The Honey Witch

A delicious debut that combines the swoon-worthy romance of Bridgerton and the whimsical sorcery of Practical Magic , with a dash of The Secret Life of Bees thrown in for good fun. Marigold Claude is entering another season without any intentions of accepting a proposal. When her eccentric grandmother Althea visits and finally provides an explanation for Marigold''s strange magical abilities, they return to the Lake Isle of Innisfree where she begins training as a Honey Witch-an apothecary and alchemist who uses her magical connection with the bees to create enchanted honey for her spells. While this lovely power leaves her especially adept at helping others find love, it also comes with an ancient curse that none have been able to break: no one can fall in love with the Honey Witch. When Lottie Burke, a notorious grumpy skeptic who doesn''t believe in magic, accompanies her best friend to the cottage for a love spell, Marigold can''t resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. She invites Lottie and her best friend, August Owens, to stay with her for the summer to prove her abilities, but Marigold begins to care for Lottie in a way she never expected. She longs to break the curse and escape her lonely fate, but when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her freedom-at the risk of losing her magic and her heart.

Auteur
Sydney J. Shields (she/they) is a YA and Adult SFF Author represented by Mollie Glick at CAA, and she is a Bookish Content Creator with over 30,000 followers. Her debut novel, THE HONEY WITCH, will be published by Orbit Books (Hachette) in 2024. She is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Columbus State University, where she majored in Communication. Sydney lives in Georgia with her British partner and her dog, Olive (also known as Ponchdog).

Résumé

'Reading The Honey Witch is like dreaming in a fragrant sunlit garden while bees sing around you. It's a gorgeous book, with a lovely cottagecore ambience and a heart-warming sapphic romance intertwined with unique magic that enchants the imagination' India Holton, internationally bestselling author

The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn't believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.

Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors who've tried to woo her. So when her grandmother whisks her away to the family cottage on the tiny Isle of Innisfree with an offer to train her as the next Honey Witch, she accepts immediately. But her newfound magic and independence come with a price: No one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.

When Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn't believe in magic, shows up on her doorstep, Marigold can't resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. But soon, Marigold begins to care for Lottie in ways she never expected. And when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home-at the risk of losing her magic and her heart..

A delicious debut that combines the swoon-worthy romance of Bridgerton and the whimsical sorcery of Practical Magic, with a dash of The Secret Life of Bees thrown in for good fun.

Praise for The Honey Witch:

'As effervescent as a bottle of sparkling mead, The Honey Witch charms with every sentence. Shields writes with a fierce, uncynical honesty that will have you believing in soulmates, uncovering magic everywhere, and embracing your own wildness' S.T. Gibson, author of An Education in Malice

'The Honey Witch is a sweet feast, brimming with whimsy, magic, and tender longing. . . sugar-glazed and heart warming and thoroughly enjoyable' Rachel Gillig, author of One Dark Window

'As sweet and warm as honeyed tea. Shields' debut deftly explores love, loss, and loneliness-and the joy of seeing magic in all things, however small. With charming characters and a lush setting, The Honey Witch will delight fans of cosy fantasy' Allison Saft, author of A Far Wilder Magic

'Gorgeously lyrical and utterly addicting' Rebecca Thorne, author of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea

'Enchanting, whimsical, and firmly rooted in finding yourself after loss, this novel will break your heart and then soothe it with magic honey. Pour yourself a cup of tea, drizzle in some local honey, and let this decadent book transport you' Breanne Randall, author of The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic

'*The Honey Witch* will charm you with its setting and its love for all things natural - especially bees! This tale of a young witch dealing with a curse and a battle between dark magic and light, with her romance in the balance, is one all fans of witches and folk magic will love' Louisa Morgan, author of The Secret History of Witches

'Shields has written a cosy confection of a book-full of whimsy, spice, and heart. The Honey Witch is an ode to love, and just how sweet it can be' Maiga Doocy, author of Sorcery and Small Magics

'For anyone who has ever known what the mundane world wants them to be isn't possible or even desirable, The Honey Witch takes a luminous, divergent path' Willa Reece, author of Wildwood Magic