My Thoughts
I am a sucker for a cozy read, and when you add magic, baking, and books to the mix, I am sold. I first read A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic and I was swept right up into the story. I needed to know who won the baking competition and what was going to happen with the Elf and Human. It did not take me any time to get through this story, and before I knew it, I had picked up the second book in the series A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons. I am happy to say that I enjoyed this book just as much as the first one. I am excited to move on to the third in the series as soon as I can.
A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J. Penner Series: Adenashire #1
Published by Jenetta Penner on November 13, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Action & Adventure, Fiction / Fantasy / Humorous
Pages: 280
Format: eBook
Source: Amazon
A human, a dwarf and an elf walk into a bake-off...
In the heart of Adenashire, where elfish enchantments and dwarven delights rule, Arleta Starstone, a human confectionist works twice as hard perfecting her unique blend of baking and apothecary herbs.
So when an orc neighbor secretly enters her creations into the prestigious Elven Baking Battle, Arleta faces a dilemma.
Being magicless, her participation in the competition could draw more scowls than smiles. And if Arleta wants to prove her talent and establish her culinary reputation, this human will need more than just her pastry craft to sweeten the odds.
While competing, she'll set off on a journey of mouthwatering pastries, self-discovery, heartwarming friendships and romance, while questioning whether winning the Baking Battle is the true prize.
Escape to Adenashire for a delightful cozy fantasy where every twist is a treat and every turn a step closer to home.
A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic
In this story, we are following Arleta Starstone, a human living in Adenashire surrounded by all sorts of magic and magical beings. She is a baker who dreams of nothing other than running her own bakery one day, but sadly, her dreams and her money do not match up. Arleta is not one to give up, thankfully, and instead, she bakes and then sells her baked goods at a local farmers market in her town. The problem is Arleta has no magic, and the man that rents the space at the market is not too fond of the fact that she is human (straight out, the man is a racist at least, those are my thoughts), so he never manages to have a good location for her and often times she is stuck in the back where there is not as much foot traffic. One can see where this would be extremely frustrating, but luckily, Arleta’s Orc neighbors always have her back. These two men jump on an opportunity that could very much change their young neighbor’s life for the better.
Arleta walks into a competition, not knowing a single soul to compete in a baking competition (think Great British Bakeoff). Arleta believes she has no hope of winning or even being allowed to compete simply because she is human. The thing I loved about this is that once she was there, she gave it her all. I enjoyed watching her grow as a character and stepping out of her comfort zone. I enjoyed watching her make friends and eyeball a particular individual who she believes is out of her league again simply because she is human. Reader, I do not want to say much more than this about A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic because I do not wish to give anything away. I will say, however, if you are looking for a cozy fantasy about finding yourself, the magic of friendship, baking, and a little romance, then give this one a go.
Trigger Warnings:
- Parental Death Mentioned
- Racism
A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons by J. Penner Series: Adenashire #2
Published by Jenetta Penner on June 25, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Dragons & Mythical Creatures, Fiction / Fantasy / Gaslamp, Fiction / Fantasy / Humorous
Pages: 316
Format: eBook
Source: Indie Bookstore
Spilling the tea has never been so cozy...
In the quaint town of Adenashire, Doli Butterbuckle, a people-pleasing sunshine dwarf, is content with her simple tea magic and circle of friends. It's true she's never quite lived up to family expectations, but life is just fine-until her parents arrive with an inherited dragon egg and a charming gargoyle harboring a secret stroll into her life.
As Doli grapples with her newfound responsibility and discovers a long hidden side of herself, she must face an overbearing family, a sinister plot, and a mischievous dragon that refuses to stay out of trouble.
But with the help of her loyal friends and newfound love, Doli embarks on a heartwarming adventure, revealing that embracing her true self is the most enchanting path of all.
Escape to Adenashire for a whimsical, cozy fantasy where every steaming cup of tea holds the promise of inner strength.
A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons
This is the second book in the Adenashire Series, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed this one almost as much as the first. In this story, we follow Doli, the Dwarf Arelta met and became friends with at the baking competition. I find Doli to be such a cute character, so needless to say, I was excited to read about her new life in Adenashire. Doli is a character who struggles with who she is and the expectations placed upon her by her family. She knows that working in the family gem factory is not for her, and she is good with that, but her family is not. The move to Adenashire is the chance that Doli had been waiting for. It is her chance to live a life without interference from her parents.
Little does Doli know that all of this is about to change with the arrival of a package from her deceased uncle. She is not the most eager to open it, but with some friendly peer pressure from her pals, she eventually does, and what she finds inside is shocking. There are a few little things, including a super ugly vase passed down in her family, but that Reader is not the most shocking. There is a Dragon’s Egg inside. Why on earth would her uncle have a Dragon’s Egg, and why would he leave it to her of all people? She didn’t even really know her uncle, and she certainly does not believe herself to be special in any way, so it just does not make sense to her. Do not worry because as you dive into this story, you will learn all the details, and in my opinion, the ones about the Dragon are super sweet. I am not going to say too much more than this because I do not want to give anything important away. I do want to say if you are looking for a cozy fantasy that includes tea magic, great friends, romance, books, dragons, and discovering who you really are, then Reader, this is the book for you. Might I suggest sitting down with a cup of tea for this one, to really set the mood? No pressure, though. It is entirely up to you.
Trigger Warnings:
- Grandparent Death Mentioned
- Overbearing Parents
- Kidnapping
- Xenophobia
Reader, I am happy to say that because I enjoyed the first two in the Adenashire Series, I will be continuing on to the third, A Fellowship of Games & Fables. I really loved the cozy vibes that these two books gave me, and I am so excited to jump once more back into this little world of magic, books, tea, baked treats, friendship, and magical beings. As always, Reader, I am interested to know if you have read either of these books or if you even plan on picking them up. If you do, please let me know your thoughts because I am curious to know. Let’s chat about this cozy world. Until Next Time, Reader, Happy Reading.