Legends & Lattes, by Travis Baldree - Jodie
For fans of fantasy novels, dungeons and dragons, cosy-reads, and queer stories.
If you are a fantasy nerd, these are books you have got to get your hands on. I was lucky enough to have Westbourne Bookshop give me the proof of Bookshops & Bonedust right after I had finished reading Legends & Lattes - and what a delightful journey it was.
Legends & Lattes is the story of an adventurer/mercenary turned small business owner, wonderfully merging the atmosphere and excitement of fantasy storytelling through the lens of somebody settling down to a cosy life. Of course, a life of adventuring leaves some threads untied - what would a fantasy book be without some danger? Although I personally prefer faster-paced books, there was still enough action to keep me invested throughout - it’s a fairly leisurely book, but it has the characters and drive to keep pulling you back in.
Some of the best characters are the shy bard finding his voice, a rattkin baker who is meek but blows everybody away with their culinary delights, and if you needed any more convincing - the shop gets its own pet, but I’ll keep them a secret for you to find out.
Following the journey of Viv, an orc who has decided to hang up their blade in favour of the brew. Leaving the mercenary life, she reaches a new town to start afresh and open a coffee shop (in a world that mostly, doesn’t know what coffee is) - setting up in Thune, full of interesting and amusing characters, it’s a heartwarming read that will bring a smile to your face throughout. Reading the book, you follow Viv’s successes and struggles - but more importantly, the found family that helps her through the struggles. It is a wonderful story of community, friendship, and of course, a little love. This is absolutely one of the most joyful books I have read, and in true cosy-book fashion, makes a perfect read for snuggling up under a blanket and losing yourself in the town of Thune.
