What if the secret of happiness isn't in self-help books, but in ancient manuscripts guarded by a mad librarian who has been waiting 500 years for three complete fools to show up?

Meet Aglaya—a Russian chemist with a mortgage, a domovoy who eats her buckwheat, and a habit of accidentally summoning weeping angels during dissertation defenses.

Meet Brunhilda—a Swiss banker who lives in a climate-controlled bunker, schedules sex on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and has more money than some small European nations but zero joy.

Meet Fiora—an Italian witch from Milan who does love spells via Instagram, owns handbags worth more than your car, and whose grandmother curses neighbors using carrier pigeons.

Three women. Three countries. One shared problem: they have everything except happiness.

When a mysterious text message invites them to steal three ancient books from the Vatican's forbidden library, they do what any reasonable person would do—they say yes. Because really, what's the worst that could happen?

Falling into the 15th century, that's what.

Now they're running from Duke Sforza's guards, brewing moonshine to cure village elders, giving medieval peasants their first credit loans, and getting relationship advice from the ghosts of Mendeleev, Leonardo da Vinci, and King Solomon.

And somewhere along the way, between almost being burned at the stake and falling in love with shepherds who aren't actually shepherds, they might just discover that the secret they've been hunting for has been right in front of them all along.

Three Witches and the Secret of Happiness is a hilarious, heartwarming, occasionally absurd novel for anyone who's ever wondered: Is this really all there is?

Spoiler: It isn't. But you'll have to listen to find out why.

ANNA GOGOLEVA

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