Want a NOOK? Explore Now
Read Kimberly Frost's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community.
New witch Tammy Jo Trask has a whole town full of trouble, in the latest from the national bestselling author of Barely Bewitched.
First, there are the local residents who form a scripture-spouting posse and kidnap Tammy to "defend" Duvall, Texas, against witchcraft. Next, someone saddles her with a secret package chock full of dangerous visions, just as the president of WAM-the World Association of Magic- arrives with his entourage to investigate her. And who worse to examine Tammy's entanglement with off-limits and drop-dead gorgeous wizard Bryn Lyons than his ex-girlfriend? Not to mention that the clash between the locals and the magical visitors leads to a series of unnatural disasters that may doom them all.
While the fate of the town hangs in the balance, one thing's certain: this would-be witch is ready to rumble, Texas style.
Chapter 1
The reason I don’t normally bother to plan my schedule is that something unexpected always seems to come up and throw it off. That Friday when I got kidnapped was a prime example.
It was only four days after I’d almost been incinerated and drowned, but I was hopeful that I could balance my new life as a witch with my old life as a pastry chef. I’d accepted a commission— my first ever—from an accountant who donates her time to the Texas Friends of Fish and Fowl. As a celebration of their third anniversary, they were holding a regional fund-raiser in Duvall, and the centerpiece was to be a chocolate sculpture designed by yours truly. They wanted it to involve birds and fish, which was a bit of a challenge to my creativity because although fish are tasty—as anything but dessert—I just don’t see them as art.
I was hard at work on a woodland scene with fish popping out of a brook when the bells chimed, announcing that someone had opened the front door to Cookie’s Bakery. I glanced at the clock. It was twelve twenty, so Cookie hadn’t returned from her lunch break yet. In the bargain we’d struck, Cookie would let me use the bakery, if I covered her lunch hour and one Saturday.
I wiped my hands on a rag and walked out to the glass counter to find my mailman, George. Technically he’s not mine. He belongs to the town, but he’s delivered the mail to our house since I was five, and his route always seems to be expanding. Truth be told, George would like to be the only mailman in town. He considers postal work a calling.
“Hey, George. Are you in the mood for a cinnamon roll or a caramel pecan one?” I asked with a smile.
His bushy silver eyebrows rose. If a hedgehog ever mated with a hobbit, George could’ve had a twin. “I’m not on a break, Tammy Jo. I’m here on official postal business.”
I smiled a little wider. “Okay, then. I’ll take the bakery mail,” I said, holding out my hand.
“No need,” he said, rounding the counter to set the mail into Cookie’s straw mail basket. That was George. Mail delivery with military precision.
“All right, have a good day on your route,” I said, moving toward the back.
“Just a moment, young lady.”
“Yes?” I said, turning to face him again.
“We’ve got to discuss the situation at your house.”
I frowned, thinking about our family home, which had sustained fire damage and was under repair. I was staying at my ex-husband Zach Sutton’s house while he was out of town. I’d had my mail forwarded there. “Well, the situation at my house is being handled. Between TJ’s construction crew and Stucky’s brother-in-law, Chuy Vargas, who’s the best carpenter in a hundred miles, they’ll put it to rights. Chuy did the built-in bookshelves at Bryn Lyons’s house, and I can tell you firsthand, he does the most beautiful work you’ve ever seen.”
“That may be the case, but that still doesn’t address the situation I’m talking about.”
“I had my mail forwarded, George. Filled out all the paperwork two days ago, and the mail already came yesterday. You guys are a top-notch operation.”
George rattled off Zach’s address with a frown.
“Right, that’s where I’m staying.”
“It’s not on my route.”
My jaw dropped a little. “Right, but I’m not moving off your route permanently. It’s just until my house is fixed.”
“Shoreside is on my route. Highest tax bracket in Duvall, and I’m on that route by request. I believe you could stay there if you wanted to.”
“I can’t move in with Bryn Lyons just so you can deliver my mail!”
“You’ve got a package all the way from London, England. Airmail. Express with insurance attached. You going to trust something of that nature to the likes of Jeffrey Fritz?”
“I’ve got a package from England?” I asked, half amused that George couldn’t stand for a high-priority package to be delivered by his rival. “I haven’t ordered anything. And I don’t know anyone there.”
“International mail,” George said with a solemn nod.
“Sounds important. Do you happen to have it on your truck?”
“In my bag,” George said in a grave whisper, as if the package contained state secrets that spies in foreign countries had lost their lives to bring us.
“Well, that sure is convenient. Do I need to sign for it?”
“No. I’ve got my computer. I’ll take care of everything,” he said. He took out the small package and scanned its label, then handed it over. “Zach Sutton’s mailbox isn’t large enough to hold that.”
“George, how did you know I’d be here today? I didn’t arrange with Miss Cookie to use the bakery until last night. I can’t imagine who even knew I’d be here.”
“You’re part of my route,” George said crisply.
I laughed and couldn’t help wondering whether George might have one of the town ghosts as some sort of spirit guide. No one was better informed than the Duvall ghost network.
With his sworn duty fulfilled, George marched out of the bakery, head held high.
I took a pair of scissors and carefully opened the box. There was a double layer of bubble plastic, which I unfolded to fi nd a disc-shaped object, heavily wrapped in white foam packing sheets, making it about three inches in diameter. I raised it. Concealed underneath was a folded piece of thick stationery. I lifted the corner to read the note.
Never let it be taken from you. Keep it secret. Keep it safe.
A chill ran down my spine. I turned the paper over. No signature. Nothing written on it besides the three sentences in fancy black script.
I flipped up the box flap to look at the label. No return address. I set the note down carefully and returned to the mystery object. I pulled off the tape and slowly unrolled it. Peeling away layer after layer, I finally uncovered a beautiful antique cameo brooch. It was about two inches tall. The carved white image of a young woman’s profile stood out from the pinkish-red background. There were flowers tucked into her upswept hair, and she had delicate features, angelic and pretty. The oval rim of the brooch was laced in gold and dotted with the tiniest pearls I’d ever seen. So many precious details. It made me feel like factory-manufactured jewelry ought to be outlawed.
Could Momma or Aunt Melanie have sent it? If so, why hadn’t they written a longer message? And why would they be in England? Or, if it wasn’t from them, who else in the world would have sent it to me?
I reached down to touch it, and a jolt of electricity shot up my arm. My brain seemed to rattle in my skull for a moment and then my vision blurred, the bakery receding.
I staggered, blindly catching myself on the counter just as she appeared. A woman with thick chestnut hair and high cheekbones. Her disheveled clothes, a blouse and skirt, flared out as she ran. I heard her panting breath, the clicking of her heels, and I smelled damp, rain-soaked streets. The haunted look in her wide eyes made my heart contract, and her fear consumed me. I reached out to her, to rescue her, but she went past me and disappeared.
I stood, staring at the spot where she’d been, but there was only black. Trying to catch my breath, I sank shakily to the floor.
Who is she?
The darkness faded, and the bakery reappeared around me. The smell of melted chocolate and baking bread. The ticking of the wall clock that was shaped like a country apron. I shook myself. I was safe at home in Duvall. The girl had been part of a premonition—my first ever. Were they always like that? Yikes. I hoped not.
And who or what had been chasing her? She’d been terrified, running as if her life depended on it. I’d felt what she was feeling. I wasn’t sure if that was normal with psychic visions or not, but it didn’t really matter. Only one thing was important; I had to find out who she was so I could save her from whoever or whatever was chasing her.
Though a relatively new witch twenty something Tammy Jo Trask is a veteran of war having battled an assortment of predatory paranormal and insane humans (see Barely Bewitched and Would-Be Witched), but this battle is different. The Duval, Texas townsfolk led by Bryn Lyons' former girlfriend want to sweep away all the witches.
Tammy Jo is caught in the middle as she must decide what to do about Bryn. She knows what he wants to know. Tammy Jo has concealed what happened to his mother ages ago. However, Tammy Jo hesitates revealing what she knows to her beloved as she considers her family warning her to have nothing to do with Bryn. If each risks trusting the other's love, their combined magical power turns stratospheric.
The latest Southern Witch Texas fantasy is faster than the speed of light and loaded with an incredible amount of action that the audience has no chance to breathe and read at the same. The story line moves forward on the romantic subplot while a Texas two step witch hunt is done in earnest.
Harriet Klausner
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The third installment in the Southern Witches series brings us back to Duvall, Texas with Tammy Jo Trask, pastry chef and late-blooming witch. Still recovering from battling the fairies and werewolves, she is trying to focus on her 'normal' life and her career while avoiding the oh-so-sexy Bryn Lyons. Of course, ever since her magic started emerging, things rarely turn out like Tammy Jo plans.
Things in Duvall are a bit crazy. It seems that some of the townspeople that Tammy Jo helped during the battle are on a crusade to rid the town of witchcraft. On top of that, WAM is coming to investigate and dole out punishment to both Tammy Jo and Bryn. And, she finally hears of her mother & Aunt Mel: her mother is in fairy and Aunt Mel is trapped in England without her powers. So, who else can she turn to besides the incredibly handsome Bryn?
In Halfway Hexed (A Southern Witch Novel), Frost brings us deeper into Tammy Jo's relationship with Bryn. Tammy Jo really starts to acknowledge the depths of her feelings for Bryn--despite the family prophecy meant to keep them apart. With no one else she can depend on, she really begins to wonder just how bad can the prophecy be?
I enjoyed this installment, although the ending left me wondering if there will be another. While some things are resolved to a point where the story could end, there are still other things left unresolved. Nothing on Kimberly Frost's website gives the indication of future books. None the less, I have enjoyed reading the Southern Witches series and would recommend it to fans of paranormal fiction.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I really enjoyed this three book series! Combine a southern town, spunky chef/witch,and one hot warlock and you get the Southern Witch Series. I think my favorite part was the hero's devotion to Tammy Jo even though she fought him the entire way. I'll be reading these books again in the future.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 20, 2012
While i did enjoy the characters, after a while the constant trouble becomes unbelievable.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 31, 2012
I love this author.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 23, 2012
THis is another great book in the Southern Witch series, it was loads of fun and the excitement hardly ever quites, it will keep you guessing till the end!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.THIS IS AN FANTASTIC SERIES!!! I LOVE PARANORMAL FANTASY, ROMANCE & COMEDY AND THE SOUTHERN WITCH SERIES IS ALL OF THE ABOVE, WHICH PUTS IT AT THE TOP OF MY LIST. TAMMY JO IS HILARIOUS AND SHE CAN'T SEEM TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ALL THREE BOOKS IN THE SOUTHERN WITCH SERIES AND I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND TO ALL WHO ENJOY MAGIC AND ROMANCE WITH A SIDE OF COMEDY. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.lv2relax
Posted February 21, 2011
I could not put the first 2 books down until I was done and was not at all disappointed with this one. The characters are easy to fall in love with and I will for sure read again if I need a good laugh with just the right amount of romance. The only downside I had, and maybe my Ebook just got messed up when downloading, is half way through the book I started getting question marks at the beginning of hundereds of sentences(it was a little disctracting, especially since I paid full price for the book) Still it is a must read!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Tammy Jo Trask has gotten herself into trouble again. It's not really her fault that she and the darkly handsome wizard Bryn Lyons had to whip up some magic between them recently to save her hometown of Duvall, Texas. Unfortunately, Bryn is forbidden to mix his magic with hers until she's properly trained. So leaders of WAM, the World Association of Magic, are on their way to investigate the two. ....... Bryn works with her on evasion tactics to dodge WAM's questions, but he's a slick attorney. She's just a small-town pastry chef, with magical powers that are a bit out of kilter and that sometimes go awry. She finds her best defense is honesty........In the mean time, a few over-zealous locals think Tammy's magic must come from Satan. That's just silly, of course, but they intervene, thinking to drive the Bad Guy from her. Their shenanigans are a constant source of irritation when Tammy's got better things to tend to........On top of everything else, someone - she doesn't know who - mailed her a strange piece of jewelry. She's got some connection to it though, because visions from it haunt her. There's a young woman Tammy must save from. well, she's not sure what, but definitely something........So there's plenty going on in her life by the time the three top-level representatives of WAM show up. The entourage consists of its powerful president Barrett, the impressive and deadly operative Winterhawk, and the perfectly coifed and manicured Gwen. Hmph. Who better to interrogate Bryn than his lovely ex-girlfriend?.......But as usual in Tammy Jo's world, things get out of hand. Before you know it, some really strange and unnatural disasters ensue. Her best friend Mercutio, who's a good-sized ocelot kitty, tries to keep her out of trouble, but it's no small task. Thank goodness, Bryn's around to help. The problem is that a long-time family taboo between the two witch families makes Bryn a no-no for Tammy. But a girl has to ask herself the all-important question-when do a man's actions cross that fine line between manipulation to bind her to him, and a willingness to sacrifice all for the woman he loves?.......This story is action-packed with twists and turns guaranteed to have readers on the edge until they've turned the last satisfying page. Kimberly Frost has once again whipped up a tale filled with action, surprises, and an excellent romance. Enjoy!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 19, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted March 14, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted August 13, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted May 28, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted December 1, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted August 8, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted May 15, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted May 5, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted March 1, 2013
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted August 31, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted June 30, 2011
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
Read Kimberly Frost's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community.
New witch Tammy Jo Trask has a whole town full of trouble, in the latest from the national bestselling author of Barely Bewitched.
First, there are the local residents who form a scripture-spouting posse and kidnap Tammy to "defend" Duvall, Texas, against witchcraft. Next, someone saddles her with a secret package chock full of dangerous visions, just as the president of ...