The Wandering Hearth Chronicles

Soft Magic. Low Stakes. Found Family. Excellent Muffins. At twenty-four, Wick Barrow is thoroughly done giving his best years to his fathers laundry business. Hiring on aboard The Moderate Successa river barge of questionable speed and precarious plumbingis a chance to build a life of his own: scrub the linens, mind the boiler, and travel the realm. Room and board included. Then he notices Ember. Ember is a flame-like Smudge who has matter-of-factly appointed herself to be Wick's personal space heater. As it turns out, Wick is a Hearth: an inconveniently magnetic sanctuary for magical creatures. And Ember isnt the only resident needing help. The captain is navigating the waterways with no name and a scattered soul. If Wick can't help him fix it, the captain may flicker out of existence entirely. Luckily, fixing things is Wick's specialty. Traveling the Cardinal Rivers with a crew of misfits, Wick sets out on a journey, wherever the current decides to take him.