Menna van Praag Books

The Dress Shop of Dreams is a captivating novel of enduring hopes and second chances.

Distraught that her academic career has stalled, Alba is walking through her hometown of Cambridge, and finds herself in front of a house she's never seen before, 11 Hope Street. A beautiful older woman named Peggy greets her and invites her to stay, on the house's usual conditions: she has ninety-nine nights to turn her life around.

A sweet and touching true-life tale about love, success, weight loss, and enlightenment that shows what is possible when you listen to your heart, believe in yourself, and take inspired action in the direction of your dreams.

Jude is the owner of a special antiques shop in Cambridge. She finds all of the joy in her life matching people with the special something that they are missing, a talisman that will help bring them just what their heart most desires. Although Jude's life is certainly not overflowing with the love she would wish for...

In Cambridge a little shop stands where thousands of sheets of beautiful paper and hundreds of exquisite pens wait for someone who, with Clara Cohen's help, will express the true emotions felt to correspondents alive, estranged or dead. When Clara discovers a cache of wartime love letters, she follows them on the start of her own journey.

And then there were three . . .Three years ago, the sisters confronted their demon father in that strange other-world called Everwhere. It was a battle that ended in a devastating loss, and the scars they carry seem to have slowly pushed the sisters apart . . .One sister, still raw with grief, is now a near recluse but determined to use her powers to resurrect what she has lost.Another has made the journey to learn more of her family, her culture and her roots.And another seems to have turned her back on what she is and opted to lead a more normal life.But now the sisters are about to be brought together once more. Because when the clock strikes midnight, when October ticks into November, when autumn wilts into winter, when All Hallows' Eve becomes All Saints' Day, the sisters Grimm will turn twenty-one and reach the zenith of their powers.And on this night, at this time, in this place called Everwhere, anything is possible . . .

"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"-- Provided by publisher

The Cambridge University witches have been meeting for as long as the university has been around - over 900 years - although they meet mainly to discuss books. In 2014 the group includes Kat (a great spell-caster & professor of mathematics), George (a professor of Classics & all-round witch who seems to have no special skills), Amandine (retired French Literature professor and psychic, Kat's mother) & Noa (student of history - who sees people's secrets and can't help but say them). Cosima, Kat's sister, is also a witch and, when she begins casting spells to attract a mate, everything starts to go wrong.

'Absorbing and beautiful - a great achievement.' BRIDGET COLLINS, bestselling author of The Binding There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of sisters Grimm on Earth. You may well be one of them, though you might never know it. This is the story of four sisters Grimm - daughters born to different mothers on the same day, each born out of bright-white wishing and black-edged desire. They found each other at eight years-old, were separated at thirteen and now, at nearly eighteen, it is imperative that they find each other once again. In thirty-three days they will meet their father in Everwhere. Only then will they discover who they truly are, and what they can truly do. Then they must fight to save their lives and the lives of the ones they love. Three will live, one will die. You'll have to read on to find out who and why . . . ___________________ 'A darkly beguiling delight that's perfect for fans of rich and imaginative fantasy books akin to Erin Morgenstern and Neil Gaiman.' CULTUREFLY

Born of bright-white wishing and black-edged desire, the Grimm girls each command a single element and wield it with great power. But a child born of a Grimm and a fallen star will have command over every element . . . and wield infinite power. At twenty-one, Goldie gave birth to a daughter by her dead lover. Now Goldie is nearly thirty and Luna almost nine. Conceived in the realm between life and death, Luna is part star-soldier, part Grimm and now those opposing forces are waging war within her. Terrified of losing her increasingly volatile child, Goldie goes on the run. Then an act of violence forces her to return and Luna is taken into care. Mother and child can still meet - in the haunted otherworld that is Everwhere. Desperate to reclaim her daughter, Goldie must also confront whatever is corrupting Everwhere. For fresh leaves are falling, and Grimm girls are dying. Fearing the return of her father, Goldie knows she cannot succeed alone and summons her sisters. But can the bonds of sisterhood bear the terrible price that will be paid . . .