Barely Bewitched

Barely Bewitched is the second in Kimberly Frost’s southern witch series featuring Tammy Jo Trask. While I enjoyed parts of the book, I found it an uneven read, and can’t recommend it.

Tammy Jo recently came into her powers as a witch. She almost immediately got in trouble with the World Association of Magic (WAM) for breaking magical rules (apparently this happened in the first book). While she would rather get her job back as a pastry chef, WAM has ordered her to train for a challenge and two scary WAM mentors appear in town to prepare her.

Making her life even more complicated are the two gorgeous men interested in Tammy Jo. Zach, a sheriff’s deputy in their small Texas town, is also her ex-husband. Even though he saw werewolves in the last book, he chooses to believe that Tammy Jo needs to see a psychiatrist because she believes in the family ghost, werewolves, and other magical creatures. Tammy Jo has loved Zach since she was a young girl, and still has feelings for him. I thought Zach came across as a controlling, good old boy, and wanted Tammy Jo to kick him out of her life.

Tammy Jo also has strong feelings for Bryn Lyons, a wealthy wizard the family ghost warned will prove to be a traitor. I saw real chemistry between Tammy Jo and Bryn, but there’s also magical chemistry since he can siphon her magic to enhance his own powers.

Despite the apparent triangle between Tammy Jo, Bryn, and Zach, Tammy Jo spends far more time having one-sided conversations with her ocelot – and familiar – than with either man. She also seems to spend more time with the numerous magical creatures in town than with Zach and Bryn.

It’s hard to describe the plot as it seemed to vary from page to page, lurching at a frenetic pace as Tammy Jo bounces from one crisis to the next. I was interested in the WAM magic challenge, but it often took second place to other crises, many of which resulted from Tammy Jo’s inept attempts to use magic. At times, the plot changes became so confusing, that I had to reread passages.

The back cover lists this as a paranormal romance. The reader should interpret that with caution, as there is no resolution for Tammy Jo’s love interest, or for many of the magical activities occurring in the town.

I didn’t hate the book. I found the premise interesting, and enjoyed much of the humor. I liked Tammy Jo and Bryn, but would have liked more of them together, with fewer crises. If you became a fan of the series from the first book, this may work better for you than it did for me. I’m on the fence as to whether or not I’ll read the next one.

-- LinnieGayl Kimmel

Order this book from Amazon Books

To comment about any of these reviews on our reviews forum