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

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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clovetra's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-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

3.0

this book was very out of my comfort zone! a book whose sole goal is to be warm & cozy? a foreign concept to me, seeing as my favourite book is battle royale by koushun takami, but this was quite nice to dip my toes into the relaxing genre.
i will say, my major "issue" with this book is the amount of exposition needed that doesn't exist. im sorry because i had no idea what was going on lore-wise, i had no idea how to envision certain characters such as amity, cal, or thimble. granted, this could be a skill issue on my end! but it did still affect my reading experience negatively :(
i will also say viv felt incredibly one-dimensional, as did most other characters. i understand a book can have many minor characters and not suffer, but i felt like in this book it did. every time i was introduced to a recurring character i hadn't read about in a while i either had to flip back throughout the book or use good ol trusty google. my brain is too small to comprehend the vast amount of characters.
i will say tho this book was quite nice! i did enjoy not shitting my pants because the stakes werent so ridiculously high! i also loved that the

complete minuscule of conflict present was so anticlimactic!!!! lowkey i got a bit mad when some drama was starting because i was like 'wtf this is a cozy book'.... but then! the conflict! went nowhere! /pos

i will also say the pleasant edition of tandri & viv's relationship was enjoyed on my end!!!

also the random yet understandable sapphic relationship???? SIGN MY ASS UP!

honestly tho i think the main reasons i couldn't get into this book were because i had no idea wtf was going on! i had no idea about the universe! like i was wondering quite often if this was like. a sequel. like you cant tell me this book is a stand alone (if this book did have required supplemental reading that i didn't do i will kick myself so bad im so serious)
also i know i praised the book above for its relaxing atmosphere but. i got bored. like sure i would want to read it when i picked it up but.... because there were no stakes i wasn't prompted to pick up the book that often. like ok when the only stakes are if they get customers....... i got bored. this sounds so incredibly dismissive of baldree's writing and i don't mean it to be! i think this is just me learning that i need my books to have tension or else my little rat brain starts begging to read an incredibly fast-paced adventure story.
um i think i will defo read the little short story "pages to fill" as my edition has that at the end but.... i don't know if ill be reading the prequel sadly :/ only time will tell though!

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aurora4847's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-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

4.5

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iane_reads's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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monicalaurette's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

This book was fun and gave me exactly what I expected from it. I wanted a fantasy book that didn’t have a lot of high stakes, and that’s what I got. I also got a little bit of a found family (after the family of Viv’s prior crew) and enjoyed how everything came together.

I’ve seen some people complain about how often Viv had to explain coffee to someone, but I honestly didn’t think it happened much and each time Thimble came up with a new food item I was so happy for him. I think he might be my favorite character out of all of them.

“Things don’t have to stay as what they started out as.”

Not much else I can really say about it without spoiling anything but I’m glad I finally picked this up and interested to see if the prequel story is equally as fun to read.

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