My bookish heart is so warm and full.

This book is a breath of fresh air! While Bookshops & Bonedust is slightly more bittersweet and action-forward than Legends & Lattes, I loved it just as much and was still left with that warm fuzzy feeling.

My favorite part of B&B is, of course, the characters. I love these characters and I love how we get to watch them subtly growing and changing throughout the story. Viv, forced to take a break from her mercenary lifestyle to recover from an injury, settles into a small town and finds herself spending a lot of time in the local bookshop, where she befriends the snippy, foul-mouthed rattkin owner. Every single character in this story stole a piece of my heart and kept it.

Friendships, a pet named Potroast, necromancers, books, baked goods, and first loves- what more could you possibly need in a fantasy book?

I’d read 100 books set in this world if Travis wrote them.

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree is the perfect cozy prequel to Legends & Lattes. In this story we get to learn a bit more about why Viv wants to slow down and retire from all the quests and pillaging. After being injured during battle, she is forced to slow down to heal and recoup in the town of Murk. There she meets an adorably sassy bookstore owner and helps her get her business back in shape. I loved watching the process of Viv falling in love with reading and the slower life.

This book checks off all the cozy fantasy boxes for me. We have slow living, books, baked goods, orcs, ratkins, and gnomes. It is pure perfection. And I love any book that talks about books! This book feels like a warm hug, just like Legends & Lattes. Fingers crossed for a sequel!

Loved this book. Before reading it I read the book before this one. I love a cozy book and this one provides comfort and coziness. This is a book I could curl up with on a rainy day more than once. Recommend this book to anyone who asks for a cozy book to read.

If you absolutely loved Legends and Lattes, chances are you'll be into this book, too. Set before the events of L&L, Bookshops & Bonedust follows Viv the orc as she helps revitalize a small business - a bookshop (big surprise) - and also cultivates her own love of reading. There are all sorts of charming side characters, including a rattkin, a goblin, a dwarf, a few elves, another orc, and a serpent-woman. Just about everyone has good intentions, Viv has a sweet sapphic love story, and an evil necromancer meets her demise.

For us, it was just fine. It's really (really!) similar to Legends & Lattes, except that there are really no stakes at all since we know Viv will be alive and kicking in a few years, not in this town, not with these friends. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy book to fall into and not have to worry about anything, check it out.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

I really enjoyed Legends & Lattes but I wasn't as interested in this one. Knowing what happens in Legends & Lattes made me less interested in Viv's character development in this one.

This is such a wonderful novel and a great prequel to Baldree’s Legends & Lattes. Anyone that loved that will love seeing Viv’s journey. This also makes the perfect autumnal read. Curl up with a mug of something warm, and let Baldree take you to a different world with his excellent writing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor for allowing me to read this novel that’s sure to be a beloved cozy read for all. My opinions are my own.

A prequel to Legends and Lattes which was all the rage last fall, Bookshops & Bonedust gave us a glimps of Viv's origin story. It was every bit as cozy as Legends with some endearing characters that you just had to root for.

3.5/5

I absolutely adored this book from start to finish. From the captivating story to the heartwarming epilogue, it was an unforgettable read that pulled me through a rollercoaster of emotions. The author's ability to elicit tears, swoons, laughter, and pure delight is nothing short of remarkable.
I just reviewed Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree. #BookshopsBonedust thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!

Bookshops & Bonedust is a charming prequel to Legends & Lattes, and readers who enjoyed one will surely enjoy the other. This entry digs into Viv's conflicting feelings on adventuring and what it would mean to settle down one day, while knowing that she isn't quite ready to do so yet. While it never strays from its cozy fantasy feel, these explorations of character (and relationships) keep the story humming along just as much as the overhanging threat of the necromancer that injured Viv in the first place. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I'll be recommending to any fantasy reader in search of a break.

I loved Legends & Lattes so much, when I learned about Bookshops & Bonedust, I couldn't wait to read it. I was so happy I got this from the publisher as a widget.

Following Viv's early days of bounty hunting a necromancer, and she is injured and has to stay behind in Murk to recover. She stumbles into a bookshop ran by the rattkin Fern who sparks a love for reading for Viv. From there on out another family we see for Viv.

This was the perfect cozy read I could have asked for.

Thank you Tor and Netgalley for this arc.

I admittedly was not a big fan of the first book. We read it for my book club and while I thought it was fine, I wasn't wowed by it. That one was a 3 star read for me. Not mad I read it, but wouldn't read it again. I didn't want to completely give up on Travis Baldree and I thought maybe I was just in the wrong mood for "cozy fantasy" at the time. So I decided to give this one a go. While I do think this book had much more plot than Legends and Lattes, it just still was so very slow for me. I guess I'm just not a fan of "a day in the life" type books. I get why people like them and I'll admit this and Legends and Lattes may be much better in audiobook format. An easy listen for your drive to work. But it's definitely not my genre.

This book was everything I wanted it to be, and more. Baldree's writing has only improved with this newest installment, and with that my love for Viv has solidified. I loved everything about this story and there were moments when I audibly gasped, laughed, and said "oh shit!". This story was clever, thoughtful, and I will be eagerly awaiting more from this world.

ARC provided by the publishers—Tor Books & Tor UK—in exchange for an honest review.

Legends and Lattes and Bookshops and Bonedust, Travis Baldree truly knows the secret recipes for crafting wholesome cozy fantasy novels.

“Never trust a writer who doesn’t have too many books to read. Or a reader, for that matter.”


When Legends and Lattes appeared and took over the fantasy landscape early last year, it popularized the cozy fantasy subgenre. Before the surge of romantasy, plenty of fantasy authors rushed to write and publish their respective cozy fantasy novels as soon as possible. The purpose might be to write a wholesome story that resonates with readers. Or maybe they hoped to gain the fame and success Baldree attained from his debut novel. Traditional publishing tends to follow trends, and cozy fantasy was (and is) one of the trends in the market. Whatever the reasons, since the release of Legends and Lattes, I still haven’t found many cozy fantasy books or series that attract my interest as much as Legends and Lattes did. Sure, most of the books I read are serious, grim, or dark in their tone. But occasionally, I would like to have the option to take a break by reading a wonderfully cozy or slice-of-life story when I am in the proper reading mood. This is where Bookshops and Bonedust came in. Written after Legends and Lattes but chronologically taking place two decades before it, this is a prequel novel I didn’t know would be written but grateful to have. The author did not plan to write this prequel, too! And similar to Legends and Lattes, Viv's younger days manage to charm me again.

“So here we are, with a prequel I never intended to write. And I’m happy with it. It says things I want to say, and if I’m lucky, it interlocks with Legends & Lattes in a way that makes both stories better, while still allowing them to stand on their own. I hope it gave you a nice afternoon or three, and that it left you warmer than when you started.”—Travis Baldree


Viv's career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam's Ravens isn't going as planned. Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she's packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she'll never be able to return to it.

What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn't possibly imagine.

This is the premise of Bookshops and Bonedust. And I guarantee you whether you have read Legends and Lattes or not will influence your experience of Bookshops and Bonedust, even though this is designed to be a standalone novel in the series as well. Except maybe for the epilogue that would make more sense and impact if you have read Legends and Lattes. But if you have read Legends and Lattes first, there is the possibility the stakes of the plotline will feel even lower than it should be. That is the nature of this book as a prequel. You will know Viv’s fate in Legends and Lattes already, and the dangers she faces in this novel will feel more minimal. Every reader will have a different reaction, but personally, this is a cozy fantasy. Stakes and dangers were never in my mind when I started reading Bookshops and Bonedust. If Legends and Lattes is a story about starting something new, no matter how late it is in your life, then well, Bookshops and Bonedust is about planting the seeds of hope that the change in life is possible.

“We were just discussing a book for someone in particular. A gift. That’s the bookseller’s art, choosing just the right one for the person in question.”


Through meeting the right people at the right time, or maybe the right people at the wrong time, Viv will eventually realize there is more to life than just fighting and killing. And it is through the delight and escapism bestowed by reading great books that she feels this further. Yes, as the title says, many scenes in Bookshops and Bonedust will take place in a second-hand bookshop. And I loved the relationship Viv built with Fern, Potroast, Maylee, and Gallina. Gallina is a supporting character in Legends and Lattes, and I have no doubt we will see Fern, Potroast, and Maylee again in one or two future-to-be-written books in this world. Some readers can argue that writing a fantasy story about finding and savoring the joy of reading is cheating. It goes without saying that readers reading this book and Legends and Lattes will most likely be readers who love reading books. However, reading our unspoken emotions and words written by other authors eloquently, or feelings spoken by characters who feel the same passion about reading, can feel good. I actually think Bookshops and Bonedust had too many battles for a cozy fantasy novel. I wish we had more slice-of-life portions here like Legends and Lattes did. Reading Viv finding pleasure in reading for the first time put a smile on my face, and I wouldn't mind having more of her reading and eating delicious foods.

“Every book is a little mirror, and sometimes you look into it and see someone else looking back.”


It may not be the type of book I read frequently, but Bookshops and Bonedust operates like a charming and comfortable inn, and the employees are full of heart and personality. Pretty much just like Legends and Lattes. Viv took a break from her injury in Murk, and I took a brief break from my intense reading adventures inside Bookshops and Bonedust. Enlightened by Viv’s newfound happiness for reading, I feel recharged to read the next dark fantasy and sci-fi novels I love to read. Baldree has mentioned three more standalone fantasy novels in this series will be written and published, and the first one is slated to be released in 2025. I have no idea how many cozy fantasy novels, in total, there would be in this world, but I will read them all. And if you are reading this review up to here, I recommend you to read this book and Legends and Lattes when you feel like you want to relax and take a break from everything. It always gives me satisfaction when I hear from readers they took my reviews and recommendations into account when they chose which books to read. Even more when they love the book I recommend, and I hope the same notion can be implemented into Bookshops and Bonedust.

“Having you here is connecting me to why I do this. To why I used to love it. I don’t know if I can explain it, but watching you read what I give you, putting a book in your hands and seeing what happens to you once you put it back down . . . I can’t make you understand how that gives me something I didn’t know I had to have.”


You can order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel

Bookshops and Bonedust is the unlikely prequel to the massive hit, Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. I say unlikely because the author himself said that this wasn’t the book that he intended to write. And I believe that shows.

This book definitely has the same cozy vibe that Legends and Lattes did but in a bookstore. I still adore Viv and find her to be an excellent protagonist to follow. The new characters shine in their own way. In particular Potroast, Fern, and Satchel. There is still a baking element in this book so those vibes are the same.

My main complaint is going into this knowing that it is a prequel. The first book was in my top five books of last year so it’s a story that really meant a lot to me. Going into this prequel, you know how it has to end because you know how the next one begins and there are characters that don’t appear in both books. It made it hard for me to feel attached to the world of this book.

That being said, I still really enjoyed it. I love the cozy D&D vibes and I hope Travis Baldree continues to write stories like this that just feel very warm and inviting with a smidge of mystery and action. If I were to recommend this series to someone, I would recommend reading this one first (maybe skipping the epilogue for the time being as it takes place after Legends and Lattes).

Travis Baldtree once again knocked it out of the park. Legends & Lattes was a book that I read that just hit a feel that I didn't know I wanted. I'm a massive D&D fan and L&L was a great story that reminded me of many different aspects of it.

When I heard Bookshops & Bonedust was coming out, I was...hesitant. It was a prequel. Something I wasn't sure I would want since I thought Viv got her happy ever after. She had her coffee shop and so many things going for her in retirement. However, Baldtree caught my attention with his voice and writing from the get go. He brought forth a story that I will be willing to listen to over and over again (and possibly include in my next d&d campaign!).

Viv meets so many characters that help to bring her full circle to L&L. Getting injured is something no adventurer wants, especially to be dropped off by her friends and party in a small town. Being told, we'll come back for you, especially with that party going after a strong necromancer who could potentially kill them. Not knowing what happens to your group that you've spent time with is hard.

As the owner of the bookshop that Viv has decided to help out with, Fern makes this story come alive even more. Potroast is the cutest thing ever and I really want a plushie made of him. Satchel is by far the best character in this whole story and I want a blue eyed skeletal homunculus as well.

One of my favorite bits about this story is Baldtree's imagination. As a person with 'no minds-eye' he creates a descriptive narrative that allows me to feel the scene instead of seeing it. He doesn't go on and on in a descriptive faction like most fantasy books do on what the coast looks like, etc. He brings a feeling to it that I appreciate and can't wait to see what happens.

“Watching you read what I give you, putting a book in your hands and seeing what happens to you once you put it back down . . . I can’t make you understand how that gives me something I didn’t know I had to have.”

If you’ve read Legends & Lattes, you’re going to want to pick this book up and read about a brief time in Viv’s life before coming to Thune. If you haven’t read Legends & Lattes and you enjoy cozy SFF, Dungeons and Dragons, small town romance, the found family trope, and/or low stakes character-driven stories… then what are you waiting for?

This prequel has all of the cozy, small town vibes of L&L, along with fabulous side characters, delectable baked goods, and a nefarious villain to overcome. We also have the added benefit of getting to know Viv before her battle-weariness. An appreciation for the written word absolutely permeates the entire story, as well as found family, first love, forging paths to follow one’s dreams.

The epilogue included a scene from the L&L time period, and it may have made me a little misty! Overall, I quite enjoyed lovely this addition to Viv’s story.

I wasn't a huge fan of this book. I didn't realize it was a prologue to legends and lattes till afterwards. And honestly I wish it would have been a book with new main character. One thing I noticed while reading these books is there's not much plot to these. It gives off dnd vibes but doesn't have the violence and fighting like a typical fantasy and it doesn't have a real romance to it either. It just drags.

What happened here... I really liked book one, but this one was just not it for me!

In this prequel we follow Viv while she injures her leg during a battle & is taken to a small town to heal up while the rest of the Ravens continue on their quest to capture the necromancer.

Listen, book one was a cute cosy mystery that made me fall in love with the characters & enjoy the low stakes mystery aspect. I went into this book pretty blind as I thought I would enjoy it just as much as the first book, but I was unfortunately wrong. I'm not sure if it was the change in scenery, or the change in the author's writing style but I found this book very boring & honestly a bit pointless.

I can't tell you how many times I fell asleep while trying to read this book. I think it even happened twice in one day. I think this is because I just couldn't care for most of the characters, sure it was nice to see Viv beforehand but I didn't care for any of the other characters especially since we don't see them again. There is also a small side romance that really just gave me the ick.

Lastly I do want to say that there is an epilogue after the book ends, however it occurs after the events of book one, so I don't recommend reading the prequel before book one (which seems also kind of pointless to me).

It may have just been me, or this book was an unfortunate lost. Either way this is definitely one you can skip in my opinion, and I'm not sure if I will be continuing with the series.

Bookshops + Bonedust is a prequel to Legends + Lattes and we follow Viv as she realizes her career with the mercenary company-Rackam's Ravens is not going according to plan. It may have something to do with her being injured during a hunt for a powerful necromancer. She ends up being sent off to the sleepy beach town of Murk so she can recuperate. She may have never predicted seeing herself in a bookshop with the company of the bookshops foul-mouthed proprietor. As she worries her life would have less action in it she quickly find that a new adventure awaits her when a mysterious and suspicious traveler in gray appears.

First off, I want to start this review off by saying: yes, I read legends + Lattes back in December of 2022 (rated 4/5 stars) but I am going to reframe from comparing Bookshops + Bonedust to Legends +
Lattes.

Bookshops + Bonedust definitely has that cozy fantasy vibe to it and makes you want to read it on a rainy day curled up on your couch with a fluffy blanket.

When being transported into this books world, you really get that feeling of Murk being a sleepy town with not much going on. I love the feeling Travis emanates with his writing when it comes to the characters emotions or the setting. But with the world building, I think Travis does well on painting the picture of the world but when it comes down to it there is not much meat to it and is just really the bone structure of the world. I would have liked there to be more in depth world building as well as more in depth character development. I did enjoy most of the characters but they could have been more well rounded.

For the most part I enjoyed the romance and I did find it to take away from the plot at times, but it was mostly enjoyable.

Bookshops + Bonedust does suffer from an uneven paring but in the end the plot is nicely tied up.

This was an okay read for me but a lot of people will enjoy Bookshops + Bonedust. This book makes a great fall/winter read and is great for a cozy day in. Also, if cozy fantasy, romance, and a relaxing read are things you are seeking, then look no further and pick up this book.

Travis Baldree doesn’t miss! Bookshops & Bonedust was just as amazing as Legends & Lattes

I love these books so much, I love the characters and the stories. I can’t wait to see what’s next for this author.