REVIEW The Baby Dragon Cafe (The Baby Dragon Series #1) by A.T. Qureshi

The Baby Dragon Cafe (The Baby Dragon Series #1) by A.T. Qureshi
Rating: 5 Stars
Release Date: January 16, 2025
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited) + Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)
Publisher: Avon

A.T. Qureshi’s The Baby Dragon Cafe, the first book in The Baby Dragon series, was a cute and cozy fantasy romance book. Narrators Ash Raju and Hunter Johns did an excellent job bringing the story to life with their performance in the audiobook. It’s very reminiscent of Travis Baldree’s Legends and Lattes series.

This book has been popping up in my recommendations for a while, and I’m so happy that I finally picked it up (thank you Kindle Unlimited). The baby dragon cafe has just the right touch of whimsical while also being somewhat recognizable, being very similar to a cat cafe while adding a bit more chaos and charm with the baby dragons running amuck. The author also did a great job of capturing the small town vibes you’d expect from a Hallmark movie. I’d love to see a map or something similar of the area, as there are also other magical creatures that are briefly mentioned (and somewhat domesticated in certain cases). 

Saphira and Aiden had a lovely relationship that blossomed over the course of the book. They embody the grumpy x sunshine trope. I thought it was hilarious how Sparky played into their relationship; at first he was jealous when Saphira paid attention to Aiden and not him, and then getting jealous when Saphira paid attention to anyone but him and Aiden. As a reader, I really appreciated how Aiden’s family didn’t add to any drama, and welcomed Saphira with open arms. The fake marriage and the ‘there’s only one bed’ troped worked out well too, and everything came together nicely. I’m especially excited by the epilogue (cue the happily ever after).  

Overall, an excellent read. I’m so excited to read the rest of the books in the series, The Baby Dragon Bakery and The Baby Dragon Bookshop and I hope Saphira, Aiden, and Sparky make more appearances. I highly recommend the book to those who enjoy low stakes fantasy and happily ever after romances. 

REVIEW City Spies: Europa (City Spies #7) by James Ponti

City Spies: Europa by James Ponti
Rating: 5 Stars
Release Date: February 10, 2026
Format: Audiobook (Personal Libary, Libro.fm)
Publisher:  Aladdin

There's no rest for teenage spies in the latest installment of James Ponti's City Spies series, Europa. I love Lisa Flanagan's performance in the audiobook narration, and I highly recommend this series to middle grade fans of mystery and spycraft.

Coming off the heels of the events of the last book, London Calling, the members of Project Neverland have moved into their new abode in London. Their hope is that the world saving missions will slow down now that the leader of Umbra is behind bars, but it's not meant to be. The leader of Umbra, Lucien Allard, seems to be sending and receiving messages from behind bars and it's up to the City Spies to investigate as they are sent out to different locations across Europe.

I love how fast paced this series is, as well as how researched all of the little details are. I laughed out loud when Mother and Rio were provided bikes by MI6 in Amsterdam, as that is very on brand for the transportation of choice in that city. I also really appreciated how the city spies team members were given some opportunities to just be kids their age in this book, instead of every moment having to be doing something for MI6.

There are also some real world consequences present in the book. Sydney and Paris, being the oldest, are given some leeway at times but Sydney makes a choice to disobey orders from Mother and Monty during a key scene in this book. The effect of that choice was quite painful, especially for Paris, so I'm curious to see how that will (hopefully) be resolved in future books.

Overall, a great read. I'm so happy to hear that the author is planning to do at least 10 books in the series. I'm curious to see where the City Spies will end up next. With Tru's dossiers at the end of the book, I'm also very curious to see where each of the children end up in the future (i.e. are they still going to be spies or not as adults).