Title: A Dragon Rider's Guide to Retirement
Author: Julia Huni
Genre: Adult, cozy fantasy
Publication date: August 5th 2025
Published by: IPH Media
Source: eARC for review from author
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Buy it: Amazon | Julia Huni's store
Synopsis: They survived the war. Now they just have to survive retirement.
When dragon rider William Ordell is grounded by a battlefield injury, he trades conflict for peace and purchases an abandoned lighthouse on the island of Safe Haven. But quiet doesn’t suit a man used to action. After a series of mysterious fires, William finds himself launching the island’s first fire brigade—with help from the local sea dragons.
Calantha Stormbringer has left war behind, along with the last sparks of her fading magic. She retreats to Safe Haven to rebuild her late aunt’s dusty bookshop—and maybe herself. Restoring the shop will require patience, intelligence, and gold. Calantha figures two out of three isn’t bad.
What neither of them wants? To run into each other. Again.
Old grudges, magical dragons, and one cozy, nosy village—what could possibly go right?
A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement is a cozy, low-stakes fantasy filled with magic, mischief, and a slow-burn romance that won't steam your glasses. Perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes, Cursed Cocktails, and J. Penner’s Adenashire series.
I love Julia Huni's cozy sci-fi books, so I was super excited when I found out that she was going to be writing a cozy fantasy! In general, the cozy fantasy genre just doesn’t sound like it's for me. I'm a girly who loves her plot-driven books with lots of exciting action. But like I said, I love all of this author's books, so of course I was going to give this one a shot! And I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed it! And maybe this will be my gateway into more cozy fantasies. Who knows?
One thing I found interesting about this book is that the two main characters, William and Calantha, are older. And you know what? This age group deserves some love, too. So, we have a retired dragon rider renovating his new home on the island of Safe Haven. And then we have a retired war witch who's come back home to the island to run her late aunt's bookshop. How cozy does that sound?
Not only that, but we got immediate enemies-to-lovers vibes from these two characters, which I always love. So, right from the start, I was in. However, even though the romance was slow-burn, my favorite, I did find the romance to be pretty cheesy, especially the end 😆
But that being said, I actually really liked the relationships between all the characters. It was just so heartwarming and wholesome. Going along with that, I also liked the fun banter between the characters. There were some really funny moments in the book. One character I found particularly intriguing was the mayor and elf Koni. There were moments of self-awareness that made me wonder about him...
But overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was just a fun, cute, and very chill read. Even though I thought the romance was a bit cheesy and the Big Feelings revelation at the end happened too fast, weirdly, even though it was a slow-burn romance. But I really liked the characters and I enjoyed following them on their journeys. And I haven't even talked about my favorite part of the book: the setting. The way I am so obsessed with it! Safe Haven just sounds so magical, cozy, idyllic, and peaceful. I seriously wish I could live there.
I don't know if this is a series or if there is going to be another book in this world, but I would certainly welcome it.
Not only that, but we got immediate enemies-to-lovers vibes from these two characters, which I always love. So, right from the start, I was in. However, even though the romance was slow-burn, my favorite, I did find the romance to be pretty cheesy, especially the end 😆
But that being said, I actually really liked the relationships between all the characters. It was just so heartwarming and wholesome. Going along with that, I also liked the fun banter between the characters. There were some really funny moments in the book. One character I found particularly intriguing was the mayor and elf Koni. There were moments of self-awareness that made me wonder about him...
But overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was just a fun, cute, and very chill read. Even though I thought the romance was a bit cheesy and the Big Feelings revelation at the end happened too fast, weirdly, even though it was a slow-burn romance. But I really liked the characters and I enjoyed following them on their journeys. And I haven't even talked about my favorite part of the book: the setting. The way I am so obsessed with it! Safe Haven just sounds so magical, cozy, idyllic, and peaceful. I seriously wish I could live there.
I don't know if this is a series or if there is going to be another book in this world, but I would certainly welcome it.
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