Cookies and Claws. Sugar and Scales, #1

Prince Theo of Astoria is not a hero. He's a baker. He grieves his mother quietly, avoids conflict with precision, and spends as much time as possible in the royal kitchen producing things that make people happy. He is not the sort of person who gets sent on quests. And yet. Dragons are attacking the kingdom. A stolen amulet is spreading corruption through dragon clans, dwarven mountains, and the ancient stone giants of the Grimpeak Wilds.
And Theo's father-possibly not entirely himself lately-has decided that his conflict-averse, pastry-focused son is the right person to go sort it out. What Theo finds on the road: one exhausted knight who deserves better; one gruff dwarf who is sicker than he lets on; one impossible small creature who chose Theo because he shared a cookie; and one dragon who speaks in complete sentences and no contractions and somehow this is charming.
What Theo doesn't find: any of the things he was told to expect. Cookies and Claws is a slow-burn m/m cozy fantasy about grief, found family, and what it costs to save a kingdom when you never wanted to be the one who had to. Book one of the Sugar and Scales trilogy. Fans of Howl's Moving Castle and queer fantasy with genuine heart will feel at home here. Tropes you'll find in this book:- Slow-burn m/m romance- Dragon shifters- Reluctant hero- Found family- Cozy fantasy with teeth