"A fun mix of supernatural sensuality, great storytelling, and complex characters!"
Reviewed by Miranda Owen
Posted August 5, 2021
Romance Paranormal
BIG WITCH ENERGY is a standalone paranormal romance by Kelly Jamieson. At the center of this romcom is the loving and likable witchy Candler family. Romy Larson discovers what her late mother never told her, that her father was a witch and that she is half witch. Finding her biological father and a new family with half siblings is a huge deal, but fining out there is real magic out there, and that she has some untapped magical ability herself, blows Romy’s mind and ends up being a game changer. For witch and supernatural hottie, Trace Holcomb, the Candlers took him in when his family was killed in a tragic accident. His feelings about magic are complicated, and only made more so when he is required train Romy in the witchy arts. Throw in an intense natural attraction, and the situation becomes explosive. This story is told from alternating perspectives, so readers have a better understanding of the two main characters.
Whether by fate or coincidence, Romy and Trace meet right before Romy meets with the Candlers for the first time. They have the perfect meet-cute and the chemistry is on point. When Trace discovers who she is to the Candlers, his romantic dreams go up in smoke. He doesn’t want to risk ruining the relationship with his surrogate family if any relationship he may have with Romy were to go bad. Romy is frustrated but respects his wishes. There is no supervillain in BIG WITCH ENERGY. The conflict comes from Trace trying to come to terms with his past, accepting his magic as being part of who he is, and stop being afraid to latch onto the love that finds him. Likewise, Romy slowly works through her feelings of inferiority and accept herself for who she is. It’s not all drama and emotional baggage. Kelly Jamieson tells an entertaining story with a mix of humor, sexiness, and emotional heavy lifting.
BIG WITCH ENERGY is a fun mix of supernatural sensuality, great storytelling, and complex characters. Kelly Jamieson does a really good job of building the sexual tension between Romy and Tracy over the course of the book, making it more satisfying for the reader when they finally get together. I look forward to reading more paranormal romance by Kelly Jamieson in the future.
SUMMARY
Life’s a witch, and then you fly.
Romy Larson
The tequila made me do it—throw caution to the wind to take a DNA test. Now I know why “who’s your daddy” is a dangerous question. Dad’s a witch, with a whole magical family I knew nothing about.
Discovering I have magic isn’t the only shock (though it explains a lot). There’s a familiar face among the noisy, joyful Candler clan. A fostered son named Trace—the only other time in my play-it-safe life I did something crazy. A night of madcap fun and sizzling kisses.
Trace Holcomb
For years, I’ve been trying in vain to find a spell to bring my family back after they died. I’ve given up on magic. What good is it if I can’t do the one thing I want so much?
I mistook Romy for my blind date, and it was the best mistake I ever made. Or maybe it’s the worst. When the other shoe—more like the hammer—drops, I learn she’s part of the Candler family, who opened their big hearts to me when my family died.
Now it’s up to me to run Romy through a crash course in remedial magic before she loses it forever. That’s the last thing I want to do. As the smoke clears from her first disastrous spells, something else becomes clearer. Our attraction wasn’t a fluke. And she could be the key to making my impossible dream come true…
ExcerptI f**king hate blind dates.
So what the hell am I doing here?
I’m sitting here by myself because the woman I’m supposed to meet hasn’t shown up yet. And if she does, I fully intend to have one fast drink and then get the hell out of here. Last weekend, I bet my buddy Garrett he couldn’t win a hundred dollars in poker on a stone-cold bluff, and goddammit, he did it. So here I am on a blind date with a friend of his wife’s. Now, Garrett’s wife is a lovely, sensible witch, don’t get me wrong, but she’s quiet and shy and her idea of fun is whipping up loaves of bread. Again, nothing wrong with baking bread. Homemade bread is delicious. But if Julie’s friend is like her, I think we’re going to be as compatible as Kanye and TSwift.
I look around the bar—the Singing Horse. I’ve never been here even though it’s not that far from where I live in Ravenswood. There’s karaoke some nights, and it’s one of the places that has turtle races. Sweet Jesus, turtles. If Garrett made me come here and sit here all alone as a big joke, I swear I’ll waive my magic embargo and hit him with one of my best black magic revenge curses. His online porn will always be buffering.
Then she walks in.
I think it’s her. She matches the description Garrett gave me—dark hair, slender. She’s really pretty. I stand and lift a hand to get her attention.
She pauses. She tilts her head. I feel like she’s hesitating. I guess she doesn’t recognize me from the description. Then she smiles and moves toward me through the tables. Yep, it’s her.
“Hi! You made it.” I force a smile and extend my hand to her. “Nice to meet you.”
“Hi. Nice to meet you too. I’m Romy.” She shakes my hand.
I thought her name was Amy. Whatever. I must have misheard. “Trace.”
“Trace,” she repeats. “Have you… been waiting long?”
“Uh… we were supposed to meet at eight, right?” Did I screw up?
“Right!”
“Have a seat.” I gesture. “I ordered myself a drink while I was waiting.” Crap, that sounds like I’m giving her shit for being late.
She hangs her purse over the back of the chair. “What are you having?”
“Citra Ass Down.”
She freezes and gives me a look, one eyebrow raised. “Excuse me?”
My eyes fly open wide. “This!” I grab the can and show her. “It’s the name of the beer. It’s a pale ale. Brewed with citra hops.”
She studies the beer, then bursts out laughing, dropping into the chair across from me. It’s a great laugh. Light, musical, genuine. “Oh my god. That’s hilarious!”
Her laughter tugs an answering smile to my lips. “That sounded bad, didn’t it? Believe me, I don’t usually tell women to sit their ass down the first time I meet them.”
“Good to know.”
A waitress stops beside the table and gives me a flirty smile. She barely flicks a glance at Romy when she asks, “What can I get you?”
“Um. I’ll have what he’s having.” Romy gives me a what-the-hell look as the waitress departs.
“Don’t worry, it’s good. So, Romy, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a software designer at Summit Insurance.”
“Sounds exciting.” Yep. Julie’s friend.
She sighs. “Don’t mock my job. It’s not exciting at all. I’m good at it though, and it pays the bills.”
“That sounds like a sorry way to live your life.”
Her lips firm. “So I’m told.”
“Hey, I’m not judging. I just think everyone should do something they love. Something they’re passionate about.”
“Well, I’ve started doing some design stuff… I opened a shop on Etsy.” She peeks up at me through her eyelashes as if she’s bashful about telling me this. “I started designing websites and doing logos, but lately I’ve been expanding into wedding stuff. Invitations, guest books, favors. It’s called Over the Moon Designs.” She bites her lip in a shy gesture that makes something weird happen in my chest.
“That’s cool. That’s what I’m talking about.”
I watch her as she talks. Her features are fine—her nose small, her chin a little pointy, her cheekbones sharp. She wears her dark hair in a shoulder-length style with bangs that emphasize big blue eyes. Those eyes are so expressive, and her face and hands are animated as she talks. There’s something about her that I can’t look away from—an energy, a glow that surrounds her. It’s an attraction I’ve never felt before, and it confuses me.
“I was always interested in design. My mom thought I should pursue a more practical career though.” She wrinkles her nose.
The waitress reappears and sets down Romy’s beer.
“Put it on my tab,” I tell her.
“Thank you. I need to get drunk.” Romy picks up the beer and downs half of it.
My eyebrows shoot up. “Oh.” This date is more interesting than I expected.
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