Best Hex Ever

In El-Fassi’s sizzling debut, a café owner and a museum curator find love despite a curse. Witch Dina Whitlock spends her days infusing magic into the pastries she serves at her London bakery, Serendipity Cafe. Haunted by a hex that threatens harm to anyone she falls in love with, a consequence of a spell she cast on her ex-girlfriend that backfired, Dina sets love aside and conceals her witch identity. Enter Scott Mason, a curator at the British Museum. Though he’s not looking for a relationship after a devastating breakup, when he comes into the café, he’s immediately enchanted by Dina. The pair are thrown back together on a train ride to the wedding of mutual friends, who, in a matchmaking effort, assign Scott and Dina to the same cabin. The close proximity heightens their sexual tension and despite Dina’s reservations, their connection deepens. But the more she comes to care for Scott, the greater risk she puts him in. El-Fassi prioritizes her leads’ steamy physical connection, somewhat sidelining the emotional bond. Still, the characters’ complexities propel the story forward. Readers will be charmed. Agent: Maddy Belton, Madeline Milburn Agency. (Oct.)