Review: Halfway Hexed by Kimberly Frost

Halfway Hexed by Kimberly Frost
Penguin (February 2011)
Trade: $14.00 (You know there is something wrong when you can buy the trade sized book for $9.27 and the e-book is $9.99.)
ISBN: 978-0-425-23876-9

Favorite Lines: “In this life, Craig, we’ve all got our choices to make. If you act like a man. I’ll treat you like one. If you act like a bad man, I’ll treat you like one. You get me?” (p.95)

Pastry-chef-turned-unexpected-witch Tammy Jo Trask is finally ready to embrace her mixed-up and often malfunctioning magic. Too bad not everyone wants her to become all the witch she can be.

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.

Will Tammy Jo’s magical synergy with Bryn be enough to help her save the town or will her enemies succeed in putting Tammy out of commission for good? One thing’s certain: this would-be witch is ready to rumble, Texas style…

Kimberly Frost does not disappoint in her third installment of the Southern Witch series, Halfway Hexed. Well, unless you were expecting wanting to see Tammy Jo’s ex-husband return home filled with knowledge of the occult. If you are wanting to read about the craziness following pastry chef Tammy Jo and the sparks that fly when she is around Bryn Lyons, this is the book for you.

Want to know why Tammy is not supposed to date Bryn? Curious about Tammy’s heritage? Expecting Tammy to make a major, life altering decision? Find out by reading Halfway Hexed.

The town of Duvall is filled with whack jobs and they seem to all make an appearance. They do the silliest things, are full of Bible Belt logic even though they are in Texas and just cracked me up. Poor Tammy Jo! There polar opposite were the WAM personnel. Those people were jacked up in a special kind of way. I didn’t expect it all to blow up the way it did and when the storm settled the people left standing…(You didn’t really think I’d tell you did you? lol)

The only thing that bothered me with this book is SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER: (Highlight to display text)

Zach (Tammy’s ex) is not in this book. I want Tammy with Bryn, but at the end of the last book she promised Zach she’d wait for him to return home before choosing between him and Bryn. Tammy makes a decision in Halfway Hexed without comparing the two men side by side like she promised. Not that I disagree with her selection, but she broke a promise to a major person in her life and it felt surprisingly like a betrayal.

END SPOILER END SPOILER END SPOILER

That in and of itself wouldn’t be a major deal as I’d expect it to be dealt with soon. However in the FAQ section of Frost’s blog we are told “only three books are scheduled…for the moment I’m working on books in my new series.” So when, if ever, will the loose story lines be wrapped up? No one knows.

Don’t get me wrong. The ending is satisfying, but there are several would-be complications that are mentioned as possibilities. The cogs in the way of Tammy’s happiness are put into play by Tammy’s choice of spouse and her heritage. To have such major plot lines dangling is a little annoying.

Overall I’m pleased with Halfway Hexed. It will join the previous two books (Would-Be Witch and Barely Bewitched) in the series on my keeper shelf. I still would recommend the partial series to people looking for a light-hearted, paranormal romance series. However if you hate it when there is no end of a series in sight and the author doesn’t plan to write more books in the foreseeable future, bypass this one.