Super sweet and cozy. I'm totally here for more low stakes, high fantasy novels. I loved Viv and the rest of this whole cast of characters, especially Amity.

* Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for an advance copy for review purposes *

Viv, a battle-forged orc, is trying an entirely different challenge - opening a coffee shop in a town! She has some funds from years of adventures, some magical aid, how hard could it be? Of course, not as easy since no one in town has ever heard of coffee, and the local organized crime wants some neighborly contributions.

Just as advertised, it is a low stakes adventure. Very fun, quick read, great to cozy up with a cup of tea (yes, I'd argue Viv needed to offer a decaf choice) on a lazy weekend. The characters are charming and the story is uncomplicated and heart warming. And that is just what I needed right now.

Loved the very chill and low stakes nature of this book. Viv just wants to open a coffee shop and retire from fighting. This books is basically a warm hug where the main characters are delightful. If you want a slice of life story set in a fantasy world this one is for you.

There’s a reason I’ve seen this book all over Booktube and Bookstagram (it’s also apparently on BookTok, but I wouldn’t know). It’s absolutely delightful!

Viv retires from beast hunts, battles and bounties to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. While there are challenges, old and new rivals, and a slow burn sapphic romance, this book is more slice-of-life with a strong focus on character growth and found family.

I loved reading the detailed experience of building a coffee shop in a world where that is a completely novel concept. The characters felt unique and individual, and the relationships they built were skillfully portrayed in their interactions.

High fantasy and low stakes is a great descriptor. If you love fantasy but need a break from intense, chunky series, or like me, haven’t been able to get into epic fantasies, this is a great taster.

I will absolutely be purchasing a physical copy of this book, and it will get a place of honour next to Becky Chambers on my cozy SFF shelf. I hope the author writes more, I need one where a character opens a bookstore!

This review is my honest opinions and thoughts. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the eARC.

If "Dungeons and Dragons" and "coffee shop AU" mean something to you, and you're excited about that idea? This is the book for you. The characters are likeable, the story is engaging, and the nods to classic D&D will make you smile. It's a warm fuzzy fun read.

I've heard so much about this book and I've had it on my read list forever and when I saw its release by Tor on NetGalley I figured that was a good a sign as any to finally read it and I'm so glad I did! This deserves all of the praise that I've heard about it and it lives up to the cozy fantasy label.

First I loved that the main character was an orc woman, I feel like that's not a character people would usually look at and decide they want to put in a cozy coffee shop found family romance, but Viv is so well meaning and it was a lot of fun to read about a character after their big dangerous adventures were over. And the way that each character kind of breaks the mold for what is usually depicted for their kind was great! The supporting cast was wonderful and I their relationship with Viv and their characters as a whole were all so lovely, I kept deciding each one was my new favorite as they were introduced.

I also thought the ending was a perfect kind of just desserts (I also really wish I could try one of Thimble's cinnamon rolls!).

One of my only disappointments was the lack of female (or non-men) characters. I loved Viv, Tandri, and Gallina and I loved the rest of Viv's little found family, but I wish there had been more diverse genders too.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

“So . . . I didn’t figure you to be interested in livery-work,” he ventured. It was common knowledge that horses didn’t like orcs much.
“I’m not. I’m opening a coffee shop.”

Viv is an orc barbarian whose back hurts and whose soul has grown tired of endless violence and killing - after one final job, she hangs up her greatsword and decides to venture into a business she once saw in a gnome city far away - a 'café'.

This was really cute! I liked the idea from the blurb alone and Baldree does a good job of telling it. I feel like there's a great niche that is mostly unexplored of 'mundane life in a fantastical world'.

Really there's not much to say - LEGENDS & LATTES is about what you expect, it's a cute little heartwarming story about somebody changing their life, like a D&D version of someone going to university in their 50's and starting a new career.

The modern twists which are worked into the world are quite fun, from coffee itself to croissants and guitars and amplifiers. There's a little bit of tension but the plot in't particularly complicated - but I'm not sure it wanted to be.

It's not a high stakes fantasy epic, it's a warm blanket to curl up in to remind yourself that fantasy doesn't have to be serious and dark, and it succeeded at that for sure.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is the sensation of drinking a hot cup of coffee and reading your favorite book. This cozy novel explores the ups and downs of small businesses while reimagining the introduction of coffee and cinnamon rolls to people who have never experienced it. Its the perfect cozy read.

I was really adamant about not reading this book. A fantasy? Where nothing happens? No thanks, not for me. But Netgalley emailed me several times advertising this, and then I got an email telling me I could read it without requesting it, so I broke.

And I'm glad I did. Why did I not want to read this book? I don't know. I would probably die for Viv.

There isn't much I can say about this book because it revolves so deeply around the characters and found family rather than the usual fantasy epic plot, but it's so worth the read. Like A Psalm for the Wild-Built, which addressed burnout and finding new paths for yourself that I read at a time when I really needed to hear that, I read LEgends & Lattes at a time where I just needed to relax and cozy up with a good book that wasn't set in our reality. As long as you go in knowing that you're not entering a D&D campaign here (but rather, the epilogue of one; think a novel detailing Vox Machina's requisition of the Slayer's Cake), I think this is a book that will be greatly enjoyed.

A very delightful read about an interesting new coffee shop in the middle of a town and setting straight out of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. The characters and their plots are delightful and I enjoyed reading every page.

Such a nice cozy fantasy to read in the fall - an orc that wants to make changes in her life and opens a coffee shop! The characters were lovely and it was a joy to follow Viv's story.

Absolutely delightful. A wonderful adventure that just lets you curl up and enjoy without high stakes.

This book is everything. It's a grand tale of a retired hero just looking for some peace, and instead, trouble finds her at her new home. Found family, coffee and a little love. No spice, just a lovely fantasy adventure. I cannot recommend this book enough times. Wonderful.

Beautiful, cozy, and restful, Legends & Lattes is a book to reread whenever life begins to let you down. Viv is an orc who has grown tired of adventuring and decides to start a new life selling coffee in a new city. She hangs her sword up and devotes herself to building her new home, with the help of new friends.Old rivals and new threats challenge her peace, and Viv must decide how done she is with her old ways, and what she's willing to give up to keep her new life. I don't have enough positive things to say about this book, or enough ways to say that you should read it. If you enjoy Becky Chambers' work but wish it had more of a plot, this book is for you. If you love RPGs, this book is for you. If you love books where the food makes you hungry and the love makes you warm, this book is for you.Why are you still reading this review? Go read the book and thank me later.

This book has been everywhere over YouTube lately! I couldn’t turn down a cozy fantasy about an orc starting up a coffee shop. Legends & Lattes is exactly as described, a high fantasy with low stakes. We meet a wonderful cast of characters throughout the novel, that help develop this world. The way Travis Baldree describes Thimble’s confections will make your mouth water, and long for your local coffee shop. I can see myself rereading this book when life gets overwhelming, and I just want to be comforted by a warm beverage and warm friends.

Maybe I went into this wanting more? I was very underwhelmed by the story, at the beginning I was confused as well.. HOWEVER, as the story progressed, I began to fall in love with the characters which kept me from DNFing the book.

A mostly cozy exploration of what might happen to the characters after the D&D campaign is over. A pleasant break from reality while you're reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of "Legends and Lattes" by Travis Baldree.

When Viv, an orc, decides to settle down from fighting she find herself in Thune setting up a coffee shop, in a place where people have never heard of coffee. Using the treasure from her final adventure to bring her good luck Viv goes about setting up a café finding help from unlike people along the way. When the café is threatened Viv finds out what her treasure was really bringing her all along.

The first chapter as a prologue is a bit off putting but it in no way resembles the rest of the story besides providing backstory. Reading about Viv setting up her coffee shop, finding help, and dealing with problems as they arise was really really fun and inviting.

As is started on the cover this is a novel of high fantasy and low stakes and it could not be more true. While the prologue reads very DND like the rest of the story is calm but not boring. There is always enough going on that Baldree draws you in. Viv, Cal, Tandri and the rest of the characters really come to life and each have a distinct personality that you can picture them as you are reading.

Overall this read as it was expected to. It was low stakes, comforting, and I really enjoyed myself.

Legends and Lattes was the exact hug of a book I needed last night. An orc tired of marauding hangs up her sword and opens a coffee shop? I'm in. A book about found family? Yes, please. Seriously, the world Travis Baldree created in this adorable novella is just so loveable. I wanted to climb inside and never leave. In a relatively short number of pages, he has brought to life a world rich and dimensional, populated by fantastical characters dripping with charm. I can't wait to see what his amazing brain dreams up next.

Thank you NetGalley for a digital copy of this book!

Legends & Lattes is such a feel-good read. It's low stakes high fantasy- which I didn't realize I wanted until I read this book. Viv is a retired orc bounty/treasure hunter, who is finally fulfilling her dream of opening up a coffeeshop in a small city. Armed with a career's worth of riches, a mysterious artifact, and a whole lot of optimism, Viv is a protagonist who is easy to root for. As she grapples with old (fr)enemies and some not-so-savory city elements, you can't help but worry for the longevity of her dream.

The pacing was on point, the characters well thought out, and the whole concept was unlike anything I've read. I definitely recommend picking up this book!