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Cooking Up Magick
Not yet published
Expected 13 Oct 26She only wanted to travel the world—now she has to save it.
Paisley Dell is a halfling chef with a simple dream: learn to cook foreign cuisines and bring warmth to the world one meal at a time. But her peaceful culinary quest derails the moment she stumbles upon a talking cat, meets a dragon in disguise, and unleashes magick no one has wielded in five centuries. Now an ancient sorcerer wants her dead.
Paisley and her new friends—a pair of loyal dwarves, a wandering high elf, and an honorable half orc who believes their fates are intertwined—race against the shadow of a rising war.
As the sorcerer’s assassin draws closer, Paisley must navigate sieges, secrets, and her bewildering new powers… all while trying to protect the people she loves.
She never asked to be a hero. She just wanted to cook—but Cooking Up Magick is exactly what destiny’s recipe calls for.
Legends and Lattes meets The Lord of the Rings. Cozy fantasy warmth meets epic fantasy stakes in a story where kindness, love, and community aren't weaknesses to overcome, but the very strengths that win wars.
Paisley Dell is a halfling chef with a simple dream: learn to cook foreign cuisines and bring warmth to the world one meal at a time. But her peaceful culinary quest derails the moment she stumbles upon a talking cat, meets a dragon in disguise, and unleashes magick no one has wielded in five centuries. Now an ancient sorcerer wants her dead.
Paisley and her new friends—a pair of loyal dwarves, a wandering high elf, and an honorable half orc who believes their fates are intertwined—race against the shadow of a rising war.
As the sorcerer’s assassin draws closer, Paisley must navigate sieges, secrets, and her bewildering new powers… all while trying to protect the people she loves.
She never asked to be a hero. She just wanted to cook—but Cooking Up Magick is exactly what destiny’s recipe calls for.
Legends and Lattes meets The Lord of the Rings. Cozy fantasy warmth meets epic fantasy stakes in a story where kindness, love, and community aren't weaknesses to overcome, but the very strengths that win wars.
- GenresFantasy
426 pages, ebook
Expected publication October 13, 2026
About the author
H.L. Bernabe
4 books29 followersHL Bernabe wrote her first story at age seven: a tale of horror and woe involving a nine-foot-tall stick of celery that followed her home and tried to eat her. She still doesn’t trust celery.
That early flair for storytelling eventually led to a filmmaking degree with an emphasis on screenwriting, and two decades spent GM-ing tabletop RPGs—training that turns out to be excellent practice for building fantasy worlds. When the pandemic hit, she channeled the extra time into writing, completing three books of her fantasy epic, The Dell Chronicles, in just sixteen months. Cooking Up Magick, Book One in the series, releases in October.
HL lives in the high desert of Central Oregon, where the mountains are tall, the summers are hot, and the winters go on a little too long. When she’s not writing, she’s probably being supervised by one of her cats.
That early flair for storytelling eventually led to a filmmaking degree with an emphasis on screenwriting, and two decades spent GM-ing tabletop RPGs—training that turns out to be excellent practice for building fantasy worlds. When the pandemic hit, she channeled the extra time into writing, completing three books of her fantasy epic, The Dell Chronicles, in just sixteen months. Cooking Up Magick, Book One in the series, releases in October.
HL lives in the high desert of Central Oregon, where the mountains are tall, the summers are hot, and the winters go on a little too long. When she’s not writing, she’s probably being supervised by one of her cats.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 8, 2026
What a wonderful opening to a series! I really enjoyed reading this book. I can't wait to find out what happens next. Cozy with epic adventures, found family, inclusive, and light versus dark.
The writing was descriptive without being overly wordy. I highly recommend this Cooking up Magick, you should read it!
The writing was descriptive without being overly wordy. I highly recommend this Cooking up Magick, you should read it!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Found family!
A wonderful, unique group of misfits, who accept each other, will become a powerful force against the evil that threatens their world. This story has a friendship, romance, magic, war and much more blended together to make an interesting but long tale with a huge cliffhanger.
A wonderful, unique group of misfits, who accept each other, will become a powerful force against the evil that threatens their world. This story has a friendship, romance, magic, war and much more blended together to make an interesting but long tale with a huge cliffhanger.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I won this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. I enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting and left me enthralled.
Review of advance copy
A cozy culinary quest grows into a high-stakes fantasy adventure in Bernabe’s spirited series opener in the Dell Chronicles. Halfling chef Paisley Dell sets out to explore foreign cuisines and bring new recipes home, only to discover a startling connection to magick. Accompanied by two dwarves, a mysterious High Elf, an honorable half-orc, and a decidedly unusual cat, Paisley finds her travels swept into the shadow of approaching war.
Bernabe builds the novel around an immensely likable heroine whose warmth, curiosity, and instinct to care for others give the sprawling adventure its heart. Paisley’s culinary background is cleverly woven into her developing powers, making cooking integral to both her character and the novel’s playful approach to magick. The lively ensemble supplies humor and camaraderie, with the culturally mismatched bond between Paisley and Gunur adding a tender romantic current. Whipclaw, meanwhile, is a scene-stealing companion whose secrets deepen the intrigue. Rich worldbuilding, distinctive cultures, dangerous creatures, and escalating political tensions broaden the initially cozy premise into epic territory. Though the large cast and abundant lore make for a dense journey, Bernabe keeps friendship, courage, and compassion firmly at its center. Lovers of cozy fantasy, culinary adventures, and character-driven epic fantasy will find much to savor.
Bernabe builds the novel around an immensely likable heroine whose warmth, curiosity, and instinct to care for others give the sprawling adventure its heart. Paisley’s culinary background is cleverly woven into her developing powers, making cooking integral to both her character and the novel’s playful approach to magick. The lively ensemble supplies humor and camaraderie, with the culturally mismatched bond between Paisley and Gunur adding a tender romantic current. Whipclaw, meanwhile, is a scene-stealing companion whose secrets deepen the intrigue. Rich worldbuilding, distinctive cultures, dangerous creatures, and escalating political tensions broaden the initially cozy premise into epic territory. Though the large cast and abundant lore make for a dense journey, Bernabe keeps friendship, courage, and compassion firmly at its center. Lovers of cozy fantasy, culinary adventures, and character-driven epic fantasy will find much to savor.
Review of advance copy
Bernabe’s series opener in the Dell Chronicles serves up an ambitious blend of cozy fantasy, sprawling adventure, romance, and high-stakes epic fantasy, anchored by an endearing heroine whose greatest strengths are compassion and curiosity. Halfling chef Paisley Dell leaves Aspenwood hoping to experience other cultures and master their cuisines, only to discover extraordinary magick and become entangled in a gathering war alongside an eclectic band of companions. With danger gathering around her, Paisley must master her emerging magick while keeping her unlikely band of companions safe.
Paisley proves a particularly appealing fantasy lead because newfound power never eclipses the qualities that define her. Her instinct to nurture others shapes both her magick and her heroism, while food becomes an effective gateway into Erdea’s varied cultures. The expansive worldbuilding offers plenty to explore, from competing kingdoms and distinctive traditions to dragons, wyverns, and other magical creatures. The colorful ensemble brings warmth and personality, with lively camaraderie and playful humor energizing the adventure. Warmhearted, imaginative, and brimming with adventure, the novel makes for a flavorful start to an enchanting fantasy saga.
Paisley proves a particularly appealing fantasy lead because newfound power never eclipses the qualities that define her. Her instinct to nurture others shapes both her magick and her heroism, while food becomes an effective gateway into Erdea’s varied cultures. The expansive worldbuilding offers plenty to explore, from competing kingdoms and distinctive traditions to dragons, wyverns, and other magical creatures. The colorful ensemble brings warmth and personality, with lively camaraderie and playful humor energizing the adventure. Warmhearted, imaginative, and brimming with adventure, the novel makes for a flavorful start to an enchanting fantasy saga.
Did Not Finish
September 11, 2026The cover indicates "cozy." The blurb says a mashup of cozy and LOTR-style fantasy. But the prolog gives us the horrible death of an innocent, and by 10% we have an entire town being ruthlessly slaughtered, and... no. Not what I was looking for. I don’t object to stakes, even high stakes, in cozy, but cruelty and brutality are a tonal clash I can't get past (and elements I never want to read about in general, personally).
Needs more past perfect tense, but otherwise well edited.
I received a pre-publication version via Netgalley for review.
Needs more past perfect tense, but otherwise well edited.
I received a pre-publication version via Netgalley for review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews