A.S. Fenichel - Magic Touch

ESME
I never dreamed my small curatives shop in Windsor, England would attract the attention of war hero Sir William Meriwether. My feminine heart is aflutter when he enters. But I'm a witch and a healer, and he's a man in pain, so I heal him. Desperate to do him a good service, I stretch my powers to the limit—or perhaps beyond. Somehow, in curing his ailing leg, I unleash powers inside William. At a loss to stop what's begun, I'm forced to seek assistance from the coven I've sworn never to join. I dread the encounter, but for William's sake, I put my family's hatred aside. Getting to spend more time with William is an added enticement.
WILLIAM
I'm mesmerized by Esme O'Dwyer from the moment I lay eyes on her. Despite our different stations in society, I want something more personal than any restorative tea she might offer. As a gentleman, I contain those baser needs, and accept her assistance to ease the pain in my leg. When the alluring witch's touch bestows me with magic of my own, I want no part of it. But the coven's leaders insist magic never make mistakes, and for this to have happened, I must be needed. I've never been one to shy away from duty, and being secluded for training with Esme is magical in more ways than one.
ESME
Trouble is coming to Windsor. The signs are all there. The race is on to train William as a witch before his power is needed, but our growing attraction is as undeniable as the battle that lies ahead.

Comment: I saw this book being recommended due to its cozy magical environment and a sweet romance and I was immediately drawn to it as well. I had not heard of the author before, so it would be a novelty for me but I had hopes for the elements I wanted to find.

Sir William is a well respected man for his military work and campaigns, having been praised by the King himself. But the war caused Sir William a lot of pain, namely in his leg and that is why he seeks the help of miss O'Dwyer, whose skills were recommended to him by the local apothecary. Upon seeing her, though, Sir William is quickly smitten and she doesn't seem indifferent either, but their social class is too far apart.

Still, after their first encounter, in which witch Esme heals William's injury completely, something happens which seems to have woke his own magic, something he didn't know he had. Now Esme is the perfect teacher but something evil lurks around to take over William's magic... 

I was quite eager to be dazzled by this story but my first disappointment was straight way the fact this is told in first person, in alternated chapters between Esme and William. So unnecessary, in my opinion, because the writing style is very simplistic and lacks depth, and in turn the characters' "voices" feel juvenile and ridiculous, especially when they are thinking about each other in such a silly way. Of course, this is a matter of personal taste, but this style doesn't really work for me.

It was also a little disappointing that their romance was so insta-love, because the fun of having them meet and spend time together and deal with novelties in their lives was quickly lost! After all, no need for these elements to be reason for conflict or tension, because it was immediate they would be a couple. Although they both kept reminding one another that their relationship couldn't happen socially, this felt silly because it was already a given they would be so, and there were no other conflicts anyway.

Thus, the romance part of the equation was already a no for me, especially since this reads with historical vibes and that, too, was not a necessity for this plot. However, I had bigger hopes for the magic content and the situations it would cause. I did like the idea that it was the male protagonist who would be "awaken" to his magic and that the heroine would help him learn things and deal with what his powers might be. Of course, at the same time, they both had to deal with secondary characters, especially the ones of the local coven - of which Esme is not part of, to honor her mother's past - and this led to other situations.

It was interesting enough to see William, who is meant to be a commanding person and sure of himself, deal with new powers but, of course, he learns the lessons quite quickly. This means that the conflict was more related to how his relationship with Esme would look like and then, a new character shows up, a young woman, and she seems to be an antagonist. As soon as this character arrives, some problems begin and we learn there's this evil someone who is looking for to create chaos for our protagonists and wants to steal William's powers. This new situation offered necessary novelties but it wasn't as smoothly done as I imagined.

Besides, the "battle" against the villain is still an ongoing issue, which wasn't solved in this book. Certainly that will happen in the following installments (this seems to be part of a trilogy) but I don't feel curious enough to try those two other books. I am assuming the writing style will be the same and that likely means any positive aspects will still feel poorly done to me, so... it's better to stay with the somewhat positive notes this one left in me.

Grade: 5/10