WELCOME TO FOXFIRE The rules here are simple: Don’t look in the trees. Don’t whistle in the woods at night. Don’t answer if you hear your name called. And remember . . . everything wants. Verity Vox is a witch-in-training who has never met a problem her spells can’t solve. But when a cryptic plea for help sends her to the forgotten coal mining town of Foxfire, she soon learns even magic has its limits. Verity discovers a curse was laid years ago by a traveling magician who vanished into the ancient Appalachian hills to seek greater power. Crops won’t grow. Bellies go hungry. Even treasured possessions fall apart. What’s worse, people have gone missing amidst rumors that they’ve sought out the magician who is lying in wait for those foolish or desperate enough to strike a deal with him. The witch must break the curse, find a missing girl, and solve the mystery of what’s really under the mountain before the town falls forever into the clutches of the monster lurking in the hills.

A cozy, magical, slice-of-life holiday romance set in a village adjacent to a magic school—if the Dream Harbor series were set at Hogsmeade! I solemnly swear not to fall in love… Silas Birchwood wasn’t sure what to expect when he joined Emberwind Academy as the school’s first non-magical teacher. But he knows he’s found his calling, even if his wand-wielding pupils struggle with the scientific method. Living in Hex Hollow, the quirky village adjacent to the magical school, certainly has its charms—most notably Margaret Nettle, the witch proprietor of The Toasty Owl. Every night, villagers gather in the glow of the fireplace to sip her warming magical drinks. Margaret has devoted her life to running the pub left to her by her beloved mother and grandmother, even if it stings living so close to the magical school that rejected her. When a rival bar opens across the street, Silas is determined to help Margaret save her business. And despite herself, Margaret finds herself warming to the man who can fix anything in her pub—with a smile that melts her grumpy heart. When the secret to her magical drinks is stolen, Margaret fears she’s destroyed her family’s legacy. Can Silas help her see what he’s always known…that the magic was hers all along? Tropes: • Grumpy x sunshine • Small-town romance • Found family • Opposites attract • Magical village • Baby dragons • Magic pub • Fish out of water

From the international bestselling author of The Door-to-Door Bookstore comes a delicious, heartwarming story of a has-been ballerina who takes up a temporary job in a bakery, finding purpose in every loaf she bakes, for readers of Fredrik Backman and Robin Sloan. What ingredients does a good life need? Though she only just started her temporary job at the village bakery, former ballet dancer Sofie already wants to quit from day one. Her career abruptly ended after an injury threatened any and all chances of success, and losing her most beloved passion has thrown her life off track. Yet there’s something about the rhythms of the bakery that captivates her. Fascinated, Sofie watches old Italian baker Giacomo at work, and discovers that baking bread is almost like a dance: the dough is kneaded on beat, the rotation of the hands a steady rhythm, the swing of the hips like a practiced routine. To her own surprise, Sofie comes to see the little bakery as far more than just a place of work: it slowly transforms into a reprieve. It is here that she discovers the wisdom of a simple man, the joy of small things and the courage to embrace change. A bestselling phenomenon, The Story Baker is the delightfully charming small-town story of one woman who finds solace, love, and community in the most unlikely of places.

Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle’s estate… and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in-laws… and the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all…

Bored and restless in London's Restoration Court, Lady Dona escapes into the British countryside with her restlessness and thirst for adventure as her only guides. Eventually Dona lands in remote Navron, looking for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She finds the passion her spirit craves in the love of a daring French pirate who is being hunted by all of Cornwall. Together, they embark upon a quest rife with danger and glory, one which bestows upon Dona the ultimate choice: sacrifice her lover to certain death or risk her own life to save him.

When the witch built the forty-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword—and the lovely Princess Floralinda. But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the fortieth. In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up. And winter is closing in on Floralinda…

Over the course of a single week, a woman who is ready to die discovers an unexpected reason to live. Following the deaths of her husband and son, Helen Cartwright returns to the English village of her childhood after living abroad for six decades. Her only wish is to die quickly and without fuss. Helen retreats into her home on Westminster Crescent, becoming a creature of routine and habit. Then, one cold autumn night, a chance encounter with an abandoned pet mouse on the street outside her house sets Helen on a surprising journey of friendship. Sipsworth is a reminder that there can be second chances. No matter what we have planned for ourselves, sometimes the world has plans of its own. Simon Van Booy’s lyrical storytelling is a delight even as it will fill your heart.

What happens to all the mind-controlled minions when the evil villain is finally vanquished? When Oaklin Nettlewood (accidentally) joined an evil cult, they and the rest of their small community were promptly whammied by mind control magic and forced to do unspeakable things. Now, years later, the realm's heroes have saved the day, defeated the villain, and shattered the last remnants of the spell...leaving destruction in their wake. Because the minions who were nothing more than obstacles were Oaklin's last remaining family and friends, and now as the entire realm celebrates, Oaklin is left alone to pick up the pieces. And so, with a spell-damaged memory and whole bushel of trauma, they buy a small farm on the edge of Mossley's Rest and swear an After all the things they were forced to do with their magic, they will never use it again. Ever. But the gentle ghost who lives in Oaklin's house has other ideas. And as she coaxes Oaklin out of their shell and back into the world, Oaklin begins to find companionship (a grumpy horse and a very good boy dog), friendship (a local bard and magical baker who should just kiss already), and even romance (a paladin-librarian who makes Oaklin's heart flutter.) Healing comes in gentle waves, and Oaklin doesn't have to do it alone. So what does it mean when an inquisitor comes to town just as Oaklin begins to think that maybe, just maybe, they deserve a happy ending after all?

A woman receives an unexpected gift from the man she loved and lost—a year of books, one for every month—launching a reading-inspired journey to live, dream, and love again in this glimmering and heart-stopping novel.Twelve books. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart…When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago....When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the kind (and adorably bookish) bookshop owner, explains the gift—twelve carefully chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.Her monthly trips to the bookstore—and heartfelt conversations with Alfie—give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to vlog her journey, her story becomes more than her own. With help from Alfie, her budding new following and her friends and family, can Tilly let her year of books show her how to love again?

EMILY WILDE meets DIVINE RIVALS in this light romantic fantasy epistolary novel about a grumpy apothecarist, the whirlwind woman who comes to save his shop, and the letters that secretly unite them. You've Got Mail with a magical twist! Josie Pinova doesn’t believe in fate—until fate seems to believe in her. The day after she’s fired, she wanders into the last magical apothecary in Tressport and lands an unexpected job. It’s not ideal, but it buys her time—and a paycheck—while she waits to hear if she's been accepted into the city’s prestigious Institute of Magic. Aufidius Reid doesn’t believe in luck—and Josie feels like the worst kind. Opinionated, charming, and infuriatingly outsmarting him at every turn, she makes him feel like he’s constantly a step behind. To her, he’s uptight and impossible. Neither suspects they’re already falling for each other—through a months-long exchange of anonymous letters as fellow Institute hopefuls. In the shop, they clash. On the page, they fall in love. But with the apothecary slated to close in six months—another casualty of Tressport’s rapid industrialization and rising anti-magic sentiment—they’ll have to fight for more than just their livelihoods. Josie is determined to prove that women like her belong in the world of structured spellwork. Reid is just as set on mastering his unruly magic and outrunning the past that’s held him back. Saving the shop might be their only shot—at meaningful magic, at true purpose, and at each other. Set against the smog-choked skyline of Tressport inside a lush, green sanctuary of plants and old magics, this is a story of mistaken identity, reluctant partnership, and the quiet magic of being truly seen—on and off the page.