Book Summary:

Viv is an orc barbarian needing a bit of a career change. She's tired of being paid to raise hell – and her blade. She's looking for something new...something different. And she knows exactly what it is she wants to do – open up a coffee shop!

Given Viv's history, it should be no surprise that this venture will not be as easy as she would like. Friends and enemies don't just disappear with a career change; even the city itself may create a few complications. But that won't stop Viv from chasing her cafe dreams; she might need some help to get it done.

"it was like drinking the feeling of being peaceful. Being peaceful in your mind. Well, not if you have too much, then it's something else."

My Review:

I have been hearing about Legends & Lattes nonstop for months! So I finally sat down to read, and let me tell you – it is worth the hype. Every positive thing you've heard about this book is probably right. It is such a cozy and fun fantasy novel to dive into. If you've been in need of a relaxing read but don't want to deviate from fantasy, I have good news for you.

In my mind, I just kept thinking to myself; this is what would happen if a D&D group decided to fantasize about running a coffee shop. It has charm, chaos, and brilliant characters. And those vibes! It's perfection!

This is the perfect book to read if you have just finished a heavy novel, as it is an ideal palette cleanser. I wish I could go back in time and read it for the first time all over again! I would have been more careful to place it between two of my darker reads, you know, to balance out my emotions.

Highlights:
Cozy fantasy
LGBT/Lesbian
High Fantasy

Trigger Warnings:
Stalking
Fatmisia

I loved this book so much! It was nothing like what I was expecting and everything I needed in a book when I read it. This whole story revolves around Viv, an Orc barbarian, leaving the questing life and opening a coffee shop in a city that doesn't know what coffee is.

As a lover of fanfiction, this read like a Dungeons & Dragons coffee shop AU meets a slice-of-life and I was here for it! Viv's transition from warrior to coffee shop owner was everything! I loved how she struggled to be the new Viv she wanted to be and to not rely on her old training. The first part of this book read like a home renovation show and it was so much fun!

I loved how throughout the whole process of getting her coffee shop up and running, Viv kept adding people to her circle. The found family aspect of this book was everything! I fell in love with Viv's new family in Thune and some of her old adventuring family. There's also a slow burn romance side plot that had me giggling like a teenager and yelling at the book for them to get together. It's a very slow burn but I shipped it the whole time.

This book easily made my top ten favorite books of 2022. I highly recommend picking this one up if you haven't yet! This is one where the Bookstagram/Booktok hype is spot on.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

Omg that was so cute. I need another book by Travis ASAP! Definitely helped me while I was in a bad place.

Viv, the orc barbarian, decides to retire from warrior life. With her final score, a fabled artifact that brings the heart's desire, she heads to the small city of Thune where she hopes to open the first coffee shop the city has seen. Armed with nothing but her savings and a dream, Viv undertakes her final, personal quest of turning an old building into a hub of warmth, delicious drinks, tasty treats, and fast friends. But an old party member and Thune’s shady underbelly threaten her plans. To build something that will last and find her heart's desire, Viv will need some new partners and a different approach. These supporting characters are truly delightful. Thimble the rattkin baker, Tandri the wry-humored succubus, and Cal the hob who helps with construction, all make up a wonderful found family.

Baldree's themes of friendship, found family, love, and community set in this quiet fantasy world make this quintessential cozy fantasy. It is a story about starting something new, and finding those who will support you no matter what.

I don't know where to start with this book. I picked it up and put it down many times. However, when I finally sat down and said, I want to read this book, I'm going to read this book, I couldn't put it down.

I'm an avid Dungeons and Dragons fan. I live off coffee. So when Legends and Lattes showed up I knew it would be a book for me. The legends of orcs in any setting is always negative, so when Travis Baldree used an Orc Barbarian who just wanted a peaceful existence making coffee and being happy, I feel in love with the idea.

Viv is the aforementioned Orc Barbarian who wanted to open a coffee house after having a sinfully delicious drink after an adventure. Meeting the different people along her travels and creating friendships in this new town she decided to settle in, Viv has created her own little found family. I found this cozy book to be what I needed to get through the small reading slump I was in.

Side Note: Travis Baldree as narrator is one of my favorite things. Being able to bring justice to the book he wrote has made him an auto buy author for me.

So cute!!! Loved every second of this! Highly recommend for the cozy fantasy genre. I think this was very refreshing to read and was just amazing.

So I walked in to this book after a D&D game and needed something heart warming and cosy. This book did not let me down.

Easy to read and fills you up with warmth and love for found family. By the end of this book I wanted to open a cafe and have a dire cat

As someone who plays D&D, I very much appreciated this just NICE story of what happens when the campaign is over. It was light, it was enjoyable, honestly, I hope there are more just like it.

Legends & Lattes was an adorable fantasy read. It was the coziest and cutest fantasy about an orc named Viv who wants to quit her old life of a fighter and open up a coffee shop. I would definitely read another book by this author again. Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to receive a copy. Can’t wait to have a physical copy next time I’m in a book store.

The perfect and fictional representation of a cosy, safe space, a hot cup of coffee and a biscuit!
Okay, I understand why my book friends desperately wanted me to read this; this was an absolute DELIGHT! The hope and restart of our lovely Orc main character Viv as she starts her business and puts her dreams into the world was so sweet. I love the characters who helped make it a reality while giving advice and problem-solving for the shop!
LOVE LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK!

I'm going to be honest, much like with anime, I don't usually go for anything slice of life. I love some action and adventure, however I was lured in by the pretty cover art and the idea of a cosy fantasy!

I believe I mentioned in another review that I'm not as into fantasy as I used to be and a large part of that is because I feel like it lacks various different kinds of rep, which brings me to the other reason I was lured in: the queer romance.

I can quite happily say that I have zero regrets about picking this book up because it's been kind of a tough few weeks for me and this book was a bright spot throughout it all! It truly is a cosy fantasy, and it says low stakes but...there kinda are some high stakes as Viv opens her Cafe and navigates being a new business owner, the gang? Kind of people wanting a cut, and the irate ex-party member whose breathing down her neck. The way my heart broke during THAT scene towards the end like...you promised me cosy and now I'm in my feels!

Anyways, I was rooting for Viv. I can't say I've ever read a book with an Orc as the MC but I loved her. She wanted a change of pace, she had a dream and she went for it. She worked hard and I loved seeing the Cafe come together, all the elements slot into place and the family she found along the way in the form of Tandri, Thimble, Cal and Pendry! The underlying message of this book, about the kindness of strangers, the good hidden in little corners of the world and the joy that comes from finding the people you need, at the right time, who just get you, is something that I personally feel is really needed right now. At least by me, anyway!

Truly, the friendships blooming between all of them made my smile and warmed my heart, even when it came down to her dealings with the Madrigal! Every time I settled down to read this book, it was like being enveloped in a warm hug that smelled like cinnamon buns and made me crave them too! Like I said, there's some tension here and there along the way, but it's not the life or death, grim, bloody battle kind and I always had the vague sense that everything was going to be okay.

The characters are brilliant, from Viv to Tandri, and Thimble to Cal. Each is different from the other and brings something to the table, and despite their differences, they all slotted together well. Even Pendry who seemed quite shy in the beginning and Hem who was more than a little reluctant! I even came to like Lack towards the end, just a little and of course I LOVED Amity! Although I have my suspicions about a certain, mysterious character and I'm quite curious as to whether we'll see him again!

Throughout the book, not only does Viv develop as a character, coming into her own and carving out her own little place to belong, but the business develops as well! You truly do get to watch it grow from an old stable to the bustling Cafe it becomes and there's always something going on, whether that's improving and expanding, meeting a new character, or facing some new obstacle in the course of running the Cafe! There's even some romance on the side between Viv and Tandri and it was so sweet, even if Viv was so oblivious!

Legends and Lattes, a cosy fantasy, is both the book and the genre I didn't know I needed. It was comforting, soothing and just generally good vibes, with mouth-watering food descriptions that had my stomach rumbling while I could practically smell the cinnamon buns! I truly do hope Travis writes at least ten more cosy fantasy books because I'm obsessed!

Legends & Lattes is a cozy fantasy novel with a dash of romance that delivered exactly the vibes it promised—slow, comforting, heartfelt, and warm.

Viv the orc warrior has retired from the adventuring life after tiring of the constant bloodshed, travel, and exhaustion. Her last adventuring score enables her to start her new dream in a new city: opening a brand new coffee shop. But certain shadowy elements in both the city and her past may make Viv’s dreams stay just dreams after all.

This slice-of-life story is so incredibly sweet. It explores a premise often seen in fanfiction but less seen in traditionally published novels, which is: What happens when the adventure is done? The first half of this book reads like playing a soothing restaurant sim game. (I would totally eat and drink everything mentioned in the novel). While the stakes do increase in the second half, ultimately this is meant to be a leisurely, slow-paced read. The romance was sweet as well and it was a pleasure to see it unfold.

My biggest critique is that personally, it was still a bit too slow for me. There are large stretches where truly nothing much happens, and while it's well written, some of it didn’t quite contribute to the overall experience for me.

Overall if you’re looking for a short, easy, heartwarming read about the power of choosing a new path and the people who help us get there, with a sprinkle of sapphic romance on top, I’d highly recommend Legends & Lattes.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

Talk about a book that 100% measures up to the hype. Someone told me the other day it's high fantasy with low stakes and I would co-sign that. Legends & Lattes is about an orc who just wants to retire and make coffee for people who don't even know what it is. From the beginning I was swayed by the preciousness of it all. First of all, I love to watch passionate people. Whether that be Viv and how much she loves the magic of coffee and wants to share that. Or the various other side characters around her.

While I don't necessarily love the idea of a sapphic romantic fantasy written by an ostensibly cishet white guy... this works. What a fun cast of characters in a charming setting. Baldree asks you to dive headfirst into this world and just accept that everything is weird and anything could happen. And despite being a siren and orc at the center, it's a beautifully human story.

A fun cozy DnD styled romance, can't ask for much more. Main characters were multifaceted, and I enjoyed the comradery.

Whenever I tirelessly search for a new cozy fantasy to read, Travis Baldree’s debut novel shows up on the recommendations. First self-published, this delightful novel has already made the November Indie Next Pick and Barnes and Noble Best Science Fiction of 2022 lists.

I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley.

This was just what I needed at the perfect time. In a year full of reading slumps on and off again without end, this made reading enjoyable for a few days.

I've heard a lot about this book through the year and finally got to reading it. I can definitely see what all the hype was about and how this was fast tracked from self pub to traditional published novel.

I'm definitely looking forward to more from this author.

This was a perfect cozy fantasy -- it felt like a hug. My only wish is that the story was longer. The characters are lovable and I really found myself rooting for them.

This book made me forget I was reading! I got lost in this cozy coffeehouse fantasy. It doesn’t have the drama of bloodshed and battles - although you get a taste of what that was like for the main character (Viv) before she decided to reinvent herself and open a coffeehouse - but it has a ton of heart, a smattering of mystery, and lots of coffee! The author tells the story using all five senses - as you read you can envision the cafe (Legends and Lattes), you can hear Pendry playing the lute over the percolating coffee, you can smell the fresh grind of the beans - it was an entirely enjoyable experience reading this story and I hope it’s the first of many.

Thank you NetGalley and Cryptid Press for the advanced electronic version of this story in exchange for an honest review!

This book is amazing. It is sweet and very cozy. The cast of characters are very lovable and unique. My only problem is the fact it ended. I'm really hoping Baldree writes a sequel to this one of a kind book about coffee and second starts in life.