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Legends & Lattes

Book 1 in the series:Legends & Lattes

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Legends & Lattes is a delightful and heartwarming tale about an orc named Viv who decides to retire from a life of adventuring and open a coffee shop, despite the city of Thune being unfamiliar with the concept of coffee. The story follows Viv's journey of renovating an old premises, navigating the criminal underworld, and building a community around her new venture. Along the way, she is joined by charming and diverse characters like a hob carpenter and a succubus, forming a found family that supports her in this new chapter of her life.

The writing style of Legends & Lattes is described as cozy, charming, and immersive, with vivid descriptions that teleport the reader into the coffee shop setting, evoking all five senses. The book offers a mix of low-intensity cozy development and higher stakes conflict, while also featuring a strong wlw romance subplot that feels organic and not forced. Overall, the novel is a refreshing take on epic fantasy quests, focusing on the beauty of everyday moments and the power of friendship and community.

Characters:

The characters are relatable and warm, with Viv as a strong protagonist supported by a diverse cast that emphasizes themes of family, friendship, and community.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is cozy, descriptive, and accessible, painting a warm atmosphere with relatable characters that enhance the comforting reading experience.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative focuses on an orc leaving behind her adventurous past to start a coffee shop in a town unfamiliar with coffee, depicting her journey of self-discovery, community building, and light conflicts.

Setting:

The setting is a vibrant fantasy world, primarily centered around a cozy coffee shop, fostering a warm community atmosphere.

Pacing:

The pacing is leisurely and comforting, providing ample time for character development and establishing the cozy atmosphere of the story.
Thune’s wakeful noises rose as she moved further into the city. At the outskirts, the buildings had been mostly wooden, with some river stone foundations interspersed. The deeper she ventured, the mor...

Notes:

The main character, Viv, is an orc who decides to retire from her life as a mercenary to open a coffee shop.
The story is set in a fantasy world where coffee is unknown to most of the inhabitants of Thune.
Viv's journey involves building a community around her coffee shop, attracting various magical creatures.
The main supporting characters include Tandri, a sweater-wearing succubus, and Cal, a handyman hob, who help Viv in her new venture.
The book is described as cozy fantasy with low stakes, focusing more on character relationships than epic adventures.
There is a minor romantic subplot involving Viv and another female character, but it’s not the central focus of the story.
The author, Travis Baldree, is also a well-known audiobook narrator who narrates his own work, adding a personal touch to the listening experience.
Legends and Lattes has received praise for its comforting and warm narrative, often described as a 'hug in book form'.
The sequel, Bookshops and Bonedust, explores more adventures in the same world, focusing on the themes of community and friendship.
The book has been well-received in the cozy fantasy genre, which emphasizes gentle storytelling and character-driven plots rather than high-stakes conflict.

Has Romance?

While the romance is not the central plot, it is an integral part of the character development and adds depth to the story, featuring a slow-growing sapphic relationship.

From The Publisher:

The much-beloved BookTok sensation Legends & Lattes is Travis Baldree's novel of high fantasy and low stakes.

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success - not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.

"Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. Legends & Lattes is a low-stakes fantasy that delivers exactly what's advertised: a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read."-Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart

Ratings (230)

Incredible (50)
Loved It (78)
Liked It (53)
It Was OK (33)
Did Not Like (12)
Hated It (4)

Reader Stats (488):

Read It (229)
Currently Reading (3)
Want To Read (171)
Did Not Finish (11)
Not Interested (74)

20 comment(s)

Incredible
1 week

I adored this read, first of its kind I've read and I so want to read more. Never considered cozy fantasy before and was so excited when I saw the cover and the blurb. Bought this book and made sure to get the one with the characters on it.

 
Loved It
3 weeks

A total delight

 
Incredible
1 month

I know there is a lot of hype behind this novel right now with the increased popularity of Cozy Fantasy. But I had to read this for myself to make a judgment.

This really is a wonderful and brilliant cozy book. There are stakes, but they involve a woman and a coffee shop. I will admit, that the story took a bit to win me over, but I found myself reading more and more of it as time passed.

This is a new passion of mine, Cozy Fantasy, and I plan to go down this road quite a ways. This novel will be the benchmark to which all others will be compared.

 
Loved It
1 month

Easy, low stakes fantasy. Exactly what I was looking for after a book hangover.

 
Liked It
1 month

This held my interest but I didn't love it the way so many people do. Maybe my lack of appreciation of coffee hampered things.

 
Did Not Like
3 months

2 stars

I really really tried to like this book, but...

This book had amazing and a variety of characters, great setting. It was slow with lots of food descriptions, cozy and fluffy kind of story. It did not hold my attention.

A very generic, predictable story.

Happy Reading!!

 
It Was OK
3 months

Es entretenido y una gran idea.

Pero dos cosas me molestaron:

- Muchos personajes son similares, baja autoestima y se les da una oportunidad, cuando llego el musico ya esto me parecio demasiado repetitivo.

- Es facil predecir que va a ocurrir, alguna sorpresa para mantenerme mas al vilo hubiera estado bien.

Esta bien, pero no es maravilloso.

 
Loved It
3 months

Really enjoyed this quick read, A quaint setting with an interesting story, Can't wait to grab the second book once released!

 
Liked It
4 months

muppet bookclub

 
It Was OK
5 months

3.5 Cutesy book

 
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