Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This series continues to delight and inspire! In this installment, we follow Doli as she adapts to a new life in Adenashire. Surrounded by friends new and old, she learns to trust in her abilities and fully embrace who she is.

This series is the ultimate in cozy fantasy, and I look forward to reading the rest surrounded by coffee/tea and a comfy blanket.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poison Pen Press for the advanced reader's copy of The Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons by J. Penner.

The author has done it again. A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons is a charming follow-up to Fellowship of Bakers and Magic, and it delivers all the cozy, feel-good fantasy vibes. One of my favorite additions was the baby dragon who was curious, mischievous, and absolutely obsessed with pastries. It was like having a puppy with wings and an appetite for cinnamon buns. The dragon added a layer of joy and gentle chaos that balanced perfectly with the cozy bookstore setting.

The author's writing is calm and engaging, with characters who feel like friends. There’s a sense of community and purpose that runs through the narrative, making this the kind of book you want to curl up with under a blanket on a rainy afternoon.

If you loved Fellowship of Bakers and Magic, this sequel will wrap you up in that same comforting feeling.

I've read A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons by J. Penner. It's my first enjoyable acquaintance with the author and her books.

This book was an absolute treat, like a warm cup of cocoa with a sprinkle of magic. The story is about self-discovery, found family, friendship and just the right amount of romance. The characters were all so charming. It filled me with joy and it's a total addictive fairytale with a fantastical ending.

The story is about Doli, a dwarf who works in a bookstore. She inherits a dragon egg from her uncle and she's responsible for Evvy, the little dragon she hatched. Her friends and family will help her through all this, and all the other responsibilities in her life, and in her new love.
While all these characters go on this journey together, they learn to get to know eachother better and become very close.

It's a cozy fantasy book and I loved it. For me it's definitely a 3 star read, and I will enjoy reading other books of this author.

Thank you, J. Penner, Netgalley and Poisoned Penn Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Fellowship of Librarians And Dragons is a sweet, cozy, magical read about friendship, discovering your own path and finding love in the most loveable way.💫💫💫💫💫

Doli is a dwarf who lives her life as carefree and sweetly as she can. But when she is given a dragon egg to care for, her world is turned up side down. She will navigate this new normal in a chaotic but cute way. Her very diverse magical friends will help guide her and her dragon while Doli also navigates the world of love.

I really loved the world that is Adenashire and the magical creatures that inhabit it. Eevy, the dragon is such a cutie that I just want to hug.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

An extremely unexpected inheritance, a prophecy fulfilled, a tiny pink dragon, a romance blossomed, self-discovery, mending of familial bonds, daring rescue, and so many happy tears. Yet, the book still felt like such an incredibly warm hug. I am shocked at how much happened in this book while still being so wonderfully warm and cozy.

I connected so well with Doli too, a people pleaser, confrontation avoider, hating to see others upset and wanting to do all in your power to fix it, afraid to truly embrace herself. It was so sweet to see as well as seeing a very realistic, slow growth at embracing herself and finding her voice.

3,5 stars

A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons is a companion and follow up to A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic. Where we first follow a baker now we follow a dwarf book seller with tea magic.

Arleta and her friends have returned to her home town Adenashire. Dolli, the dwarf, works and lives at the book store Arletta's fathers own with their fox friend. When an inheritance lands on her doorstep in the form of a dragon, life will change even further for our dwarf.

Dolli is an interesting character. She's stepped out of the normal dwarf mold by entering in the baking contest and moving to Adenashire. Yet she seems scared to show her side that isn't happy and bubbly. But she has that otherwise, that gets cranky. When her parents come to town that is even more so pushed into her need to be the perfect daughter. But she's is never going to be that. I liked this part of the plot. Where she had to learn to stand up to herself and where her parents have also done some looking into themselves by the end.

However I still struggle with the depth in places like her bond with the dragon. I thought there could have been more work done there. Instead a lot of the focus went to learning new things about dragons from her love interest. I also felt that the friendships here were a little pushy. Like who invites all of their friends when a roommate, who is clearly anxious about it, has to open an inheritance box like it is some kind of spectacle? There were more little things like that between them that obstructed the view the author tried to give of his perfect friendship between them all. I feel like those relationships could also use a bit more depth.

Other than that it is an easy cozy fantasy read that is a good read between heavier fantasy.

J. Penner has done it again with this beautiful, emotive and altogether charming sequel in her Adenashire series, with this new novel focusing on the cheerful, calming character of Doli Butterbuckle.

Doli Butterbuckle is a sweet, caring dwarf who always brings a smile to her friends' faces with her addicting personality and her delicious tea-magic but even the happiest people cannot hide their sorrows. Doli is unlike the rest of her dwarf family with their successful mining business; she wants to bake and make tea and create the most adorable clothes in all of Adenashire but she knows her parents will always disapprove of her way of life and deep down, it eats away at her. Life with her friends is fulfilling; no one judges her, she is free to bake, sew and work at the orcs' bookshop till her hearts content but when a strange package arrives from her sadly deceased uncle along with a surprise visit from her judgmental parents, all of Doli's calmness and joyfulness falls out of the window.

What I personally loved about this sequel is how it described the events of the first book without overshadowing the adventures of Doli. Every mention of the characters' adventures in the first book is subtly slipped in without making the reader wonder 'are they just repeating the same stuff?' And Doli's adventures were such a vast contrast to those of Arleta; Doli is forced to deal with uncomfortable emotions, uncontrollable magical forces (dragons, obviously) and letting her guard down for the first time. Doli is what I would class as a people pleaser but in the sense that she tries her best to keep everyone happy and calm and keeping her smile on her face; you can really see the struggle she faces when it comes to allowing someone else to comfort her for once and letting her smile fade just for a moment. It was really lovely to see.

In comparison to the romance of Arleta and Theo, I really enjoyed Doli's romantic relationship in this one. The chemistry and romance happened almost from the get-go which I really enjoyed and whilst Doli has more of an intimate relationship with her companion, it is a closed-door, almost fade to black kind of intimacy where it is implied but not really outright stated which is nice to see.

J. Penner certainly knows how to entertain an audience and keep them begging for more as I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book and find out who will fall in love next!

This was cozy, heart-steeped tale that feels like sipping enchanted tea under the glow of a firefly lantern. Set in the quiet village of Adenshire, we follow Doli — a tea-making dwarf who lives a gentle life among books and brews… until a mysterious inheritance arrives containing, of all things, a dragon egg. 🐉

What unfolds is a soft, slow-burn journey of self-discovery, with Doli navigating newfound responsibility, quiet longing, and her growing bond with a not-so-little dragon. There’s also the whisper of romance — tender and low-key — especially when it comes to Sarson, the new-in-town gargoyle whose gruff charm and grounded presence quietly stole a corner of my heart. 🪨💕

This isn’t a high-octane fantasy — it’s low-stakes, high-comfort. While I would’ve loved just a bit more momentum in the plot or a deeper dip into certain character arcs, I truly enjoyed the cozy rhythm of it all. It’s a standalone too, which makes it a perfect palate cleanser between heavier reads.

If you’re in the mood for dragon hatchlings, tea magic, found family, and a slow, sweet brush of romance (with bonus gargoyle), this one is a gentle delight.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and J. Penner for the gifted e-ARC and the chance to spend time in Adenshire’s cozy corners.

This was a great, cozy read. I'll note that this is the second book in a series, and while it's not necessary to read the first book in the series first, I would recommend it to get a good feel for the characters and setting.
In this book, Doli is settling into a new city with her friends. She's mostly content with her life, despite the fact that it's not what her parents want for her. A mysterious and intriguing stranger, Sarson, comes to town. Just as Doli decides to get to know Sarson better, her life is turned upside down. She inherits a dragon egg, and her parents send a message that they will be arriving in town to visit her the next day. Doli soon has to juggle taking care of a dragon, entertaining her parents, and getting to know Sarson. What's more, Sarson has a mysterious past he doesn't want to discuss, and people in town are quite interested in her dragon.
This was a really fun story to read. There is quite a lot going on in this story, and I feel like because of that, things get wrapped up a bit too quicky at the end. But despite that, the book never loses its cozy feel. Humor and heartwarming moments break up the action of the book so it never feels like the stakes get too high.
This was a great sequel to a Fellowship of Bakers and Magic. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters from the first book even more and continue on their adventures with them. The characters are all so likable and their found family is a delight to read. I liked that this book was from Doli's pov so I got to get to know her better. I also really liked the addition of Sarson to this book. He's a very likable character and I hope that we get to know him even more in the next book. Evvy was absolutely adorable and I love her troublemaking tendencies.
4 stars and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Another cozy and joyous read from J. Penner! I absolutely loved A Fellowship of Baking and Magic and while this one didn’t have quite the same magic for me, it was still adorable, heartwarming, and funny. I loved revisiting the characters from book one and meeting new characters in this installation. My absolute favorite character in this one was Evvy the dragon for sure! I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

this series is super cute. it is slow at times but all and all it was a cute book. I look forward to read more from this series

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons.

This book is adorable. It's incredibly cozy and heartfelt with a touch of spice. I really have no complaints - it's well written, the characters are well thought out, and the storyline is a good mix of sweet and spellbinding. I can't wait for the release!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book 2 of Adenashire follows dwarf Doli, the towns book store worker and her journey with a dragon egg passed down by her uncle. This story is such a feel good cozy fantasy!🤍

A cozy romantasy that lives up to its title….

I was caught – there’s no other word for it – by the title of J Penner’s second Adenashire book: A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons. After all, both librarians and dragons are some of my favorite characters. Now granted, usually the librarians are in mysteries, and the dragons are in fantasies, but that doesn’t always have to be the case – and Penner does a nice job of combining the two in a fun romantasy.

As the story opens, Doli Butterbuckle, who was one of the entrants in the baking competition in the first book, has settled into Adenashire. She’s working in the local bookshop, It’s About Tome, and she has gathered a rather nice found family (a human, a couple of ogres, a fennex, some elves) in counterpoint to her own overbearing dwarf parents. Calm often comes before a storm, though, so when her uncle bequeaths her an almost-ready-to-hatch dragon egg, and then her mother and father show up for an unexpected visit, things get interesting. The dragon egg hatches, releasing Evvy, a terminally cute, but also terminally chaotic, young dragon. And then there's the handsome gargoyle who has recently moved to town. Shake and stir, and enjoy the result.

Provided you go into it with expectations of a slower-paced cozy fantasy with a nice dollop of romance, A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons is as enjoyable as its name, and gets four stars from me. (Please note that four stars is a really solid, read-this-book, recommendation from me, since I try to limit star-flation a bit.) If, however, you’re looking for more of a high-adventure fantasy, this probably won’t be for you.

One final note – when I’m thinking about reviewing a book in a series I’m not familiar with, I will often try to go back and read at least one of the earlier books to see if I really want to read/review the new one. In this case, the first book, A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic, was available via Kindle Unlimited, so I read it. I enjoyed it a lot as well, and I think it helped to have that background when reading this one. Penner does a pretty good job of filling in the absolutely necessary background, so A Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons can be read as a standalone, I think. But if you are able to read the first one first, I would recommend that.

And finally, my thanks to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for my review copy.

I was so thrilled to receive an eARC of this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press by J Penner! Big thank you to all involved, and with that out of the way lets discuss the book:

This novel is on the short end and feels like a warm hug or your favourite cup of tea. The characters feel like friends, and the writing style flows easily. The world building is loose if compared to an epic, but solid enough that you can orient yourself and feels that the author did not want to waste any words and allows the reader to fill in some blanks.

I went back and forth on how to rate this book and had to stick to the system I have in place pretty firmly. The characters are wonderful, though the romance does develop a bit faster than I typically like. That did not detract from my enjoyment of the novel, and I found myself choosing this over the other books I had on the go and putting off tasks in order to read another chapter...or three. I was engrossed and demolished this book in two days despite my non negotiable obligations. The friends felt like a warm hug that encompassed you, and the cosy vibes were strong.

I think this book could have benefitted from another 50 pages to flesh out the action subplot along with the romance a little more. While a good read, the pace and broad strokes left me feeling like something was missing by the time I finished.

A note: consider skipping this one if you are on a strict diet. Lots of delicious food mentioned, and recipes for them at the end!

Overall: if you like cosy books and don't mind broad strokes in plot and romance, read this! It was exactly what my soul needed after a hard week. I'm looking forward to reading the next one, as I imagine it will revolve around Jez who may have been my favourite character.

After the events of the Langheim Baking Battle (related in A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic), the friends have settled down in Adenashire, a quite little town. Everything is going well, until Doli Butterbuckle, a dwarf who’s magic allows her to make perfect cups of tea, receives a note that she’s inherited a dragon egg from her uncle, and her parents are coming to visit. While Doli loves her parents, she’s never quite lived up to their expectations: how can a dwarf be interested in BAKING rather than gems and gold? Things get even more chaotic when the dragon egg hatches, making her mom to an curious, flying, baby. There’s also a new charming, handsome gargoyle in town which makes her pulse race.

I throughly enjoyed this book. I’ve very easy to read, very PGish in tone - I think there’s only one four letter word? And the characters are charming! Orcs who act like everyone’s step father and elves that make magical baked goods - honestly, what’s not to love?

Highly recommended. A peaceful, perfect for curling up with a cup of tea book! I received a copy of this from netGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

🫖 A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons ☕️
✍🏼 J. Penner
📚 Adenshire #2
⭐️ 4/5
Pub Date: June 3

What a delightful read! This book was the perfect palate cleanser for me. It was cozy, easy to read, and very wholesome. I have not yet read the first book of the series but I still felt able to follow along the story without any difficulties. If you enjoyed Legends & Lattes and are looking for a low stakes adventure with low spice, this book will be perfect for you!

Our story follows a lovely Dwarf named Doli who works in a bookstore and has the gift of tea magic. She is surrounded by a beautiful found family trying to find her way, and happiness, in the world away from her parents unfair expectations. When she receives a surprise inheritance from her Uncle, Doli’s whole life takes some unexpected turns. Doli is a people pleaser, which is extremely relatable for me. I enjoyed watching her build self confidence, get stronger at communicating, and begin enforcing healthy boundaries. It was a lovely journey to read!

Enter our love interest, the charming and very blue gargoyle Sarson. He is gentle, kind and the perfect match to Doli. I adored him instantly! Did I mention he also loves books? Who doesn’t love a well read man? Their courtship was gentle and wholesome and had me smiling ear to ear.

I thoroughly enjoyed the eclectic collection of characters in this book and their interrelationship dynamics. They all showed up for each other and it was obvious how much love is in their found family.

All-in-all it was a quick read and exactly what I needed. Thank you to J. Penner and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

TL/DR: Hopefully you have read the synopsis. Besides the inheritance box coming from a distant uncle with a letter from her parents, it more or less offers a good overview. If you are looking for a cozy fantasy, filled with rich world building, learning it’s ok to not be ok sometimes and oh yeah, a dragon (a lot of laughs for readers, not so much for the characters) and to learn to truly embrace who you are, get the book. It is still enjoyable even if you haven’t read the first one, but you can always start the series and already have book 2 waiting. So yeah, I highly recommend the deluxe edition of this book.

I read this book in one sitting and was sad when it ended. The bonus chapter helped as did the recipes for a couple of the delicious sounding desserts in the book. Thank you J. Penner!
Now the synopsis of the book is a little off. Yes, FMC Doli, inherits a dragon egg, but it comes in the form of an inheritance from an uncle she barely knew, with a letter from her parents. Her parents arrive soon after, upset that she had already opened the box. Through no fault of her own, she didn’t know she was supposed to wait.

Anyway, I was thoroughly enchanted with this story. Each character has their own stories interwoven with Doli’s, but not distracting from it. Now Doli is a dwarf, expected to work the mines and collect jewels and go into the family business. As far as she is concerned her sisters can have it, along with her parents. Now, don’t get me wrong, she loves them, but she feels they don’t truly see her for who she is, nor do they understand her tea magic and love of baking. Her grandmother did though and showered her with love, making her feel seen until she no longer could.

Also her parents are EXTRA. It just made everything feel more real and I loved the author for including details and scenarios which I think on some level, some of us can definitely relate to.

This book was everything I hoping it would be and more. A rich world filled with interesting characters, found family and love. There is also an underlying theme for Doli primarily, but also our MMC, Sampson, that you can’t judge a book by its cover (yes, that was an intentional pun) and it’s ok to have more than one facet of your personality that the outside world can see. In Doli’s case, she doesn’t have to always be sunshine and the perfect hostess. Is that a spoiler? I don’t think so.

I fully recommend this book even if you happened to miss the first one in the series. I am sure there are nuances that might be missed, but this book is wonderful even on its own. Of course you could start with the first book “A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic” and then you can continue straight on to the second book in the series.

I would like to thank the author, J. Penner; Poisoned Pen Press, Deluxe Edition and NetGalley for a copy of this book. It is important to note that the author self-published this book in 2004. I read the Deluxe Edition, expected for sale on June 3, 2025. All opinions are my own and my review is voluntarily given. As always, I wish you happy reading!

I had the privilege of reading this book ahead of its upcoming release, so thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced reader’s copy.

Overall this is a light and sweet story, that does what it tries to do very well. If you want a cozy small-town fantasy story with cute baby dragons and tea-magic, then this is what you need. It isn’t trying to be the next world-saving epic fantasy - it’s a cute and wholesome story about finding one’s own voice and confidence.

It is listed as a romance, but if you're just here for that this is not the book for you. It wasn’t really given much attention in the plot, so keeping it a friendship with Sarson wouldn't have made much of a difference - it might even have felt a little less forced.

My biggest nitpick is that I think in general it could have been a little shorter. At times it had a bit too much “filler” for my preference, most of it really being about the food (I’m really sorry, but I just don’t need to know the details of all the 17 meals and snacks you’re eating throughout the day).

A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons is a cozy fantasy filled with charm, whimsy, and a sprinkle of tea-based magic. It's the second in a series, but I read it as a standalone without feeling lost—which is always a win.

This story follows Doli, a quiet but capable protagonist who receives a mysterious box from her late uncle. What unfolds is a light, magical adventure filled with found family, magical mischief, and even a bit of closed-door romance. The magic system—centered around different kinds of tea—was creative and fun, and the overall vibe was soft and comforting.

That said, this was more of a like than love read for me. While I appreciated the kind characters and cozy atmosphere, the story moved a bit too quickly in places. I often wanted to linger longer—to get more emotional depth, more connection with the side characters, and a bit more tension in the plot.

It’s a great fit for readers craving low-stakes fantasy with a warm heart and whimsical worldbuilding, but if you're looking for deep character arcs or slower, more immersive pacing, this might not fully hit the mark.

Thank you to J. Penner, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on June 3rd, 2025.