It was the Bookshops part of the title that drew me to Travis Baldree's engaging prequel fantasy, I have not read Legends and Lattes, although after this, I may well do so. I read and listened to this on audio, unusually it is narrated by the author, something that does not happen very often, for good reason, the skills that make a good author are not necessarily what makes a great narrator. However, this really does not apply to Baldree, he makes for a wonderful narrator, perhaps not surprising as he really does know hia material and his characters inside out, the audio is approximately 8 hours long. The feisty orc, Viv, is badly injured in the hunt for a powerful necromancer on the battlefield, and she is not happy when she is forced to rest and recover in the small coastal town of Murk.

Lodging at The Perch, Viv chafes at her physical limitations, longing only for the return of Rackham and the Ravens, so despite the pain, it is not long before she is venturing out on crutches and exploring Murk. She bumps into its residents, including Fern, the ratkin owner of a second hand bookshop with its crammed bookshelves and overflowing piles of teetering books. Not really being a reader, Viv finds herself succumbing as Fern recommends books that have her avidly reading as she begins to understand that books can mirror where and what you are and make you feel seen. Not to mention reading takes her into other worlds and makes time pass faster. It is not long before Viv is a daily feature in the bookshop, getting involved in book selling and other events. She becomes intimately connected with the community, this sees her in a fumbling summer romance, stealing a sword, trying to tackle the sinister grey man, fighting for the community and so much more.

What makes this book are the charm and variety of offbeat characters you cannot help but adore, from Fern, Pot Roast, to hands down what is my favourite, the animated horn skeleton, Satchel, who dares not dream of freedom. Viv's stay was always going to be temporary, and she would not have it any other way, but.....leaving is hard when you have become emotionally attached to Murk and those that have become important to you, such as a certain dwarf working at a bakery, but in life somethings are just not meant to be. But as the epilogue goes on to prove, there is a story past the end! This is a delightful read and listen that I have no doubt will appeal to a wide range of readers. Many thanks to the publisher for a ALC and ARC.

Oh what an absolute gem of a book. Travis has done it again. This is right up there with legends and lattes I was worried it wouldn’t have the same “magic” that I felt when reading legends and lattes but it’s just as good. Fantastic book I can’t wait to see more from this author

As a big fan of Legends & Lattes, when I got approved for this ARC, I screamed. I read Legends & Lattes in January & absolutely fell in love, so it doesn't surprise me that I loved this one too. Travis Baldree just has a way of building such a cosy & warming setting with his writing. This book was such a comforting read - one where you sit under a blanket, with a hot chocolate & just fall into this world & storyline.

I really enjoyed seeing young Viv & what her life was like pre-Legends & Lattes. I loved seeing that little rebellious orc that Viv spends so much time reminiscing on in the original. The opening battle scene actually really impressed me, which was surprising to me as Baldree's writing is quite low stakes & slow in its pacing. But honestly, from page one, this book had me. It's just the perfect little read to wind down in the colder months with - I read this in September, so it was just brilliant. Another fantastic little read by this author!

LEGENDS & LATTES is one of my favourite books and was the first to introduce to the idea of cozy fantasy as its own distinct, named genre, so I’ve been really anticipating BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST.

Unfortunately, I didn’t fall for this one as hard as I’d hoped I would. I did enjoy BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST, and its still one of the better cozy fantasies around, but something about it just doesn’t click the same way.

Partly, the nature of it being a prequel might be to blame – we already know where Viv ends up.

Or perhaps that there wasn’t as big a focus on the mouthwatering food (although when it did come up, it sounded delicious).

Maybe the bookshop just wasn’t the setting for me. I do tend to prefer bakery cozy mysteries to bookshop ones anyway, and although we’re told the bookshop is failing, there wasn’t as many ‘challenges’ or ‘stages’ to work through when it came to getting it off the ground as there were in the sequel.

There were, however, some great characters in BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST, and the plot has actually a little more ‘traditional fantasy’, slightly higher stakes angle, so this might best suit readers who thought LEGENDS & LATTES had too little action.

BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST is a good book, and I think anyone who enjoyed LEGENDS & LATTES should pick it up, but I don’t think it’s quite in the same league.

This is an absolutely delightful prequel to Legends and Lattes, which was already in my list of favourite books. This gave me the same warm and cozy feeling as L&L and was a delight from start to finish.

We meet a very young Viv, just setting out on her adventuring days when she's injured and forced to rest up in a small seaside town. Rather than let the boredom set in she gets to know the residents and makes herself useful. The elements of found family and creating a safe space in the world for yourself and those you love run as strongly through Bookshops and Bonedust as it did through L&L.

Although I was worried that knowing Viv has to make it through to set up a coffee shop in 20 years time would detract from the feeling of danger, it had the opposite effect for me. We know we see Viv again but the rest of the characters are fair game to danger. I loved the characters in this book, every single one of them adds depth to the storyline, the world of the books and Viv's character.

This was an absolutely perfect addition to this universe and I'm hoping for many more books about Viv and all the others from Baldree.

This was cute and sassy. I haven’t read Legends and Lattes, but I have seen a lot of love for it all over Bookstagram, so when the opportunity to read a prequel came up on NetGalley it was too good to miss. I’m so glad I picked it up! Listening to the audio was an absolute delight, as it’s read by none other than the author himself, who imbues his colourful characters with so much life, it’s almost as though he’s mastered the art of necromancy to lift them from the page.
A delightful, fun, snarky and inclusive read. Five stars from me and a big thank you to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I've once described to a friend by experience with Legends & Latte "if a coffee shop ASMR was a fantasy book". If you are in the mood for a low stakes cozy, this is exactly right, but if you come in with different expectations, then I don't even know why you deliberately set yourself up with wrong expectations.

...and anyway, I'd think those who wanted something different from Legends and Lattes wouldn't have reached out for a copy of its prequel, so we can all enjoy it in peace. And it was very enjoyable, in a warm, cozy way getting to spend some more time low key hanging out with people you like can be. It was lovely, read in the right mood, and was a book equivalent of a delicious tea break in the middle of a busy day.

My thanks to #NetGalley for an advance copy of #BookshopsAndBonedust .

I might be in the minority here but having read the first one that was just ok for me, I expected a bit more of this one but it was just meh for me unfortunately.

A beautifully written prequel of our favourite characters.
I was thrilled to be approved this arc and genuinely grateful because Travis Baldtree has made this perfectly cosy read that I adore.
I was so excited to see what led the characters to how we see them in Lengends and Lattes and I was not disappointed
Thankyou

Like so many others, I fell in love with Viv after reading Legends and Lattes last year and so I was thrilled to be approved for the ARC of this prequel. I was a bit nervous about whether Travis Baldree could pull it off again but I didn’t to be as this new book is every bit as good as the first. I love books that are set in bookshops or libraries and so a fantasy novel in one of my favourite settings has to be a winner.
Viv is 20 years younger and right at the start of her mercenary career. She is impulsive and that trait gets her badly injured so her company take to a nearby sleepy town and then leave her to recover.
Poor Viv can’t think of anything worse than being abandoned in such a forsaken place and gets so bored that she actually wanders into a bookshop and picks up a book.
The bookshop is run down and so Viv begins to occupy herself by helping the owner, Fern, improve things. The plot moves on from there and there are some similarities with the previous book especially the importance of baked goods. Warning- this book will make you hungry! There is more of a traditional fantasy plot in this book though with the appearance of an enchanted book and a necromancer. I enjoyed this and felt that it gave the book more of a focus than the first one.
Travis Baldree has again created an incredible cast of characters. We meet goblins, dwarves, a ratkin and sea fae to name but a few. Each character has their own distinct ARC and the found family aspect of this novel is one of my favourite elements. I think my favourite character out of all of them has to be Satchel, an animated skeleton who appears to enjoy nothing more than doing housework.
The book is quite slow paced but that fits with the style of writing and the focus on the characters and I never felt that it dragged.
This is the perfect book to read while curled up in an armchair with a cup of something warm and a snack to eat.
Huge thanks to the publishers, Pan Macmillan and Net Galley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a prequel to the bestseller Legends and Lattes, and as others have said, if you loved that one then you're going to love this too!! It has all the cosy feels and this time it's set mostly in a bookshop!! Set any book in a bookshop and you've got me on board!!

So this shows us a younger Viv, in full battle mode but an injury puts her plans to fight on hold and she's left recovering in Murk looking for things to occupy her. A quiet Viv is an unhappy Viv so when she finds a wonderful little bookshop owned by Fern, who recommends a book to Viv this unlocks a new side to Viv and sets her on a new path

This book is a really comforting read! Its a lovely slow pace and full of such interesting characters and side stories which explores that sense of community and shows that different side to Viv. It's not as good as book 1 but it's still a really enjoyable and fun cosy read! more please!!

I recieved this book as an ARC having not read anything by Travis Baldree. I was a bit skeptical before starting because I'm not super into stuff relating to D+D and I felt concerned the 'low stakes' would translate to be boring. But I've heard good things so wanted to go into it with an open mind.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this. I thought the pacing worked well, there was a good ammount of suspense and mystery that kept things moving along with the bookshop improvement storyline. I was pleasantly surprised with some of the larger themes that were explored, especially around personal growth, timing, and how we're not always where we need to be for relationships to work out.

I did read Legends and Lattes before reading this, and I'm glad I did, because I think it added a depth to this book. You know where the character ends up, so it's interesting to see them in their past, especially as it relates to the aformentioned themes of the book. It was interesting to see how Viv was different in the past and her growth since then, but for me it was easier to like her as a character having read L+L first.

I'm glad I gave these books a chance, despite not being something I'd normally pick up. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

The prequel to the indie sensation Legends & Lattes offers up more of the same but following a different recipe (the cafe latte to the former's latte macchiato or something like that). We meet a younger orc barbarian Viv as she is injured trying to track down a nefarious necromancer. Left behind by her crew to rehabilitate, she finds herself drawn into fiction by the shy but talented bookseller ratkin, and into life in the village itself.
There is significantly more action in this book than in its predecessor as Viv first confronts a mysterious stranger and starts to explore where he came from. This comes at a cost, with a much less cosy feel than L&L. For me this was no bad thing, and her being younger and looking for action I feel it makes sense. However, I can see this being less well accepted by the hordes of fans of the original.
While the plot wasn't terribly involved, it was fine for the style of book and the slice-of-life notion means there is only so much that can be included.
I certainly enjoyed this book as it felt much more like a worthwhile read than L&L, with a beginning, middle and an end rather than sort of frittering out.

3 .5 (rounded up) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I really enjoy these “cosy” fantasy reads. They are nice palette cleaners and it’s nice when it’s a fantasy but it’s not all saving the world and betrayal.

Legends and Lattes was great and so is this prequel-sequel. I hope to see more in this world, even if it focuses on other characters.

Definitely recommend to anyone who likes this cosy-fantasy genre.

Travis has done it again! Just like Legends and Lattes, this was a cosy fantasy set in a small town with many characters with distinct personalities that cross paths. It follows Viv after she has an injury and has to wait for it to heal in a small seaside town and ends up helping out a struggling bookshop.

Just like with Legends and Lattes it didn’t take me long to fall in love with the characters and really feel like I knew the town. I could picture it all and wanted to be there with them. I think my favourite character this time might be Satchel!

As this book follows the daily life of Viv as she recovers from an injury, it is fairly slow paced. However, I think this works perfectly for this kind of book and lends itself well to getting to know the characters and really feeling like you’re there with them. The epilogue was also just perfect and left me wanting more.

I will definitely be picking up anything Travis writes in the future! I can’t wait for more cosy fantasy in this world!

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for this early review copy.

“Through a pair of narrow front windows, she spied chaotic piles of books, charts, and miscellaneous junk. She could almost see the smell of mildew.”

Travis Baldree knows his demographic too well…What does an avid book reader like more than an artisan coffee shop… obviously an old indie bookshop!

What do book readers also like, a good prelude, a look at their favourite character before they became the ex-badass, now barista!

And that's what we find in the cosy fantasy book, the follow-up to Legends and Lattes, where we find the younger Viv, sidelined due to injury in a quiet, coastal town called Murk.

So what was a mercenary for hire supposed to do in this forsaken backwater? She entered the bookshop and picked up a book

“she was absorbed. She was transported. She was elsewhere.”

I think most of us can relate to that!

Travis continues to build the story in this little sleepy town, which only really sees some excitement when the boats arrive with the passengers. Apart from that the locals are friendly, well most of them and Viv starts to fit in and help out while making some new friends along the way.

““Well, ain’t you a big piece of somethin’ sweet?” she said, winking. “What can I getcha?””

However, like its predecessor, this book is not all sweetness and light, things do take a turn. And when Viv’s friends and even the town itself are threatened, our sword-wielding orc steps up and tries to help out, but is hampered by the local police called the Wardens.

Travis again creates this delightful tapestry of location & characters, which would normally be the background & NCPs of any D&D video game, but he brings them to life that you would want to put down your axe and shield, have a drink and stay a while.

Sadly, however, this short book ended and I was left wanting more (and hoping that we will see Viv and maybe some of the other characters again).
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While I didn't enjoy this storyline as much as Legends and Lattes, I did completely have a good time in some parts of this book and to be perfectly honest there was only 1 part I didn't enjoy.
So, Viv gets injured during a fight scene right at the beginning of the book this time around and the head of the crew she's teamed with drops her off on the tiny island of Murk for medical attention and recovery. They continue on the quest to kill the deadly necromancer. Viv is not a compliant patient but she amuses herself by getting to know the locals and in particular the local bookshop and bakery.
There is a build up in this book which I don't think pays off well and this is what loses a star. I understand the low stakes of the book, but don't build up a kind of final boss and then the scene is flat. I originally thought this would be a 3.5 star but the epilogue of the book put it firmly back at a 4 star. I do hope that final scene becomes a new book because I would love to keep meeting Viv again.
The characters in this book were all fantastic and it's very obvious that Travis has a penchant for creating such great ones in every single book. The atmosphere on Murk was phenomenal. I think the author can do no wrong in my eyes and would read anything he continues to write

I did not realise this book was a prequel to Legends & Lattes until I was approved - from other reviews, it seems everyone reading it already has the context of the first book.

I adore the concept of these books and I will return to Bookshops & Bonedust once I have had the chance to read book one.

Thank you very much for approving me and I will be posting about these books after buying and reading them. I really appreciate the opportunity.

Well, that was certainly an emotional rollercoaster!

The story centres around Viv, who, after charging into a battle in order to prove herself to Rackam and his Ravens, ends up with a nasty leg injury. Unable to fight, and in much need of some healing time, Rackam leaves her in a small town on the coast with orders to rest, recover and stay put! Viv finds company with a foul mouthed Rattkin called Fern, the owner of a failing bookshop. Throughout their time together, Fern loans her books based on what she thinks she will like. It's so clever, we have a secondary story highlight Viv's development, not only with the snippets from the books she reads but the change in the type of books her friends gives her to read.

In "Bookshops & Bonedust" we join Viv at the beginning of her career, and I'll say it's quite a different Viv to the one we know and love. It's lovely to see her at the bookends (sorry!) of her career and the development of her character. Speaking of characters, this is filled with a cast of wonderful new friends. All of whom end up shaping Viv and likewise, she leaves a lasting influence on them.

Needless to say, it wouldn't be Viv without a bit of trouble (or for a young and overenthusiastic Viv, a lot of trouble) and some tasty baked goods! Cosy fantasy with plenty of suspense. I will say this caught me off guard with a sledgehammer to the heart of emotion.

Great plot, amazing characters, humour, drama, emotion and an amazing bakery, what more could you want?!

Bookshops & Bonedust is a prequel to Legends & Lattes and it takes place a few years before. As the first book, this one does not fail to deliver a warmth feeling and a cozy vibe. It is in ways similar to Legends & Lattes- but the stakes are a tiny bit higher. I can't seem to stop comparing the two. The similarities i'd say lie in the narration and the way that the plot progresses. So if you have liked the first one, i would definetely give this one a go.
It was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year and it did not let me down.