Would-Be Witch (Southern Witch, #1)

May 04, 2011 The Flooze rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to The Flooze by: Amelia

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal, vanquished_2010, owned, the_magic_number

**ETA: I found Halfway Hexed (supposedly the last book of the series) very disappointing. Just a warning for anyone who plans to dive in.**

Would-Be Witch is a little helter-skelter at times, but it's a very fun read. It reminded me a bit of the Sookie Stackhouse series, but with a much greater focus on humor.

Tammy Jo Trask is a likable, sweet narrator with just the right streak of sarcasm to keep her interesting. (She's also proof positive that us redheads have fiery tempers when crossed!) As an...more **ETA: I found Halfway Hexed (supposedly the last book of the series) very disappointing. Just a warning for anyone who plans to dive in.**

Would-Be Witch is a little helter-skelter at times, but it's a very fun read. It reminded me a bit of the Sookie Stackhouse series, but with a much greater focus on humor.

Tammy Jo Trask is a likable, sweet narrator with just the right streak of sarcasm to keep her interesting. (She's also proof positive that us redheads have fiery tempers when crossed!) As an untrained, late-blooming witch, she's obviously going to make a lot of blunders, and with her family out of town she can't be too choosy about whom she gets to help.

Enter Bryn Lyons, who fits the arrogant hottie mold to a tee. He's suave and devilishly handsome, and has the intelligence and magical ability to back up that arrogant attitude. Tammy Jo dearly loves to yell at him, while he fiercely enjoys taunting her into a tizzy. I can see much amusement coming from his efforts to win her over.

While I appreciated that the author didn't dump oodles of info in my lap, the world-building here is very thin. I'm hoping that's because Tammy Jo herself is a little clueless about how things work, and that we'll learn right along with her. It makes me wonder though--just how flakey is her family that she doesn't even know there are authorities that deal with magic? The laughs were more than enough to distract me, but I hope she bulks up the world a bit in future books.

As key as Tammy Jo and Bryn are to this story, the entire town plays a significant role. There's Tammy's ex-husband, who's a good ol' boy with a big heart and the right intentions, but he's far too bossy for his own good. There's Johnny Nyguen Ho, the town's only nod to ethnic diversity, who believes himself psychic and is fabulously creative when it comes to clothing designs and hair. Johnny comes complete with diva vampire boyfriend Rollie, and Tammy Jo's conversations with them prompted a lot of chuckles. And then, of course, we needed a life-long nemesis (everyone in a small town has one), so sprinkled throughout the story are run-ins with some rich-bitch nasty-pants who has it out for our Tammy.

It's a great popcorn read, and I'm certainly intrigued enough to keep on reading. These sorts of misadventures are right up my alley.(less)

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Sep 28, 2011 faeriemyst rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: readers who expect brain candy & a weak heroine

Shelves: paranormal, witchy-business, abandoned-series

While at first (in the first four pages) it seemed that the character of Tammy Jo Trask would be a good one, that was quickly proven to be a false notion. To put it quite simply, she was a helpless moron. Now, I don't expect a MC to be invulnerable or a genius, but I would still hope for someone who can think and act for herself. As if her ex-husband with benefits is an Alpha of the worst kind isn't enough, he also belittles her just about all the time and tells her what and what not to do. But...more While at first (in the first four pages) it seemed that the character of Tammy Jo Trask would be a good one, that was quickly proven to be a false notion. To put it quite simply, she was a helpless moron. Now, I don't expect a MC to be invulnerable or a genius, but I would still hope for someone who can think and act for herself. As if her ex-husband with benefits is an Alpha of the worst kind isn't enough, he also belittles her just about all the time and tells her what and what not to do. But that's okay because he comes to her rescue and shows an occasional kindness. Excuse me? That makes his emotional abuse alright? I don't think so! And Bryn (whose name seems female to me), her other love interest, isn't much better. He is also derogatory towards her and orders her around, so basically he's just as big a jackass as her ex. To make matters even worse, Bryn is on this list, that was written ages ago, of people the Trask women cannot fraternize with, and Tammy doesn't even question why. She just accepts everything she is told, and all she's says about the list is that it has "something to do with the family being destroyed for all of eternity." Mmm-hmm, likely. Ever heard of family feuds or women scorned? Now I'm not saying it's not totally impossible, but how can I like or respect a character who doesn't look into things herself and let's people (re: men) treat her the way they do? And I don't care how sheltered someone is, how can Tammy not know what a red light district is? There is a difference between sheltered and stupidity, and Tammy Jo doesn't even straddle the line (most of the time she's on the side of stupid). Now, to be fair, she does do some things on her own that aren't always moronic, but for me, that's all trumped by her numerous negative attributes.

Onto the plot, which is pretty convoluted to say the least. Finding her locket is supposed to be the main storyline, but it quickly gets lost in the midst of zombies, werewolves, and who-knows-what? because I couldn't take anymore and stopped reading on page 180. What little so-called humor came across mean-spirited and close-minded and made me cringe more than once. Also, all the terms of endearments were very annoying and distracting to read, especially when it wasn't used in the dialogue. Honestly, I know it's a small Texas town, where they might use sugar, honey, sweetie, etc. more than, well anywhere, but it seemed overdone and far-fetched. Still, if only Tammy had been more sympathetic and had more qualities that I admire, I might have made it to the end. While I did read the last chapter or two and it looks as if she may have gotten a little better by that point, it's way too little, too late for this reader. How Mercutio puts up with her is beyond me, because cats are smart and regal creatures (the majority anyway :P). Good luck to future readers out there, maybe you won't have any problems with what I did, but I'd advise anyone who finds what I mentioned annoying, to skip the book then. (less)

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Oct 19, 2011 chucklesthescot rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, paranormal-romance

It didn't take long for this book to annoy me. Stuck up rich bitches getting their own way just because they are rich bitches. Tammy Jo the helpless airhead bimbo who has no common sense or any clue what is going on outside her brain dead ditzy world. The 'I am man hear me roar' himbo ex-husband Zach who is there to bonk and be annoyed by, like the macho monkey that he is. Georgia Sue, the overbearing in-your-face friend who never pauses for breath long enough to even listen to what someone else...more

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Mar 15, 2009 Inara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels-witches-warlocks-druids, first-person-narrative, novels-magic, novels-romance-paranormal

After loosing her job Tammy Jo Trask didn´t think her day could get more awful – but this was only wishful thinking. Originating from a witch family she has never developed – to her mom´s and aunt´s regret – any magical powers what she doesn´t really mind but at least she could see Edie, the ghost of her great-great-grandmother´s dead twin-sister. Edie is connected with a locket, a family heirloom which Tammy is supposed to keep safe during her mom´s and aunt´s absence. When the locket was stole...more After loosing her job Tammy Jo Trask didn´t think her day could get more awful – but this was only wishful thinking. Originating from a witch family she has never developed – to her mom´s and aunt´s regret – any magical powers what she doesn´t really mind but at least she could see Edie, the ghost of her great-great-grandmother´s dead twin-sister. Edie is connected with a locket, a family heirloom which Tammy is supposed to keep safe during her mom´s and aunt´s absence. When the locket was stolen at her friend´s party and Tammy has to find it before a certain date she finally has to rely on her latent witch powers. Bryn Lyons, a wizard living nearby offers his help and Tammy would have agreed immediately when , well the name Bryn wouldn´t stand on the famous "List of Nine" of Tammy´s family, a list of family names the Trask family isn´t allowed to associate with...
This book was fun to read with witty dialogues and a likeable heroine. To add to Tammy´s problems she feels attracted to the wizard Bryn who appears to be a bit dubious and she´s not sure where his loyalty lies but nonetheless she has to ask him for help untrained as she is in magic and spells. Then there is her ex-husband Zach with whom she has an on-off-relationship even after their divorce and who is still very protective about her. I have to say I liked both men, the more or less mysterious wizard and the straightforward Deputy Sheriff, who were competing to win Tammy´s favor.
Tammy gets chased by werewolves, has to put an accidentally raised zombie back into its grave, meets a vampire who is a fashion victim and has to find her locket so her day is busy as you may notice. But thankfully she has a helpful "cat" (in truth it´s an ocelot) of seven months called Mercutio that mysteriously appeared and stayed with her. I´d love to have such a cat or ocelot or whatever for myself, I admit...
Of course there aren´t all mysteries solved and I´m looking forward to the next book in this series which will be released in September 2009. I´m too curious how this series will unfold..
And before I forget, this book is written first-person, just a warning because I know some of my friends here are not very fond of books written in this style.

Website of the author: http://www.frostfiction.com/
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Feb 20, 2009 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kimberly Frost goes all out in the debut novel of her Southern Witch series. Tammy Jo Trask is the hottest new heroine around, and her adventures in Duvall, Texas will leave you breathless. This combination of comedy, action, romance, and a supernatural smorgasbord of witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and zombies is not one you want to miss. I couldn't put it down, and I'm already counting down the months and days till book 2 is released!

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Oct 11, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: witches

I have read more than my share of urban fantasy novels, and this is one of my favorites! I doesn't take itself too seriously, which allows it to be playful and funny. If you love Sookie Stackhouse, you'll love Tammy Jo Trask. Frost's characters are lovable, and the series continues to be great with book two Barely Bewitched. I can't wait to see more! I enjoyed the colorfull characters and storyline.The characters are full bodied and rich, from Tammy Jo's off-kilter magic to ex-husband Zach's chi...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Chibineko rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cute, decent-enough

I'd picked this looking for a light and fluffy read, so I wasn't disappointed on this part. I was fairly aware that this book wasn't going to be a Kim Harrison-esque read, so I didn't really hold the cutesy part against it. It's just that at times the heroine was just as dumb as a box of hammers.

The plot here is fairly simplistic: girl finds she has powers after years of feeling like the disappointment of the family. Tammy Jo is fairly cute as far as her overall personality goes, so I didn't beg...more I'd picked this looking for a light and fluffy read, so I wasn't disappointed on this part. I was fairly aware that this book wasn't going to be a Kim Harrison-esque read, so I didn't really hold the cutesy part against it. It's just that at times the heroine was just as dumb as a box of hammers.

The plot here is fairly simplistic: girl finds she has powers after years of feeling like the disappointment of the family. Tammy Jo is fairly cute as far as her overall personality goes, so I didn't begrudge her brainlessness for the most part, although I do wish she'd had more of a spine when it came to the guys in her life. She tended to be a little bit of a doormat. (Um hello, if you keep allowing the guys to walk all over you and dictate your life then why should you be upset when they continue to treat you like a possession or a child?) The characters were also decent, although (I seem to be saying that a lot in this review in one form or another) there were an awful lot of stereotypes here, such as stereotypical gay characters, stereotypical Texans, etc. I'm aware that there are people like this, but it just kind of kept the story from getting that level of reality that would have brought the book to that extra level, as I felt Tammy Jo was supposed to be this "fish out of water" on the same level as the reader. I suppose what disappointed me about Tammy Jo was that there was the potential for this to be a little better exploited as a plot point ala Bubbles Yablonksy. (A character written to be ditzy that embraces her ditzy habits despite working to improve herself and be more than just a doormat.)

I have to say that I did like the story idea, although I do think that Tammy Jo picked up on the whole magic thing a little too easily. She went from being unaware to being fairly fluent pretty quickly, although I suppose this could be due to her family being frequent practitioners. (Although she's pretty unaware of the other supernaturals, so I found this slightly hard to believe that she could take to all of this that easily.) There's not a huge look into the magical world or her family's background, so this just felt a little shortchanged at times.

The narration was fairly decent, with Seigfried doing a good job on accents, capturing different twangs and the slight Irish tinge to Brynn's voice. The only thing is that she sort of sounded a little younger than I thought Tammy Jo would be, sounding more like a teenager than an adult. There were also a few moments when the "Oh no!" parts sounded a little un-serious, more like she was saying "oh no, the cake burnt up" rather than "oh no, werewolves are getting ready to eat me and things are going pear shaped".

Overall though, this was a decent enough read. It's cute enough that I'll check the next one out from my library to read, but not so much that I'd leave a layer of rubber on the road in my attempt to get to the bookstore and purchase all three books. I'd recommend this as a nice fluffy read while you're waiting for other stuff and it's definitely worth a library checkout. I just felt a little underwhelmed as far as the total package goes. It's one of those "I liked it enough to want to read the next one, but..." types of books.(less)

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Jul 30, 2012 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! Roberts does a great job of making you connect to the characters in the story very early, so that you are really invested in their lives and rooting for them almost from the first page.

The magic aspect is well-written, with the introduction of the three "sisters" and their varying knowledge and participation in their abilities being quite different. There really is a character for almost anyone to connect to here. The characters of Nell, Mia and Ripley are totally dif...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Maria Mercedes The Oracle Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Would-Be Witch (Southern Witch #1)
By:Kimberly Frost
Paperback, 294 pages
Published February 3rd 2009 by Berkley Trade (first published January 17th 2009)

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 dysfun...more Would-Be Witch (Southern Witch #1)
By:Kimberly Frost
Paperback, 294 pages
Published February 3rd 2009 by Berkley Trade (first published January 17th 2009)

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.

Tammy Jo is a very interesting character, the type that everything seems to happen too! I completely understand her!!!! She is a magical Murphy’s law advocate and doesn’t even know it. I’m still at odds about her relationship with Zach, who makes my mouth water. The Lyon men are very interesting too, and there is so much potential in their own story. The series is light hearted and the circumstances that seem to befall Tammy Jo, will keep you on your toes as you follow her around on her misadventures. I look forward to seeing how the interpersonal relationships between Tammy, Zach and Bryn unfold. I also look forward to her family returning. I have a feeling that she isn’t the only adventurous Trask in the family. Sookie Stackhouse look out you’ve got competition in “the- weird- and -freaky-it- can- only happen -to -me –world.” The story is well written and the absence of sex goes unnoticed. There are a few heated scenes, but pretty much PG-13. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and this is one I can share with my girls. ****
Penguin Audio released the unabridged version with Mandy Siegfried as the narrator. She has a husky voice, very sexy with a good southern drawl that makes the characterization very believable and enjoyable. The digital version is 7 hrs and 44min in length. ****
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Feb 10, 2012 Monique J. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

I’ve been a Charlaine Harris and Sookie Stackhouse fan for years. To be honest, however, I hate the covers. Vampires are supposed to be sexy. The pallid creatures on the Sookie Stackhouse books should be staked and put out of their misery. Call me superficial, but that’s why I avoided the series until book four: Dead to the World. Yes, the blonde vampire on the cover was one of the ugliest blood-suckers I’d ever seen, but it was time. I’d heard good things about the series, and my mother (who is...more I’ve been a Charlaine Harris and Sookie Stackhouse fan for years. To be honest, however, I hate the covers. Vampires are supposed to be sexy. The pallid creatures on the Sookie Stackhouse books should be staked and put out of their misery. Call me superficial, but that’s why I avoided the series until book four: Dead to the World. Yes, the blonde vampire on the cover was one of the ugliest blood-suckers I’d ever seen, but it was time. I’d heard good things about the series, and my mother (who is not a fan of vampires) had enjoyed other books by Harris. Of course the book was great, and I immediately purchased the first three in the series. But I still find it difficult to reconcile how Harris describes her characters, like the oh-so-sexy Viking vampire Eric Northman, with how they are portrayed on the cover art. And don’t even get me started on Sookie’s hair. In the books, the silky blonde locks are her pride and joy; on the covers, Sookie’s hair resembles straw—both in color and texture.

But I digress. Between the popular novels and the critically acclaimed HBO television series, I’m sure most people are familiar with the trials and tribulations of the Southern-bread Sookie. So instead, I offer an alternative to fans of Charlaine Harris and Sookie Stackhouse, and their names are Kimberly Frost and Tammy Jo Trask. (Apparently, you can take the White Trash out of the girl, but not out of her name.)

When I saw Frost’s Would-Be Witch on the shelves of my local Borders (RIP), the cover grabbed my attention. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not, but the artwork definitely stood out from the rest of the books. And the unusual cover was what made me pick up the book. What led me to ultimately purchase the book were these words: “A terrific new series from a wonderful new author.” Two of my favorite things—a freshman author and a first in a series.

Frost and Tammy Jo did not disappoint. In fact, it was a delicious read—frothy and fun, with just the hint of something dark.

When readers are first introduced to Tammy Jo, it’s clear our spunky Texan is at a bit of a crossroad. She’s a witch with no apparent powers. The one skill she does have—cooking—is not enough to keep her from being fired from the local bakery. She’s divorced, but still allowing her Alpha-male ex, Zach, the town sheriff, to make bootie calls. She’s dead broke and forced to hock her jewelry to a lecherous pawn store owner. Then things go downhill from there in the form of ghosts, zombies, werewolves, cross-dressing vampires, and an ocelot?

I admit I had to look that one up. I knew it was a cat, but other than that I was clueless. Turns out the ocelot—as defined in Merriam’s—is a medium-sized American wildcat that ranges from Texas to Northern Argentina. In pictures it looks a little like a miniature leopard. And in a strange coincidence, an ocelot featured heavily in the TV show I half-watched last night with my husband. For the curious, it was Archer, an animated series on FX—totally wrong, and yet so very funny.

But back to Tammy Jo. While her mother and aunt are off to mysterious and undisclosed places, Tammy Jo is tasked with protecting a family heirloom—a locket that allows Tammy Jo to communicate with Edie, her great-great-Grandmother’s dead twin sister. Why is Edie connected to the locket? And why is Edie sticking around this two-bit Texas town instead of sailing forth to the great beyond? Frost doesn’t tell us yet, but I sense that it is a mystery she will unfold through the series. All we do know is that Edie was a wild-child flapper and that she was murdered by some unknown assailant. If you want my guess, it will have something to do with another famous line of witches with the surname Lyons.

And speaking of the infamous Lyons, the oh-so-delectable (and wealthy) Bryn Lyons is at the party where Tammy Jo’s locket is stolen. After Tammy Jo’s failed attempts to use magic to retrieve the locket and Edie, the town’s reigning wizard, Bryn, offers to help. Now Tammy Jo is in a bit of a pickle. The good news: Bryn is hot with a capital “H.” The bad news: the Lyons’ family is on the witches’ infamous “List of Nine,” meaning no Trask is allowed to interact with any Lyons.

Frost uses this dire and mysterious warning, as well as the hunky Zach, to keep Tammy Jo and Bryn apart. But their chemistry is undeniable and the two soon hit the sheets. Unfortunately, their passion rages a little too far out of control. During the steamy encounter, Bryn gets “high” on their combined power and drains Tammy Jo dry—literally, taking all of her magic. Definitely a setback to that courtship. While the effect is temporary and Tammy Jo does regain her wonky magic, she is not too happy with Bryn. Sigh. It looks like our hero has his wooing work cut out for him. Luckily Bryn has the next two books, Barely Bewitched and Halfway Hexed, to make it up to Tammy Jo. And while I won’t spoil the plot, this savvy reader thinks it’s only a matter of time before Tammy Jo and Bryn accept their fate as star-crossed lovers. Until they do, however, I’ll sit back and enjoy the ride on Tammy Jo’s broom.

Read more of my reviews at: www.2manybooks.notenoughtime.blogspot...(less)

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Oct 25, 2011 Pam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, m-f-romance, magic, paranormal, series, shape-shifter

A cute and lighthearted story filled with lots of quirky characters. Tammy Jo is the main personality of the series...she's the one with the magic that doesn't work right and everything that happens in the story revolves around her, magic and a growing love triangle between her, her ex-husband and a male witch she's not supposed to associate with. Then also a mix of spell-cast problems, angry werewolves, a stolen family locket complete with the family ghost and any number of other odd occurrence...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

The author, Kimberly Frost, is a born and bred Texan and it comes out in her writing. I had the pleasure of meeting her recently at one of her book signings and she is just as sweet and Southern as her main character Tammy Jo.

The book revolves around Tammy Jo, who comes from a family of witches, but has never honed her magic skills. Tammy Jo lives in a small fictional town near Dallas. You know the type, where everyone knows everything about everyone! Tammy Jo's mother and Aunt have left town an...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Bookaholics rated it 4 of 5 stars

Would-Be Witch by Kimberly Frost
Paranormal Romance – Feb. 9th, 2009
4 1/2 stars

Tammy Jo is from a family of witches. But she has no real magic and with the sudden exit of her mother and aunt (to who knows where), she has been on her own, except for the family ghost named Edie. Edie is a long ago relative who lived a wild life and was murdered. But instead of departing this earth, she has been bound to a special locket that enables her to communicate with special humans.

The problem? The locket ha...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-fantasy, paranormal-romance

Tammy's Locket is stolen containing the family ghost, she has a time limit in which to retrieve her ancestor. After a few mishaps of dysfunctional magic she turns to powerful wizard Bryn, even if he is on the family list to avoid at all costs, but with the rest of her family gone to who knows where, she has no choice.
Her Texas ex-husband whose the towns sherriff does not seem to get that they are devorced & saves her bacon more than once.
There's court cases, wizards, werewolfs, crossdressi...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobooks, cozy-mystery, fantasy, magic, paranormal, romance, shapeshifters, urban-fantasy, vampires, where-oh-where-are-my-weres, witches-oh-my

I actually really enjoyed this one. I wasn't expecting much, for which I don't know why, but it was definitely nice.

Reminds me of The Southern Vampire Series (aka True Blook aka Sookie Stackhouse series)without being well... Sookie.

I didn't actually figure out the end of the plot before hand, which is quite refreshing, since recently I've been doing that with far too many books. (Well I mean, I knew the broad strokes, but I didn't know the who and whys.)

This one was an audiobook for me, and the...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Lindsay Mead rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: honorable-mention, read-in-2012

I think I would possibly make this 4.5 if I could. It was just that much fun to read. The story is go-go-go with tons of twists and turns. You expect it to be a "simple" read but by the end of it, you realize how very complex this story really was. The author did a great job of only telling you what you needed when you needed it. I would also like to point out that I think this book is mis-categorized as an Adult Romance. It is adult, but the romance is not the main theme and there is hardly any...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

While wrongly, in my opinion, categorized as PNR, it was a cute little story. Not quite as snarky and funny as the Accidental Series, but funny and enjoyable. The inevitable love triangle looks like Tammy-Zach-Bryn. With Zach being the typical can't-accept-her-wolrd guy and Bryn the all-powerful-he-can-never-understand-you-like-i-can guy. There was just enough character development for me to like them, Tammy Jo as the narrator was funny and engaging, and yet there's still enough mystery that I a...more

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Jan 11, 2011 Melliane rated it 4 of 5 stars

ce livre était vraiment amusant et Tammy Jo arrive toujours à se retrouver dans des situations étonnantes. C'est un personnage auquel on s'attache trés vite.
Tamara va aller à la recherche de son collier volé ou reside l'âme d'un fantome qu'elle apprécie beaucoup et qui vit avec sa famille depuis des générations. Mais elle sera embarquée dans une histoire folle où elle qui croyait n'être qu'une sorcière sans pouvoir sera obligée de se servir de sorts dont elle n'aurait jamais envisager. Mais comm...more

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Apr 30, 2010 Peace Love and Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is a hoot. Tammy Jo Trask our heroine is one heck of a character. She came from a family of witches but for some reason her powers never surfaced. She then decided to do the next best thing... Pastry Chef. She is known to be the best there is in her small town in Duvall, Texas. So even after her quit/ got fired, depending on how you look at it or who to ask, she's still confident that somebody will hire her. She is a good girl with a rebel heart. Got married when she was 19 and divorce...more This book is a hoot. Tammy Jo Trask our heroine is one heck of a character. She came from a family of witches but for some reason her powers never surfaced. She then decided to do the next best thing... Pastry Chef. She is known to be the best there is in her small town in Duvall, Texas. So even after her quit/ got fired, depending on how you look at it or who to ask, she's still confident that somebody will hire her. She is a good girl with a rebel heart. Got married when she was 19 and divorced by the time she is 23, with her childhood sweet heart, Police officer Zach. These two characters and their still on going "non-marriage" relationship has a really interesting scenario. You can see that the love and care for each other will always be there but due to conflict of emotions, interest and a supernatural reasons they are better separated.

The whole thing started the night Tammy Jo and the rest of her neighborhood went to her best friend's Halloween party. Braving on wearing an unexpected scandalous dress chosen by her ghost Aunt - Edie, who lives in her family heirloom - a locket. But she managed to escape their scrutiny because earlier that day the Sheriff's house was robbed and at that moment it was the center of gossip and conversation. While chatting and somewhat avoiding uber hot, drop dead gorgeous, powerful and rich wizard Bryn Lyons, men in mask started collecting people's valuables which includes Tammy Jo's family locket. Expecting that this is one of Georgia Sue's famous party game nobody reacted until she announced that her surprise performer was a magician. All hell broke lose... Tammy Jo must retrieve the locket at the night of October 24th or Edie's soul will be lost forever.

There are only two magical families in Duvall. The Trasks and the Lyons. There was a list, a list of family names that Tammy Jo and her family should not be associated to and one of them are the Lyons. Now, she does not exactly know why but it has something to do with dark magic and/or the end of their line. But Bryn doesn't look the part. Sure he might be dangerous but not to her. The ménage à trois between Zach, Tammy Jo and Bryn is something to watch. The two men are equally enthralled by her charms and had this passion of calling her theirs. But at this point she'd rather pick her cat or her wild cat, an ocelot named Mercutio.

Join Tammy Jo and her hilarious set of friends in a wild goose chase of looking of her locket. Be there with her when she cast bad spells, run away from werewolves, be shocked and have a good amount of laugh when she met a cross-dressing flamboyantly gay vampire, swim with a merman, go to jail and be happy for her when all the other hassles are finally over. This book is really good and delightfully entertaining.(less)

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Feb 03, 2012 R.G. rated it 4 of 5 stars

this book was in some ways just like all the other books out there like this... magic gone awry... a lost locket needing to be found... and a new house cat that might actually be a tiny leopard... i'm not saying there was anything bad about that i love these kinds of books and wouldn't have given it 4 stars if i thought it was just mediocre... but i'd say the main thing that would set this book apart is unlike so many other love triangles... cause there has to be one... this one is the most even...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Candace rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a perfect change from all the young adult books I've been reading. I didn't want anything heavy, but I needed to get away from the teen angst and drama and this was the perfect medicine.
Light and LOL funny is a great way to describe this one. Although there is action and some serious stuff goes on it's all portrayed in a light manner.
Tammy Jo is a character that you just can't help but love. Even if she doesn't know what Gaelic is (that was a little over the top strange for me, but no...more

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May 30, 2010 Natasha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Would-Be Witch is the dazzling debut in the hilarious and addictive Southern Witch series by Kimberly Frost.
What a delight!
I was in one of my witchy moods, so I decided to see what I could find. I was so happy I came across this series from another fellow blogger's review blog. And if the story didn't sounds catching enough, get a load of the cover art! It's amazing. I love cartoon cover art, I think this may be my favorite. (Along
with Tate Hallaways, Garnet Lacey series cover art).
There were...more Would-Be Witch is the dazzling debut in the hilarious and addictive Southern Witch series by Kimberly Frost.
What a delight!
I was in one of my witchy moods, so I decided to see what I could find. I was so happy I came across this series from another fellow blogger's review blog. And if the story didn't sounds catching enough, get a load of the cover art! It's amazing. I love cartoon cover art, I think this may be my favorite. (Along
with Tate Hallaways, Garnet Lacey series cover art).
There were times were it reminded me of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series, where the protagonist is the prettiest in the small southern town, but looked upon as weird. But this series is focused on being way more whitty. It's a fun, light read that will keep your head in the book all weekend!

Tammy Jo is down-to-earth (she says a funny line with that in book 2) and she's a great character to read. I love her wittiness and ability to kick butt when needed. But deep down she's just a regular southern gal. I loved reading along with her on her witchy adventures, and could see myself being her friend.(if only she were real. hehe)
She's also caught in a pretty hard to choose love triangle between her hunky ex-husband Zach(who's still in the picture) and the handsome wizard named Bryn Lyons who wants to be her mentor in witchcraft- And more. There's a rule in her family. Stay away from Lyons. But it's so not easy. Especially when she needs his help more than not. And did I mention he wants her? Because he does, bad.

All of Frost's characters are written perfect for their parts, and I just love her style in writing!
It's not all about love though, she's is a witch. But she's not a very good one. She comes from a line with witches and she seems to be the only one who is reckless and lacking with her magic. So she decided to take another path in life. Her true calling is being a pastry chief. And she's mighty good at it!
But someone steals her family's necklace at a Halloween party, a necklace that is connected to great great grandmother's dead twin sister Edie's ghost. Edie's soul resides in the locket, and Tammy Jo will do anything to get it back.
Now Tammy Jo finds herself swept away in a change of events, finding out more than she's bargained for.

Now, I cannot forget to mention my favorite character. The trusting, cute Mercutio. Tammy Jo's Ocelot.(wild cat). I love him! I wish all cats were as perceptive as him. (But I wouldn't change my kitty, Cova for the world!)

Would- be Witch is filled with supernatural creatures, southern hotties and all you can take, laughs. It's full of charm and whit, and pretty good suspense. You get pulled right in from page one, and the moment you finish this book, you'll be driving back to the book store for book 2. So you might as well buy them both at once!
I'm dying to read Halfway Hexed in Feb 2011. Make sure everyone buys it so the series can keep going! You'll agree with me when you start to read along with Tammy Jo and the crew! (less)

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Apr 25, 2011 Christie Anderson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay, first I love Tammy Jo, but whew- where do I begin? This book was good but there were some real annoying decisions/observations made by Tammy Jo that were just not plausible from any person. For instance, no one would think an Ocelot is a normal cat. No one would go along blindly without questioning family "rules" about who you can and can't associate with or why. I find it hard to believe she didn't know what Gaelic was- even if she's from Texas. I lived half my life in Oklahoma, I know th...more

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Nov 08, 2009 Mandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Things I liked:

1. The cat is awesome. Seriously. He kicks werewolf and redneck ass a couple different times throughout the story. Plus, I just have a thing for big cats. I'd love to have an ocelot of my own.

2. Tammy Jo has no idea what she is. She's really not interested in knowing....at least until she has to. But, it doesn't throw her off to learn of witches, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, etc.

3. The developing romance between Tammy Jo and Bryn Lyons. Although, he comes off as a snobby ass a co...more
Things I liked:

1. The cat is awesome. Seriously. He kicks werewolf and redneck ass a couple different times throughout the story. Plus, I just have a thing for big cats. I'd love to have an ocelot of my own.

2. Tammy Jo has no idea what she is. She's really not interested in knowing....at least until she has to. But, it doesn't throw her off to learn of witches, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, etc.

3. The developing romance between Tammy Jo and Bryn Lyons. Although, he comes off as a snobby ass a couple of times, they have great chemistry. I really want to see where this is going and find out why the Lyons name is on the don't mess with list.

What I didn't like:

1. The down home, southern, red neck, good ole boy attitude most of the characters seem to have. Specifically, Tammy Jo's on again off again ex-husband, Zach. The I'm the male so therefore I know what you need lil lady attitude just rubs me the wrong way. He doesn't want to listen to her or believe her, but she damn well better do as he says. *grumble*

2. Apparently, (at least according to novels) all fabulous drag queens in the south are also African-American vampires. I don't really have a problem with this, but with the way the characters and dialogue treat this. Tammy lets a couple homophobic comments slip. I get the feeling it was meant to be comedic but just knocks my opinion of her down a few rungs. She can easily accept werewolves and magic, but has issues with people being gay?

3. Tammy Jo is constantly breaking the law......and it is alright. She breaks into houses, steals cars, and generally causes chaos. Luckily, she is sort of dating her ex-husband who also happens to be a cop. No charges are ever pressed. He threatens to throw her in jail a couple of times, but never does...in fact he usually helps her do whatever her next illegal act is going to be. I understand her situation is desperate, but baking a cake doesn't actually make up for stealing a car.

Overall:

Even with the story elements that bothered me, I devoured this novel. It was so much fun! I was a bit disappointed when it came to a close. It must be a sign I need to get a hold of book two.(less)

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Dec 19, 2012 Lori Leger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kimberly Frost's Southern Witch heroine, Tamara Jo Trask reminds me a little of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, except she doesn't annoy me nearly as much as SP does. Maybe it's because Tammy Jo is a Texan and I'm a southern girl, myself. As a writer, I don't get nearly as much reading time in as I'd like, yet I've nearly finished this series. It's fun and entertaining...and sometimes I don't want to be weighed down with the seriousness of some paranormals. Tammy Jo's antics make for a lighthe...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Rachel Robinson rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was such a fun, entertaining book! Another paranormal romance, though I didn't know that until after I'd already started reading it. I'm liking this genre so far...

The main character, Tammy Jo, is cute and funny. A little dumb sometimes, but not so much that it's her defining characteristic or ultra annoying. I love that her cat is actually an ocelot. I loved the Texas aspect, being a Texan myself, though the whole idolization of Dallas was off-putting (because, as a Houstonian, Dallas suck...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Melinda rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: didn-t-finish-couldn-t-get-into, read-2013

NOTE UNFINISHED
I actually persisted until about halfway through Chapter 15 with this one.
It almost had me.
But in the end I just wasn't interested enough to finish and there were just too many other interesting things out there that I'd rather be reading.
Was hoping for another Sookie Stackhouse esk southern urban/paranormal romp, except this time with witches.
There were some things I found enjoyable/interesting about the book, I was kept at least mildly curious. And the writing decent.
The real pr...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Liz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: keeping

What attracted me to the book was the cover. Yes, there is magic, witches and warewolves but I can't say it's a bad start for a new author. The romance aspect needs a little improvement but I was ok with it being the way it was. Tammy Jo seems to have an itch for her ex husband still but is attracted to her forbidden friend Bryn. The sparkle between her and Bryn is hot but not sizzling. And the romance between her and her ex is not all that either. I did enjoy the witty humor and I'm glad it's a...more

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Mar 21, 2011 ErinReadsTooMuch rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a really fun book. My first book by this author, and I look forward to reading more of her in the future. It's good to know going into this book that it is the first in a series. I didn't know that, and kept hoping for there to be closure at the end. There is closure for the story, but not for the love triangle and other things that turn it into a great set up for the rest of the series. This book was so much fun, and so full of adventure that a "I'll just read this for 15 minutes befor...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Awhile back I won Kimberly Frost's Would-Be Witch in a contest and finally got around to reading it. And overall I guess it was an okay read. I managed to finish it in a day at least. Although I wasn't necessarily in love with it.

Nothing really about the world-building or characters annoyed me too much. Some of Tammy's habits or actions might have ticked a nerve, but it wasn't bad enough to stop. Plus reading about cute Mercutio's antics was enough to keep reading!

The mystery element builds into...more

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Would-Be Witch (Southern Witch #1)

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