Tusks, Tails and Teacakes (Tales from the Tavern #1)

Half-elf Lira is eager to return to The Tusk & Tail Tavern, where she and her companions set off on their adventures many years ago. But the rundown tavern is no longer the bustling hub where dwarf mercenaries and halfling farmers shared pints over a friendly game of dice. More crucially, what Lira came back for—what she buried in the tavern’s basement—is now bricked over.

What better way to stay close to her hidden treasure—and figure out a way to retrieve it—than to offer to restore the tavern? After all, her grandmother taught her to bake, and she still remembers the recipes—for the most part.

She doesn’t count on having to partner with a dwarf warrior named Sassy or have a surprisingly clever raccoon take up residence in her kitchen. And she’s grateful for the shy orc soldier who offers to fix her stove and everything else that keeps breaking in the tavern, but why does he seem afraid to talk to her?

As she and her rag-tag group breathe life back into The Tusk & Tail Tavern, Lira remembers the joy in an evening by the fire, the value of a true friend, and what it’s like to fight as hard for the quiet moments in life as the ones marked by glory and treasure.

But leaving your past in the past isn’t always so easy. Danger has a way of finding Lira no matter how far she runs, but now she has more to protect than herself. And if she wants to leave her days of deception behind her, she’ll have to reveal the truth to those she’s grown to love.

Tusks, Tails & Teacakes is a wholesome, low-stakes, slice-of-life cozy fantasy chock full of mythical creatures and magic. It features no fights to the death or worlds to be saved, no epic journeys or warring armies. Only gentle intrigue, the power of unexpected friendship, and the hope that you can make the world a better place one buttery teacake and warm cup of chai at a time.