Thank you to MacMillan Audio and Tor Publishing for both the digital and audio ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you liked Legends & Lattes, then you are going to love this one. This one gives all of the same cozy feelings from the first one with baked goods, friendship, and found family. This also gives an appeal to your inner book nerd with the bookshop and reader's advisory angle. My inner librarian was swooning.

I think I may have liked this one even more than L&L, which I didn't think was possible. I loved seeing Viv a little bit more in her battle hardened era. She's younger, a bit naïve, and impulsive. I love it. Fern is 100% a believable bookseller. From her customer service voice to her copious swearing and both sadness and hesitance when it comes time to weed out old books. She reminds me a bit of myself. I now also want to name my next pet Potroast. Travis has done it again with his immersive world building and charming, yet slightly dysfunctional, characters.

Travis did an amazing job with the narration. I loved all of the different characters he has created and the voices that go along with them, which comes as no surprise, I'm sure.

I loved the additional chapter at the end that brings it all back to L&L. I'm glad I got to see a glimpse of Viv's life prior to L&L. I hope to see more of these characters in additional books. At this point, I will read anything Travis writes in this wonderful world he has created.

Note on the narration: Travis Baldree has such a great voice; if they don't already, they should also be a narrator for more books, as I loved their tone & flow. Audiobook adds to the cosiness!

This book fully achieves sweetness and softness and continues to compliment this cosy fantasy world!
I honestly didn't know if this would achieve the same level that Legends & Lattes had, but I was very pleased it did. It did a great job of setting up for the future and strengthened what we knew about the character as she came into her own and choices after her injury.

I would die for Potroast. Also... can I get a Potroast of my very own?

This prequel builds upon the world Baldree started in LEGENDS & LATTES and provides more backstory to Viv... it's not the coffee discovery story I was expecting to get, but I think this was even better. It was a pleasure to experience Viv find enjoyment in books and reading while also starting friendships with residents in Murk. In many ways I enjoyed BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST more even if it was overall a quieter storyline.

And the epilogue? Perfect. I sincerely hope we get a Legends & Lattes #2 so readers can find out if Viv's ideas from the epilogue turn into reality or not (I hope they do).

Travis Baldree does a great job narrating his own books.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

This was another sweet story by Travis Baldree. I didn't love it as much as Legends and Lattes, but I did still enjoy it quite a bit. Baldree has a way of writing moments that feel so warm and snuggly that I just really enjoy. I also love his narration. Maybe it's because he wrote them, but he really has a way of bringing the characters to life.

Speaking of characters, these characters are just as delightful as those in Legends, and I enjoyed getting to see some backstories for a couple of characters from book one. The atmosphere is just as cozy and charming as Legends, so if you enjoyed that one, this is a solid follow up.

The story itself just didn't hit the way the first one did for me. There was nothing wrong with it, but I found myself getting a little bogged down in the middle. Once things started happening, I was 100% here for it, and I LOVED the epilogue. The epilogue may have been my favorite part - it made me really excited to see where Baldree goes with the story. Definitely a solid read. Can't wait to get my hands on more!