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Hornsboggle & Dodge #1
Dragons, Heists and Other Retirement Plans
Not yet published
Expected 26 Mar 26A spellbinding cozy fantasy adventure that will make you believe in second chances. Complete with dragons. And cats. And dragon-cats.
Katherine and Imogene are done with their criminal past—honestly.
They’ve traded in their outlaw lifestyle for seaside views, knitting projects (strictly non-magical), and only the occasional pub brawl (entirely accidental). But when an old friend begs them for help, they're back in the game.
Their last heist—the one they botched all those years ago—needs finishing. And fast.
Saint Percival’s is in danger. The convent is sinking into the ground, and the dragons and nuns have been swindled out of their land by a ruthless real estate mogul. It's up to Katherine and Imogene to set things right, armed with enchanted needles and the power to knit a magical map straight to the villain’s lair.
The mission? To go back to where it all ended, outwit their enemy and save Saint Percival’s.
Except this time, they have the help of their beloved otherworldly cats and dragons. And the same charming rival who blew up their plans the first time round with just a wink…
What could possibly go wrong?
This delightful cozy, heist-y fantasy about friendships new and old is perfect for fans of TJ Klune and Travis Baldree.
Katherine and Imogene are done with their criminal past—honestly.
They’ve traded in their outlaw lifestyle for seaside views, knitting projects (strictly non-magical), and only the occasional pub brawl (entirely accidental). But when an old friend begs them for help, they're back in the game.
Their last heist—the one they botched all those years ago—needs finishing. And fast.
Saint Percival’s is in danger. The convent is sinking into the ground, and the dragons and nuns have been swindled out of their land by a ruthless real estate mogul. It's up to Katherine and Imogene to set things right, armed with enchanted needles and the power to knit a magical map straight to the villain’s lair.
The mission? To go back to where it all ended, outwit their enemy and save Saint Percival’s.
Except this time, they have the help of their beloved otherworldly cats and dragons. And the same charming rival who blew up their plans the first time round with just a wink…
What could possibly go wrong?
This delightful cozy, heist-y fantasy about friendships new and old is perfect for fans of TJ Klune and Travis Baldree.
- GenresFantasy
364 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 26, 2026
5 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"Dragons, Heists and Other Retirement Plans" by Meg Pennerson is book 1 of Hornsboggle & Dodge, a sweet cozy fantasy about two retired thieves in their seventies, Katherine and Imogene, and their magical cats and dragon-cat companions.
Katherine Winterhaven and Imogene Chrysler were once a legendary team. After a heist went wrong forty years ago, they retired. Katherine now lives quietly with her many cats — including Mr. Scruffles, an interdimensional cat who can walk through walls; Ember, a dragon-cat; and Tilly, who can turn invisible except for her tail — and spends her days knitting and taking care of her cats.
Imogene lives nearby with her dragon and misses the thrill of their old life. When the chance arises to finally fix the job they botched years ago due to a rival — saving Saint Percival Convent from a ruthless real estate mogul — she convinces Katherine to join her for one last adventure. Armed with enchanted knitting needles, a magical map, their wits, and their cats, the two set-off (slowly — they can’t run after all) to save the day and their pride.
Overall, it is a sweet and fun cozy fantasy with elder heroines that enter into your heart. It has the gentle, whimsical vibes I love, with light and playful magic. I loved the banter between the two, the humor — “She is hard of reading” — the amusing dialogues of the cats, and the concept. With its quirky characters and charming setting, this could have been an even stronger cozy fantasy if not for a couple of issues. I found the pacing slow to get going and a bit repetitive, and the story took time to take off. I had a hard time getting into it at first, but once the action began, I was fully engaged.
Another thing that bothered me: I found it odd that Katherine was referred to by her first name, while her friend was mentioned mostly by her family name. It made the writing feel kind of clunky. There are trolls in the tale, which is fun. Referring to their young as "pebbles" was cute. However, I found the idea that the physician troll had a red cross emblazoned on their uniform a bit odd — not to say ridiculous.
That said, I did enjoy the book and would love to read the next one. I fell in love with its characters. Not many books have such elder heroines, so it was a nice and refreshing change. There is no real romance here, only a small hint of one that doesn’t develop further. The cats provided comic relief with their interactions and made me smile. And I am a dog person at heart!
Friendships old and new, richly drawn and endearing characters, deeply felt bonds, second chances, found family, magical world-building, and a lot of adventure make this a very comfy read. Despite the slow start, the charm, humor, and heart won me over. I rated the book 4 out of 5 stars, knocking off one star for the pacing issues I mentioned above. I recommend it to cozy fantasy fans and also to readers new to the genre — it is an easy start to get introduced to the genre.
* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.
* Review on my blog: https://galibookish.blogspot.com/2026...
Katherine Winterhaven and Imogene Chrysler were once a legendary team. After a heist went wrong forty years ago, they retired. Katherine now lives quietly with her many cats — including Mr. Scruffles, an interdimensional cat who can walk through walls; Ember, a dragon-cat; and Tilly, who can turn invisible except for her tail — and spends her days knitting and taking care of her cats.
Imogene lives nearby with her dragon and misses the thrill of their old life. When the chance arises to finally fix the job they botched years ago due to a rival — saving Saint Percival Convent from a ruthless real estate mogul — she convinces Katherine to join her for one last adventure. Armed with enchanted knitting needles, a magical map, their wits, and their cats, the two set-off (slowly — they can’t run after all) to save the day and their pride.
Overall, it is a sweet and fun cozy fantasy with elder heroines that enter into your heart. It has the gentle, whimsical vibes I love, with light and playful magic. I loved the banter between the two, the humor — “She is hard of reading” — the amusing dialogues of the cats, and the concept. With its quirky characters and charming setting, this could have been an even stronger cozy fantasy if not for a couple of issues. I found the pacing slow to get going and a bit repetitive, and the story took time to take off. I had a hard time getting into it at first, but once the action began, I was fully engaged.
Another thing that bothered me: I found it odd that Katherine was referred to by her first name, while her friend was mentioned mostly by her family name. It made the writing feel kind of clunky. There are trolls in the tale, which is fun. Referring to their young as "pebbles" was cute. However, I found the idea that the physician troll had a red cross emblazoned on their uniform a bit odd — not to say ridiculous.
That said, I did enjoy the book and would love to read the next one. I fell in love with its characters. Not many books have such elder heroines, so it was a nice and refreshing change. There is no real romance here, only a small hint of one that doesn’t develop further. The cats provided comic relief with their interactions and made me smile. And I am a dog person at heart!
Friendships old and new, richly drawn and endearing characters, deeply felt bonds, second chances, found family, magical world-building, and a lot of adventure make this a very comfy read. Despite the slow start, the charm, humor, and heart won me over. I rated the book 4 out of 5 stars, knocking off one star for the pacing issues I mentioned above. I recommend it to cozy fantasy fans and also to readers new to the genre — it is an easy start to get introduced to the genre.
* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.
* Review on my blog: https://galibookish.blogspot.com/2026...
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was a cute cozy fantasy, with plenty of adorable and funny moments. I enjoyed the two (human) main characters - two old ladies who were infamous thieves in their youths and are now coming out of retirement to take care of some unfinished business from their last job forty years ago. Also along for the ride are the various cats (and a cat dragon) one of the women has collected throughout the years. These cats (and dragon) also frequently voice their thoughts and opinions in italics and have conversations with each other (that the humans can't understand). While that was fun and quirky at first, it got repetitive after a while, and for me it felt like the cat conversations didn't really add much to the story (aside from length). The main villain - Ms Angela - felt a little underdeveloped and cartoonish (especially when she kept using her favored insult "nincompoop"... I kept picturing her as one of those dolls where you pull a string and it says the same phrase over and over again).
The beginning (and quite a bit of the middle actually) felt a little slow, and then in the final chapters everything was resolved very quickly. Also, what pulled me to the story in the first place was the word "heists" in the title... and it didn't actually feel as heisty as I was hoping.
I haven't had the best track record with cozy books - although there have been some I absolutely adored! So even if I didn't completely fall in love with this story, if you are a fan of the cozy genre I still recommend it. You might enjoy it more than I did. (And I enjoyed it, too, just not as much as I hoped I would.)
Thank you to the publisher, Second Sky, for providing a review copy via NetGalley. This review reflects my honest opinion.
The beginning (and quite a bit of the middle actually) felt a little slow, and then in the final chapters everything was resolved very quickly. Also, what pulled me to the story in the first place was the word "heists" in the title... and it didn't actually feel as heisty as I was hoping.
I haven't had the best track record with cozy books - although there have been some I absolutely adored! So even if I didn't completely fall in love with this story, if you are a fan of the cozy genre I still recommend it. You might enjoy it more than I did. (And I enjoyed it, too, just not as much as I hoped I would.)
Thank you to the publisher, Second Sky, for providing a review copy via NetGalley. This review reflects my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book is EXACTLY what I'm looking for in a cozy fantasy!!!
In "Dragons, Heists and Other Retirement Plans" we follow 2 retired thieves, Katherine and Imogene, as they embark on one last adventure to set things right after a botched job 40 years prior. Along the way, they meet some unexpected friends, and we get the delightful addition of 3 magical cat/dragon companions.
I LOVED this book! It was so cute, charming, and wholesome. The 2 main characters were witty and I loved how strong their friendship was. The 3 cat/dragon companions had such funny interactions, and I loved how each one had it's own distinct personality. It was really fun to see main characters who were much older getting back into action, as I feel many books focus on much younger protagonists. This was a quick read, and everything you could possibly want from a cozy fantasy. Plus, it seems like this will be a series where Katherine and Imogene go on more adventures together, although the plot wraps up nicely in book 1, so it can 100% be read as a standalone.
Overall this is exactly what I was looking for in a cozy fantasy and I highly recommend for fans of "Legends and Latte's", "Howl's Moving Castle", and the "Teas and Tomes" series.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review, looking forward to more installments in this series.
5/5 stars
In "Dragons, Heists and Other Retirement Plans" we follow 2 retired thieves, Katherine and Imogene, as they embark on one last adventure to set things right after a botched job 40 years prior. Along the way, they meet some unexpected friends, and we get the delightful addition of 3 magical cat/dragon companions.
I LOVED this book! It was so cute, charming, and wholesome. The 2 main characters were witty and I loved how strong their friendship was. The 3 cat/dragon companions had such funny interactions, and I loved how each one had it's own distinct personality. It was really fun to see main characters who were much older getting back into action, as I feel many books focus on much younger protagonists. This was a quick read, and everything you could possibly want from a cozy fantasy. Plus, it seems like this will be a series where Katherine and Imogene go on more adventures together, although the plot wraps up nicely in book 1, so it can 100% be read as a standalone.
Overall this is exactly what I was looking for in a cozy fantasy and I highly recommend for fans of "Legends and Latte's", "Howl's Moving Castle", and the "Teas and Tomes" series.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review, looking forward to more installments in this series.
5/5 stars
February 3, 2026
Two old delusional but resourceful ladies and a few witty cats/dragons are in for an adventure, playing detectives with questionable methods.
I loved how the characters had believable old persons vibes.
There is also good banter in this book.
This reminded me of « A man on the inside » but more whimsical and magical and I kept seeing Ted Danson as Ruben.
I would love to see the story adapted for the screen and I look forward to read about their next adventure.
On a less positive note, I found the first 20% slow and overall the narration a bit repetitive. That is why it is 4 and not 5 stars for me.
I loved how the characters had believable old persons vibes.
There is also good banter in this book.
This reminded me of « A man on the inside » but more whimsical and magical and I kept seeing Ted Danson as Ruben.
I would love to see the story adapted for the screen and I look forward to read about their next adventure.
On a less positive note, I found the first 20% slow and overall the narration a bit repetitive. That is why it is 4 and not 5 stars for me.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews