I'm extremely sad that it didn't meet my expectations. I'm all in for slice-of life stories but this was just boring and very underwhelming.
Most of the dialogues felt awkward and I didn't really like the writing style in general, which I believe really brought down the quality of the book. I found it annoying that each chapter was like a collage of a bunch of short scenes separated by dividers, because it felt like the author was too lazy to put them together to form an actual story.

I love this new trend of genre fiction with a wholesome plot, and I understand why this book became such a hype. Really glad it's been published traditionally now, so it can reach more readers!

Viv is an Orc mercenary who finds herself tired of that life and wanting to settle down. During her travels, she discovered a little known beverage and is determined to make a living selling it to people... and what follows appears to be the story of the first coffee shop in a random high fantasy medieval town.

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 received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This book was SO cosy!! It felt like being wrapped up in a cosy little blanket, with a hot cup of coffee and a plate of Thimbles cinnamon buns. It was perfect. I don’t think it could have been more perfect.

I loved the characters. And when I say loved them, I mean LOVED them. This book was so different and I had no idea how it was going to pull it off. A fantasy book with a troll opening a coffee shop?! I think it might be one of my favourite, most cosiest, comfy slipper type books so far.

It was so calmly entertaining and the whole story just steadily trucked along and had me hooked. It was the sort of book where you could easily slip into it and look forward to returning to it to wonder what would happen next.

It was hugely endearing and I honestly wish I could have the experience of reading it again for the first time. This one is a definite for the shelf!

Well wasn't this just the cosiest little read? Who knew a story about an orc running the coffee shop of her dreams would be so cute? Not me!

Chocked full of charming characters, brilliant friendships and the tastiest treats, Legends & Lattes was a real heart-warmer. It's storyline is simple, with very little drama, making it an effortless, yet enjoyable read! I would maybe have liked a little more excitement, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

The perfect pick-me-up read to enjoy with a coffee.

☕✨

Such a wholesome, cosy fantasy which is perfect for autumn/winter.

Excellent option if you’re looking for an easy read to relax. It’s a rare type of book for sure.

My only criticism is I wish it was longer, I could have read on for much longer.

It’s a nice found family, epic fantasy with fun and charming prose.

This has my three favorite things: coffee, fantasy, and sapphics. Obviously, this book won my heart.

Legends & Lattes is a slice-of-life cozy fantasy following Viv, an ex-barbarian mercenary orc, who wants to leave her life of violence behind and open the coffee shop. Viv quickly finds some employees - and friends - to help her on her endeavour but when new and old enemies come knocking, Viv might have to fight yet again to keep her dream.

This was an incredibly charming, quick read. The story was very self-contained, it mainly focused around Viv opening her shop and her relationships with her new friends but I liked it a lot! The characters grew on me very quickly and I was so invested in Viv's coffee shop I cried at one point. While the outward story might be only about an orc opening a coffee shop, there was so much more under the surface - like the importance of kindness, coming together as a community, and how it's never too late to try new things.

Found family and the power of friendship will always be tropes that are near and dear to my heart, especially as a queer woman. This was no exception. When I say 'trope', that doesn't mean the book felt formulaic, on the contrary - all the character relationships developed very naturally and the chemistry between everyone was great. The group friendship was my favorite but the sapphic romance was also really cute. Viv, Tandri, Thimble, Cal - they all deserve the world, they were so pure!

For a debut book, this was very impressive. The descriptions of pastries and coffee were so vivid I actually got hungry. In fact, I'm craving cinnamon rolls now just thinking about it. Really, the only thing I disliked about the book is that I'll never be able to eat Thimble's pastries. While the prose was simple, it still flowed really well and was easy to read. Reading this book felt like being given a warm hug. I can now officially declare myself a fan of cozy fantasy - what a fantastic genre!

All in all, a lovely fantasy debut which I recommend to fans of Becky Chambers Monk & Robot series. I'll definitely pick up Travis Baldree's next book. And now I'm gonna get myself a latte.

A wonderful cosy fantasy, all about perusing your dreams.

This tale follows Viv, an Orc and adventurer, she gives it all up to follow her dream of opening up a coffee shop. This was such a lovely red and it was so nice to have a break from all the high stake fantasies I’ve been reading.

An absolute adorable book!

I adored this, it was just an absolutely wonderful story about finding family and a place to call home.
Gorgeous characters and it feels like a warm squishy hug.

A wholesome cosy fantasy which lives up to its tag line; high fantasy, low stakes, good company.
I loved it!
Legends and lattes was originally self published by the author and I’m so happy that this ‘slice of life’ book has been picked up by Pan Macmillan so that wider audiences get a chance to read such a wholesome and feel-good book.
I would defy anyone to read this book and not be cheered by the wonderful cast of characters and the friendships made in this found-family tale.
This is the book version of curling up under a blanket with a hot chocolate with marshmallows.
A big thank you to the author, Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Warning! If you are on a diet be prepared to be hungry!!! This book is so atmospheric with smells and tastes. A great cosy light fantasy story. A nice comforting read. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for my eARC.

The House in the Cerulean Sea meets epic fantasy!

This book is taking the fantasy community absolutely by storm! Not only has this self-published book reached more than 3,000 ratings on Goodreads since its launch, but it has also been picked up by Tor Books! After seeing Petrik Leo praise this book, I decided to pick up this book. So those this book live up to the hype?
I LOVED this book, and it was exactly what I needed. This story follows Viv, an arc, looking to start a new life away from battles and war. Viv arrives in Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop in the town. However, Viv quickly realises that selling coffee to a crowd that has never even heard about coffee will be challenging.

There are so many elements in this story that worked so well for me! Firstly, Baldree’s description of the food is some of the best I have read. I usually don’t think about food descriptions, but there is just something so special about how the food is described in this book. Moreover, Legends and Lattes has a “found family”, which will give you all the cosy feelings! The friendships and characters in this story are so wholesome and will stick with you long after you’ve finished this book!

Legends and Lattes is a story that highlights the importance of not being afraid to start a new venture and the value of good friendships. Viv faces so many obstacles and challenges, but through hard work and the help and kindness of friends, Viv is able to accomplish something truly special!
That being said, I hope that Tor Books will give this book a new cover. I initially didn’t plan to read this book because of the cover, and I am not sure why I don’t enjoy it. I have heard plenty of people praise the cover art, though!

If you are looking for a cosy, wholesome fantasy story that will give you lots of good vibes and terrific food descriptions, pick up Legends and Lattes! This book has become one of my favourite books of 2022, and I can’t wait to see what Travis Baldree will write next!

4.5 / 5

I didn't expect anything when I first picked up this book, I only heard people keep recommending this book as cozy book to read for autumn. I can say, it's really great, it's a wholesome cozy book and becomes one of my favorite October reads. The characters are so lovely and I want to hug them all. The description about the foods and coffee is so soo good. It's a little bit difficult to read for me at first (with so many new words and terms introduced there) but it becomes easier after the first 4 chapters. Recommend this book for people who love cozy wholesome story with coffee, cinnamon rolls, dire-cat and lovely characters!

This is my second read of legends and lattes and it is such a brilliant low stakes, cosy fantasy story with a side of sapphic romance.

It follows Viv, a fearsome Orc warrior who has retired her sword and hopes to build a coffee shop, in a town where no one has ever really tried coffee. In her adventure to create this wholesome coffee shop she makes a little group of misfit friends who help along the way.

If you are looking for a cute fantasy book to read on a cold day… with a steaming coffee and a cosy blanket. This is it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc.

A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.'

This was so true, it was a wonderful story!

Viv, a warrior ogre leaves her erm....present employment and goes to Thune where she wants to build her own coffee shop. And this is in a time when hardly no one has heard of coffee!!! She finds a dilapidated building, a few friends and builds her business. But it's not without troubles and drama!

Viv loves coffee, she is my spirit animal! And the baked goods! Don't read this whilst your hungry or you'll eat everything you have in the house! The descriptions made my mouth water!

It had such a cozy, homey, old world feel to this book, the village had a lamplighter! Sort of gave me under the Whispering Door vibes but different if that makes any sense! As the characters all discovered different coffee's and cakes that are new to them but known to us, it made me so happy!

Read this, you won't regret it!!!

I’ve been told that this book was super wholesome and cozy, and they were right! This was a fantasy book I didn’t know I needed in my life, but after reading it I can’t help to wonder why no-one has done this before? I need more cozy slice of life fantasy books in my life!

The story follows former orc barbarian Viv, who has decided to put away the sword and follow her dream to open a coffee shop. But the city of Thune has never heard of coffee before, so how do you sell something to people who don’t know they might want it? So the story follows Viv as she builds up her coffee shop. I never thought it would be this entertaining to read about a fantasy world introducing cinnamon rolls to people, but here we are. I literally just sat there and smiled from time to time from just how lovely the story was.

But there’s so much more to the story, like all the amazing characters. One after another the story introduces various characters that I just came to adore and which made the story feel so wholesome. My favorite character has to be the little baker Thimble, I would kill for him. It also featured a really sweet slow burn romance which I craved for through the entire book.

This is the perfect book if you’re in a mood for a wholesome fantasy book which is just so relaxing to read. It features so many wonderful characters and relationships that I could go and live in this book. Seriously, if you need something to cheer you up - read this book. Actually, everyone just go and read this book!

Legends and Lattes is a cosy blanket of a book, perfect to put a smile on your face (and make you really fancy a coffee)!

Viv and her quiet dreams of giving up adventuring to open a coffee shop filled my heart with joy.
I loved the little details like where Viv ordered the machines and coffee from, having to find someone to custom fit her shop, her worry and satisfaction at opening her own small business.
The supporting characters were delightful - especially Thimblet 🥺 - and really added to the story.

I would read a thousand books like Legends and Lattes. It was an adorable easy read, and one which I will return to in the future!

I haven't read many cosy fantasies, with low stakes, so Legends & Lattes felt refreshing. I loved the low stakes in it and I loved reading about the coffee shop. Viv the orc is such a wonderful character. I also enjoyed the found family aspect of the story. Cal, Tandri, Thimble, Pendry, Hemington and everybody who visited the coffee shop were such unique characters in their own way and I really loved that. And lowkey, after reading this, I just feel like opening my own coffee shop lol.
I would definitely want more books set in this world, with similarly low stakes.

Legends & Lattes is one book that I know I'll be coming back to and reading it again and again.

3 stars

I wish I can say I loved this one but although this was cute and sweet and the story was very wholesome, I needed more.
I hope the author decides to write more about this world because it's interesting and fun!
This book was fun though, a perfect book for when everything (aka life) feels too much.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't connect with this story; I just didn't get into it at all. I see that other reviewers loved it, and I am glad they did. Must be just me then that didn't.Sorry.