A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic by J Penner

3.5 Stars

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.

I wanted to love this book as I loved the idea and the writing style. I couldn’t get passed how whiney FMC was. Everyone is boosting her up and she just tears herself down. She never gets better, and it frustrated me so much. I liked the writing style so much I will check out book 2 to see if the characters are better.

Book 1 Adenashire

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Big Little Spell by Hazel Beck

 

3 Stars

Rebekah Wilde was eighteen when she left St. Cyprian, officially stripped of her magic and banished from her home. Ten years later, she’s forced to return to face the Joywood Coven, who preside over not just her hometown but the whole magical world. Rebekah is happy to reunite with her sister, and with her friends, but the implications of her return are darker and more dangerous than they could have imagined.

The Joywood are determined to prove Rebekah and her friends are a danger to witchkind, and her group faces an impending death sentence if they can’t prove otherwise. Rebekah must seek help from the only one who knows how to stop the Joywood—the ruthless immortal Nicholas Frost. Years ago, he was her secret tutor in magic, and her secret impossible crush. But the icy immortal is as remote and arrogant as ever, and if he feels anything for Rebekah—or witchkind—it’s impossible to tell.

I goofed and read the second book first. Had 0 issues following along without reading the first book. This is very much a closed-door romance so if that’s not your jam skip the book. I enjoyed it enough to not care. I loved the characters and the premise of the book. I’m hoping book one had more world building as that was lacking in this one. Loved the give and take between the FMC and MMC. Can’t wait to get my hands on book 3.

Book 2 Witchlore

Amazon