Part of The Baby Dragon
First published 2025
Lavinia's life looks good on paper. She studies magical animal veterinary medicine at university, works shifts at the Baby Dragon Cafe, and goes home to a family that includes an actual baby dragon. The one thing missing is Theo, her best friend and the town's local baker, in a different role entirely. They have spent their whole lives together. He makes her laugh. She keeps him honest. Everyone around them sees what they are too stubborn, or too scared, to say out loud. So Lavinia finally says it. She tells Theo how she feels. He pulls back. The friendship that has held her life together suddenly feels fragile, and the question she cannot stop asking is whether she broke something that cannot be fixed. Told from both Lavinia's and Theo's points of view, this cozy fantasy follows two people who know each other completely and still manage to get in their own way. The magical world around them, the cafe, the dragon, the warm small-town rhythms, makes the emotional stakes feel both grounded and gentle. A happy ending is waiting. Getting there is the whole story.
Genres: fiction, romance, fantasy, contemporary
Vibes: cozy, emotional, gentle, heartwarming, intimate, whimsical
Tropes: dual-perspective, found-family, friends-to-lovers, slow-burn
Setting: Baby Dragon Cafe, university
328 pages · Paperback · Avon