MORGAN LOCKHART
A CURSE FOR CHRISTMAS PAST
Fall 2026
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Hayleigh Gray is cursed. For real.
After losing her job, her savings, and her relationship, it’s the discovery of a lump on her beloved horse’s neck that finally sends Hayleigh looking for solutions in the winter festival in Elk Ridge. Trouble is, she knows there are witches in Elk Ridge because she managed to make an enemy of one (okay, maybe a few) last holiday season.
There, she crosses paths with Stephan Midwinter, an animal-rescuing artist with lumberjack good looks, a reputation with women that stretches a mile long, and a whole lot of magic that Hayleigh wants nothing to do with. Adamant that his coven wasn’t involved in Hayleigh’s curse, Stephan offers to help her find the real culprit and break the curse before Christmas Day.
As Hayleigh and Stephan face ancestral secrets, mischievous holiday spirits, and being snowed into the world’s kitschiest holiday train B&B, Hayleigh finds her heart opening to magic, and to Stephan Midwinter.
But Stephan and his way of life are in direct opposition to everything Hayleigh’s been taught to want, and old habits die hard. With the curse amping up and time running out, will she be able to embrace a new kind of happiness, or will she fall back into the patterns of Christmas past?
Cover by
A SPELL FOR MIDWINTER'S HEART
Fall 2025
Out now in the US, Canada, and UK
and in select distributors elsewhere
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In this holiday romance with an enchanting twist, a magic-averse witch returns home to save her small town’s beloved winter festival in time for the holidays with the help of her estranged coven and distractingly handsome childhood rival.
Rowan Midwinter has sworn off magic, and for good reason. A spell gone wrong back in high school left her with nothing but missing memories and regret, so she’s not exactly thrilled when she’s guilted into returning to her quaint mountain hometown for the first time in years. But it’s already Yule and much-needed snow still hasn't fallen, so Rowan reckons she can put up with her family, friends, and former coven if it means saving the town’s beloved winter festival from the megacorporation threatening to buy it out.
But Rowan’s plans to save the festival and make it through the holiday magic-free go awry when Gavin McCreery, prodigal son of the festival’s landlord, insists on helping, and their unwanted chemistry keeps setting off holiday lights…literally.
As the quest to keep the festival alive grows increasingly complicated, Rowan realizes she must reconnect with what she tried to leave behind--her family, coven, and even her memories--to let go of her fear of magic and let her heart lead the way.​​​