This was a really cute, cozy fantasy. It was light-hearted, had a good mix of characters and personality, minor conflicts, and good personal growth and revelations. The romance felt a little wonky and honestly unnecessary for the story, but I understand the coupling. Overall, it was a very sweet story of friendships and finding your purpose and confidence.

First, thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and J. Penner for an e-ARC of this book through NetGalley!

I've said this before and I'll say it again: sometimes we deserve cozy, low-stakes, low fantasy. A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic is nothing complicated. The novel is about a human in a British Bake-Off-esque competition, where her lack of magic could hold her back. The romance aspect is also very simple and give he fell first and fell harder.

The book is nothing life-changing, but damn does Penner know how to describe food. I spent the whole time reading this hungry-- and the recipes for the baked delights at the end of the novel will most certainly be used.

For a fun and easy read, this book is perfect. I am curious to see how the rest of the series will go!

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc of this book. A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic is the first book in the Adenashire series. This is a cozy fantasy book and I absolutely loved it. This story is well paced and I enjoyed all the characters. I cannot wait to learn more about the side characters in this book later in the series. The descriptions of the baked goods in this book made me hungry many times while reading. I did read this book all in one sitting. It was a light cozy read. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by new to me author J. Penner is the first book in the Adenashire Series. A fantastical world populated by elves, dwarves, humans.
An excellent read, I recommend the book, 5 stars.

Cozy fantasy combined with delightful characters and a baking competition… sign me up! This book was delightful and fun. Complete with characters I grew to care about and found family! The book provided a really sweet reading experience! Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy!

3 stars - This book was a very easy cosy read. I was hoping to love it, but it felt like it had been rushed, and we missed out on important build-up for character relationships and general plot points.

For the romance between Arleta and Theo to work, they needed more time together - I'm all for instant love, but it felt like an empty connection. I wanted time to feel the yearning and sparks between them before any declarations were made.

The friendships with Doli and Jez felt rushed too - I could believe it more if the competition took place over months instead of a few days/a week. The same goes with Tae - Arleta spoke maybe 4 sentences to her throughout, and then she shows up moves into town and buys her a bakery? It just didn't feel like enough had happened between the two for that leap.

I also wish there was more of a conflict in the baking competition when it came to Arleta being a magicless human. She bought it up constantly as an issue, but from what I could see, there was never a problem, and magic wasn't a requirement during the competition.

This book had a lot of potential, but I just wanted more from it.

Thank you netgalley!

(3.5 ⭐️)

I made the mistake of going into it with the idea of it being like L&L. I heard it a couple times. So while it didn't meet the same that I got from that book it was so cute. And had me hungry the whole time. 😅. I loved the fmc and how the world was set up. I'm excited to keep reading.

Arleta, born without magic, is a talented baker. When Theo, an elf, asks her to enter the realm’s baking competition with his help, she doesn’t hesitate long.

Not my cup of tea at all. I love cosy fantasy but the writing in this was so simplistic. We’re barely given any context about any of the characters, Arleta falls for Theo straight away for no reason at all, everything goes swimmingly for her. At some point, she’s upset because he hid something from her and I immediately wondered why she felt she was owed anything when they’d known each other all of 24 hours.

There are cute touches - a castor family at an inn, Doli, a sunny dwarf with a penchant for tea - but this was a miss for me.

My endless thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Press for this ARC!

When I requested this ARC, I hadn't realized I'd already read this story in its indie version, so that was a nice surprise.

I love cozy fantasies, and this is a sweet, low stakes one full of delectable treats. I love the found family aspect and thoroughly enjoyed the ending. I'm rarely a fan of fated mates, and this is one of those that could have been really good but felt just a little superficial. I was mostly satisfied by this book and definitely recommend it to fans of Legends and Lattes and Can't Spell Treason Without Tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

I really enjoyed this little cozy fantasy novel. A human among all the different characters with no magic learns that family isn’t always about being blood related. Our main character Arleta tries to navigate life on her own without relying on anyone. However, she finds family in the most interesting of circumstances a magical bake off. Friendship, learning to open up and to prove yourself are some of the themes including a love story and found family.

I won’t say much more than that because I don’t want to ruin the story, a story you must read for yourself and enjoy!

This was so cute and so much fun. Aleta is a baker and she's trying to figure out what to do with the orc that comes to her bakery. Magic and whimsical, this was a great feel good read.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I enjoyed this book as it felt like enjoying a dessert at the end of a long week. This book had that kind of feel-good power to it. I would've liked for the competition as a whole to be more fleshed out....basically I'd just love more to read!

This book isn’t something I would typically read but I enjoyed it! It’s a very feel good, happy ending story and I found the characters to be likable.

This week was a sweet treat. I enjoyed reading it. The only thing I wish to have more of was to have more on Theo to help build up his feelings of having a fated that he dreamed about. Maybe his POV.
Not a negative, just how much I liked the character.

The other thing I noticed, while I was reading, is that I forgot the competition took place in front of a live audience until the end of the competition. I know the book was intentionally short but more could have been written around the competition.

A true cozy fantasy about a baking competition, friendship, and learning to trust yourself.

Arleta is a magicless human baker in a world where every other species had an inherent form of magic. Despite this, her baking is a little bit magical. When her neighbor enters her in prestigious fantasy version of Bake-Off without her knowledge, she is thrust into an unexpected adventure that just might lead to the love of her life.

This was an enjoyable read with some fun fantasy world building. Surprisingly light on the baking competition elements for something set at a baking competition, but it had a great cast of characters which made up for it. The author does drag out the main pairing getting together for far too long, but the cozy fantasy vibes still made this an enjoyable read.

This was a very sweet, cozy fantasy that will have specific appeal to fans of baking shows. I am not one but the story was pleasant enough to follow it along to the end. I am most excited to try out the recipes at the end. All of them sound positively scrumptious!

The Fellowship of Bakers and Magic by J. Penner is a captivating blend of fantasy and culinary delight. Penner’s enchanting prose weaves together the seemingly ordinary world of baking with the extraordinary elements of magic, creating a narrative that is both whimsical and heartwarming. From the very first page, you are transported into a world where flour and sugar hold mystical powers, and each recipe shared in the fellowship comes with a dash of otherworldly charm.
What truly sets this story apart is Penner's ability to blend the joy of baking with deep emotional themes. The fellowship becomes a metaphor for the interconnectedness of people, the importance of community, and the magic that happens when we share our passions and creativity with others. Whether you’re a baker at heart or simply someone who enjoys a good story, The Fellowship of Bakers and Magic is a delicious read that will leave you feeling inspired and uplifted.
A mix of the Great British bake off and the Hobbit, I love the cozy fantasy. if you like old fantasy magic with elves, dwarves, orcs in a wholesome setting.. do i even need to say it? read this book!! The romance was wholesome and cute even though it was slowburn and drove me crazy.
The description of the pastries were delectable, and the addition of the recipes at the end was such a nice touch.
Reading this felt like getting a warm hug from a book
Highly recommended for anyone looking for a story that is as sweet as it is spellbinding.

I read this in less than about 16 hours. And it is a short book but that does not take away from how amazing this is. This is MY type of cozy fantasy, no sword fighting no high stakes this is just the food networks spring cupcake championship with elves and dwarfs and I was obsessed the entire time. I literally told like fifteen people about I loved it so much

Those who’ve been following me for a while know that, as much as I read also outside of my comfort genres (Fantasy and Horror), there is one thing I never read : Romance. Especially Het Romance.
A fellowship of bakers and magic caught my interest at first because it sounds like The Legends and Latte (Travis Baldree) kind of cozy fantasy and I tell myself, why not! A bit light on the character development and world building sides, but it's a cozy fantasy read so It didn't bother me that much.
I’m still not a fan of het romance but it’s pretty light in this book so it kind of worked for me. I loved the messages of tolerance, self acceptance and friendship in this book. I also like the fantasy based baking contest. It’s cozy, warm and sometimes fluffy but in a good way. Way sweater than Legends and Latte style but the same vibes. I, surprisingly, really enjoyed this book (for a non romance reader) and I definitely can see myself coming back to this universe here and there if the author decides to write others adventures or spin off based on this universe.