In A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic, we meet Arleta and her dreams of opening her own bakery in her town. However, she is discriminated against for being human (non-magic). Things get rough for her and she faces challenges, but never asks for help. Her neighbors secretly enter her into a baking competition, which opens many doors for her. It is billed as a cozy, fantasy read and was easy to get through and enjoyable.

My favorite thing about this book was the descriptions of food and baking. These made my stomach growl while reading. So good! Do not read while hungry. Many thanks for the recipes! I also adored the side characters. I think we all have a fennec fox friend in our lives and I loved this one.

My biggest gripe was the FMC. She was all over the place with emotions. I really didn't like her that much until about 70% in. Also, the relationship seemed a little forced. I love Instalove (judge me all you want!), but this wasn't it. This was, "let's spend barely any time together and now have the readers believe we are in love". It just felt forced to me.

All in all, I liked it. Did it hit the "Legends and Lattes" caliber that is was billed as? No. But that's okay, it still was a cozy read.

*Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Cozy fantasy Great British Bakeoff premise? Sold. Execution wasn't the best for me though... I felt like we kept focusing so much on this burgeoning romance between Theo and Arleta and less on the baking itself! It took me out of the coziness, even with the fun cast of characters and delicious bakes. The ending was super rushed in an attempt to set up the rest of the series, but it just didn't hit for me.

A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic is the start of a new series by J.Penner. A cozy romantasy that readers of Travis Baldree’s Legends and Lattes will adore. Ok two is coming out soon and I am very excited to continue the adventure with Arleta and her found family.

Arleta lost her parents at 16 and her neighbors and orc couple have helped her transition to adulthood as surrogate fathers. Arleta is a very independent young woman and doesn’t want to rely on the orcs for too much. She is very self conscious and has low self esteem. She is a magical baker though and sells her wares at the local market. Dreaming of her own bakery is something Arleta doesn’t think can actually happen though.

Until a wood elf named Theo shows up with an invitation to a bake off in the Northern Lands. That is when Arleta’s life will change and Hope will blossom along with more found family and finding true love.
This novel has all the good vibes you could hope for. A perfect read to pick you up or for vacation.

A cute little cozy fantasy book. I found it to be just the thing to read as a breather between heavier books.

Arleta is "just a magicless human" in many eyes, even her own, but not in the ones that love her, from her caring neighbors, a pair of Orcs who have been watching over her for years, to the new Elf in her life, many see her potential and push her to try her best even when she digs in her heels and tries to deny it.

Overall no big stakes other than a baking competition and a judge with a grudge, but the characters were fun and unique, and I can't wait to read the sequel as another breather book between others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc.

I read a lot of fanfic and this felt like fanfic but in a bad way. In fanfic, you sometimes don't need character development because you already know the character. Arleta had no personality trait except for anxiety. In fanfic, you're often reading a romance because you're already attached to the ship. Yes, Theo was her fated. But why? Why did he like her? She doesn't seem to be particularly interesting or funny or smart or brave or whatever. He likes her because he likes her - why should the reader. I also appreciate cozy... but the lack of conflict was boring. There could have been something interesting to the other bakers, except they all just instantly fell in love with Arleta. There could have been interesting conflict with the other elf (whose name I already forgot despite reading this yesterday) except we don't know what she wants either - just what she doesn't. Even the world building is not that good. Other races don't like magicless humans? Ok, why? Racism against the magic-less is not a sufficiently interesting motivation. What is the magic actually good for? What do the characters actually want?????

My first read from J. Penner and I’ve got to say this was an absolute gem. Such a nice palette cleanser of a book. I can describe as traveling into a quaint cozy world of magic and finding myself watching a bake off! I used to love watching baking shows and this was just that in a book! Each character was so well depicted! I love love the Orcs and how our FMC Arleta finally learns that to love them as her fathers. It’s definitely a story of distance makes the heart grow fonder with those three. Then there’s Theo! This cute fated mate love was so nicely put together. I was so happy he put her before anything else. And let this no magical being truly come to terms with everything on her own. Her besties Doli and Jez were so great. Jez truly had me cracking up most of the book because I completely understand her attitude.
Overall I highly recommend this book and I’m so happy to have been able to read it.

🌟 Book Review: A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic 🌟
⭐ 3.5/5

I had the pleasure of reading A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic thanks to NetGalley, and overall, this was a charming and cozy fantasy that delivered exactly what it promised: a magical baking competition with all the warm, comforting vibes of a “Great British Bake-Off” meets fantasy.

The competition aspect was definitely my favorite part! It added a fun, structured tension to the plot, and I thought it matched the atmosphere of the book beautifully. I just wish the story had leaned even more into this element — the baking and challenges could have used a bit more spotlight.

The romance, on the other hand, didn’t quite work for me. The “fated mates” trope felt a bit forced and rushed, and I found myself less invested in that storyline. The writing style also came across as slightly mechanical at times, especially in the dialogue, which felt a little stiff and lacking in emotional depth.

That said, I loved the epilogue — it wrapped things up with such a cozy, satisfying feel. And the recipes included at the end were such a delightful bonus! 🧁✨

Overall, this is a light, low-stakes read perfect for fans of cozy fantasy who want something quick, sweet, and magical. Would recommend it if you’re in the mood for a feel-good story with a sprinkle of enchantment and a whole lot of baked goods!

Such a cozy spring read I love it so much I would definitely recommend it to others and will continue the series

3.5/5

I really enjoyed the imagery and food descriptions within the book. It didn't repeat the same steps ten times through the book it adapted to where it was in the book, giving more descriptive imagery in the beginning and more fast paced cooking at the end. Love how the author included actual recipes at the end.

My couple of snags were how fast paced the FMC gets hit with your my one and only and is magically in love with tall and handsome. I think it was the way the Male lead kinda sounded like a psycho stalker while explaining the whole fate thing.

The imagery was nice, the story was interesting, the plot did kinda go happy go lucky towards the end, but overall a good fantasy read.

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic, by J. Penner, is a cozy romance fantasy set in the world of Ardenshire. Arleta Starstone is a magicless human in a world filled with magical creatures. Arleta dreams of opening her own bakery, but as a magicless human she has to work twice as hard on her recipes to make enough money. That is until her Orc neighbor secretly enters her into the Elven Baking Contest. The prize money could help her buy that dream bakery. Arleta is caught between wanting to prove her culinary prowess and wanting to hide from all the magical folks who think less of her because she human. In order to win the contest, Arleta must find what makes her bakes magical.

This is a very sweet and comforting book to read. All of the characters are entertaining. The diversity in the book is good, there's characters from all different walks of life working to come together. The friendships formed in this book are the highlight of Penner's writing. This book is a fun, sweet, heartwarming book to read when you're looking for something with low stakes.

The idea of the baking contest is great. It's an excellent setting for a cozy novel. The contest kinds of reads like the Great British Bake Off. There needs to be more of the baking contest in the book. The actual contest only takes up a third of the book. It's the main plot point and it's where all of the interest of the book is. There needed to be more written about the actual competition. The Judges of the competition could have been filled out more. They seem to come out of nowhere, but it would have been nice if they had been in the story more. It would also have been nice to get more of the other competitors in the competition. The baking contest would have been excellent if it had been flushed out a little more.

The romance in this book was not as well paced as it could have been. The development of the relationship was good. Arleta and Theo made for a cute couple and they romantic tension was good. However, their conflict in the book was not well thought out. The pacing of the relationship messed with the overall pacing of the book. The relationship should have been paced to go with the baking battle, but it read as a separate story. If the two plots could have been better melded together the story would have seemed much more cohesive.

Overall, this is a good book, it just needed some work with the pacing. If you liked Legends and Lattes this has a very similar vibe. There are stakes but they aren't very high, so its a nice relaxing read. This book is definitely worth picking up if you're looking for you're next cozy fantasy read.

I was given an ARC by Netgalley and Poison Pen Press for an honest review.

A human, a dwarf and an elf walk into a bake-off...
A cozy fantasy about baking - how could I resist?

"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."

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic is full of found family, hopes/dreams, magic, self- discovery & romance. Oh and let's not forget the baking.

This book read like watching an episode of Bake Off. Cuddle up with a blanket, pastry & get lost in a magical baking competition. So many delightful treats are described in the novel that it set off my baking bug. I squealed with delight when I saw there were recipes in the back. The lemon bars are delicious.
I adore baking the book whenever there is food involved.

While it can be read as a standalone, there is a whole magical world to discover. I can't wait to see where else @jpennerauthor will take us.
If you like sweet treats & even sweeter stories, read this.

I adored this cozy fantasy. Baking and magic, combined with interesting characters and a love story was just what I needed when life felt like too much.
This was an easy read and although it was predictable, I enjoyed the journey.

This was like a cup of tea on a cool autumn morning, just perfectly cosy with the sweetest romance. I loved the found family in this, and how they all supported Arleta even when she doubted herself and her place as a human in a world centred around magical creatures.
This wasn't very long, but it was the perfect length for its genre - a perfect pallette clenser to help relax after complex fantasies or something highly emotional.
Thank you J Penner, Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this eARC.

“Human or not… your life is steeped in magic. You’re surrounded by it. You just can’t see it yet, but it’s out there, waiting.”

If there’s one thing I will credit this book for, it is the baking. Lemon bars? Raspberry tarts? Jam-filled donuts? Each mentioned pastry made my mouth water and added a new recipe to my Pinterest.

Other than that… I had some issues.

The book is too long, and it doesn’t help that the baking competition doesn’t start until almost the HALFWAY POINT. Most of the travel there could and should have been cut so that 1) Arleta could get to know the actually plot-relevant characters better and 2) the readers aren’t filled with pointless details about characters they’ll never see again.

There are only so many characters you can add to a story before it gets muddied. I loved Verdreth and Ervash— I think we all need a supportive gay orc couple in our lives— but that’s about where it stops for me when it comes to characters I cared about. There were just too many to keep track of, and by the time plot-relevant people came into the picture, I was too frustrated to care to know them. Who cares that the stranded faun’s cow is named Violet?

I didn’t come for the romance, so I didn’t much care for it. But I’m not going to knock the book for that.

This book was like a warm loaf of fresh bread—comforting, a little messy, and totally satisfying. I loved the group of magical misfits baking their way through chaos, and the spells mixed with sugar were such a fun twist.

Some parts felt a bit rushed or needed a pinch more world-building, but honestly? I didn’t care that much because I was having too much fun. Cozy, magical, and made me really crave pastries.

Would absolutely join this fellowship (as long as I don’t have to do the dishes).

Arleta Starstone is a human in a magical world struggling to keep up. She is a passionate baker but must work twice as hard for all she has as those with magic must work. Her neighbor and biggest fan submits her into a baking contest and when she is selected she sets off on a journey that will change her life.

This was a delightful fantasy romp with the tender coziness of The Great British Bake-off. I absolutely adored our cast of characters and the journey they went on. The contest was fun and exciting with enough details to satisfy but few enough not to bore. The ending was better than I could have ever expected and the epilogue is the perfect cherry on top! I really loved this one from beginning to end.

I did think that the hints to a certain twist were a little heavy handed. I also found Arleta’s constant assumption that mortals can’t be in the competition to be silly. There didn’t need to be some rule about it for her to feel like she can’t win without magic. The feeling of inferiority and disadvantage would’ve been enough.

Ultimately I loved this book and would recommend it to cozy fantasy fans!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book before publishing.

This book was exactly what I needed and when I needed it.
I enjoyed the writing style, the characters felt very well thought-out and loved the friendship between Arleta, Doli and Jaz. I didn't care much for the romance, felt a bit too insta-lovely to me, but I still had a good time reading those parts. I would definitely like to read the rest of the series!
Perfect for a quick, low-stakes read on a rainy day.

"A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic" transports you straight into the whimsical world of Adenashire, where baking isn’t just a hobby, it’s a magical art form. Arleta Starstone, a determined human baker, is ready to show the world that she can make her mark, even in a world dominated by elves and dwarves with their enchanted culinary skills. When she’s thrown into the prestigious Elven Baking Battle, she faces not only her magical (and super talented) competition but also her own self-doubt. What follows is a journey of sweet pastries, even sweeter friendships, and a dash of self-discovery.

I’m OBSESSED with the world-building and the creativity behind these magical bake-offs. Seriously, the cakes and pastries in this book? Drool-worthy doesn’t even begin to cover it. 🍪🧁 The best part? There are actual recipes at the end! I’m definitely tempted to try baking some myself (fingers crossed I don’t burn them). Arleta’s growth throughout the book was not just inspiring, it was the kind of heartwarming journey that made me want to hug the book.

Whether you’re in the mood for a cozy, feel-good fantasy or you just want to escape into a world of magic and mouthwatering baked goods, this book has you covered. With magic, friendship, low stakes and just the right touch of romance, A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic is a must-read. And you can bet I’ll be first in line for whatever J. Penner bakes up next!

Readers who enjoyed Legends and Lattes or The Spellshop will love this. Also, it was giving me British Bake off but with fae!

The book was an enchanting blend of romance, magic, and a baking show. A down-on-her-luck human orphan struggles to make a living in a magical town. Although her food is magically delicious, the local residents are not enthused because she's just a human. Well-meaning neighbors enter her in a baking competition, and the story takes off from there. This is a found family story, with some romance and a bit of baking tossed in for good measure. Any reader who enjoys cozy romance and follows the baking shows will enjoy this lighthearted story.

My Rating: 4.25*

If you don’t like cozy fantasy, you are welcome to your opinion, but you would be wrong. This book feels like a great read if you’ve finished Legends & Lattes or the Tomes & Tea series. The characters are likeable and enjoyable t read about. This is a low stakes books with minimal drama but a lot of romantic angst where the two characters seem to fight their feelings for each other for 90% of the story. Nevertheless, it is a really cute, one-bed situation and I thought Theo was adorable.

If you watch The Great British Baking Show, you will understand the premise of this book. Arleta, a non-magical human, is entered into a baking competition by a family friend, must now face off against some of the greatest bakers in the realm. Since she was a late entry, Theo enters the scene to delivers her invitation in person and to escort her to the competition. The romantic tension is high, the self-doubt is also high, and the baked pastries galore. I loved the fact the book has recipes after the story.

This book is cute and fun, but it’s not perfect and there is nothing earth shattering about it. However, if you want to just feel good and pick up an easy read. This is one to add to your TBR list.