Phoenix Keeper
Aila has dreamed her whole life of running the phoenix breeding program at the world-renowned Fidelis Zoo, home to dragons, unicorns, kelpies, and every other magical creature imaginable. Her chance finally comes at last, but the zoo's breeding program has sat dormant for a decade, and when a sabotage-driven heist devastates a neighboring zoo's phoenix flock, every remaining facility comes under scrutiny.
Determined to prove Fidelis deserves to keep its birds, Aila throws herself into reviving the program, all while managing the social anxiety that's shadowed her since childhood. Complicating things further is Luciana, the charming rival from her university days who now keeps turning up wherever Aila needs to focus least.
S.A. MacLean's cozy fantasy trades battles and prophecies for the quiet, absorbing work of caretaking, following one woman's slow-burn romance and her fight to save a species she's loved her whole life.
Head phoenix keeper at the Fidelis Zoo, working to revive its dormant breeding program while managing social anxiety.
Aila's charming university rival, now a romantic complication.
The author holds a PhD in environmental science and spent over a decade working as an ecologist, which informed the focus on conservation and the handling of mythical creatures within the story.