Review: Barely Bewitched by Kimberly Frost

Barely Bewitched (Southern Witch, 2) by Kimberly Frost

Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Berkley Trade (September 1, 2009)

ISBN: 978-0425229613

320 pages

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Welcome to Duvall, Texas, where new witch Tammy Jo Trask has just unleashed an accidental Armageddon...Oops.

Tammy Jo's misfiring magic has attracted the unwanted attention of WAM, the World Association of Magic. Now, a wand-wielding wizard and a menacing fire warlock have come to Duvall to train her for a dangerous mandatory challenge. But is there more to their arrival than they claim?


When a curse leads to a toxic spill of pixie dust, the town comes unglued and the doors between the human and faery worlds begin to open. To rescue the town and to face the impossible magical test, Tammy needs the help of incredibly handsome Bryn Lyons, but WAM has declared him totally off-limits. To avoid deadly consequences, Tammy probably ought to follow the rules this time.

On the other hand, rebellion is an old Texas tradition.

Kimberly Frost has fashioned lovely treat of a series with her Southern Witch novels. I greatly enjoyed the previous novel, Would-Be Witch, and was excited to get my hands on Barely Bewitched. Barely Bewitched is only the second novel in Frost's new series but, if you're new to it, you'd be better off starting with the first novel. The events of this novel take place almost immediately after the end of book one.

The sassy, sweet, and funny Tammy Jo is such a relatable heroine - she's so down to earth that it makes her and the quirky world that Frost has created very to imagine. Her Texas charm and creative mind make for some exciting antics and lend a refreshing air to a the oft repetitive paranormal romance genre. The equally quirky and endearing secondary characters help, or hinder, Tammy along the way.

The plot is great too. Tammy's a somewhat reluctant and bumbling witch-in-training who finds herself unsure of whom to trust. As if that weren't enough, she's being bombarded with back-to-back problems, both supernatural and completely human in nature.

Being a paranormal romance, of course there are two sexy guys in the mix as well. Tammy is still finding herself drawn to the sexy and powerful forbidden fruit that is Bryn Lyons in this installment. As he proves to be an indispensable aid for Tammy, we get to see that there is more to the man. Their feelings for one another seem to deepen exponentially and Tammy's ex-husband (and on-again, off-again boyfriend), Zach, finds himself under the threat of being edged out of her life.

The series is a lot of fun and definitely great if you're looking for some laughs and constant excitement.

Grade: B+