This prequel to Legends and Lattes is absolutely delightful, and I cannot wait to read Legends now. If you are like me and haven't read it, you will still enjoy Bookshops and Bonedust. No knowledge of the other book is required.

Viv is a very likeable character, and you do forget she is an orc. Actually, you forget all of the characters aren't people because they are very humanly drawn. Yes, the fantasy elements are still very present, but I found myself absorbed by the storytelling.

The audiobook is read by the author, and he really does a fantastic job! I love when authors read their own work because they know exactly how they want their characters to sound, so the expression is on point. Highly recommend!

This audiobook was delightful! The author reads his own book, and he does a terrific job. It’s a prequel to Legends & Lattes, but you don’t have to read that to read this. It’s a fun cozy fantasy read. Instead of a cafe, it takes place in a bookshop!! Books! Trying to save a failing bookshop? Fantastic. I enjoyed this so much. You’ll have all the warm and fuzzy feelings, especially after the epilogue.

It comes out November 7. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the eARC of the audiobook.

These books are such light, fun reads. They are cozy little hugs with a great cast of characters. Will definitely be rereading them when I need that feeling again.

I loved this book. Even though I've read Legends and Lattes and was worried about not feeling any of the stakes I definitely felt them! This was amazing. I loved getting to see the things that would lead to Viv being Viv.

Bookshops and Bonedust is part of the Legends and Lattes series. While it is released second, it comes before the other novel. I heard amazing things about Legends and Lattes and still really want to read it. After experiencing this novel, I cannot wait to try it even more! As this is a prequel, it seems you can read it whether you have read the other, which works out well for me. It takes place two decades before the other novel, so readers are introduced (or reintroduced) to the main character Liv. After getting injured during a battle with a necromancer’s skeleton army alongside her mercenary company, Rackam’s Ravens, Viv finds herself in the beach town of Murk.

The novel is narrated by the author, which worked out well as he did a fantastic job. As Viv recovers in Murk, the reader is introduced to a variety of characters with their own backstories and goals. Since there is a lot to explore, this novel is a great foundation for Viv, the secondary characters, and the mystery elements. It does fulfil the cozy vibe and does make me want to read the rest of the series. The epilogue does set up the sequel to the next novel, so readers like me will have the other novel spoiled. It is great for those that read the novels in release order, but it did not work as well for those that read chronologically, like me. I enjoyed the writing overall, though, and I think I will read more from the author in the future. As a prequel, this novel works well to set the foundation and I look forward to reading the next one.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for this audiobook ARC of Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree in return for an honest review!

In Bookshops & Bonedust we meet young Viv, an orc merc with a love of bashing skulls, in what at first seems like the lowest moment of her career. Injured and feeling abandoned, Viv is healing from a stab wound in the sleepy seaside town of Murk while her associates in Rackam's Ravens are off trying to hunt down a dangerous necromancer. As luck would have it, Viv's uncanny ability to make friends puts her firmly in the middle of a cozy business restoration (readers of Legends and Lattes will find this familiar, but no less charming) as well as in the crosshairs of trouble.

The book brings all the cozy fantasy energy that Legends and Lattes was praised for, with a more adventurous and involved plot. The bookshop elements up the cozy and familiar factor for readers in the best possible way, and with the lovable characters that fill the shops walls, it's easy to cheer for the inevitable happily ever after.

Travis Baldree's ability to create a fantasy world that feels believable without getting lost in the weeds of unnecessary/ excessive world-building is commendable and makes it easy for any reader to enjoy the novel without feeling out of depth. Readers need not enter into the book with a vast knowledge of fantasy creatures and tropes, as while the inclusions are fun for those familiar, it is primarily set dressing for the warm story of interpersonal dynamics.

This is the perfect prequel to Legends and Lattes and can be read before or after the cozy coffeeshop fantasy. I highly recommend this read to anyone looking for a read that will make them feel warm and well cared for. This book, much like Legends and Lattes, is the literary equivalent of a blanket and cozy fireplace on a cold winters' night.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listener copy of Bookshops and Bonedust!

This is a prequel to Legend and Lattes, which has been one of my favorite reads so far this year. B&B tells the story of Viv at the beginning of her career as a mercenary. In one of her first fights she takes a bad wound to the leg and her company leaves her in the nearest town to heal and says they will be back for her. Once Viv is up and walking around she discovers there is little the town has to offer, other than an amazing bakery and a dumpy bookshop. Boredom drives Viv into the bookshop where she and the owner immediately go head to head. Despite Viv's crutch putting a hole in the porch on her way in, Fern - the bookshop owner, lets Viv take a book back to the inn and a Viv quickly develops a love of books. While Viv waits for her company to come back to claim her, she and Fern fix up the bookshop. But is the necromancer that her company is fighting making her way to Murk instead?

I really enjoyed this one! As with L&L, the supporting characters really shine and Baldree's description of food makes me gain weight just listening to it. I know Baldree is an audiobook narrator but this is the first book I've listend to being read by him and the narration was fantastic! The setup for the next book in the epilogue is so intriguing! I can't wait for the next book!

Bookshops & Bonedust is the prequel to Legends & Lattes and honestly, I loved it even more! Viv has been wounded while on the hunt for a powerful necromancer and is forced to heal up in a small town while her crew moves on without her. But Viv isn't used to sitting idly by and doing nothing while waiting for the grass to grow (or in this case, for her leg to heal). While at first grumpy, she soon meets the members of the town including a bookshop and a bakery owner. Without specifically intending to, Viv helps revive local business and free a mysterious trapped creature. This had just the right mix of fantasy and cozy for me--it kept me both excited and turning pages!

Before Viv opened a coffee shop, she was muscle for hire, part of a small mercenary group. When she gets injured they leave her behind to convalesce in a small town. And against her nature, her frustration at staying still begins to wane as she gets to know the townsfolk and become a part of their life. But when danger threatens the town, she picks up the mantle once again, with a new appreciation for a life that isn't for her yet.

This lives up to the cozy fantasy description and it's really great to see a part of Viv's origin story. While I loved all the characters, I will say that this did feel a bit long and dragged some in the middle. Regardless, very cute and cozy and would definitely recommend.

Thank you to so much to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for an advanced copy of the audiobook. It's always fun when the author narrates their own work.

Cozy Adventure
Friendship
Baked Goods

If you enjoyed Legends & Lattes, there is a good chance you will enjoy this prequel which follows Viv, our Orc barbarian protagonist, early in her mercenary career. After getting injured during the hunt for a nearby necromancer, Viv is sidelined and forced to stay behind in the sleepy seaside town of Murk while she recovers from her injuries. While initially she becomes a bit stir crazy resting, recovering and attempting to keep up with her physical training; she ends up exploring the town including a rundown bookstore, a local bakery, and a cross section of local residents.

In this way, Baldree once again treats us to a largely cozy character study that includes many of the elements that endeared Legends & Lattes fans to the story while introducing us to new characters and a bit of adventuring. Bookshops & Bonedust manages to share glimpses at Viv’s early story arc, while telling a new story and avoiding the temptation to explain all of her backstory or tie everything to the earlier story. Baldree also adeptly returns as narrator for the audio edition and has joined a short list of outstanding author narrators that expertly perform their work. Overall, Bookshops & Bonedust will appeal to fans of Legends & Lattes and anyone looking for a cozy fantasy with great character development and a bit of adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an audio review copy of Bookshops & Bonedust. Full review and discussion upcoming on episode #227 of Narrated podcast: https://narratedpodcast.com/227

I absolutely devoured Legends and Lattes in January while on my first clinical rotation. I have a very clear memory of sitting in my car in the parking lot of the clinic listening to the last chapter even though it made me late. Now, on my ninth clinical I read Bookshops and Bonedust it feels almost completely full circle that I'm about to be done with this year.

Both books are wholesome and cozy and exactly what i've needed this year.

The vibes are like sitting in a cozy library by a crackling fire with a nice hot beverage while it rains outside. It's a charming prequel and I loved the foreshadowing and how it made me understand Viv's character in Legends and Lattes even better.

Like with Legends and Lattes, the side characters and the relationships are what make this book. I loved Fern, Potroast, Maylee, and Gallina. I'd absolutely love to see more of them in future books.

There was a little more action in this book than Legends and Lattes but it still kept all the charm.

Overall, highly recommend if you like wholesome cozy fantasy and want the perfect book to read on a cozy late fall night.

Bookshops and Bonedust is a prequel to the cult favorite Legends and Lattes. If you liked it, you'll like this too. It's so similar, that it almost feels like the character development that happened in L&L was unnecessary, but also makes it work as a stand alone novel. Viv has been injured and forced to take a break, and meets interesting characters along the way. I don't want to give anything away, but if you liked L&L, you will love this too.

I wasn’t surprised that Baldree would write another book after the successful reception of Legends & Lattes. The World wanted more Viv, and a prequel was the perfect way to do that. This has more action than Legends, but still just as cozy with its cast of amiable characters. Although I liked the first book more, this was still a fun read and works as a stand-alone story if you come across B&B first. I highly recommend both!!!

3.5 stars

Cozy, entreating and fun. Not my normal kind of fantasy but I did enjoy it. Fun that the author is the narrator as well!

I was provided an audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved Legends & Lattes, and I thing fans will love this prequel. You don't have to have read Legends to read this. This is more of an origin story for our favorite orc Viv when she was still in her prime as a warrior. Due to an injury she is stuck in a small town we get to know her in another cozy fantasy with low stakes story with another lovely found family. This time the storyline is set in a bookstore, which readers should appreciate and Viv helps the shop owner renovate the shop while she is recovering and waiting for her group of mercenaries to return and collect her. You can tell that Baldree leaned on his own bookstore experiences as he wrote about author signing events and various other things that you expect to see in an independent bookstore to make it successful. I really loved that there was an element of reality in this fantasy story.

There is a light romance, wonderful friendships, and an amazing cast of characters. I loved all of the characters, but Satchel is awesome and was so creative. If you loved Legends & Lattes, you are going to love this prequel. I hope we get more books in this universe or more cozy fantasy in general. I love the low stakes and heartwarming element while still getting a bit of adventure. The characters are wonderful and I just want to stay with them forever.

Baldree narrates the audiobook and he is a wonderful narrator. He gives voice to each of the characters in such a unique and wonderful way. You always know which character is speaking and when he is just narrating.

This was another cozy read, just like "Legends and Lattes". I appreciated getting a back story to Viv's life, and how the epilogue tied both books together. I got an advanced reader's copy of the Audubon,and highly recommend reading the book in this way. Travis Baldree is the narrator and he brings life to the characters that he has created in his books. You can really feel the emotion of the characters and how they are feeling.

A cozy fantasy read set in a very intriguing bookshop - what more could you ask for in a book? 'Bookshop and Bonedust' introduces us to a younger Viv, long before she became the beloved character of 'Legends and Lattes.' This delightful mystery is infused with a spirited charm and a heartwarming summer romance that will captivate you throughout the story. I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment that Travis Baldree will write. The narration was excellent and added to the overall enjoyment of this book. Thank NetGalley for this ARC

Delightful prequel to Legends & Lattes. This book has the same wonderful vibes with new characters to love and a great look into Vivs life starting as a mercenary (I think?) long before she decided to retire and open her coffee shop.

The audiobook has a male narrator with a very soothing voice, I would not recommend lying down well listening as he might lull you to sleep (in a his voice is nice not that the book is boring kinda way). Despite narrating a female character it works really well? Enjoyed listening to this book a lot!

Trigger Warnings: violence, cursing, blood, medical content, pain, stalking, hurt animal, animal death, captivity, anxiety, death, murder, slavery, past abandonment

Representation: Queer

Bookshops & Bonedust is a prequel to Legends & Lattes, which takes readers on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and second-hand books.

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. Still, adventure isn't all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.

Didn’t finish it, not for me

Thank you to the Publisher for this ALC.

4 stars

This book is set before Legends and Lattes. I enjoyed seeing Viv before Legends and Lattes but I think I overall would have enjoyed it more had I read this book first. This book was still a cozy fantasy that I enjoyed but I definitely enjoyed Legends and Lattes more overall.