Guest Review: Would-Be Witch by Kimberly Frost

Posted July 29, 2009 by Ames in Reviews | 4 Comments

Publisher: Berkley, Penguin

Ames‘ review of Would-Be Witch (Southern Witch, Book 1) by Kimberly Frost

In the small town of Duvall, Texas, the only thing that causes more trouble than gossip – is magic.

The family magic seems to have skipped over Tammy Jo Trask. All she gets are a few untimely visits from long-dead, smart-mouthed family ghost Edie. But when her locket—an heirloom that happens to hold Edie’s soul—is stolen in the midst of a town-wide crime spree, it’s time for Tammy to find her inner witch.

After a few experiences with her dysfunctional magic, Tammy turns to the only person in small-town Duval, Texas, who can help: the very rich and highly magical Bryn Lyons. He might have all the answers—and a 007 savoir faire to boot—but the locket isn’t the only heirloom passed down in Tammy’s family. She also inherited a warning: stay away from anyone named Lyons.

Tammy Jo comes from a long line of witches. Unfortunately, the family magic seems to have skipped her over and the only thing she can do is watch over her aunt Edie’s locket. But Tammy even has trouble with that! At a costume party, some robbers crash in and everyone believes they’re part of the entertainment. But when valuables are stolen (among them Edie’s locket), the party-goers realize that this is for real. So Tammy has to get Edie’s locket back or Edie’s soul will be lost forever in the ether of the universe (or something equally unpleasant). In an effort to retrieve the locket, Tammy Jo winds up in a bunch more scrapes. There’s a flesh-eating zombie on the loose, some people wind up in a magical coma, there are werewolves out there and they are not the good guys. Then there’s Bryn Lyons. Who’s side is he on?

Ok, I really liked Tammy Jo. She’s a cake baker/decorator by day (but she just got fired) and she used to be married to Zach, a real hunk of a policeman. But things didn’t work out between them but they’re still sleeping together. Love was never their problem and Zach still considers Tammy his wife. But oh ho ho! There’s Bryn Lyons again, stirring up all kinds of trouble for Tammy. Bryn also gets Tammy a cat though, a really cool cat. So bonus for him. LOL

All Tammy wants is her aunt’s locket but she keeps getting swept up into all kinds of paranormal emergencies. And I like how she gets herself out of each and every scrape. Tammy is one resourceful heroine! And there’s nothing wrong with a little sexual tension in a love triangle.
Would-Be Witch was a real fun read and I definitely can’t wait for Tammy’s next adventure. Here are two examples of a typical Tammy and Zach interaction:

“So you’re staying at Bryn Lyon’s?”
“No, of course I’m not. I’m getting my cat.” And my underwear.
“And then where will you be?”
“Well, I’m not exactly sure. I’m having to fly by the seat of my Levi’s right now.”
“Girl, you makin’ me crazy. Why don’t you come on home and behave yourself.”
“I’m gonna. Real soon.”

And this one:

“All right, it’s been fun, but it’s time for us to go,” Zach said, sliding an arm around my shoulders. “Give Smitty the keys to Nadine’s vehicle. He’s going to return it for you.”
“But I need to fill it up with gas and run it through a car wash for her.”
“You’re a real considerate thief.”
“Momma raised me right.”

LOL Momma did raise her right!

Told from Tammy’s point of view, Would-Be Witch really is about a young woman coming into her magical powers and finding out exactly how powerful being a woman really is.

3.75 out of 5

Kimberly’s next book, Barely Bewitched, will be available in September 2009.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


Tagged: , , , , ,

4 responses to “Guest Review: Would-Be Witch by Kimberly Frost

  1. Nice review Ames 🙂 I’ve been considering this one, but I’m not sure of the love triangle. I guess I’ll wait out to see if she ever settles with one of the guy 😛

  2. Wasn’t this adorable? I thought Tammy Jo was cute and I loved her relationship with Zach. At first I thought he was just an overbearing pig, but the more I read the more I loved him.

    I’m on the fence about Bryn. His motives are suspect right now.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.