I’ve found yet another of those books like what I was looking for when I came up with the idea for Enchanted, Inc. but it didn’t exist then. This one was Rewitched, by Lucy Jane Wood. Back in the day, I’d have called it fantasy chick lit. Now I guess they’re calling it fantasy rom-com, but the romance is fairly subtle and secondary to the fantasy plot. The publisher labeled it fantasy, and the US editor is the editor for the Song of Ice and Fire books (she’s also an Enchanted, Inc. fan), but the library stuck a “romance” sticker on it and is shelving it in mainstream fiction.

Our heroine is from a magical family and knows she has powers, but they haven’t been a big part of her life. Magic is handy for reheating tea, but she hasn’t put in a lot of study or training. She’s more concerned with the bookstore where she works. She feels like she’s been a big part of making it a success, but now it seems like the owner’s son, a real corporate type, is going to take it over when the owner steps back. In the middle of all this, our heroine gets a notice that on her 30th birthday she has to be examined by the magical authorities, and if she fails, she’ll have her powers taken away from her. She’s doomed, but there is a reprieve. She has until the end of the month to complete certain magical tasks, with the help of an unlikely tutor and a mysterious (but handsome) guardian, and if she succeeds she gets to keep her powers. But there appears to be someone who wants her to fail, and meanwhile she has to deal with crises at work brought on by the new management. If she doesn’t rise to the occasion, her whole life will fall apart.

This book really is the blend of “chick lit” elements like work, family issues, friends, and romance with fantasy elements that I wanted when I was dreaming up Enchanted, Inc., and I think my readers would probably like this one. It takes place in London in the fall, and there’s the bookstore, so there’s a cozy vibe. You’ll want to read it with a cup of tea handy. The plot has some fun twists and turns, with some characters who turn out to be something other than you expect them to be. The romance is subtle and gradual, more of a subplot, and it grows out of organic interactions.

It looks like the author has one other book with a similar tone (possibly set in the same “universe”) that I’ll have to keep an eye out for.