This book was a bit boring for me. I felt like parts of the book were just glued together and it didn’t make sense. Almost like parts were missing. I found the characters to be likeable, i loved the fantasy aspects of A Fellowshipo of Bakers and Magic, my reading experience just felt a little lack luster.

I am honestly not sure what inspired me to grab this title. Could’ve been chatter and FOMO or maybe the cover grabbed me, but it is outside my normal comfort reading. But I’m glad I did.

I’m such a fan of baking and cooking in a book. So it gets a check for that. But what I loved most was the friendship. Arleta keeps her integrity, competes and comes out even stronger with great new friends.

Yes there’s a sweet romance and I’ve grown a little fond of light or cozy fantasies. But I also loved the characters. I cheered and rooted for all of them. I was almost hoping for some cheesy outcome that let everyone win. And I would’ve groaned at that but I was so invested in them all that I would have secretly smiled at that.

I loved that when I finished the book, there were recipes for Arleta’s treats.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received the eARC for my honest opinion.

If you love fantasy, with romance, that has magic, magical creatures, a baking competition and is just cozy and sweet. Well, look no further because this is the book. This book is perfect for lovers of Legends and Lattes.

I loved that this book was really like what the author said it would be vibes like in The Hobbit and the Great British Bake-off. It was so true, and I loved every moment of it. I was able to finish this book right after I was done with getting my garden ready for next month's planting. The plot was full of build-up, drama, hopes and fears, and of course a sweet romance. I found the characters to have been well developed as well. The pace of the book was perfect, it was fast and has you wanting to know what was going to happen next. I loved that you got to see how the characters came up with their dishes and OMG I am so happy that the author put the recipes at the end of the book because I can’t wait to try them. You will find family, great strong female friendships, and fated mates. Even with the fated mates’ part of the book really is the side plot and having Arleta find herself and her dreams was the real story of the book.

Arleta is a human who is sadly not blessed with magic, but she knows how to create magic in the kitchen. She has always dreamt of having her own bakery in town, but she needs to make enough money at the market but she keeps getting the worse stalls at the market so she knows that it will take her forever, until one day when an Elf comes to town to inform her that she has been accepted into the Grand Bake off, but she must leave now to make it there in time. I liked that we got to see her character growth throughout the book, and you will get to see her shine throughout the book. I loved that by the end of the bake off you start to see what she really wants in life now and it’s still the same but different at the same time. I can’t say more, or I might give out spoilers…. But just know you will fall in love with this cozy read.

I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned press for the opportunity to review this book.

This story is the absolutely cutest. I can identify so well with Arleta as a lost adult trying to sort out her own life. Props to her for being brave enough to bear on the challenge in the baking competition. I adored the whole cast of characters. All were deeply described and so so loveable. It was good that there was a mixture of all different kinds of creatures. I recommend this books for anyone who wants a light cozy read.

⭐️: 4.25
🌶️: 0

Favorite Quote:
"There is plenty of magic in you. You are magic... for me." He reached up and touched her cheek, making Arleta's knees go weak and nearly buckle under her weight. "And I will be yours whether or not you want me... until I am no more."

I’m so incredibly grateful to the author, J. Penner, and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of the Deluxe Edition of this lovely book in exchange for an honest review.

When I told my best friend that I’d received an ARC of a book I thought she would love and should check out asap, she told me she’d already read the series and was about to recommend it to me herself! This is the updated edition and the only one I’ve read so I do not have anything to compare it to.

I loved this book. Plain and simple.

Arleta is a FMC who has lost those closest to her and built up walls to keep out any future her. Her walls just happen to smell of vanilla and are built of the flakiest pastry possible. She’s a magicless human in a world filled with magical beings. She never truly believes in herself enough to charger full price for what her bakes are worth or to stand up for herself when in the small knit community of her hometown. But her adoptive fathers believe in her and set her on the path to this lands version of GBBO. She learns so much about who she is and what she’s capable of during the competition while pickup up a few friends along the way.

Theo is just adorable. Ugh. I love how respectful he is over Arleta’s space and letting her take the lead at every turn. His never ending patience and care is beautifully written in such a way you can’t help but cheer for him. Also. Anyone with a talking woodland lynx as a package deal is a winner in my book.

The supporting characters are a fantastic edition. They balance out the various aspects of the story and help move the plot along while making you come to care about them.

I do love that the book didn’t just end like one chapter after the competition completes. As with life, nothing is cut and dry and the stories don’t just end when the big event does.

Overall, this is a heartwarming, cozy fantasy that you won’t be able to put down. And it includes actual recipes mentioned in the book! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

This book has left me craving all the deserts and pastries! It was a fun and cozy story, and in a pleasant surprise the baking competition wasn’t the entire book. The friendships and found family were the true show stealers. Though I appreciated that the insta-love turned into a slow burn friends to lovers romance, Arelta’s hesitation regarding pursuing a relationship with Theo felt unnecessarily drawn out. But Theo was adorable in his unconditional support of Arelta, his continued belief in her when she didn’t believe in herself. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I’m looking forward to future books in the series! Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC, thoughts are my own.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

This was an adorably cute book that I absolutely adored and had trouble putting down. Thanks for the read.

3.25 stars

This story of growing up, building confidence, and building a life you love was cute and sweet, and I love great British bake off so it was fun seeing a competition show in a fantasy setting. It was easy to read, in a hallmark-movie kind of way, and the ending gave me happy vibes.

The writing and plotting was a bit uneven at times, with odd, overly specific descriptions that didn’t always make sense or matter. Arleta swung wildly between confidence and fear, and her reactions were jerky and unpredictable. She held Theo at arms length for way too long, when her choice to be with him seemed obvious to everyone around them. I wish that part of the story had been wrapped up before the end of the baking battle, because the competition ended up being a little anticlimactic.

Arleta was obviously Theo’s Fated mate from even before we knew that was a thing - his reaction to seeing her was so odd, and his insistence that she had to complete so nonsensical that finding it the existence of Fated mate is the only thing that made it make sense. And then what didn’t make sense was why he was hiding it from her. Talking about having a fated but not telling her it’s her is a weird way to make sure the girl you like never opens up to you at all, or of she does, she feels super guilty and awkward about it, as if she’s nothing special and will be left behind the second you find “the one.” What’s even worse, though, is how Arleta acted after Theo finally told her the truth: her continued insistence that it’s impossible because of some kind of internal racism against her own species.

Humans with no magic being second class citizens isn’t that unexpected in a fantasy world but the rhetoric around it was pretty heavy-handed, especially the way Arleta spoke about herself not being worthy and continually undervaluing not only her bakes but her actual self-worth. I’m glad that the baking competition helped build confidence in her abilities finally, though it did seem to lock into place rather suddenly.

All in all, this one was fun to read, if a little frustrating at times. It seems like this is the first in a series, which might make for easy reading in the future.

This book was originally self-published, but a new special edition was just released this week, and the rest of the series will follow later this year. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Poison Pen Press, for an early copy for review purposes.

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic had all the cozy fantasy ingredients: magical baking, found family, sweet side characters, and a dash of romance. The food descriptions were incredible—honestly, I was starving the entire time—and the side characters (orc dads! grumpy fox friend!) totally stole the show.

But I struggled with the main character. Arleta’s constant negativity, indecision, and emotional whiplash made it hard to connect with her, and her romance arc felt forced and underdeveloped. Add in slow pacing (the bake-off starts at 40%!) and a rushed ending, and the book just didn’t hit the cozy sweet spot I was hoping for.

Fun? Yes. Memorable or re-readable? Not really. Still, I’d check out more from Penner—there’s something here worth baking a future story from.

** spoiler alert ** In this book, a young woman named Arleta is pushed to compete in a simplified GBBO style baking competetion. She meets an elf named Theo, who escorts her to the competition. Theo is amazingly hot, amazingly nice, and amazingly compatible with Arleta. Once at the competition, she meets an amazingly nice dwarf fellow competitor who becomes her close friend and also a fennic fox human sort of creature who also reluctantly becomes her friend.

Arleta is her own worst enemy. She wonders if she can possibly compete in the bake-off because as a human, she has no magic. However, there's never any mention of how magic is actually used in this bake-off. Arleta thinks that Theo can't possibly feel romantically toward her even though he's doing everything short of throwing himself at her (because he wants her to be able to make her decision freely, you know, very respectful like that is Theo). Arleta doesn't get the ingredients that she really wants for her bakes because... she's nice, I guess. However, even with all this, Arleta's bakes are AMAZING and she progresses to the end of the competition.

This is one of those books where nothing bad is really going to happen and everything good is eventually going to come our heroine's way. There's an attempt at tension in the book but really, you know it's going to all come out okay. I read this book in less than 2 hours. It's a nice escape into a world of nice people, tasty baked goods, and a wholesome romance. It's not especially well-written but its heart is definitely in the right place. This is a good book for when you just need something very gentle and need no surprises.

This was a delightfully fun and cozy weekend read. Blending the perfect amount of the Great Baking Show of your choice, Romance, and Fantasy the first book in a new series is captivating and enchanting as a magic less human goes head to head in a cooking competition with characters that could populate your favorite high fantasy novel. Filled with writing that is as delightful as a good cake and dialogue as snappy as a perfect cookie this a book that will leave you smiling and longing for the next book.

A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic is a wonderful and charming cozy fantasy book imbued with Great British Bake Off energy and just incredible vibes. Filled with mouth watering desserts and dishes, this book was a treat to read. It combines classic tropes (like only one bed and found family) with a plot that tugs on the heart strings in all the best ways. Including sassy horses, talking cats, a gay orc couple who own a bookstore, plants that tell love stories, and tea, A Fellowship of BaKers and Magic is an essential read for cozy fantasy fans. Another bonus is that the author included the recipes at the end! I read this on an airplane and my only regret is that I wasn’t seated by a fireplace with a mug of tea and my dog next to me. Maybe I’ll just have to wait for the sequel to do that…

This is a lovely book that combines a clever cozy premise with magic when a non-magical human is enrolled in the magical version of the Great British Baking Show. It combines sweet characters, an engaging heroine and clever writing.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and Source Books for my complimentary eARC of A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a super cute cozy fantasy and just what I needed to read while in the midst of a baking frenzy! I was hungry for (more) baked goods after reading the first page. Thank you very much for including the recipes at the end.
And surprise! I have made the chocolate chunk cookies and they are delicious!

It was so reassuring to see anxiety, grief and panic attacks shown in a MC with compassion and understanding. Arleta has had a lot happen in her short life, but she is able to rise above them with the love and understanding of her (new) friends and her fathers. I am so happy to see this is the first of a new series and look forward to the next installment.

Perfect if you enjoy the following:
Found Family
Standing up for yourself
Dealing with Grief
Fantasy Romance
Mystery
Cozy Fantasy Romance

This book was so enjoyable! A cute premise - a baking challenge plus magic. I read this book pretty quickly. It will be on my re-read list for sure.

This was a quick and very cosy read with a unique premise of a baking show but set in a high fantasy world, however, the execution couldn't convince me fully. The beginning was interesting and a good introduction to the main character and her struggles and background, I adored the quaint town and the idea of the baking show. The found family vibes were sweet and the baking scenes left me with a craving for scones, cookies and other baked goods.

On the other hand many things felt rushed, especially the relationships (both romantic and friendship), where we don't really get to know the other characters a lot but they are immediately best friends/in love.. the female main character was suuper inconsistent, switching from very insecure to confident many times, and much of the book was her inner dealings, which is fine, if they are interesting... In this case they were often redundant, I found her pretty annoying after a while.

The ending felt kinda drawn out and weird, both rushed and anticlimactic somehow, because we all knew what was coming. I think the message the author wanted to get across was fine, just a little too obvious and more told than actually shown how embodying it could look like.

The writing was okay, easy to read and fly through but nothing special. So overall a cute story about baking and finding yourself, nice as a quick book inbetween, but nothing special in the flood of cosy fantasy that's been rushing in. I've read worse but also much better books in this genre 🙈

Thanks to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the e-arc!

This is a fun quick read. A mashup of a fantasy setting with a baking competition. Arleta dreams of opening her own bakery, but as a magic less human in world full of magic, she barely gets by selling her baked goods from a table at the market. When the opportunity arises to compete in a baking competition, she tries to get out of it, and barely agrees to go. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Super cozy with a touch of adventure! If you love underdog stories with found friendship, then this is the one for you!! I loved Arleta and Theo and their dynamic. I also really enjoyed the cozy adventure we went on.
The only thing I would suggest is to have the editor do a final round of developmental edits because we do have some telling rather than showing going on, especially where emotions are involved. Otherwise, this was a gem to read and perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree and Faerie Tart by Michelle Fritz

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J. Penner
Rating: 3.75 rounded up to 4 stars

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Sourcebooks for an e-arc to review!

A cozy fantasy that follows a magicless human, Artleta Starstone, whose dream is to open her own bakery in her hometown, Adenshire. One day Theo shows up to her door inviting her to the Langheim Baking Battle, a renowned competition that Arleta doesn’t believe she’s good enough for. But her neighbors, an orc pair who believe in her magical bakes, entered her without her knowledge.

This was such a cozy, enjoyable story. The Lord of the Rings meets The Great British Baking Show in the absolute best way. The cast of magical beings from orcs to dwarves to elves and more are such a delight. And the baked goods? Mouthwatering descriptions that made me want to try each and everyone one!

I enjoyed meeting each new character that showed up, Doli the dwarf trying to make her own way and Jez the grumpy fennex who is kind and caring. And of course Theo Brylar, a gentle elf who just wants to see Arleta shine. I love a good found family story and this was just that.

The only reason this isn’t a higher rating is because the writing felt a bit lackluster. The food was described in such great detail but I felt other areas could have used more attention. I’ll still be following the series because I want to know more and follow other characters’ stories!

Out Now!
I feel like I might have fallen into the Keebler tree baking battle and a sweet side of romance.
Sweet and cozy just what I needed on a quiet Friday night.
When I was offered this I didn't realize it had already been released and it was a series of 4 books so far!! I can't wait to read the next one in the series

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.