 25, 2017
There are polarizing books and there are Sam Argent books, which takes it to a whole other dimension. Just look at the 5 star reviews right next to the 2 star and DNF reviews. Now, I completely understand where both sides are in their perceptions. There truly are a lot of POVs in this book. Many more than the usual 1-3 found in most romance novels. So people can’t figure out what to do with that. Also, at least three of them are not the main characters. So who gives about their POV? Well, honestly it’s fun to read things from other POV, which is what you might find in a “standard” fantasy novel. So I honestly don’t mind it much since I grew up reading fantasy novels. People may have overlooked that this story is from Dreamspinner Press’ subsidiary DSP Publications, which publishes books of fiction that can include romance but don’t necessarily need to contain it.
Where this story went wrong for me was in the last 1/3. Up until then, I was with all those 5 star reviews. This was a fun urban fantasy novel about a grouchy witch Jeremey who has an odd relationship with a famous witch, Desmond. He works together with another witch, Simone, and an Amazon, Edarra, at a low-rent witches agency in Georgia. For reasons that become known over time, he has a British accent but fakes a Southern accent. I loved all of the characters. But then the last 1/3, I got bored. I didn't enjoy the wrap up and the story was just over for me.
Where this story went wrong for me was in the last 1/3. Up until then, I was with all those 5 star reviews. This was a fun urban fantasy novel about a grouchy witch Jeremey who has an odd relationship with a famous witch, Desmond. He works together with another witch, Simone, and an Amazon, Edarra, at a low-rent witches agency in Georgia. For reasons that become known over time, he has a British accent but fakes a Southern accent. I loved all of the characters. But then the last 1/3, I got bored. I didn't enjoy the wrap up and the story was just over for me.
April 9, 2017
This was fun, filled with lots of action. I was worried about liking this book because I wasn't able to finish Family of Lies: Sebastian , due to the fact that it annoyed the hell out of me and the blurb was good but the book just couldn't back it up. This book was really good though , everything came together awesomely.
Although Jeremy was a touch too antagonistic at times, I liked him and agree with him about Clive’s self-righteousness. The length of the book was long (which I love when a story is awesome and I don’t want it to end ) , which made me antsy for some reason, because I kept thinking something horrible was gonna happen that I wouldn’t like that would make me hate the book.
There were different points of views, like one chapter we have Jeremy side of things then another it’s Clive or Simone. I didn’t like that aspect of the story, it made me skip some things – I found it too annoying. It got on my nerve but I was invested and wanted to find out all the answers to questions that I had in the beginning.
At first I thought this book was strictly urban fantasy and no romance because it had that vibe, but then the romance kicked it and I was happy, I always like at least a little romance in the mix. I’m looking forward to the next book.
Although Jeremy was a touch too antagonistic at times, I liked him and agree with him about Clive’s self-righteousness. The length of the book was long (which I love when a story is awesome and I don’t want it to end ) , which made me antsy for some reason, because I kept thinking something horrible was gonna happen that I wouldn’t like that would make me hate the book.
There were different points of views, like one chapter we have Jeremy side of things then another it’s Clive or Simone. I didn’t like that aspect of the story, it made me skip some things – I found it too annoying. It got on my nerve but I was invested and wanted to find out all the answers to questions that I had in the beginning.
At first I thought this book was strictly urban fantasy and no romance because it had that vibe, but then the romance kicked it and I was happy, I always like at least a little romance in the mix. I’m looking forward to the next book.
April 8, 2017
A different pov at any given moment .. that was hard to follow.
But by page 4, I was there.
Absolutely not fond of Simone (the co-worker) and will be more than happy if I never have to read about her again.
But I am looking forward to reading about the rest of them. Except maybe Clive.
Yeah - not Clive.
But the REST of them .. definitely. (Hopefully book 2 is still about Jeremy and Desmond)
But by page 4, I was there.
Absolutely not fond of Simone (the co-worker) and will be more than happy if I never have to read about her again.
But I am looking forward to reading about the rest of them. Except maybe Clive.
Yeah - not Clive.
But the REST of them .. definitely. (Hopefully book 2 is still about Jeremy and Desmond)
February 16, 2018
Don't expect this book to be similar to Family of Lies in ease-of-access and 'fluffiness,' because this is a book that doesn't treat the reader like an idiot. You will be confused, but information and context will slowly come in disparate pieces as the narrative progresses, with virtually all relevance given through show and none given through tell (which a lot of readers profess to prefer, but actually shy away from when done correctly, as in this book), and before you know it everything will fall into place. If you're the type of reader who can jump into book two or three of a series without too much difficulty, you won't have any problem understanding and enjoying this one.
Three things jump out at me from this book: 1. the side characters are as excellently written and established as the main character (and arguably there is no main character), 2. the world-building and magical foundation for this world is intense, complete, and most importantly, totally believable, and 3. Sam Argent is one fantastic author.
I loved Family of Lies, I loved this book, and I will buy anything Sam Argent puts out in the future. There aren't many truly great MM fantasy books, and Argent now claims two of the best.
Three things jump out at me from this book: 1. the side characters are as excellently written and established as the main character (and arguably there is no main character), 2. the world-building and magical foundation for this world is intense, complete, and most importantly, totally believable, and 3. Sam Argent is one fantastic author.
I loved Family of Lies, I loved this book, and I will buy anything Sam Argent puts out in the future. There aren't many truly great MM fantasy books, and Argent now claims two of the best.
April 11, 2017
The book takes turns on the characters who work for Witches for Hire. It’s a small temp agency where witches from different environment/realms can work, obtain their green cards and help the community. The story is told from four perspectives and these characters are the magical beings that are employed by this small temp agency. Clive is a knight who is new to the earth realm. He’s also the new owner/boss of Witches for Hire. His main goal is to move on from his life in his home realm and start anew. Simone and Jeremy are witches who have gone through a couple bad bosses and the death of a good one in their time at the agency. Simone is working there for monetary gain and experience. Jeremy is there to redeem himself from his mysterious dark past. Both don’t want anything bad to befall their new boss. Edarra, is The Amazon trying to obtain her green card and seeks advancement.
Clive is happy taking on jobs that aren’t too ambitious, and his staff isn’t opposed to the steady paychecks. He does it to help build up the agency's reputation. When energy vampires, a kind of bad witch that kill and steals the power of their victims, enter the picture, the gang is takes it upon themselves to look into who the culprits are. It doesn’t help that Clive’s predecessor’s death is somehow tied to it. Not to mention, Desmond the Great, a celebrity magician seems to be the intended target. The agency hopes to be able to collaborate with Desmond to solve the case. Something Jeremy doesn't seem particularly happy about.
I have to say it took me a bit to warm up to the narrative switching between characters. I was more intrigued about Jeremy, his background/real identity, secrets, his ties to the magical community, who his love interest, which isn't particularly apparent although we get an inkling from the blurb, is. What his beef with the energy vamps are. I wanted the story to just focus on him and not go to the other characters but as the story wore on it actually wasn't so bad. Luckily the main focus of the story is Jeremy Ragsdale, his secretiveness and unfriendly personality hasn’t won him any employee of the year awards. But he has his reasoning and readers get to learn why he is the way he is. Throughout the story we also get snippets of detail on each character and also their thought process.
There was still quite a bit of information we don't get about the characters that I'm sure will be answered in the next installment (which I hope won't be too long in the making and will continue giving focus to Jeremy and his soul mate. I'm also waiting for the next book in the family of lies series).
I feel I can't go into too much detail for the story, least I give away the whole story. Be warned you probably shouldn't start the book unless you have a day to read it uninterrupted. I couldn't put it down and had to sneak it during work hours.
Clive is happy taking on jobs that aren’t too ambitious, and his staff isn’t opposed to the steady paychecks. He does it to help build up the agency's reputation. When energy vampires, a kind of bad witch that kill and steals the power of their victims, enter the picture, the gang is takes it upon themselves to look into who the culprits are. It doesn’t help that Clive’s predecessor’s death is somehow tied to it. Not to mention, Desmond the Great, a celebrity magician seems to be the intended target. The agency hopes to be able to collaborate with Desmond to solve the case. Something Jeremy doesn't seem particularly happy about.
I have to say it took me a bit to warm up to the narrative switching between characters. I was more intrigued about Jeremy, his background/real identity, secrets, his ties to the magical community, who his love interest, which isn't particularly apparent although we get an inkling from the blurb, is. What his beef with the energy vamps are. I wanted the story to just focus on him and not go to the other characters but as the story wore on it actually wasn't so bad. Luckily the main focus of the story is Jeremy Ragsdale, his secretiveness and unfriendly personality hasn’t won him any employee of the year awards. But he has his reasoning and readers get to learn why he is the way he is. Throughout the story we also get snippets of detail on each character and also their thought process.
There was still quite a bit of information we don't get about the characters that I'm sure will be answered in the next installment (which I hope won't be too long in the making and will continue giving focus to Jeremy and his soul mate. I'm also waiting for the next book in the family of lies series).
I feel I can't go into too much detail for the story, least I give away the whole story. Be warned you probably shouldn't start the book unless you have a day to read it uninterrupted. I couldn't put it down and had to sneak it during work hours.
April 4, 2017
Review @Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
A combination of the gorgeous cover and the interesting blurb made me beg for a copy of this book.
I have mixed feelings about “Witches for Hire”. At times, it was simply brilliant. At other times, it was rather confusing and left me feeling like I was missing a prequel (I checked – there isn’t). There’s so much backstory going on here and we’re only fed bits and pieces at a time and I often felt like there was more to know than what we get told.
This being a DSP title, this really isn’t your typical romance. There’s lots and lots of (very hot) sex pretty much right from the beginning, but the romantic feelings take their time. That’s one of the things I like so much about this publisher: The books are rarely “just a love story” and “Witches for Hire” is a good example of that. Yes, there is sex and love involved, but there is so much else going on, it’s just one part of the whole story.
The world this book is set in is very interesting. There are all sorts of supernatural creatures – witches, werewolves, demons and many more – and even some otherworldly ones. The world building was quite expansive and yet a bit lacking at the same time. I’m still not entirely sure how the agency works, tbh.
The MCs are certainly an interesting bunch. Each of them has their secrets, which are never fully revealed, even when it’s their pov. Even though the author used more than the two traditional POVs, there was no head-hopping and confusing POVs. Instead, it felt like I really knew each and every character intimately. That was really quite well done.
The plot itself was full of mysteries. There’s a lot of violence and the occasional bit of gore, so beware. Personally, I didn’t mind that. It somehow just added to the whole atmosphere of the book. It’s certainly not a pretty story and I liked that.
The romance part was addicting as well. I honestly wasn’t sure who would end up with whom and I’m still not sure if it will stay that way in the next part of the series. I loved the tension and could totally relate to Jeremy’s conflicted feelings. It really made me quite sad at times.
Overall, I liked “Witches for Hire”. I think I’ll read the sequel too. The book seemed to be getting better toward the end and I’m not quite ready to let go of Jeremy and the others.
The cover by Catt Ford is absolutely gorgeous. So badass and mysterious!
A combination of the gorgeous cover and the interesting blurb made me beg for a copy of this book.
I have mixed feelings about “Witches for Hire”. At times, it was simply brilliant. At other times, it was rather confusing and left me feeling like I was missing a prequel (I checked – there isn’t). There’s so much backstory going on here and we’re only fed bits and pieces at a time and I often felt like there was more to know than what we get told.
This being a DSP title, this really isn’t your typical romance. There’s lots and lots of (very hot) sex pretty much right from the beginning, but the romantic feelings take their time. That’s one of the things I like so much about this publisher: The books are rarely “just a love story” and “Witches for Hire” is a good example of that. Yes, there is sex and love involved, but there is so much else going on, it’s just one part of the whole story.
The world this book is set in is very interesting. There are all sorts of supernatural creatures – witches, werewolves, demons and many more – and even some otherworldly ones. The world building was quite expansive and yet a bit lacking at the same time. I’m still not entirely sure how the agency works, tbh.
The MCs are certainly an interesting bunch. Each of them has their secrets, which are never fully revealed, even when it’s their pov. Even though the author used more than the two traditional POVs, there was no head-hopping and confusing POVs. Instead, it felt like I really knew each and every character intimately. That was really quite well done.
The plot itself was full of mysteries. There’s a lot of violence and the occasional bit of gore, so beware. Personally, I didn’t mind that. It somehow just added to the whole atmosphere of the book. It’s certainly not a pretty story and I liked that.
The romance part was addicting as well. I honestly wasn’t sure who would end up with whom and I’m still not sure if it will stay that way in the next part of the series. I loved the tension and could totally relate to Jeremy’s conflicted feelings. It really made me quite sad at times.
Overall, I liked “Witches for Hire”. I think I’ll read the sequel too. The book seemed to be getting better toward the end and I’m not quite ready to let go of Jeremy and the others.
The cover by Catt Ford is absolutely gorgeous. So badass and mysterious!
May 12, 2022
Rocky start, didn't have a clue what was going on and sure I'd missed a prequel somewhere. At the beginning they're all pretty awful characters with attitudes and I felt sorry for Clive. Once the story got going I liked the amazon, Simone on the fence about, didn't like Clive and liked Jeremy and Desmond once they'd made up reuniting as Angel and Devil. Their reunion from the start with all the sex was good too. Didn't like the council, really didn't get what the point of Salvatore was. Jealousy I guess. Started off confusing and turned fun. Favorite bit was probably Jeremy being happy pissing off a poltergeist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2019
Me gustó mucho!! No sabía que esperar del libro y me sorprendió de una buena manera. Tiene humor, acción, una gran variedad de criaturas sobrenaturales y mucho, mucho sexo entre hombres hermoso 🤤 Jeremy entre encantador y amargado es un protagonista genial, sus relaciones interpersonales son un poco complicadas y lo tratan de manera más injusta de la que merece pero él siempre sale aireado de todas las situaciones. Y Desmond, el encantador mago oscuro, me encantó.
October 7, 2017
This took me awhile to get into because I was expecting a standard, easy-to-figure-out who the love interest is supposed to be and I was confused for about half the book.
Approaching this with the idea of it being a romance novel would probably be the wrong move, because the reader would feel like they were plunked down in the middle of the story and not know what the background was.
This leans more towards the urban fantasy side with romance thrown in for spice. Definitely enjoyable from that angle.
Approaching this with the idea of it being a romance novel would probably be the wrong move, because the reader would feel like they were plunked down in the middle of the story and not know what the background was.
This leans more towards the urban fantasy side with romance thrown in for spice. Definitely enjoyable from that angle.
April 10, 2017
Found it on Hoopla! Yay!
March 8, 2018
DNF - 50%. I'm lost, confused and frustrated.
April 5, 2017
An urban fantasy book written by the same author as Sebastian (family of lies) this book is a bit dark and doesn't have a tradional love story. Which doesn't detract from it at all.
The characters are interesting and fairly well fledged out, the plot, when it started coming together, kept me engaged and was interesting with a lot of unique elements. I very much enjoyed this book and am already looking forward to the next.
my only complaint is that the POV tended to change pretty often, and while she does a good job of writing them so that they are easy to follow, I would have preferred less pov shifts.
The characters are interesting and fairly well fledged out, the plot, when it started coming together, kept me engaged and was interesting with a lot of unique elements. I very much enjoyed this book and am already looking forward to the next.
my only complaint is that the POV tended to change pretty often, and while she does a good job of writing them so that they are easy to follow, I would have preferred less pov shifts.
April 6, 2017
I actually liked this book a lot. The only problem was multiple POVs and it took a while for me to really get into the world.
The author does not spoon feed you. You need to read to understand.
It worked more as a fantasy/mystery rather than a romance. It worked for me that way as I prefer my urban fantasies to be more action and very little romance.
The author does not spoon feed you. You need to read to understand.
It worked more as a fantasy/mystery rather than a romance. It worked for me that way as I prefer my urban fantasies to be more action and very little romance.
July 7, 2017
Dammit! I hate that it had to end. Binge reading this series would be glorious. In fact, I'm going to reread this book soon because I want to savor if this time. I love this one a lot!
June 3, 2017
Okay, so this book is ridiculous, it really is, there's too many POV changes, too much batshit fantasy insanity is plugged into one world building attempt....
BUT. The characters are amazing. This book is ridiculously fun. It's incredibly angsty but damn, the main characters are just fun. Even while I was laughing myself to death at the name 'Desmond' and the unoriginality of gay Brit witches, I was still turning the pages like mad.
Once Sam Argent gets some really good editors, she's going to write a fantastic book. In the meanwhile read this and have a lot of fun.
BUT. The characters are amazing. This book is ridiculously fun. It's incredibly angsty but damn, the main characters are just fun. Even while I was laughing myself to death at the name 'Desmond' and the unoriginality of gay Brit witches, I was still turning the pages like mad.
Once Sam Argent gets some really good editors, she's going to write a fantastic book. In the meanwhile read this and have a lot of fun.
April 10, 2017
What a nice surprise! A great story. I loved reading it.
I liked the shifting points of view, because it added to the other characters personalities and was not too much.
I liked the shifting points of view, because it added to the other characters personalities and was not too much.
May 26, 2017
Review can be read at It's About The Book
4.5 stars
I absolutely LOVED Sebastian: Family of Lies so of course I was super excited to see a new release coming out by this author. While I can’t say I loved this book quite as much it was still a very imaginative and entertaining read. The book is told from multiple POVs. I know some people don’t like this but I always like to get into a characters head so for me this worked. There are a lot of characters and world building to keep track of but I honestly had no problem. I was engaged from the first page. This world consists of basically everything paranormal or magical you can think of. Shifters, witches, creatures, ghosts, other worlders…..the possibilities are endless.
There are multiple MCs in this book but Jeremy seems to be the main guy. He is a very powerful witch with a very special gift. He and his coworkers have strikes against them. Meaning they’ve done something deemed questionable by the council in the past. His coworkers consist of a fellow witch with a grudge against him, an Amazon woman and a Knight from another world as a boss. They’re essentially magical private detectives for hire. Throughout the book we’re taken on wild adventures that are the day to day lives of these characters.
There’s also a love story. It takes awhile to make itself known because Jeremy fights the attraction and need to be with Desmond with everything he can. They’re former lovers who had something horrible happen because of their magic. Something that Jeremy can’t seem to get past but Desmond persists because he knows they’re meant to be. This relationship is frustrating but worth the struggle. There’s an undeniable attraction but there’s so much anger and guilt mixed in there as well. When the guys do get it on we learn about a magic exchange between them that just amps up their chemistry. Desmond’s character is also crazy powerful. He’s sort of the rebel witch in town. Together they’re a formidable pair. It’s just a long and volatile process for them to get it together.
I liked all the characters. They’re all flawed but gifted in their own ways. They clashed at times and Jeremy is secretive which drives everyone crazy. Despite it all they formed a good team. I enjoyed how complex the mystery aspect of this book was. We learn little pieces of what went down to cause all the chaos about to storm down on them throughout the book. There’s tons of action. Lots of humor. AND lots of steamy moments between Jeremy and Desmond. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more!
4.5 stars
I absolutely LOVED Sebastian: Family of Lies so of course I was super excited to see a new release coming out by this author. While I can’t say I loved this book quite as much it was still a very imaginative and entertaining read. The book is told from multiple POVs. I know some people don’t like this but I always like to get into a characters head so for me this worked. There are a lot of characters and world building to keep track of but I honestly had no problem. I was engaged from the first page. This world consists of basically everything paranormal or magical you can think of. Shifters, witches, creatures, ghosts, other worlders…..the possibilities are endless.
There are multiple MCs in this book but Jeremy seems to be the main guy. He is a very powerful witch with a very special gift. He and his coworkers have strikes against them. Meaning they’ve done something deemed questionable by the council in the past. His coworkers consist of a fellow witch with a grudge against him, an Amazon woman and a Knight from another world as a boss. They’re essentially magical private detectives for hire. Throughout the book we’re taken on wild adventures that are the day to day lives of these characters.
There’s also a love story. It takes awhile to make itself known because Jeremy fights the attraction and need to be with Desmond with everything he can. They’re former lovers who had something horrible happen because of their magic. Something that Jeremy can’t seem to get past but Desmond persists because he knows they’re meant to be. This relationship is frustrating but worth the struggle. There’s an undeniable attraction but there’s so much anger and guilt mixed in there as well. When the guys do get it on we learn about a magic exchange between them that just amps up their chemistry. Desmond’s character is also crazy powerful. He’s sort of the rebel witch in town. Together they’re a formidable pair. It’s just a long and volatile process for them to get it together.
I liked all the characters. They’re all flawed but gifted in their own ways. They clashed at times and Jeremy is secretive which drives everyone crazy. Despite it all they formed a good team. I enjoyed how complex the mystery aspect of this book was. We learn little pieces of what went down to cause all the chaos about to storm down on them throughout the book. There’s tons of action. Lots of humor. AND lots of steamy moments between Jeremy and Desmond. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more!
April 8, 2017
3.5 stars. A quite engaging book and interesting characters and world building. Despite the generous length, I felt that there was too much going on and thus many aspects were not explored in depth. My personal interest lay with Jeremy and Desmond's past and present story, which could have been made the clear focal point.
The switching pov was distracting and further underlined some judgemental attitudes that did not sit well with me. However, my main issue was the overall execution and writing style which required more polish. "Sebastian" is a five-star read for me, so I have a high benchmark to compare this one to.
The switching pov was distracting and further underlined some judgemental attitudes that did not sit well with me. However, my main issue was the overall execution and writing style which required more polish. "Sebastian" is a five-star read for me, so I have a high benchmark to compare this one to.
April 13, 2017
Confusing....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews