The promising debut of a hot new voice in paranormal romance—and the first of the Southern Witch novels.
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 Lyons.
Would-Be Witch is the first in Kimberly Frost‘s debut paranormal series. The Southern Witch novels are set in Texas and follow Tammy Jo Trask, a would-be witch who comes from a long line of witches but sadly has no power herself.
Tammy Jo is having a bad week. One bad event after another just seem to pile on her. Let’s see:
- She finally stands up to her arch-nemesis from high school and gets fired from her job as a pastry chef
- On her way home she runs into the back of the mayor’s wife’s car and her ex-husband- and on- again off- again boyfriend -has to come rescue her
- Her house gets broken into
- She loses her locket – a family heirloom that actually holds the soul of her dead aunt
- She keeps running into- and needing help from- sexy Bryn Lyons, the man that’s right smack dab in the middle of her “List of Nine” men she can’t associate with or it’ll mean the destruction of her family
Not to mention a whole host of other issues, the least of which is a pack or rabid werewolves is after her and she channels her dead aunt.
This was a fun novel filled with laughs and crazy hijinks. Tammy Jo is still mostly in love with her ex-husband, and they’ve continued their relationship even though they’re divorced. He’s a Texas good ‘ol boy who thinks Tammy’s place is barefoot in the kitchen fetching beer for him while he watches football. Some of my favorite parts of this book featured him.
Zach took off his shirt and stood bare-chested with his police belt hanging around his narrow hips and looking like the opening scene of a pornographic video, or what I imagined would be the opening scene of once since I never actually had the nerve to rent one.
Yum. Of course, his he-man attitude cracks me up.
“C’mon now. You got a problem, I’m your go-to guy, darlin’.” He put his arms around me and hugged me against his warm, hard body. “Tell Big Zach about it.”
But he does truly care for her.
Finally, Zach turned his head and looked at me.
“You remember what I said to you the first night we went to New Braunfels?”
Sure, I remembered. Zach wasn’t known for big romantic gestures, but he’d been young, in love, and more than a little drunk. I’d left camp, and he’d gone looking for me. “She’s run off with the devil,” Smitty had joked. “She doesn’t run off,” Zach told him. “If the devil’s got her, it’s ’cause he took her. And he’s about to regret it when I get to Hell and kick his ass.” Later, I’d asked him, “Would you really come after me in Hell?” To which he’d answered, “If you’re in trouble and I don’t come, it’s ’cause I’m dead and buried. As long as I’m alive, darlin’, I’m comin.”
Isn’t that sweet? Anyway, she might still be involved with her ex-husband, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t attracted to the off-limits Bryn Lyons. Bryn is sexy as hell, rich and just happens to be a master wizard on top of it. Tammy Jo needs his help to find her locket before her aunt’s soul ends up disappearing. Bryn flirts with her, but it turns out what little magic she does have increases his own by quite a bit. Tammy Jo isn’t sure Bryn really wants her and not just her magic.
This story is very reminiscent Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. It’s cute and light, without a lot of substance. If you don’t take it too seriously I think you’ll enjoy it. A lot of what Tammy Jo does would annoy me in another heroine, but because the story doesn’t take itself seriously, neither do I. I have a feeling that, like Evanovich’s series, this is going to be a long one. I’m curious about the next, but I’ll reserve judgement after that.
3 out of 5
This book is available from Berkley Trade. You can buy it here or here in e-format.