The Heart and the Hawthorn: A high-stakes cosy fantasy brimming with romance and magic

What if life was always rainbows and unicorns?

Frida always wanted to be a zookeeper at the London Extraordinary Zoo, caring for endangered magical creatures. And while the LEZ's unicorns and ghost lynxes are incredible, she can't wait to meet the zoo's newest resident: a baby dragon. His enclosure is perfect, his food is prepped, and everyone is ready for anything.

Well, maybe not anything. They're definitely not ready for the magical storm that arrives with the dragon; a storm that releases a powerful (and extremely gorgeous) tree fairy, who casts a sleeping spell over the zoo and everyone in it. Everyone except for Frida.

Saving the LEZ seems like an impossible task, but Frida knows that nothing is impossible. Her quest takes her on a wild adventure, into the past, where she realises there are more important things worth saving than the zoo . . .

Perfect for fans of The Spellshop, The Heart and the Hawthorn is a queer love story about following your heart - and what's possible when you realise that every single creature deserves a voice.

• Publication date: 13 August 2026
• Page count: 416
• Dimensions: Height 241 mm; Width 166 mm; Thickness 37 mm
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN-13: 9781399750219