Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
For this low-conflict, slow-burning cozy romance, Qureshi (If I Loved You Less) imagines a contemporary world inhabited by magical creatures where high-status humans raise dragons from infancy to one day become their riders. Saphira Margala has achieved her dream of opening a café that allows customers to bring in their baby dragons, but running a business is proving more difficult than she anticipated given the little critters' predilections for hyperactivity, mischief, and bursts of flame. Enter wealthy landscaper Aiden Sterling, whose baby dragon Sparky, a gift from his late brother, is in dire need of training, a gig that could solve Saphira's financial woes. As reclusive Aiden and gregarious Saphira become unlikely coparents of the lively dragon, they experience the first flushes of mutual attraction. But in a society where owning dragons is a sign of wealth and privilege, Aiden feels burdened by familial obligations and Saphira feels like an unwelcome outsider. The worldbuilding is somewhat underdeveloped, and Qureshi's gentle, Hallmark Channel-esque storytelling sees most narrative land mines get easily defused, but as pure fluff this hits the spot. Readers seeking a soft and sweet love story will be pleased. (July)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Saphira has achieved her dream of opening a café for baby dragons and their humans. Unfortunately, the adorable creatures cause quite a bit of damage that's hard for her to keep up with. Aiden Sterling, on the other hand, who's part of a wealthy, renowned dragon-racing family, has little interest in having a dragon of his own or pursuing the career his family is known for. Nevertheless, Aiden's late brother has bequeathed him a dragon egg in his will, and Aiden must take responsibility for the dragon even if he isn't suited to training one. When an early-morning excursion with Sparky the baby dragon puts him on a collision course with Saphira, he believes that she is his dream come true. Saphira agrees to help train Sparky in exchange for enough money to keep her café afloat, and she and Aiden soon find their own bond growing as well. VERDICT Qureshi (If I Loved You Less) launches a cozy romantasy series that will have readers wanting to curl up with their own warm drink while they enjoy this heartwarming story.--Morgan Lockard
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