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raequigley 's review for:

Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
3.0
adventurous lighthearted 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

I think a disclaimer is needed - that I knew this was Legends & Lattes #2 but was unaware of the prequel (#0 or #0.5) when I requested this ARC. Having now finished this book, and seen a bit about the prequels - I do think that those should maybe be read first before reading this. I *loved* Legends and Lattes. I’m not ashamed crier while reading, but I cried with L&L and remember it being a book I really enjoyed from start to finish. I was so excited to get back into that world, and this just didn’t hit for me. I am wondering if the prequels would have made me feel differently. 

Fern felt like an entirely new character (which it seems to me she probably was bc of the prequel) and I didn’t understand her enough to just jump right into her story? It took me a while to get my bearings. I enjoyed a lot of the cozy elements, but didn’t super enjoy the quest/adventure part this time. This is all definitely a me problem, and I do wonder how much of my feelings will change once I get Fern’s backstory. 

There were a few areas where I felt the pacing slowed *too* much and I was starting to zone out of the audio. But Travis does, as usual, an amazing job of storytelling. So while it wasn’t for me, I can appreciate it as a good piece of work and I feel like people will really enjoy this one. 

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.