I was so entertained by this book I read it in one sitting!

Our FMC, Arleta, is a magicless human in a world full of magical creatures. She spends her days struggling to earn enough to keep her market booth open. Unbeknownst to her, her well-meaning, and father-figure of a neighbor has sent in her application for Baking Battle, a competition for amateur bakers with a grand prize that is more than enough to allow her to buy her own bakery. When a handsome elf, Theo, shows up with Arleta's invitation to the Baking Battle, she is in disbelief as no human has ever competed before. Despite believing that she won't be able to keep up with her magical competitors, Arleta sets out for the Battle with Theo nervous, but excited to show everyone that she has her own "little dash of magic."

I really loved both the physical and emotional journey that Arleta had to go on to be able to compete in the Baking Battle. The physical because can a romance really get any better than having both Only One Bed and Only One Horse? The emotional because I found Arleta's character extremely relatable as she worked to push past her imposter syndrome and go outside her comfort zone. Plus, the friendships she makes really made the story for me. I loved all of the side characters and found their unwavering support of Arleta incredibly endearing.

While there isn't anything that I disliked about this book, I did feel like the ending wrapped up a little quickly, with most of the action happening off-page. I also wish that the romance had been developed more. For example, I would have liked to see a few more on-page interactions between Arleta and Theo as they adjusted to life after the Baking Battle.

I would recommend this to lovers of cozy fantasies, The Great British Bake Off, found family, and sweet romances!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

This was a super cute, heart-warming story. A magic-less Arleta fights through the challenges of being seen as less than in a world filled with magic, even when she pours her heart and soul into her bakes. She has a dream to open her own bakery and when she enters into a very popular bake off, she has her chance.

I love how I think most people can see them selves in Arleta: having a dream and wanting more than your current position, but also having self doubt. Also, the found family that Arleta creates is so sweet.

I did think the story was pretty predictable, but I think that leant itself to the cozy vibes. It was a very easy read and had me smiling throughout!

A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic by J. Penner
Release Date: April 15, 2025 (Originally self published in 2023)
4.5/5⭐️
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This book had everything I would want in a cozy fantasy. The setting was so whimsical, the characters were heartwarming and the romance was adorable.
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In this story we follow Arleta who is an aspiring baker in her small magical town. She winds up competing in a baking contest in the nearby elf city where she hopes to win and open her own bakery. In the beginning she meets Theo, a handsome elf who escorts her to the competition and there she meets her competitors, both friendly and not so friendly.
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I am so in love with this story. I devoured this book in one day and I can tell it will be one I will continue to think about for a while. I loved the characters, especially Doli (a dwarf and fellow baker in the competition). The stakes of the baking competition kept me invested the whole time and the romance, while not the main plot, had me kicking my feet! The only criticism I have of this story is that I just wanted more!!! It’s a pretty short read which in some ways was refreshing with it being a fantasy, but I would have loved to have seen more challenges in the baking contest and maybe some more details about some of our characters. This is going to be a series so I’m excited to see how this world expands in the next book!
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This is definitely my favorite cozy fantasy so far this year and I would highly recommend it if you want a super quick read that just feels like a warm cup of coffee and a freshly baked pastry.🧁🍪

When Arleta, a young human woman is invited to the Langheim Baking Battle it makes no sense to her as she had not entered the contest. Theo, an elf, is adamant that she must accompany him immediately to Langheim. The other contestants have some kind of magic to enhance their baking but Arleta has only herbs for her secret ingredients that are lost on journey. Friendship, found family, romance, and delicious baking make make this enjoyably cozy a joy to read.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I thought this book was cute, but not necessarily memorable. I liked the idea of a magical "Great British Baking Show" competition, and the diversity of characters was really fun. However, towards the end it got a bit repetitive, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the romance side-plot. There just wasn't enough there for me to buy it, and what was there didn't really make sense. I found myself way more interested in the baking and the side characters than the FMC and MMC. I think if the book had been longer and gone a bit more in-depth into some of the themes it mentioned, I might have enjoyed it more.

This book was so cute and fun. I read it in less than twenty four hours and I had an amazing time with it.

The characters in were all so nice and likable. I loved every single one of them and I loved how each one of them had a purpose. My favorite character was definitely Doli. She was so nice and sweet to everyone!

Lastly, the found family that the main character created was one of my favorite parts of the book. I love how they all had completely different personalities but they all made their friendship work. I love them so muchhhh!!

I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a cute and cozy fantasy to read in the spring (I personally think this book matches with spring).

This is the sweetest little book! The writing pulls you in like a long lost friend and you get the joy of catching up with them. Meeting Arleta and following her on her sweet quest made me wanna sit in the kitchen with some cookies baking. This is incredibly well written and lighthearted. But it has complex themes of identity and grief. Wonderful, amazing, read in nearly one sitting. I could not put this book down!

First of all, thank you to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
I can see that this book has been out a little while, so I assume it's just about to get a rerelease?
Anyway, this is a perfectly charming little read, but not much beyond that. The characters are varied but mostly unmemorable, and though the magical version of the Great British Bake Off was a fun concept, it was a little repetitive in execution.
I like a cosy fantasy, and this was certainly that, but the repetitive self-doubt and unearned romance plot left me a little frustrated. A way to pass an afternoon.

Cozies aren't my typical genre of preference, but I was charmed by Arleta and enjoyed the whole cast of characters and the bake off. This story was lighthearted in the best way. I think that this author's books are only going to get better and look forward to their next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for letting me read this book early.

I rated this book 3.5 stars.

If you like books like Legends and Lattes and enjoy The Great British Bake Off you will like this book.
The descriptions of the bakes throughout this book was wonderful and made me hungry 😁 It was very low stakes, the major conflict being with the main character Arleta’s own insecurities and doubts.
The cast of characters in this book were also very delightful and each had a very different personality that all blended well together.
I finished this book in 4 days.
If you need a light hearted, low/no stakes, palette cleanser book this is a good one to try.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for my honest review.

3 stars
I enjoyed this book, it was quite a quick read that was very cozy.
It has a stunning cover, and contains a baking competition, mythical creatures, magcial friendships and a lot of cozy and feelgood vibes.

'She might only be human, but at least her baked goods tasted magical.'

This was SUPER cute and cosy. The most wholesome read for the moments of wanted low key downtime. Arleta's adventure from the small town of Adenashire to the wide world of baking was a joy to journey on, and I absolutely LIVED for the moments of self discovery, found family, romance and magical baking! Picture orcs for neighbours, an elf for a romantic interest, and dwarf as a best friend.

My favourite moments largely centred around the development of Arleta, Doli and Jez's friendship at the baking contest. Admixed with the mouthwatering descriptions of tasty cakes, cookies and lemon bars were moments of girlhood, vulnerability and the formation of an unlikely family. Each chapter leaves you feeling light, warm and cosy.

While the story was very much surface level, I feel it wasn't ever meant to be anything than a lighthearted magical journey. Likened to the Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst.

As a bonus, the recipes of the baked goods described during the book are included at the end!!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC

God, I love cosy fantasy.

This review may contain spoilers!
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for this ARC 🥰

This has:
- Found family
- Baking competition?? (The day I don't love a food related cosy fantasy I am probably dead)
- Femme friendships and love
- Understanding some toxic people aren't really toxic

Arleta's parents died when she was very young, and ever since she has been trying to find her own way in the world through her baking, to make them proud. Then her next door neighbour enters her into a prestigious baking competition that turns her world upside down in the best way possible.

Look, I adore a found family trope. But I absolutely adored how some of Arleta's found family was already there, she just had to let them be! As well as the family found along the way. It was a gorgeous tale of letting yourself be loved, and accepting help. I also really loved how empathetic Arleta is. She kept finding herself in bad positions with a certain other baker, yet she always continued to see her point of view.

There was a romance subplot but in honesty, I would have preferred it without it. It wasn't necessarily bad but if it was taken out, or even if he (I can't actually remember his name right now) was just a friend that was also a part of the found family, I would probably have given it 5* as it felt like a needless addition to me.

Overall though I loved this read and am off to request #2 which I'm really hoping is Jez and Doli romance?! 🤞

A cute cozy fantasy that inspired me to watch The Great British Bake Off. Not high on plot but adored the world, characters and vibes

Thank you, Netgalley, for a copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

Read this book if you like:
□ found family
□ pastries
□ fantasy species (elves, orcs, dwarves etc.)
□ competitions
□ fated mates

This is such a cozy, feel-good story. It kinda reminds me of Legends & Lattes.

How the FMC goes on the road for the first in forever to participate in a baker competition and follows her dreams... it's so heartwarming. Along with a handsome woodland elf, the non-magical human arrives at her destination and meets various fantasy species. It's a totally different world, only the beginning of a fantastic adventure.

If only I could dive into this story and taste the FMC's pastries. Every pastry is explained so detailed, and it made me drool most of the time. She deserves her own bakery!

I loved seeing the FMC opening up herself to other people and even forming strong friendships. And the romance in the book is so precious.

At the end of the book, there are three recipes of the pastries mentioned throughout the story. I'm definitely going to try them!

The start of Arleta's story stresses me out. She's a human with no wizard ability in a world that looks down on the nonmagical. She's also chronically late to things. Thankfully once the baking competition gets underway her punctuality ceases to be an issue.

The baking competition resembles The Great British Baking Show, with signature bakes and technical challenges. The Baking Battle isn't as cozy, though there are no rules against friends lending each other a hand... Arleta's main competitors are a friendly dwarf, a grumpy fox woman, and an elf who's already won two previous Baking Battles.

And then there's that handsome man pictured on the cover. He's very helpful and sometimes a bit distracting. Arleta needs to focus on the perfect bakes, so let's just put him on low heat for a slow burn romance.

Book Review 📚💖👩🏻‍🍳

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic (book 1 of 4)
By @jpennerauthor
Publisher @poisonedpenpress
Releases April 15th 2025

Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for this arc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Blurb:
“She doesn’t need to have magic in order to be magic…

In the heart of Adenashire, where elfish enchantments and dwarven delights rule, human baker Arleta Starstone works twice as hard at perfecting her unique blend of baking with apothecary herbs. So, when her orc neighbor (and biggest fan) secretly enters her creations into the prestigious Langheim 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, she’ll need more than just her pastry craft to sweeten the odds.

Though Arleta may not yet believe in herself, she makes her way to Langheim—with the help of a very attractive woodland elf—and competes. While on a journey of mouthwatering pastries, self-discovery, heartwarming friendships, and potential romance, Arleta will have to decide whether winning the Baking Battle is the true prize after all. But win or lose, her adventure is only beginning…”

My thoughts 💭
This was an adorable and quick read! The story is sweet, the characters diverse and lovable. Great mix of fantasy and found family. While there are undertones of romance, this is definitely not a romantasy and there is no spice. (Yearning and flirting but no actual action besides a kiss I believe).
This book had me smiling and wanting to read faster to see how the competition ended. I found myself relating at times to Arleta. Great first book to a series, I wish it had been a but longer. I will definitely be reading the rest as they are released!

#netgalley #poisonedpenpress #jpennerauthor #afellowshipofbakersandmagic #bookreview #bookarc #aprilrelease #bookrelease #bookseries #fantasybook #fatedmates #competition

A cozy fantasy filled with warm vibes, mouthwatering baking, and charming side characters. The food descriptions were next-level—I was constantly hungry while reading. While I didn’t totally click with the main character, the side cast (shoutout to the orc dads and fennec fox friend) totally stole the show. The ending felt a little rushed and some of the emotional arcs could’ve used more time to breathe, but overall, it was a sweet and easy read. If you’re in the mood for cozy vibes, magical bakes, and soft found-family moments, this one’s worth checking out.

This was so cozy and relaxing to read. Remember my three star reads are definitely recommended read to people that love the genre they are about. I loved the map and the recipes that were definitely fun addition to the story.

Now this was not quite to my top reads because I didn’t feel connected to the main character. The plot was predictable which is fine for a cozy book like this but don’t expect big twist in the plot.

Recommended to any cozy fantasy readers.

Thank you Sourcebooks for providing this book for review consideration via @netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Fellowship of Bakers and Magic is a story as charming as it’s title. While reading this I felt as cozy as it promises, just like if I were watching The Great British Baking Show. There were all sorts of magical creatures, a love story, and various low stakes drama. I enjoyed it enough that I will want to continue the series. Do not skip the bonus chapter after the epilogue - I loved it.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!