The Kitchen Witch

I read this for a paranormal romance book club challenge, expecting it to actually be about a witch… IT’S NOT! Do NOT read this thinking it’s paranormal romance – it’s just some good ol’ straight up chick-lit/romance. That being said, this was a fantastic (and quick!) read.

Melody and Logan have instant chemistry (or “magic”) as only two unbelievably good-looking people can. Melody’s instant bond with Logan’s motherless son, Shane, is endearing and brings a whole new dimension – not to mention complications – to her relationship with Shane’s hot dad.

The characters are remarkably real (despite the aforementioned unbelievable good looks) and not the flat, 2-dimensional characters that one sees so often in show more romance novels. I fell in love with Melody for her beauty and her bravery, while loving her all the more for her ditziness, clumsiness, and willingness to give up on herself. Logan’s struggle with his own flaws makes him so much more real and endearing – not to mention giving Melody (and himself) needless trouble. It’s a classic tale of two people in love (or lust), constantly getting in their own way. Well-written, funny and charming, with scenes so hot you can feel the frustration, this is a great book.

I laughed, I cried, I laughed again, I cried some more, and then I laughed and cried at the same time. show less

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! What an insipid, inane & idiotic book! I got as far as chapter 9 before I had to stop...but I was gagging well before.

It seems as there is this former "Bad-Boy" executive t.v. producer, Logan, his young son, Shane, and their witchy neighbor, Melody.

Melody uses her "sexiness" to conquer men who stand in the way of what she wants...which is the star position of a t.v. cooking show. Melody can't cook to save her life, her food is inedible, but she seduces Logan & his boss into giving her the job & along the way she seduces the t.v. crew into being her minions as well.

The entire first eight chapters are: Melody wanting something & using her cleavage to get it, Logan getting "excited" & giving in; Melody wanting more & show more exposing some part of her body and some other male giving in or feeling bad; Melody wanting, crying, & showing herself & the men giving in.

What unmitigated CRAP! Needless to say I sent the sequel back unread.

I am so utterly disappointed because Blair's other series: Vintage Lace Mysteries, isn't like this at all...it actually stands on its story line and interesting plots. show less

Opening Sentence: "... Logan Kilgarven plucked a bright red leaf off the sleek black hearse in his neighbor's driveway..."

This is the first of a trilogy of 'accidental' witch stories. Melody lives in Salem and Logan is the single dad with a past who lives upstairs. Logan works at the local TV station, WHCH, and manages to get Melody a job as the hostess of a new cooking show. Trouble is Melody can't cook!!!!!

This is a great braincandy read - Logan's 4 year old son often steals the scenes he appears in - but there are many laugh out loud moments in this story. Trouble is there were a few ho-hum moments as well - and the sex scenes were almost out of place to the story and more suited to the sealed section of the bookstore. Don't get me show more wrong - if sex is part of the story and an expression of love then fine - but some of these scenes made no sense - was almost as if Annette Blair had decided that she couldn't think how to finish the scene so shoves in a sex scene. Less sex and more fun and games would have been better. show less

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Melody Seabright is a flighty, quirky single woman who can’t seem to keep a job to save her life. Trouble seems to flock to her and add accident prone into the mix and it’s a little bit disastrous. Logan Kilgarven, her new upstairs neighbor is a bad boy turned staid suit. He’s a single father and television producer who revolves his life around stability, the exact opposite of Melody’s lifestyle. When Logan desperately turns to Melody to babysit, she exploits this to land an interview as the host to his station’s cooking show. What she fails to mention to anyone even after landing the job - she can’t cook. Since the viewers love her it’s left to Logan and his adorable son Shane show more to teacher Melody how to cook and how to find her confidence. What surprises Logan though is what she might be teaching him in return.

I picked up The Kitchen Witch because I was having one of those days and figured with the title it would be a cute paranormal romance that would make the day better. I didn’t get a paranormal romance. But I did find a contemporary romance that made me smile. Contemporary romances aren’t usually my thing, but any book that makes you smile from cover to cover, regardless of your preferred genres, is worth reading.

The plot is adorable, I wouldn’t say it’s overly intricate because that’s not how contemporary genre works. It’s not about an intricate and fast paced plot. It’s about the characters involved in whatever plot you’re presented with. An excellent contemporary romance can have an incredibly simple plot as long as the characters are realistic and genuine. It’s the emotional turmoil of the characters that makes or breaks a book in this genre. What I like about paranormal over contemporary is that you get more of a plot with the sensational characters if it’s written well. However this plot was great in that it had me laughing out loud at various points and wondering if someone needed to hit the leading couple upside the head with a brick so that they could see what was right before their eyes.

The book is a quick one sit read, so I guess you’d say it was fast paced, but not in an action filled way, more of a you’re laughing and smiling so much that you don’t realize how much you’ve read until you reach the books ending.

As I said before the important part of books in this genre are the characters. A one dimensional lead will not cut it in this genre. Fortunately for readers, Blair doesn’t create one dimensional characters. Melody was very easy to relate to, not in the parents bought her love sense because I was fortunate enough to not to have a childhood like that, but in a not believing commitment is right for her sense and the accident prone thing. Because of her childhood Melody thinks she’s meant to be alone and that she can’t provide the sort of stability needed for a husband or a child. She doesn’t see herself as a nurturer, she’s too flighty for that. She doesn’t even have the confidence to believe she can succeed doing things she enjoys. As a person who grace skipped in the gene pool I loved reading about a character who might actually be more accident prone than I am. What Melody can’t see is that she takes to nurturing in a way that would put most soccer moms to shame. The only quality Melody seems to see in herself is her appearance and in some ways she sees that as more of a curse than a blessing, though she doesn’t mind using it to her advantage when it suits her. She’s completely blind to all of her many strengths that are so clear to others including the reader.

Logan is so worried about being a good father that he’s buried himself in a job he hates in order to provide stability for his son. He’s the bad boy grown up that wants to hide from the boy he was. He even avoids the woman he wants because she doesn’t come across as stable. He’s like a walking contradiction and watching him war with his stable ideal versus his bad boy inclinations is just awesome. What neither of them can seem to see if how they balance each other perfectly.

Add Shane to the mix, Logan’s adorable son who comes off with some of the craziest things, just the way all kids are wont to do and it leads to an enchanting story.

The only thing that kind of put me off in a way is that by the time the couple winds up together they’re actually step-siblings, which I have to say is a little on the weird side. I mean I guess it’s different because they obviously didn’t grow up together, but still strange to me nonetheless.

This is the kind of book that I feel will really appeal to readers of contemporary romance. No, it’s not something I’m likely to read twice, however it was enjoyable journey from cover to cover and I can definitely see myself picking up more titles from Annette Blair. show less

This and other reviews can be found on Reading Between Classes

Cover Impressions: The cover is really cute. I don't normally shop for romance, but I think this one would stand out from the more common shirtless men and heaving bosoms.

The Gist: Desperate for a babysitter, Single-Dad Logan Kilgarven knocks on the star spangled door of his neighbor, Melody Seabright. Despite his qualms about her witchiness, he introduces her to his son, Shane - who falls in love immediately. When she bewitches her way into a job hosting a cooking show at the station where Logan works, they are thrown into close quarters, constant contact and an undeniable lust.

Review: I don't normally read romance but I sometimes make exceptions for those featuring magical show more elements. Due to that, I was a little disappointed in The Kitchen Witch. While Melody had some serious sex appeal, there was nothing really witchy about her. Even being set in Salem, there were very few magical elements. Mel did manage to weave a spell around EVERY man she encountered. And I mean Every, Single, One. She and Logan had some serious sex appeal but each convinced themselves that they weren't right for each other in a very been-there, seen-that, predictable sort of way. There were some serious hot and steamy scenes (always interrupted in the typical "let's delay the inevitable" romantic fashion) and when they finally did get down to business it seemed like they would never stop talking! The suspense was killing me!

Despite these issues, I really did enjoy The Kitchen Witch as a quick, fun and fluffy read. Just prior to starting this book (and while reading it) I was having some personal issues with a friend and neighbor. This book was exactly what I needed to get out of my own head and stop obsessing, even if just for a little while. Mel is a fun and quirky character and Shane is one of the cutest kids I have ever read about. At the beginning of the novel, I found myself laughing out loud at Mel's cooking disasters and Shane's hilarious reactions.

The plot did feel a little disjointed. Tiffany, Mel's rival for Logan's affections, was a great villain and I enjoyed reading about her manipulation of both Logan and her father. However, she was not a major player for a large percentage of the novel and the issues that she caused seemed to be solved a little too early on for a real sense of drama. After this point, I was left reading page after page while waiting for Mel and Logan to come to their senses and get out of their own way.

As I said, I don't normally read Romance novels and some of the issues that I had might not bother someone who regularly reads the genre. Overall, The Kitchen Witch was a fun book with quirky characters and a great read for relaxing and forgetting your troubles. show less

While this book didn't have as many paranormal elements as I was expecting, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it! I was drawn into the story from page one, which is always a big selling point for me. I immediately wanted to know the characters better and see what would happen. I was rooting for the couple the entire time, and got frustrated right along with Phyl and Jessie when they kept bungling things up. Adding Shane to the story only made it more endearing to me. I can't wait to read more in this series!

The Kitchen Witch:
The Particulars: The Kitchen Witch by Annette Blair, contemporary romance, e-book, Berkley.
The Review:
The Blurb:
When a single-dad TV executive hires Melody Seabright--a flaky rich girl and rumored witch--as his babysitter, she magically lands her own cooking show...and makes sparks fly.
My impressions:
Oh my. I had forgotten how much I loved this book. This is Annette Blair at her best a funny, fast paced Contemporary romance with a touch of paranormal. This book is good, but it isn’t without flaws. The plot isn’t anything new. And normally, I would have felt meh about it. This book is saved by Melody. Melody is what made this book so good. She is a hoot. She is strong enough to know what she want, and go for it. I show more am more torn about Logan. A part of me felt admiration over the fact that he raises Shane on his own. But some of his other actions annoyed me a lot.
( This is one time I wish that Goodreads offered the opportunity to give half stars) show less