Book Review: The Kitchen Witch by Annette Blair (Series, #1)

Summary:
Logan finds himself a single dad after his young son’s mother abandons him on his doorstep, so he moves back to his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, looking to provide his young son with some stability.  He has a bad rep from his teen years in Salem to get over, though, and he hopes his new job as a television producer at the local tv station will help.  He wasn’t expecting his downstairs neighbor Melody Seabright, however.

Melody, who seems incapable of holding onto a job for any length of time, gets him to get her a meeting with the owner of the tv station and somehow convinces him to give her her own tv show, The Kitchen Witch.  The only problem is she can’t cook, and whether or not she’s really a witch is up for debate.

Can Melody learn how to cook and hold onto the job? Or are both of their jobs now in jeopardy?  And why does Logan keep thinking about such an unpredictable woman when he knows he needs to provide stability for his son?

Review:
I picked this up on a free book cart at a local library because the cover and title were cute, and I definitely am periodically in the mood for some lighthearted paranormal romance.  I was a bit disappointed to find this isn’t really a paranormal romance, but I still enjoyed the contemporary tale it told, primarily due to its featuring a good-hearted single dad.

Logan is a contemporary romance character who will make many readers’ hearts beat a bit faster.  He’s cute, young, has a high-powered job, lives in the quirky town of Salem and enjoys it, and is an awesome single dad to his young son.  Having him be a bad boy who overcame it for his son is the perfect last touch for a contemporary romance.  I can see many readers enjoying fantasizing about him.

Melody may be a bit more hit and miss with readers.  The delightfully clumsy bit has been used a lot in romance recently and may feel a bit been there done that.  Her apartment is divinely adorable, though, and she has some curves that are always looked upon as a good thing.  Her difficult relationship with her own father adds some depth to the character, but some readers might have trouble sympathizing with a poor little rich girl, although I do think that Blair handled this particular aspect well.

Blair also writes children characters beautifully.  The son sounds like a child, and yet still has the proper astuteness and vocabulary for his age.  The only negative I can say about him is that I honestly already forgot his name.  However, I enjoyed his presence every time he popped up into the story.

The plot is where things get a bit shaky.  The book is definitely marketed as a paranormal romance, and there are hints at the beginning of the book that Melody might be a witch, but that never comes to fruition.  The best I can tell is that she’s learned how to act and sound like a witch by virtue of living and working in Salem.  There’s nothing wrong with this, but it was disappointing given that I thought I was getting a paranormal story.  I also thought that if the book is going to have Logan suspicious Melody is a witch, at some point he should definitely find out once and for all whether she is one.  I think perhaps the book was trying to say she’s just a regular girl with some knowledge of Wicca (which isn’t the same thing as being a paranormal romance witch, since Wicca is a religion and doesn’t actually involve paranormal romance style magic but it’s still a reveal I would have been happier with).  However, that also is never firmly revealed.  Just what type of witch, if any, Melody is is just a plot idea that is dropped and never fully dealt with, which is a bit frustrating.

A bigger plot issue to me though is that this book falls into the romance trope of everyone can see the couple should be together but the couple makes up fake obstacles to stand in their way and they just have to come to their senses and deal with their own stupidity to get over it.  (I really wish there was a shorter way to describe that particular trope…..)  It is just a trope that really bugs me.  I don’t mind real obstacles in the way of a couple, but the couple just being idiotic and making up their own obstacles feels to me like the author stirring up fake drama to make the book longer.  Also, I am 100% a-ok with a couple meeting, working out some realistic difficulties, and then being together.  Things that are overly dramatic for the sake of drama just rub me the wrong way.  Some readers may be ok with this trope, but for those who aren’t, be aware that this is where the plot eventually goes.

Having been to Salem multiple times, I can say that the author clearly did her research, as she depicts the culture and feel of Salem quite well.  She also understands the layout of the town and even gives a realistic vague-ish location for Logan and Melody’s house.  (In the few blocks nearish the House of the Seven Gables, in case you’re wondering).

The sex scenes were good, not ridiculous.  They weren’t mind-blowingly hot, but they were fun to read and well-written.

Overall, this is a good contemporary romance featuring a lovable single dad love interest that is mismarketed as a paranormal romance.  Those looking for paranormal romance should be aware that this fits in much better with the contemporary romance crowd.  Additionally, those who are frustrated by couples keeping themselves apart for no reason should be aware that this is the romance trope found in this particular book.  Recommended to those looking for a steamy contemporary read featuring a heartthrob single dad and a realistically quirky New England town.

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3 out of 5 stars

Length: 320 pages – average but on the longer side

Source: Library free book cart

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