The Opal and The Rose

By Roberta Altman

In a quiet river town where the ovens have gone cold, a weary traveler arrives with nothing but a single coin, a good knife, and hands that remember more than the mind will admit.
Robael has spent five years surviving, not living-five years without a kitchen, without a craft, without a place to belong. When they step off the ferry into Thistledown Reach, they expect only a night's rest. Instead, they find: A room with a window and a quilt that feels like memoryA hearth wide enough to stand inA town waiting for a baker who never cameAnd a past that refuses to stay buriedAs Robael relearns the language of dough, fire, and time, the town begins to change-and so do they. But the quiet magic of the Reach has its own history, and the wizard whose shadow still lingers is not as forgotten as Robael hopes.
Lyrical, tender, and deeply human, The Opal and the Rose is a cozy-fantasy novel about craft, community, and the slow, steady work of becoming whole.
Perfect for readers who love: Found familySlow-burn worldbuildingQuiet magicHealing arcsSensory, food-rich storytellingCharacters who earn their peaceCome to the Reach. The ovens are waiting.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H2HS62BB
• ISBN13: 9798197935250
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 427 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"