Kimberly Frost
I take book donations. I mostly take them from my BFF's bookshelf. :-) She gives me a stack she didn't really enjoy every now and then, and then I give them a crack.
Okay...so this book...I'm a redhead, I love cats...after looking at the cover...why not give it a try?
I certainly can't say I DIDN'T like this book, but I'm still not sure if I really did.
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 divorcee, who still gets frisky with her ex and lives a married life, without actually living together. She still cares about Zach, still fools around with him, and still get jealous when certain slutty witches are even TALKING to him. I guess that's what rubbed me wrong about this book. It was made perfectly clear in this book that Tammy Jo and Zach weren't together any longer, but still seemed to the reader that they were a married couple. Tammy Jo still visits, spends time with and schedules "family" dinners with her ex and in-laws. It was all very strange. It seemed like Ms. Frost wrote this in so that Tammy Jo could fool around with the delectable Mr. Lyons without being a cheating ho-bag.
Even though I like a "bad guy" who's really "good", I couldn't help but find myself torn between wanting her to get it on with the rich, handsome and darkly mysterious Mr. Lyons, or sticking with her "ex" husband, Zach. Every time Tammy Jo would "share magic" with Bryn, I would feel kind of excited, and kind of bad for Zach. Not to mention, I think the sexy scenes could have been a BIT more detailed. Okay, a lot more detailed...:-)
There was a mystery, a crime to solve, some zombie scenes and some magic...all things I really dig, just not necessarily the plot I would have chosen. The saving factors of this book for me were: Mercutio, the ocelot/house cat/protector of Tammy Jo, and Johnny - the flamboyantly gay local hair dresser/dress maker. I found these to be the only enjoyable dialog exchanges in the book.
There were too many unanswered questions at the end of this book. Usually that would keep a reader on the edge of their seat, awaiting the next installment. With me, it kind of pissed me off and left me unfulfilled after a whole night of reading.
Will I read the next one? Probably, because I have OCD and once I start a series, I usually have to continue. Would I recommend it? Probably not, unless you're taking a bubble bath and DESPERATELY need something to read in order to relax.