Everything ties together neatly at the end

Warlock for Hire by Sean Stone is the first book in a series called Arcane Inc. Eddie Lancaster is a warlock for hire and he is a self-professed and unapologetic rude and annoying guy. Unlike most with magical abilities, he sells his skills as a warlock to anyone willing to pay him. He doesn’t ask questions. However, when an attractive woman, Ashley Sheridan, comes to him with a request, he is intrigued. When she comes back, he clearly sees that she’s in trouble and he loves to solve mysteries. And so, despite her insistence that he not get involved, Eddie falls hard into the dangerous mystery and suddenly his, Ashley’s, and other peoples’ lives are at risk.  He must figure out how to protect himself, Ashley and the people they love before his actions lead them to destruction.

This is generally a light and ultimately fun urban fantasy story. The characters are flat and Eddie is an immature guy, who is, as he himself professes, annoying and rude. But despite all of his failings, it is easy to root for his success even while rolling eyes at his behavior. Unfortunately, the main female character is generally a damsel in distress, which is frustrating. However, hints about the next books suggest that there will be other strong female characters as the series continues. The story is generally engaging as Eddie stumbles from one situation to the next and is balanced with action and his absurd inner monologue describing the world around him and explaining things through the fourth wall. Everything ties together neatly at the end of the story and leads into the next novel without a cliffhanger.

The narration by Hannibal Hills might well be why this book is so engaging. Without Hills' characterization of Eddie, Eddie may have easily just been too irritating and immature for me, personally. And so, I highly recommend choosing to listen to the audiobook over reading the written text, unless the reader typically enjoys characters like Eddie. The production quality was good. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a light and fast-paced urban fantasy novels.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.

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7 people found this helpful

Excellent Start to a Fun New Series

This was a lot of fun to listen to. I know everyone is going to compare this to Dresden Files, but I think at this point, any witty young problem-solving wizard series gets that comparison. I personally thought it was quite a bit different with different characters and a slightly more enjoyable plot.

With this being the first book in the series you get a good introduction into Eddie’s world and some of the characters that inhabit it. You get a good understanding of the magic the world has and some of the rules that surround the magic. Not surprisingly, this didn’t seem to be too much different from other books in the genre, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Where this book really shined was with the characters. I really liked Eddie right off the bat, sometimes really disliked him, but in general thought he was a great protagonist. Occasionally he was even his biggest antagonist. I liked how he knows that he doesn’t make the best decisions, even while making them, but doesn’t look back and will even keep digging his own grave in order to keep his pride. I think that his behavior is exactly how a 26 year old warlock would act and look forward to more of his development and antics.

I thought the writing was a lot of fun and really helps make this book stand out from others in the genre. First time I have listened to a book where the protagonist breaks the forth wall. The style and wit reminded me of how the Deadpool movies are done. I think the author had a lot of fun with this book and it really comes through with his writing.

Hannibal Hills did a great job with the narration. I think he really brought a lot of excitement to Eddie and really made the story come to life. I am quite familiar with his narration of horror stories, so this was a good change of pace and look forward to hearing him narrate the rest of the series.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

2 people found this helpful

Finally, a new Dresden-like series

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Ok, so I REALLY enjoyed this one and will definitely seek out more in this series. The main character is definitely a long-lost brother to Harry Dresden! I liked the British take on Jim Butcher's world of wizards and mayhem. Well worth a listen.

2 people found this helpful

Great start to a hilarious series.

This was great. The main character was funny and honest about who he was. The story was well paced and structured. I found myself checking for the second book about an hour into this one. Listened in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it. For fans of The Tome of Bill series and The Iron Druid Chronicles.

Can't wait for book two Audio.

The Narrator was great. He brought a good vibe and enthusiasm to the characters. I especially liked the landlady's voice. The scenes where he Eddie is home and dealing with his landlady and her son reminded me of the show How Not To Live Your Life.

I requested a free review copy of this book and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review.

2 people found this helpful

❤️

Will definitely remind you of The Dresden Files so not exactly original. Still it’s enjoyable and worth a read. I’ll keep up with the series. Sarcastic humor is something I always enjoy.

The narrator did a great job bringing the story to life.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

2 people found this helpful

Smart A__ for Hire

First off, this is definitely a Dresdenesque novel, only set in Great Britain. The main character and the story is funny, entertaining, and worth the time if you like urban fantasy.

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

2 people found this helpful

Lots of fun!

A warlock who sells his services for a small fee. In this story he's met his match. Ashley comes to him with a huge problem. A certain someone wants something from her because he saw it in a vision. She doesn't have the ability alone to make it happen.

It's a combination of mystery and silly and kept me entertained throughout. The story is told as if he's telling you the story one on one. I wasn't so sure about that at first but it grew on me quickly and I completely enjoyed the story. It has a strong plot, moves smoothly from one chapter to the next and has enough humor it kept me in stitches.

Great story!

I recieved this free for an honest review.

1 person found this helpful

Warlock for hire

I enjoyed this book! Eddie is called upon to remove powers from a warlock who doesnt know how to use his.Unfortunately things go wrong,as they will. Hannibal Hills was the perfect narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.' 

Not a book appealing to women

I don’t think this book was written with female readers in mind. The women portrayed was very sterile typical and over exaggerated. The narrators did a great job, but this book wasn’t my cup of tea.

Fun and Enjoyable!

The story is told by Eddie himself which is an excellent way to present it and Hannibal Hills gives Eddie the perfect voice! I actually started this series with book 3 which was a first for me, but each story is a stand alone, you dont have to know Eddie's first story to enjoy the others which quite frankly is awesome! It was so much fun to listen too that I just had to read more so I started with the 1st one and will continue to read the entire series! Many of the other reviews are simply over sharing, they are telling you the story in the review! I would prefer that you read it yourself, its much better that way and then you will see why we all like this guy haha! My favorite characters in this story are Eddie, of course and Marjory, Ashleys mom haha, she cracked me up! I highly enjoyed this and look forward to more.