A Smidgen of Chaos

Pobyd Perfections Bakery #4

by S. Usher Evans

Magical baker Lillie Dean just can't catch a break. She was halfway to repaying the intimidating Mr. Globe when her oven breaks, forcing her to work alongside Mr. Globe's handsome son, Julian. The very son he warned her to stay away from, or he'll call due her debt.

But when Mr. Globe's properties are destroyed by strange, giant mushrooms that spring up from nowhere, Lillie hopes solving the mystery might get her on his good side again. Yet the town of Silverkeep still has its secrets, and finding the scoundrel responsible for these freaky fungi proves more difficult than keeping her eyes off Julian.

A Smidgen of Chaos is the fourth book in the Pobyd Perfections Bakery series, a cozy fantasy mystery by award-winning author S. Usher Evans.

Genres: Fantasy, Cozy Fantasy, Mystery

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2026

About the author

S. Usher Evans is an author, blogger, and witty banter aficionado. Born in Pensacola, Florida, she left the sleepy town behind for the fast-paced world of Washington, D.C.. There, she somehow landed jobs with BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic Television before finally settling into a "real job" as an IT consultant. After a quarter life crisis at age 27, she decided consulting was for the birds and rekindled a childhood passion for writing novels. She sold everything she owned and moved back to Pensacola, where she currently resides with her two dogs, Zoe and Mr. Biscuit.

Reviews

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books always end with me giggling happily to myself, 1) because we’ve got a sweet little romance going on and 2) because the characters are so silly and I love it. Really though! What’s not to love about a dapper little mouse, a man with a shark head, or all sorts of other magical folk? They make me laugh! And while we all hate Mr Globe, I find myself starting to feel bad for him the more backstory we get.

Looking forward to seeing how this series plays out! And if you too want to spend some time giggling to yourself while immersed in a magical world, then this is the series for you!

[Jenna Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Low stakes, high on the cozy. Another little town with quirky characters and vibrant personalities with some Great British Bake Off whimsy and light mystery afoot. This series is a delightful easy paced read and highly bingeable (has been a perfect sick on the couch read ☕️). Oh and if you're wanting something with a slow-bake sweet romance in the background, Usher has added this element to this newest series.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

*squeals and kicking legs*

New Lillie books are always a delight! I missed her & Julian, & the rest of the Silverkeep crew so much. While these books are of course a spinoff of the Weary Dragon Inn series, the mysteries always give me such a feeling of cozy homecoming to read them. The addition of the burgeoning feelings between Lillie & Julian is the icing on the cake of the mystery shenanigans, & it makes me so excited to see where their story goes in the next book 💜🤗

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

With another great book in the Pobyd Perfections Bakery series, I can reaffirm this is the best cozy fantasy series out there. It's got lovable characters, scrumptious food descriptions, mystery without murder, and just a smidgen of romance. The best part of these books is that forgiveness and second chances are the backbone of each story. Based on the ending, I'm hopeful that Lillie will soon be able to extend that forgiveness to herself as well. As always, these books come with a warning not to read without a copious amount of baked goods nearby. I suggest pairing this one with your favorite flavor of macaron.

[Willow Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite cozy fantasy series continues to delight. Lillie Dean, baker of delicious treats, encounters another mystery in Silverkeep that she can't stay away from. With help from her circle of friends, including the fabulous Mr. Mousson and handsome Julian Globe, she searches for the truth, and a late-night oven. Just the right dash of romance for the bakers, and I'm happy to see Julian's muffins made their way to his dads desk.

I love everything about this series and have already pre-ordered the next book!!!

[emeraldragonlady (Maddie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this so much. This was such a cute story. I love the mystery of the giant mushrooms. It was really cool how you could get them to grow super huge not cool that they were destroying buildings, but I’m sitting here going well if they’re edible mushrooms can’t you just chop them down and cut them up and use them to mushroom dishes but I guess that didn’t happen either way I enjoyed the slow burn romance between Lily and Julius and the nickname he gives her it’s so cute. I absolutely love it. Things get stricter for Lily when Mr. Globe is threatening to ruin her because she owes him money and hasn’t started paying him back yet and she’s just doing her best to try and save up the money but one thing after another keeps happening and every time she gets ahead, something happens and she has to spend it so that way she can be able to keep making money. Sounds like the story of many people‘s lives doing your best to save money and life happens. Jess Moran does an amazing job at narrating this I was just so excited to listen to another book in this series with her narration and I am looking forward to more.

[Lavada Haga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Lillie Dean is a Pobyd which means she has baking magic! Unfortunately her oven breaks. Not being able to bake in her oven she takes her friend's offer to use his oven. This complicates things because his father forbids her to have anything to do with his children and to make matters worse Lillie owes him a lot of money. Then the mushrooms start popping up. Lillie and her friends are quick to investigate. This is a very good book with a lot going on!

[Phi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was yet another absolutely delightful story in this cozy series! I love these characters, and the story was such a fun read (as always with this series). I am enjoying these stories so much! And the narration for the audiobook is fantastic, as usual!

[Cleocutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another super cute story about Lillie and her troubles that always seem to find her no matter what she does. This episode includes giant mushrooms that are taking over the town and a growing attraction between her and Julian.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoy Sush Evans foray into romance in the Weary Dragon Universe!! Keeping the romance to a minimum”ketchup” spice makes the books energy undeniably cute and keeps the breezy read light and airy. Another easy smile and giggle with Lillie’s troubles. Love them!

[Karen Wrobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. These books are always cute, but there’s way too much yearning in this outing.

[Jeni · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

[Chip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy this universe, but I found this story a little weak

[Brandan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't really decide if I liked this or not 😬🤷🏾‍♂️

[Kimthebookishbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Lillie and her love interest. They are trying so hard to be themselves and work together despite his father, but of course dear old dad just has to keep getting in the way. I think this one also shines through how protective Lillie can be and how well she can work with others. I look forward to book 5!

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just really like spending time with these characters and in this town! To me this was not the strongest book in this series, but I still had a really good time and look forward to the next one!