Bromantasy

by Máire Roche

Schitt’s Creek meets The Princess Bride, in this adorable cozy fantasy, perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes and The Baby Dragon Cafe.⚔️❤️⚔️❤️⚔️❤️⚔️❤️⚔️❤️

Two heroes. One brain cell.

Bromantasy is a cozy, queer fantasy about the mortifying ordeal of being known by your totally platonic best friend and the epic quest that might force you to confront the truth.

Fellas, is it OK to kiss your bff while on a quest through the forest you’re unqualified for?

Juniper O’Reilly is good at only two demolishing a pint of mead and finding the perfect skincare routine. Everything else – taking care of the farm, bartering for goods, any sort of manual labour – falls to Juniper’s best friend, the absurdly capable, endlessly patient Mo Elmthorn.

But when Juniper accidentally volunteers them both for a quest to kill a fearsome monster, he knows he’s finally gotten in over his head. Juniper hates camping, he hates the dark, and there’s no way all these foraged mushrooms are going to sit well in his stomach. One thing he doesn’t hate? How good Mo’s thighs look in his questing pants – he doesn’t have time to think about that, though, with a monster to hunt and their futures on the line.

But monsters come in all shapes and sizes. When Juniper and Mo realize that the terrifying beast they’ve sworn to kill is just a scared little girl torn from her family, they’re off to find not only the true villain of the story, but maybe even a happy ending.

Read if you 👬Friends to lovers

💞 Opposites attract

🔮 Cosy fantasy

🧝 Impossible quests

🐲 Dragons (fearsome and cute)

🤣 Laugh-out-loud romance

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Queer, LGBT, Romantasy, Adult, Fiction

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 26, 2026

About the author

Máire Roche is a former teacher who now writes fantasy for all ages.

When she's not writing, Máire enjoys exploring new coffee shops, hiking, and teaching martial arts.

She also writes thrillers and contemporary romance as Mary E. Roach, where her recent & upcoming titles include Better Left Buried, Seven for a Secret, and We Are the Match.

Reviews

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bromantasy asks the age old question of “Fellas, is it gay to pine after your homie for a decade before having to confront it while on a magical quest?”

Juniper and Mo are two bros who live together in an idyllic cottage (platonically) with the cat they adopted together (so platonically). Juniper gets roped into a dragon hunting quest, and Mo (very platonically) says that he won’t leave him to face it alone. They set out into the forest admiring each other’s form-fitting hiking pants (but like, in a platonic way). Is it obvious how platonic and totally not romantic their friendship is yet?

Hijinks ensue, and Juniper and Mo find themselves on a quest to help the dragon they set out to hunt, while also figuring out that ten years is a long time to not communicate properly with each other!

I want to force everyone to read this book because it was everything I wanted and more! I genuinely don’t have a bad thing to say about this book. I LOVED it! The tongue-in-cheek humor was so funny! I definitely laughed out loud multiple times. The romance and found family aspects were so sweet and heartfelt.

Overall this was cheeky, charming, a little cheesy, and an easy 5/5 ⭐️ Excuse me while I run to preorder myself a physical copy! 🩷🩷🩷


•••••
One of my most anticipated arcs of the year! 😍 Huge thanks to G. P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the advance copy! 🩷

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple of twice-shy besties have spent a decade secretly pining for one another because men will literally hunt dragons before they discuss their feelings, which is a pithy, but faithful recap of this book. Juniper O’Reilly is a hedonist at his core, so his preferred modus vivendi includes ample mead, rowdy bar fights, cat cuddles, and bougie skincare. His roomie and object of his every affection, Morn Elmthorn, is a lumbersexual Aragorn with thick thighs, kind eyes, and endless patience, so the infatuation is unsurprising. Neither are thrilled when Juniper’s proclivity for folly lands them on a royal mission to the Gray Mountains, but at least they can pretend they’re not in love while on what the gossip scrolls are calling the Hottest Quest of the Season! They opt to camp along the journey as opposed to staying at local inns that never have enough sleeping arrangements because while they insist upon sharing a horse, these idiots refuse to share a bed. It’s down bad dimwits-to-lovers, chock full of lamentable yearning, dragon halflings, pants on fire, and locally sourced lard for moisturization. Legolas and Gimli walked so these queer DINKWAC’s could run. Let’s just hope they don’t run out of cheese.

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know those spoof/parody movies, Not Another Teen Movie or Scary Movie etc? This feels like that in book form for romantasy.

If you enjoyed those movies or humor like it, you’ll probably have a great time with this book.

There is a quest, dragons, and two idiots (complimentary) totally in love with each other but pretending not to be.

Plenty of silly funny humor that pokes fun at modern slang, books in the genre, etc.

Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of those types of movies or that type of humor so this book was a kind of a miss for me. I did enjoy it enough that I wanted to find out what happened with the dragon, but this isn’t one I’ll read again and I’d only recommend it to ppl that really enjoy that parody/silly humor style.

I’ll also emphasize that this is two idiots in love and denying it for most of the book. This reads like miscommunication, so if you’re not a fan of that style of conflict this might be one to skip!

| IG | TikTok |

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bromantasy is a cozy fantasy book about best friends who secretly love each other. There's also a baby dragon that may or may not be a little girl.
It's a sorcery and small magics meets the house in the cerulean sea.
It was very cute and a fun time, I'd recommend it if you like cozy fantasy.

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam for the ARC.

[gracie · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf at 15%. Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the arc but this book is far from ready for even arc readers let alone actual publishing.

For a book being marketed as adult and with characters about to be in their thirties, this book has a surprisingly limited and stilted use of vocabulary. That coupled with the juvenile sentence structure that's being repeated, I have a hard time believing that this should be in the older YA section even. The start is clunky, so much so that it took me 2 days to get past the first three chapters, the characters are introduced in such a way that they're instantly not interesting and the mostly thought train style of narration is exhausting to read.

What's funny is that I was genuinely going to push through and finish it just for the sake of the review and the fact that I got it as an arc but then I read the word, "unalivement" and knew I couldn't go on. It's so ridiculous too because the author had the word beheaded in the VERY NEXT LINE. We can't say execution but we can use beheaded?? So silly

[nika · Rating 3 out of 5]

yes, it is gay

[Ditte]

Dnf @ 15%

I got drawn in by the tagline "two guys, one braincell" because I love idiots to lovers and this sounded like a really funny book.

Alas, my eyes kept glazing over and I had to call it quits at 15% because I still didn't care one bit about the characters, their relationship, the quest, or the world building. I also didn't laugh once though the entire thing is trying very hard to be funny.

A bit bummed this one didn't work for me and I guess maybe it gets better but I don't think it's worth it for me to force myself to stick with it to find out.

Thanks to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the eARC

[Rhiannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bromantasy is a fun, cozy, campy read great for those looking for something in the vein of Legends & Lattes or The House in the Cerulean Sea.

Juniper and Mo's "friendship" is rife with stupidity and missed opportunities and poor communication, and while that would normally frustrate me to no end, I felt Máire Roche did a great job of instead portraying it as endearing and an understandable result of their histories, both shared and individual. I definitely enjoyed the pining and yearning weaved throughout, though I'll admit to wishing there had been slightly more of an on-page payoff in the romance department.

That aside, I enjoyed how much this book leaned into common fantasy and romance tropes (friends-to-lovers, only one bed, etc.) and didn't take itself too seriously. There were numerous contemporary references and phrases tied in to the fantasy setting, which added a lot of humor and helped maintain the lighthearted tone, even when Juniper and Mo's personal stakes were higher.

As someone who loves when a book puts me in an emotional chokehold, there were moments throughout, primarily related to Juniper and Mo's character and relationship development, when I wanted the author to dig a little deeper and really dive into the core of things. I can, however, accept that this book is about the vibes, and the vibes are meant to be silly and playful and tongue-in-cheek. I think, in that regard, it's important to go into this book with the appropriate expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[JXR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fellas, is it gay to wanna kiss your bff while on a quest you kinda sorta got yourself stuck in? Yes? Well, that's the premise of this laugh-out-loud, gorgeous romantasy by Maire Roche. Juniper and Mo are best friends who live together, because of course they are. Juniper is really not the questing type. Or the camping type. Or the outdoors type at all. But after an absolutely stunning gaffe, he finds himself with the only solution being going on a quest to kill a fearsome monster, and of course he enlists Mo to help. But is the fearsome monster actually a monster at all? And will Juniper and Mo finally realize they've been in love with each other for literal years? Find out in this wild ride.

First of all, these two are absolute idiots (affectionately). Their feelings for each other are so obvious from page 1 and they dance around it again and again. But Roche makes it feel super endearing, and weaves in a lot of the classic romance tropes to produce a really fun ride! Also, the fearsome monster play was really effective, and provided a reasonable source of conflict without making anything feel too out of character. Plus, as I already stated, idiots in love (TM). What's not to like? Thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the E-ARC.

[Louis (audiobookfanatic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ (Rounded up)

BLURB:
Juniper O’Reilly and Mo Elmthorn, two best friends and farmers, have their lives derailed after a bar fight lands them in trouble and sends them on a quest to hunt a dangerous monster. When they discover the “monster” is actually a frightened shapeshifting dragon girl, they reconsider their mission while dealing with ridiculous mishaps and unexpected enemies.

REVIEW:
This book is exactly what you’d think based on its clever, campy title—a cozy romantasy parody that swaps the typical epic heroes for idiot roommates who are secretly pining for each other. You also get parodied versions of other tropes—ridiculous miscommunication, comedic one-bed scenarios, and fade-to-black scenes that are more ridiculous than romantic. If the eye-catching cover or title doesn’t pull you in, the ridiculously charming characters and campy humor will!

Told in a 3rd-person POV and with very straightforward writing, it’s perfect for YA to adult readers. The main characters, Mo and Juniper, are best friends, roommates, and farmers—and the fact that they’ve lived together like a couple for so long but never even revealed an inkling of feelings for each other is far-fetched but highlights how idiotic they both are! They also have the opposites-attract vibe going—Juniper is gullible, quick-tempered, and constantly getting himself into trouble (especially bar fights fueled by too much “mead”), while Mo is grounded and patient, always stepping in to clean up Juniper’s mess—exactly what happens to land them both in jail and on this ridiculous quest. On the quest, their dynamic has chaotic energy with hilarious banter, physical comedy, and mishaps—mostly caused by Juniper’s terrible decisions and impulsiveness.

To give the book a bit more substance, there’s a slow reveal of their shared past in the cozy cottage, how they met, and small details of Juniper’s abusive father—but it’s very much secondary to the comedy and ridiculous quest. Add in eccentric characters—from the unpredictable, changeling dragon girl they’re meant to capture but decide to save to a shady prince, an enemy couple, and townspeople they meet along the way—and you get more absurd humor and cozy fantasy vibes!

At around 350 pages (just over 8 hours on audio), this book is easy to fly through. The world-building is quite simple, and the plot has a few twists and turns but isn’t really an epic or intricate quest—so if that’s what you’re expecting, you may be a bit disappointed. Instead, it’s a heartwarming, laugh-out-loud idiots-to-lovers romance that feels fresh and fun. After a big build-up, the climax feels a bit anticlimactic, and you may have to suspend your disbelief with how everything resolves. But it ends on a feel-good HEA note with a few good laughs at the end that will leave you smiling!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

This was such a fun and lighthearted book about two definitely platonic best friends who are sent on a quest to find a dragon. It was cozy and campy with a good
mix of humor and some more serious moments.
Juniper and Mo were the somewhat stereotypical main characters of this genre of book. Juniper was the well intentioned bumbling idiot who keeps getting himself in trouble and Mo was the quieter, serious character who gets them out of trouble. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it works. They played off each other really well and I loved their incredibly codependent friendship. They very much acted like an old married couple while trying their hardest to pretend they didn’t have actual feelings for each other.
The quest was fun and interesting and I liked all the side characters and the way they drove the story forward. There’s not a lot of world building or set up to this book - you’re kind of just thrown into the story. I personally don’t mind that, I found that the book gave me enough information to know what was going on but if you’re the kind of person who needs to know every detail of the setting or the magic system, just know that you don’t really get that.

This book is perfect for fans of:
-cozy fantasy
-quests
-found family
-shapeshifting dragons
-friends/idiots to lovers

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC!

[Kristin]

This is a book I probably should have quit early on. The need for further editing is apparent in the first few pages so I waffled about continuing with the story or stopping. About a third of the way through, the story became more compelling and I continued to read until the end. While I can confidently say this book is a vibe, I can also confidently say that I do not believe this book is ready for publishing yet.

A book cannot thrive on vibes alone, not even cozy fantasy. It cannot exist as quips and basic bitch personality while wrapped in modern parlance. While the story has a beginning/middle/end and a murky catalyst for the quest, it does not flesh out the world or the story.

The MMC is a walking contradiction named Juniper. He is abhorrently self involved, an egotist, and as petulant as a child. His main qualities are that he likes cheese, skincare, Mo, and himself. This book felt like a court ordered thoughts and feelings journal from a contradictory guy who liked to fight and knit in equal measures. It was a lot. His character was a lot.

And by the blurb, I expected more himbo action… two guys, one brain cell does not really describe this book, even though I think it makes a fantastic hook.

Lastly, I read a lot of m/m romance, and am no stranger to sex talk. With that being said, the sexy talk in the last 3% of this book was stilted and uncomfortable. The intimacy either needed to come way earlier in the story (one kiss a decade ago does not count as romance) or not at all.

I wish the author good luck. I do believe with a lot of tweaking and streamlining the base of the story could be something that the masses like.

Things I enjoyed: Mo, Bear, the fact that Juniper hated Bill and did not realize that he and Bill were basically the same person, and the cat named Mumford.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodreads give me half stars please - this would be a 3.5 if I could! It delivered on the silly cozy queer vibes but I just didn't feel like the core romance itself was terribly strong.

I liked the narrative tone, which makes a lot of jokes about the genre and fits modern references into an old-timey fantasy setting (felt a bit like Shrek's tone to me, which I mean as a compliment!).

It felt like we lost the romance thread a bit amongst the questing - we're in Juniper's POV and as the story went on there just wasn't enough of that delicious tension of him not seeing Mo's reciprocal feelings that we can clearly see as readers for my taste in an oblivious friends-to-lovers romance. The ending also felt a little abrupt but overall I had a silly goofy good time reading this book!

Thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the ARC ✌️

[Me, My Shelf, & I]

DNF @ 27%, end of chapter 6

Adult Categorization:
I'm a little confused about this book being marketed as Adult when on the author's own website she appears to differentiate between her Adult novels and this book. This reads very, very young and very, very simplistic.

Without knowing how explicit the romance develops, I'd peg this as upper MG, lower YA. It does not feel appropriate for an Adult audience with Adult reading expectations, so it's really just not the book for me.

The Writing:
I didn't enjoy reading from Juniper's POV, and tonally he seems to remain the same (I skipped ahead to the final act to verify before finally deciding to DNF). Humor's subjective and I picked this up because it seemed cute and funny, but I personally didn't find it to be either and it's probably mostly because I didn't get on with Juniper's character.

This also holds the achievement of being the first time I actually read "unalive" in a book. So it's got that going for it, I guess.

Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for granting me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Amanda Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bromantasy is a cozy, completely unserious vibe. While it’s not there to poke fun at Romantasy, it does highlight and turn many of the tropes into something to laugh at & feeling very campy. I enjoyed myself for the first few acts, but noticed it becoming repetitive in its jokes. For all of that in-book talk about one bed, we never did get a scene with the MCs doing what usually happens in one bed. All you find is a kiss inside with brief mentions of more making this a mild read.

Overall it had its moments and the quest was interesting. Out of the “two heroes, one brain cell”, Juniper stood out. His lack of brain cell made the bulk of the ridiculousness and hilarity come directly from him. He gets it right when it counts and that made the resolve all the better. This is for those who enjoy a light & silly PG-13 romcom, but make it a queer fantasy. I think I’m finding cozy isn’t my jam, but I’d still recommend it for those who are looking for that!

***Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam publishing for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review***

[Kali Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars.

Part quest shenanigans, part squabbling royals, part part found family, and fully queer delight.

Juniper O'Reilly and Morningthall Elmthorn (aka Junebug and Mo) are best friends. Definitely just best friends. When Juniper gets into a drunken brawl the consequences are participation in a king's quest and he and Mo set out as a party of two to catch a dragon.

Along the way Juniper learns that the path of a quest (just like life) is made by walking, gets a little more wise in the ways of the world, and maybe even finds himself a family.

Tongue in cheek though a bit on the nose at points (scrolling! only one bed!), Bromantasy is a bunch of fun and just the right read to escape from a world that is far too serious.

Thank you to Putnam and Book Huddle for providing me access to his ARC through NetGalley.

[Morgan Rohbock · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐
G🌶️

This was silly but also cozy and happy and right now the world is kind of a scary place, so this book is exactly what I needed right now. If you're in search of some comfort and escapism, this book delivers it in spades.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC review:

This hurts to write!! I had big hopes for this book and truly thought I would enjoy it, but overall I found it difficult to follow and ultimately a slog. It read like a book that could be enjoyed by a Very Online crowd, but that also dates it so completely that I can't imagine it will be relevant for very long. I think it will probably age like milk, and I wish more had been done to make it feel timeless -- or at least less immediate to the past, like, year.

What really disappointed me is that author clearly has some comedic chops, but at times the flow of the book felt like scaffolding for a punch list of jokes they wanted to tell, plot be damned. It made the pacing, dialogue, and even action feel strange and disjointed.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A humorous and fun spoof of classic quest based fantasy.

This is such a vibes read. It was lighthearted, a little stupid and an overall good time. I saw another review compare the tone and vibe to Shrek (complimentary), and I totally agree with that comparison!

Juniper & Mo are lifelong bros in a “purely platonic” relationship. They have built a comfortable and cozy life together on their farm, which Juniper wouldn’t trade for anything. Winter is approaching and he senses Mo’s restlessness for adventure.
The two take up a king’s quest (not totally willingly) and anything that could go awry does. Along the way, these two bros have to face royalty, dragons, and worst of all: their not so platonic feelings for each other.

Have you ever picked a bar fight just so you can feel the body heat of your buddy behind you or his hands around your waist while he holds you back? No?? Then you’re not yearning anywhere near Juniper’s level.

The yearning and tension in the beginning was so insane, I ate it up. Unfortunately, some of this was lost through the rest of the story as Juniper’s thoughts turned toward self loathing and it became really clear he was projecting his abandonment issues onto Mo.

Juniper is an incredible emotionally detached character. He has a traumatic past that we got glimpses into, but didn’t get more than the surface level of his abandonment issues. It helped explain some of the dynamic between him & Mo, but I wish we got more. At every turn, Juniper shoved any relevant memory or emotion down. He had a great moment of character growth at the end, but I was so emotionally detached from his character, it wasn’t very hard hitting.

I wish this was dual POV. Juniper & Mo are very different, and I think it would have been nice to have Mo’s POV in there to balance out Juniper’s chaos and self deprecation. It also would’ve added more to their relationship and to the tension to have both of their POVs included.

There was great buildup and decent tension for the romance, the payoff was sweet but a little underwhelming. Listen, not every romance book has to have spice, I get it. Romantasy is a genre overrun with unessecary on-page sex scenes. Spoofing the genre and not including any spice seems like a funny silly idea in theory, but as a reader I do feel a little bamboozled. I don’t think it’s farfetched to have expected these dudes to at least smooch a little more. Maybe my expectations were wrong here, but I was disappointed and felt the romantic pay off was lacking. Spice (or lackthereof) aside, I also feel like the love confessions were also lacking in depth or emotion.

I thought the adventure quest was incredibly fun!! There was chaos at every turn, and I feel like I flew through this because I was having such a good time. It pokes fun at classic fantasy / romantasy tropes (some jokes were a bit overdone, like ‘only one bed at the inn’) but it never felt like it was taking itself too seriously while also not being too camp or feeling like it was trying too hard.
There are modern references / slang thrown into a classic fantasy style world (unalive, rizz, locking in, doom scrolling). Some of these things were woven in so cleverly it worked surprisngly well (doom scrolling had me laughing out loud).

This was just such a good vibes read. I definitely recommend if you’re looking for something lighthearted and fun or a palette cleanser book!!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. This is my honest review.

🗡️🧀🐉

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stupid (affectionate)

Rtc

———-

Juniper O’Reilly loves three things: creature comforts, tavern brawls, and his best friend and roommate Mo Elmthron (wait what was that? Surely he’s not IN LOVE with Mo, just because he would do literally anything for him and thinks constantly about the way his butt looks in his pants). Unfortunately for him, he conks the wrong guy on the head and is suddenly forced to go on a quest to hunt a dragon. Mo, of course, goes with him, and the two certainly bring new meaning to the phrase “blaze of glory.”

I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect stupid book. BROMANTASY might be it. It’s so important that a silly book with a silly premise commit to that premise, and stay unserious. With lines such as a bystander pointing to Juniper and going, “Why is that man crying as he runs”, BROMANTASY certainly walks that line. I can’t say this is like, a good book, but I don’t think that’s the point. It’s a FUN book, and THAT’s the point. Juniper accidentally kicked his pants into a forest fire and then had to walk around without them for a while, Mo’s butt is so big it literally gets stuck in a cave they’re hiding in, there is a plot significant obsession with fine cheeses and every tavern has Only One Bed. Men will literally go on a life or death quest instead of talking about their feelings!!

If you want to let some fun into your life, BROMANTASY is out May 26, 2026. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Erin Hawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty predictable goofy adventure with silly idiot boys in love. And a dragon!

Our main character is a very high maintenance guy who pines after his best friend, a strong quiet type who obviously to everyone but him, loves him back. What keeps them apart and is a main driver of their eventual relationship development is a decade of miscommunication, my least favorite trope. The two main characters and their dynamic are very similar to the main characters of Yield Under Great Persuasion, in which I was also perpetually annoyed with the whiny goblin of a main character.

The humor of this book is like This Will Be Fun, kind of cheesy adventure parody with modern humor and slang (e.g. down bad, unalive, multi-step tallow skincare routine). It's exactly what you would expect with a title like Bromantasy! The book is written well with a little uneven pacing, but it's quick and easy to get through and the side characters were compelling by the end. I wish there was more dragon, which was my favorite part.

If you like this kind of corny humor and appreciate miscommunication driven yearning, you'll really enjoy this book! Neither of which, unfortunately, were for me but I had a decent enough time.

Thank you, Putnam, for the arc!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

eARC from NetGalley

This was a sowwwww burn cozy queer fantasy romance. I liked the vibes and the idea, but nothing was executed in a way that will stick with me.

The writing was suuuper corny with modern day jokes and phrases mixed in as kind of wink wink references. Also the one bed joke was made at least six times. I think it can be funny when books like this are self aware and poke fun at the genre, but there also needs to be more substance to hold it up and there just wasn’t.

The characters were all pretty flat and Juniper was unlikeable for most of the book and as he was the POV it made it extra cringey to read. I liked the neurodivergent rep.

I feel like the only reason I cared about the main relationship was because that was the only thing that was talked about and I didn’t really care about their history or want them to actually get together like it didn’t feel like there was very much chemistry between the characters.

CAWPILE: 5.76
Characters 6
Atmosphere/Setting 6
Writing 6
Plot/Logic 6
Intrigue 5
Relationships 5
Enjoyment 6

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

These sweet dumb dumb baby idiot men! If you use your words and your ears, things tend to work out a little cleaner!
Besties Juniper and Mo (they were roommates) get stuck entering a quest to hunt dragons after Juniper starts a brawl leaving a mercinary group member injured. Giving his best Hobbit impression of wanting to stay in their cozy cottage, Juniper reluctantly sets off with Mo (and with LOTS of cheese)!
Lost pants, cold streams, and bad sleep (sleeping outside is hard) all contribute to this exasperating duo and their quest to capture a dragon (or shifter?). I was giggling, kicking my feet, and screaming the whole time reading this! Truly a joyful book to experience!

[laureneliza]

Imperfect but I still loved it.

Leans a bit too heavily on the slapstick silliness, especially with contemporary slang (I rolled my eyes when I read the word rizz and the references to scrolling).

But it was also sweeter and deeper than I expected. Oh my darling anxious Juniper who just wants security and stability he never had as a kid :(

Overall I think the annoyances were brief but the good parts were high impact so it balances out to a firm positive for me.

[Freefall (ia, find me on discord)]

i like gay things :)

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible! This is so funny and very heartwarming. I loved the pacing, and felt like the plot was exciting. I could barely put it down. Can’t wait to be able to recommend this to people.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was so good and fun. listened to an audiobook ARC and will probably have to buy the physical copy when it comes out and read it again. ughhhh they love each other……. aughhhhh

[Ellie Mccormick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Advanced reader copy
•This was so cute!
•friends to lovers 🩷, cosy fantasy 🏠and dragons 🐉
• “Junebug” that was cute
•”Junipers heart thumped faster in his chest at the sight of Morn carrying a child who looked like she could belong to them both”

[danie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, thank you Netgalley and Putnam for the ARC!

This one was fun! Juniper and Mo was great, Bear was adorable, and the plot was good. I honestly could see this being turned into a little animated short/show, I think it would be an adorable show. It did take me a bit to get into it, but I enjoyed reading!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, this has the best title ever.

This was a very cute m/m friends-to-lovers cozy romantasy. Juniper (a homebody himbo who loves his skincare) and Mo (more of a silent-with-a-heart-of-gold lumberjack type) are best friends, and live together on their farm. Juniper is prone to getting into trouble when drunk, and his latest escapade results in being tasked with a quest to find and slay a dragon. Only that dragon turns out to be a little orphaned shifter girl. Hijinks ensue.

Unsurprisingly from the title, the action can be a little slapstick at times and the worldbuilding is often done with an exaggerated wink (for example, Juniper's favorite pastime is scrolling… scrolling the latest gossip scrolls, that is). I'm a fan of OTT humor, though, so this was fine by me.