It's impossible for this to be as good as Legends and Lattes, I thought. How wrong I was.

L&L was one of my top reads last year so I was incredibly thrilled to be approved to read and review this, and it didn't disappoint one tiny bit. Set years before L&L, it follows Viv at a much earlier point in her journey and I loved this insight into her former life.

It's incredibly clever how this book gets to where it needs to go, with Viv early on in her adventuring career and not at all ready to settle down as she is at the start of L&L, but at the same time clearly sets up that later storyline in a wonderfully believable and organic way.

The cast of characters is what brings this book to life, and they really do infuse the place with a sense of tight knit community that had me wanting to live inside the book.

These stories are the moments in between or after adventures, the bits that usually get left out of epic fantasy but that actually ground the world deeply in reality. These are the books I didn't know I'd been waiting for my whole life.

"Every book is a little mirror, and sometimes you look into it and see someone else looking back."

In this, the prequel to Legends & Lattes, we follow a younger Viv as she finds herself stuck in the small town of Murk as she recovers from an injury she sustained whilst hunting down a necromancer.

Again, like Legends & Lattes, its a cosy, lowstakes fantasy but unfortunately it just didn't hit the same. I wasn't as hooked as I was with Legends & Lattes and honestly was a bit bored in some places😔

That being said, the characters are loveable and the settings are so well written you can clearly picture everything. The bookshop gives off amazingly cosy vibes and Potroast sounds absolutely adorable, if I could visit I 100% would!

Thank you to netgalley and Tor for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Overall rating - 3.5⭐️

This prequel is set 20 years before Legends & Lattes. A younger, less scarred Viv is at the start of her warrior adventures and she has a lot to learn.

The story has similar cosy elements to Legends and Lattes. Afterall, you don't get much cosier than bookshops, scones and a comfy chair. But this book also includes more adventure and danger, as befits a much younger Viv.

I enjoyed both books, but this one is my favourite. We get to know more about Viv and the experiences (adventure, friendships and a little romance) which shape her early years. It helps provide more depth to who Viv is in Legends and Lattes. Though gnomish coffee doesn't feature so perhaps there are other stories which Travis Baldree will treat us to in the future.

If you enjoyed Legends & Lattes, or like cosy fantasy with a sprinkling of good triumphing over evil, you will enjoy this book

You can read this book as a prequel or as a standalone. You can also read it in advance of Legends and Lattes though I'd suggest that you avoid the epilogue if you read this book first as there's a line or two which could be considered a spoiler for L&L.

Rounded up from 4.5 stars

I was very excited for this book as I absolutely loved legends and lattes. This prequel follows Viv back in her mercenary days so there is more of a focus on action and Viv's life when it revolved around fighting. It took me a bit longer to get into than the first book but there is a lot more insight into Viv which I loved. I really loved watching her make friends and save the day.

I loved the bookshop setting so much. Fern and Potroast were wonderful. It was great to see the world being more built up and becoming richer.

I really loved Legends and Lattes and was very excited for the prequel.

It was a lovely enjoyable read it was great to hang out Viv again, however it was slow at times and I struggled sometimes to keep reading.

I am very excited for the next book in this series and the joining of the characters in both books.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Tor for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

Anyone who enjoyed the first will enjoy this equally!
Charming characters
Cosy atmosphere
Well written
Short quick chapters
All vibes with amazing characters!

Set 20 years before Legends and Lattes, we meet a young Viv on her first mercenary job with a new crew, but after getting injured, Viv finds herself holed up in a small coastal town while she recovers. It’s here that Viv learns to appreciate reading and meets some incredible characters along the way.

As with L&L, there is something so comforting about this read; it’s like curling up under a blanket with a hot drink while it’s raining outside.

This has some more adventure packed in than L&L and I honestly flew through this, I couldn’t put it down I was so gripped.

Viv meets some great characters along the one and I really enjoyed all of them but I must admit Fern is my favourite (don’t tell Maylee).

While helping Fern out, Viv discovers a love of reading and it really felt like having a good friend take you for the ride and it gave all the warm and fuzzies.

The writing style is easy to follow and pitched so well! Cannot praise this enough and I really hope we get to see more of Viv’s world.

Second books are notoriously difficult to produce, so I must admit I was initially worried about Travis Baldree's follow-up to the beloved Legends & Lattes (L&L). However, Baldree once again works his magic, introducing us to a younger version of Viv (protagonist in L&L) and enveloping us in the cozy atmosphere of a bookshop filled with potential. The story unfolds with charming characters, fantastic creatures, despicable villains, exhilarating fights, and intriguing mysteries. It is cosy fantasy all over again, and I am here for it.

The shabby bookshop, in need of tender loving care, felt like an enchanting tribute to the world of readers—both those just beginning to discover the joy of reading and the creators, writers, and owners of these treasured shops. As I dove into the story, the fragrant aromas of fresh bread and cookies from the adjacent bakery tickled my senses, reminiscent of Thimble's enticing treats in L&L. And amidst all the enchantment, a heartwarming love story gracefully unfolds.

This delightful surprise exceeded all my expectations and left me eagerly anticipating Baldree's next instalment. I can't wait to see what literary wonder he has in store for us next!"

Huge thanks to Pan Macmillan, Tor and Netgalley for the advance review copy. #pudseyrecommends.

This was delightfully cosy. If you liked the previous book you’ll like this one. I promise. I will happily read everything this author writes, it feels like a warm hug.

Having loved everything about Legends and Lattes I was so excited to get the chance to read Bookshops & Bonedust.

Yet again this was a snuggle up, cosy down hug of a comfort read, and one I'll definitely revisit time and time again.

This is the prequel to Legends and Lattes, and I loved that we got to see Viv in her younger battle hardened days.

With a cute bookshop, seaside town, fun characters and a bakery we all need near our home, the author yet again creates a world that has EVERYTHING you need for the perfect cosy read.

With extra adventure and danger, a great fantasy character in Satchel and strong friendship vibes with Fern (loved that epilogue, roll on book three) this book had me wrapped in a warm hug throughout.

One to recomend and reread for sure.

This is a light, romantic and definitely cosy prequel to Legends & Lattes. Full of the same type of quirky fun fantasy characters as Travis’s first book. It could be read as a standalone but those who have already read Legends & Lattes will get more out of the story.
As any lover of books, I found the comments about the importance of books and bookshops especially touching. Really looking forward to where the author takes Viv the Orc from here!

Thanks to Pan Macmillan, Travis Baldree and NetGalley for this ARC, in return for my honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up.

This book was the perfect prequel to Legend and Lattes! Set 20 years prior to Viv setting up her coffee shop, this book explores her days recovering from an injury in the seaside town of Murk. This book had the same feel as L&L, a cosy read that you can easily fly through! We had a cute little bookshop that Viv helped revive, a mouth watering bakery, found family and a hint of adventure.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the little update on Viv and Tandri at the end was perfect. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for that third book!

I was pleasantly suprised to find that I got accepted to read an eARC of Bookshops and Bonedust on Netgalley! Bookshops & Bonedust is the upcoming prequel to Legends & Lattes, a cosy fantasy novel by Travis Baldree. I loved Legends & Lattes and so was excited to get straight into the prequel! Here were my thoughts! ☕️

Bookshops & Bonedust takes place 20 years before Legends & Lattes, and so we get to see Viv in action in her younger years! After a mission gone wrong, Viv finds herself alone in a quiet beach town nursing an injury that means she can't do much but wait. But we all know our Viv, and she ends up on a mysterious journey, filled with blossoming friendships, crumbling bookshops and even potential romance 👀 And with a mysterious foe, there's also an element of danger that threatens Viv's newly found happiness...

When I saw this was a prequel, I was excited to get a chance to see parts of Viv's past but also nervous because I didn't to leave the characters that I had gotten to love behind. Of course, I shouldn't have been worried because if there's one thing Travis Baldree does really well, it's write friendships! I loved the relationships that Viv built with her new friends, and I loved the added aspect of danger that raised the stakes!

I preferred Legends & Lattes as I did find this harder to get into initially. It was a slow start for me, but I soon got into it and found it a delightful addition to Viv's story! My absolute favourite character was Satchel and I would devour a spin-off based on him (cough cough @travis_baldree 👀). An excitingly charming tale that ended on an epilogue with much promise 👀

I would recommend this book for anyone who loved Legends & Lattes, who wants to read about beautiful friendships, the love of books and a brief but impactful romance 💕

4/5 ⭐️‘s

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Tor for allowing me the opportunity to read this eARC in return for a fair and honest review 🤍

Bookshops and Bonedust will release on 09/11/23.

Many thanks to Pan Macmillan and Travis Baldree for the advanced copy of Bookshops and Bonedust via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.

Oh, this book was simply delightful. I love this new (to me) genre of cosy high fantasy and I hope Travis Baldree keeps giving us more.

This book came at exactly the right time for me. Having had abdominal surgery, I was on a minimum of two weeks’ bedrest. I saved this book for the first day that the drugs had worn off enough to be able to read a paragraph and not have to go back and read it again 30 seconds later. There was only one problem…I finished it by day four of bedrest. Had I not needed a nap, it would have been day three. But it was exactly the right thing for being stuck in bed. It’s happy, it’s cosy, it’s all wrapped up by the end of the book.

I had not expected this book to be a prequel but Baldree pulled it off really well. If being really picky and comparing this with Legends & Lattes, I would say that L&L is still the better of the two, written with slightly more heart and soul. When reading the author’s note at the end, you can see the journey Baldree took to write the book, which may explain why B&B maybe lacks some of the depth and heart, but it does contain more adventurous spirit.

Whether this means that this diverges a little from the ‘cozy’ genre, I don’t know, but I loved it all the same. More please!

Moods: adventurous, funny, lighthearted, happy, cozy
Pace: medium
Character development: medium
Plot or character driven: 50/50
Diversity: high
Spice: 1/5
Trigger warnings: None

Rating 5/5

This was just as cosy as the first book with similar enjoyable themes. However, a sequel may have been better than a prequel as this being a prequel made the stakes even lower for an already low-stakes premise. It also made it difficult to get invested in any relationships our MC was forming as we knew she wouldn't stay.

<i>Legends and Lattes</i> was one of my favourite books of last year and I was super excited when I learned that Baldree was working on a prequel. With some books, it's one hit and then the moment can never be recaptured. For whatever reason, everything aligns for that one book - the author was in the right headspace, the reader is ready for just that book, the market is delivered something it didn't even know it was hungry for. And then nothing quite hits the same vein afterwards. I am happy to report that is not the case here. <i>Bookshops and Bonedust</i> has a slightly different feel to the book it prequels but that actually works in its favour.

The story is set twenty years prior to L&L and follows a much younger and more impetuous Viv who has just begun her career as a mercenary. A bout of recklessness sees her seriously injured and she is left by her comrades in a quiet seaside town to recover. Not much ever really happens in Murk - that's exactly how Gatewarden and general ballbreaker Iridia likes it. In pain and bored Viv accidentally befriends a despondent bookseller whose shop is on the verge of going bust. From there the story becomes the warm, cosy confection we've all been craving with a few good twists. It's partly a 'finding yourself' story, partly a fixer upper story. Partly a bittersweet coming of age. It's full of found family, delicious pastries, books and cosy vibes. Oh and there's a necromancer floating around who needs dealing with too. Can the injured Viv learn to lead with her wits rather than her brawn though? Find out when this drops in November (I pity everyone who didn't get an arc and has to wait). Great book. Highly recommend.

I absolutely adored the first book, but this one was hard to get into. I didn't love the swearing, it didn't feel cosy, and the characters weren't as likeable as in the first book.

I had heard a lot about this book, so I decided to try it,

This was a really fun fantasy read, with plenty of talk about books and bookshops. The world created by the author felt like an escape while I was reading. I believe this is the sequel to a previous book - Legends & Lattes, which I hadn't initially realised. I would have liked to read that one first, but I still liked this a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Thank you netgalley for gifting me this ARC in return for an honest review. Firstly there is some aspects I absolutely adore and some I didn't care for. Starting of strong is the character work. Every character in this book has such a presence about them. They fit so perfectly within the story. The different fantastical creatures and how they all just worked together. I am a character driven reader so liking character is a must and connecting with them personally is something I always love to feel while reading. And although I haven't been in the same situations as these characters, you really get attached to them and how they feel. The writing is great, all flows Really well and I never felt disjointed from the story. Really easy but great writing style especially for a cozy fantasy. The only small issue I had with this was the actual plot. I loved the bookshop aspect and helping out and the reason why they were in town in the first place, but I was bored with the plot. Luckily I love the characters and vibes of the book but I wouldn't expect a huge plot in this one. Overall really enjoyed my experience and the little chapter at the end that tied it all together made me tear up. I love the world and if there are anymore books within this world I will definitely be reading.

I didn't think I would enjoy another book as much as Legends and Lattes but boy was I wrong. I loved this book just as much. I really hope Travis writes more of Vivs stories and travels as the writing is just so magical and cosy. One of my top 2023 reads:)