Legends and Lattes is a low stake fantasy story about a retired mercenary who wishes to start up a coffee shop.

I love epic fantasy stories but have have never really searched out cosy fantasy stories. That is now going to change as I absolutely loved this book. Even though this book was low stakes there were still trials that our main character had to go through. However I was sucked into her little slice of life and was routing for her to succeed.

Cannot wait for Bookshops & Bonedust.

4.5/5 stars!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

I saw someone describe this as "if Dungeons & Dragons had a baby with Animal Crossing" and it has been a while since I have agreed this much with a description of a book!

This story was so heartwarming and I would honestly do anything to be able to go and visit this cozy little cafe with delightful treats and bean water (I will forever refer to coffee as this!).
This book was just a slice-of-life fantasy about an orc settling down and opening a coffee shop in a small village. The found family aspect was the best and I just want to hug all the characters.

Highly recommend this one!

This book is the definition of cozy reads. Its such a heart warming story with just a hint of action to keep you turning the pages. I cannot wait for bookshops & bonedust!

Although the concept for this book is a bit weird, I kind of loved it. A story of hard work and found family, it gave me warm fuzzies all the way through. A lovely light read!

I had to abandon the book at 30%, it is completely a matter of individual taste. This cozy fantasy might be a bit too cozy for me!

So so so good! I'm so glad I made an entire vlog for this book (https://youtu.be/w_Ju7xkx-6M), I loved it so much I will say I almost gave it 4.5 stars but then when I sat down to think why I realized this essentially can down to the fact that there was so little fighting/ bloodshed, which is a ridiculous reason to knock half a star as this is the entire point of this book and book genre.

I saw this book all over the blogosphere. Even after reading dozens of glowing reviews, I still was not expecting what I got when I actually sat down with the book. The closest connection I can make to best express what I encountered here is a cross between a 'woman's fiction' with found families crossed with immersive worldbuilding that reminded me a lot of Terry Pratchett. I bring up the latter comparison because the world is introduced in such a manner that you feel like if you look over your shoulder, you will see what some of the beings in the book are discussing.
The first couple of pages did not appeal to me. It is a team out on a quest, and our leading lady, the Orc, slays a creature to retrieve the rewards. Of said rewards, she seems to want just one thing. This is what she sets off to start a new life with.
Viv has a dream, and she starts making that dream come true. The actual pieces of her plan are better left unsaid because it is the highlight of the narrative. All sorts of characters start to appear, some more entertaining than others, but the camaraderie is deeply ingrained into the entire tone of the book. We have almost none of the action Viv was once known for, but every type of character introduced to us comes with a little backstory that enhances the reading experience.
I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a happily-ever-after and does not mind (or actively encourage) fantasy in their stories.
I received this book as an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading.

Absolutely loved it! Super cozy read, I really enjoyed the found family and cozy aesthetic and atmosphere.

I saw this book on NetGalley and immediately requested it, having heard so much about it. I love low-stakes SFF and I was looking forward to this, since it had been advertised as a low stakes, high fantasy standalone novel.

This book is about Viv, an orc, who hangs up her sword from her mercenary days and opens up a coffee shop. Her first obstacle is getting the news out about what coffee is since it's a gnomish drink that hasn't quite made it to the city yet. Along the way she gets a couple of employees, a couple more good friends and more ideas about where to go with her cofee shop.

This book is cute and sweet, with hints of romance and friendship behind the main group in the coffee shop. Viv's old friends show up and give us some conflict and some explanation on how and why Viv wanted to open the coffee shop in the first place. It was a little lost on me since I don't like or drink coffee, but the description of the food made my mouth water so that was well done.

It was an enjoyable read, but I couldn't help but wish the book had delved a little more in to the world-building or had a little more character driven/internal conflict. That might be my personal preference though and I would say that this book gives you exactly what it looks like you will.

4 stars!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a digital arc of this book to read and review.

It was an absolute joy to read the new edition of Legends and Lattes. This is one of my all time favourite books and I adored everything about it. I originally read the self published version of this book and it was wonderful to revisit it now that it has been published by Tor UK.

Legends and Lattes is a heartwarming, cosy fantasy book that I highly recommend. This book was so gripping, I couldn’t put it down! I cannot wait to read more of Travis Baldree’s work.

Legends and Lattes is a cosy, charming slice of life fantasy book about an Orc who sets down her sword and life as an adventurer in order to set up a coffee shop. The only problem is nobody in town has ever heard of coffee.

Warning! The descriptions of food and drinks in this book will make you hungry and want coffee.

This is the definition of a comfort read! With utterly heart-stealing characters and a brilliant setting, this book is the equivalent of eating a toasted cinnamon bun in front of a cafe window while snow falls outside. I did not know I needed this genre in my life, but now I am wondering how I ever lived without it. If you're looking for a comfort read (even if you're normally not a huge fantasy fan) I would definitely recommend picking this one up--it will bring you so much joy!

Cosy fantasy is a relatively new genre which has blown up thanks to TikTok and Bookstagram. This book did not disappoint and TBs writing is easy and a delight to read. I hope there’s more from this world coming soon!

A love a cosy fantasy book and this is just perfect. It follows an orc wanting to settle down so she opens her own coffee shop. It is such a heartwarming, slice-of-life type book, it just felt very cosy to read. The characters are interesting, and the way they interact is wonderful.

If you need a break from all the heavy stuff out here, then you should definitely read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

This book was absolutely perfect for the time that I read it! I read this during Christmas break and enjoyed it so so much!

An orc settles in a city not knowing anyone there to build up her very own coffee shop. Something nobody knows anything of. The story was just heartwarming and quite peaceful and there was nothing that I would change about it. I adores the characters, their dynamics and how viv wanted to protect what was hers with everything she had.

I gave this book a 5 star rating. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and will for sure buy my own copy of this!

Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

As the tagline suggested, this was indeed a high fantasy with low stakes which nevertheless managed to leave a lasting impression. I would call this the perfect cozy read to curl around with this winter season with a hot cuppa mocha. I didn’t realise building a cafe with a bunch of fantasy characters would be soo comforting. Being a coffee lover to boots, Viv’s love and passion just made complete sense to me. I loved the found family vibe as well! If there’s one teeny tiny complaint, it would be that maybe the ending felt just a little rushed. Otherwise this was as cozy as cozy can get and definitely my go to comfort read from here on.

My Rating: 4 Rating

This book was equivalent to listening an ASMR. Every time Viv’s menu expanded so did her inner circle.

Legends and Lattes was Viv’s passion. Her dream come true.This place brought diverse minds together, giving us the best found-family ever in fiction.

I was drooling over the baked goodies and vicariously savoured every delicacy that was brewed and baked in the book.

Viv left her killer days behind and built this dream (café) from scratch with a mythical stone that would attract fortune. As the book went on Viv was left to wonder if every coin and people she earned was the stone’s work.

I found Viv’s character adorable. She was generous and very humble. Her friends were her family. From the mysterious dire-cat to the awkward bard, everyone just made this book more and more welcoming.

Orcs, Succubus, Gnomes, etc., are magical creatures that are hardly ever given the time in Fantasy fiction. They’re either villainized or kept as secondary characters, but our author here took those characters and brewed the kind of story that would warm anyone’s heart.

Add to that a lesbian rep! which makes this book a perfect little treat.

Legends & Lattes is feels like a love letter to community, coziness and coffee. Viv is an orc that’s ready to give up the adventurous life of treasure hunting and nefarious blade work for the relatively simple steady life of entrepreneurship by opening a coffee shop in a place that has never heard of coffee. She meets wonderful characters along the way and comes up against some new and unfortunately familiar challenges. I really enjoyed this. It felt soothing in a way I didn’t expect, didn’t realise I was looking for and maybe even resisted a little at first.

5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This book was just what I needed over the holidays. A short, delightful read about an orc settling down into a new town to build a coffee shop and partnering with a succubus who helps her along the way.

I was so much fun to read about Viv putting the coffee shop together, Tandri coming up with fun marketing ideas, and Thimble’s amazing pastries!

This book made me hungry for pastries, thirsty for lattes, and was like a warm hug, a great comfort read with a slow pace which I really appreciated.

Not going to be everyone’s taste but I could have read another chapter or 10 about this coffee shop and its clientele.

I think Amity was my favourite 😊

Loved it and would love to read more by this author!

What I was looking for: I had heard good things about the book and I was fascinated by the cover.

What I liked: I was surprised how the story flowed and remained interesting even though not much over the top drama happened, action and peril you expect from a fantasy novel. I also highly enjoyed the found family. The story is really what it says on the outside: a retired hero opens a coffee shop.

Conclusion: Such a fun, cozy, calming book. Engaging but not (too) exciting. Low stakes but not boring.

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

This wonderfully unique slice of life story set in a high fantasy world is a quick and perfectly cosy read. If you’ve been eyeing it and haven’t picked it up yet I couldn’t recommend it more for this time of year. The story follows an orc who sets out to run a coffee shop upon retiring from years of adventuring and bounty hunting and there has never been anything that has made me want to drink coffee so bad! Travis Baldree has truly worked some magic with this book as I’m someone who hates coffee 😅

The writing and pacing has a calmness to it that immediately immerses you in. The primary plot does have its moments of tension but is mostly low stakes and with a group of heart-warming characters at its core, a fascinatingly expansive wider world to discover and lots of mouth-watering baked treats to crave this book is nothing short of wholesome!
Final Rating – 4/5 Stars