Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Legends & Lattes

"High Fantasy. Low Stakes. Good Company."

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is such a cosy fantasy novel that you could almost fall asleep to it! Almost...

Viv, a battle-hardened Orc, is giving up life with her crew, laying her sword Blackblood down, to opening a coffee shop in Thune, where no one has ever heard of the hot drink. She soon finds friends in hob carpenter Cal, succubus Tandri, who creates decorative signage, and ratkin Thimble, who is a master baker! However, her last battle with the Scalvert Queen, has one of her former crew plotting revenge as she tries to build her new life...

I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on Spotify. It is narrated by the author, which I enjoyed. I read this for prompt 2, Bibliosmia: a smelly book, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.

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hdunscombe's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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tea_coffee_sam's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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cursed10fold's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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zydecovivo's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I first saw this book on StoryGraph and then started seeing it everywhere, convincing me it must be overhyped. It seemed to me like a DM (or wanna-be-DM) just wrote out their D&D campaign and managed to get it published. Nevertheless, I put my name on the waitlist at my local library. Over a month later (!!!), I finally got the chance to borrow it. I started it after a long workday, just trying to read a few pages to keep my reading streak alive. I could not have been more wrong about the premise.

Don’t get me wrong, it is probably (most definitely) D&D fan fiction. However, the story itself is probably the best Coffee Shop AU I’ve read so far. I was quickly charmed by Viv’s no-nonsense but fair treatment of total strangers, nose-to-the-grindstone attitude, and willingness to seek a life change on her own terms. She has had a rough life, probably the result of someone’s D&D campaigns. But after one final quest, with the help of a so-called “lucky charm,” she goes in search of her heart’s desire: opening a coffee shop in a town that had never heard of coffee. She gets more than she bargained for, mostly in the form of a new group of friends who truly support her, as well as a love interest (who I hope is asexual, but right now, unconfirmed). Viv’s old campaigning party even comes back to help, showing that she is still loved for more than her strength and sword skills. If it’s not obvious, I love Viv, her new friends, and the way they carve out their new community and niches in the coffee shop. There is some drama (gotta have a plot after all), but it only serves to teach Viv that she is (and always was) enough for her friends. It is a beautiful story about found family, friendship, and finding a new place in the world, things we all seek in our own lives.

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vivandtan's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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chainsawmochi's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Cozy fantasy. Those are two words not often associated with each other, especially not when it comes to novels. At least, if it is, it isn't associated enough. "Legends & Lattes" offers up something unique and beautiful--the what comes after.

Main character Viv, a battle worn Orc, hangs up her sword in order to open up a cafe in a bustling riverside city. This is after years and years of fighting, of adventuring and questing. One might think of her as a Dungeons and Dragons playable character--one that has seen enough blood and bone for multiple lifetimes. Now, she is looking for more; she is looking for an actual life for herself. Something she had own, and hold, and love without having to fight off monsters and mages.

Within the pages of "Legends & Lattes" lies the story of Viv's happily ever after. It isn't so easy as that, however; soon she finds herself entangled with foes old and new. Yet, through it all, she begins to collect a loving found family around herself--and discovers that some things are really worth fighting for.

Travis Baldree is a master of storytelling. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every moment of this novel. It had moments of being perfectly raw and loving, along with moments of pulse-pounding intrigue. Viv's journey becomes more than just opening a coffee shop; it becomes a testament to discovering what makes you feel good, feel purposeful and fulfilled. There are beautiful moments of calm within the narrative. These reflective moments are nothing to skip over; they are just as important to the story as the parts with action and tension. There is an ebb and flow that reminds me very much of cozy mystery novels.

"Legends & Lattes" has opened up a whole new world of fantasy to me. I am already craving more cozy fantasy. Hopefully I will be able to find something that is as decadent as this splendid, coffee-flavored story.

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