Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson

Miss Mildred Percy inherits a dragon.

Ah, but we’ve already got ahead of ourselves…

Miss Mildred Percy is a spinster. She does not dance, she has long stopped dreaming, and she certainly does not have adventures. That is, until her great uncle has the audacity to leave her an inheritance, one that includes a dragon’s egg.

The egg - as eggs are wont to do - decides to hatch, and Miss Mildred Percy is suddenly thrust out of the role of “spinster and general wallflower” and into the unprecedented position of “spinster and keeper of dragons.”

But England has not seen a dragon since… well, ever. And now Mildred must contend with raising a dragon (that should not exist), kindling a romance (with a humble vicar), and embarking on an adventure she never thought could be hers for the taking.

Overall the story was very enjoyable and funny. However, the plot was extremely slow moving. Even though we see the dragon very early in the novel nothing seems to get going until around the 60% mark. And the writing style is funny but the author adds so many asides that it made the whole book extremely long winded. Like an entire paragraph would be dedicated to a funny description or a comment from the author about word choice or Mildred's internal monologue about one thing a person said. It was always funny but it made the chapters feel so long.

When it comes to general practicalities, Miss Mildred Percy is the standard. She looks after her sisters' children, keeps to herself, and never does anything out of the ordinary. However, all of that is about to change with the arrival of a letter.
When she is informed of an inheritance coming her way, she is unsure of what to expect. What she didn't expect was a large trunk full of random odds and ends – things that her uncle apparently treasured, but she was unsure as to why he thought of leaving them to her. Truth be told, she was not even sure she remembered much about the gentleman.
Nestled in the trunk, there was a large stone – but she is about to discover that it is more than just an odd piece of rock – it is an egg. A dragon egg to be exact.
With the arrival of a dragon, she is drawn into a friendship and conspiratorial silence with the village vicar, who is helping her to hide Fitz, the beloved dragon, and his darling housekeeper, who is helping to feed the new arrival.
She is about to discover that there is more to this inheritance than she figured and learns a few things about herself as well.

Oh, my goodness! I absolutely LOVED this book! I had a tough time putting it down, although life did intervene enough to make me impatient to get back to reading. This is one book that I highly recommend. It is a fabulous adventure, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series (which is currently sitting in my audible cart), to learn more about this grand adventure that is beginning.

3.5 stars. This was a cozy rec and is described by many others as heartwarming, wholesome, cute, fun, funny, etc. I would not personally use any of those descriptors for the vibe of the book and it did not at all satisfy the cozy craving. There were touching moments, yes, but I just think it's simply a different kind of book.

A spinster, Miss Mildred Percy (who is 40