The Witches of Cambridge

"For fans of Alice Hoffman, Sarah Addison Allen, and Adriana Trigiani, The Witches of Cambridge reveals an astonishing world where the heart's deepest secrets give way to the magic of life-changing love. Be careful what you wish for. If you're a witch, you might just get it. Amandine Bisset has always had the power to feel the emotions of those around her. It's a secret she can share only with her friends--all professors, all witches--when they gather for the Cambridge University Society of Literature and Witchcraft. Amandine treasures these meetings but lately senses the ties among her colleagues beginning to unravel. If only she had her student Noa's power to hear the innermost thoughts of others, she might know how to patch things up. Unfortunately, Noa regards her gift as a curse. So when a seductive artist claims he can cure her, Noa jumps at the chance, no matter the cost. Noa's not the only witch in over her head. Mathematics professor Kat has a serious case of unrequited love but refuses to cast spells to win anyone's heart. Her sister, Cosima, is not above using magic to get what she wants, sprinkling pastries in her bakery with equal parts sugar and enchantment. But when Cosima sets her sights on Kat's crush, she conjures up a dangerous love triangle. As romance and longing swirl through every picturesque side street, the witches of Cambridge find their lives unexpectedly upended and changed in ways sometimes extraordinary, sometimes heartbreaking, but always enchanting. Praise for Menna van Praag's The Dress Shop of Dreams "Reminiscent of Love Actually and P.S.I Love You. recommended to readers who want to be charmed by the possibilities of love."--LibraryReads (Top Ten Pick) Find your next book club pick, read special features, and more. Join the Random House Reader's Circle"--

"The witches of Cambridge meet in a turret in Magdalene College, high above the city streets bustling with students. Amandine, her mother Heloise, and her friends Kat and George have been meeting for years in secret, but lately secrets have started to keep them apart. Amandine can feel the distance, but she has her own problem--she suspects her husband has been hiding something from her. She wishes she could use magic to tell what people are thinking instead of how they are feeling. Her empathic gift has always been a boon to her as a professor of art history, but right now she'd give anything to have her student Noa's power--the ability to hear the secrets of others. But Noa's power is more of a curse than a gift; she is unable to keep secrets to herself and her candor has driven her loved ones away all her life. When she meets a mysterious artist who claims he can rid her of her ability, she jumps at the chance, no matter the cost. And on picturesque Bene't street, there's more than flour in the sugar-scented air outside Cosima's Italian bakery as heartbroken Cosima dusts her pastries with magic she hopes will finally bring her the love she craves. When her sister Kat's friend George falls for her spell, a dangerous love triangle with George at the center threatens to tear the two sisters apart. As secrets, romance, and longing swirl through every enchanted sidestreet, the witches of Cambridge must remember that love and trust are the strongest forms of magic"--