Both Bookshops & Bonedust and its predecessor, Legends & Lattes, quickly shot to the top of the list of my most favorite recent reads. As a lover of fantasy, sarcasm, and cozy heartwarming romances, these storylines and characters filled me with so much joy and warmth. Travis Baldree knows exactly what niche he is filling with these novels and I would read ten more of them. Recommeding them to everyone!

"Bookshops & Bonedust" by Travis Baldree enchants readers with a delightful blend of high fantasy, romance, and the comforting allure of second-hand books. Set in the beloved world of Legends & Lattes, this prequel introduces us to Viv, a spirited orc battling both personal and professional setbacks. As she unexpectedly finds solace in a quaint bookshop in the tranquil town of Murk, the narrative unfolds with warmth and charm. Baldree's mastery of cozy fantasy shines through, and fans of Legends & Lattes will be thrilled by the chance to dive into Viv's backstory. In this enchanting tale of unexpected connections and unforeseen adventures, Baldree proves once again why he is the reigning monarch of cozy fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher for the advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

***3.5 Stars***

Overall,
I loved Legends and Lattes, and the cozy fantasy genre in general. This book did start off a bit slow and it may just be my bias but I have never been a big fan of prequels. While I did enjoy getting to see a bit more of this world and Viv's past, I think I would have enjoyed a real sequel vs a prequel. With that said, I did enjoy the new characters and the cozy vibes which is what I read this kind of book for.

Recommendation,
For cozy fantasy lovers, no need to read Legends and Lattes first. If you are in the mood to curl up on a rainy day and just read something that is low stakes and not much drama, then read this book. The cover is just as good as the first book.

This felt like a warm cup of a tea a warm hug. I felt emerged in the cozy setting and atmosphere of this book. I want more.

Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes #0) by Travis Baldree
Expected publication date: November 7, 2023

Date read: September 19, 2023

Audiobook narrated by the author



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. 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.

The prequel to Legends & Lattes.

I loved Legends & Lattes, so when I saw that Baldree was releasing a prequel novel, I knew that I had to get my hands on it. While I still want to know more about the happenings of Viv and her coffee shop, I was jumping to find out more about Viv before she made her way to Thune.

I am happy to report that I was not disappointed. It was fun to see Barbarian Viv in this story, where she's laid up with injury, but still very much the person who wants to fight. Her character development was very important here, since we know who she is once she arrives in Thune, and I thought that the author made her development natural and believable (while also pretty funny).

The characters in this book were all wonderful, especially Fern (the bookseller) and Sachel (no spoilers, you'll encounter this character when you read it). Gallina was a little annoying at first, but she grew on me (and also makes her appearance in Legends & Lattes. I also really enjoyed the storyline once it picked up and was pleasantly surprised how it all turned out.

I would say that it isn't necessary to read Legends before this one - they can be read in any order without missing any major plot points - but I do recommend reading them both. If you're a fan of epic fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons, or just like fun "fish out of water" adventure stories, I definitely recommend picking this one up. It's great fun.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Content Warnings: murder, racism (fantasy races)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Bookshops & Bonedust is a prequel to Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Released 7th Nov 2023 by Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This is such an engaging and appealing fantasy series featuring themes of found family, honor, and courage, and with and a wonderfully three dimensional young female orc mercenary with a heaping helping of brains and heart. She's injured in the intro and forced to convalesce in a backwater town, which soon proves to be more central to events than is comfortable or safe.

There are elements of mystery along with the fantasy and magic. It's firmly a prequel to Legends & Lattes, and as such benefits from being read in the publishing order: Legends first then Bookshops.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours and 1 minute and is very well narrated by the author himself. He has a warm light baritone voice with a hint of southern central USA (but without any intrusive twang, whether by training or design). He voices his characters well and distinctly and between the print and audio versions, the audiobook format gets the edge. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Four and a half stars for the book, five for the wonderfully nuanced audiobook version. Highly recommended for fans of cozy fantasy. One of the better releases for 2023.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Am absolutely adorable book. I love the characters and the world building. I want to live in this world.

As a big fan of Legends & Lattes I was very excited for Bookshops & Bonedust. Baldree did not disappoint with this one! Viv is absolutely wonderful and I love the new characters introduced. This was an excellent fantasy prequel that does well standing on its own. The narration was of course incredible because Baldree is the best person to embody his world. Would love more in this series!

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

Interesting book and concept. I love watching people fall in love with reading. And she does. I can't wait to read more about these characters.

Thank you Travis Baldree, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

This cozy fantasy was just what I needed to settle in and finish my 2023 reading with! The audiobook was easy to follow along with and I really enjoyed the narration. This is the prequel to Legends and Lattes and I personally don’t think it matters what order you read them in. I definitely recommend if you’re looking for a fun, cozy read!

This is the prequel to one of the best Cozy Fantasy books ever - Legends & Lattes. I loved that one its the perfect book to get HYGGE with.

This can be read before Legends and Lattes - either way will work for this cozy fantasy book.

In this book we get to see Viv and how she came to love books, what kind of a friend she really is and what kid of community she builds where ever she is in life.

This book isn’t as much as an adventure as Legands & Lattes but the perfect book to revisit your friends and make some new ones. This book is full of reminders to find new loves, try new things and places and be a good friend!

I loved the audio done by Travis Baldree himself, which is perfect who else can tell a story better than an author - he’s the Best!

I even ordered a copy of this book for my forever bookshelves with the UK cover - yep its that good its a keeper

Thanks to NetGalley, Tor, Macmillan Audio, for the opportunity to listen to this ALC and to Travis for a wonderful world you have created and for sharing VIV with us! ! My opinions are my own!

Bookshops and Bonedust was just as charming and wonderful as Legends and Lattes. I liked the setting of course, but the characters were nuanced and loveable.

I had such a good time with this book! I liked it even better than Legends & Lattes, which was cute but a little too cozy to really fall into the “love” category for me. Sure, I adored the characters, and who doesn’t swoon over a cute story about found family and pastries? But I do tend to like a little more substance to my reads.

Bookshops & Bonedust has the best of both worlds. It’s a prequel, taking place while Viv is still making a name for herself with Rackam’s crew. But don’t worry, there isn’t a bunch of orc sword fights here; Viv is injured and recovers in a cute little seaside town. I do think this book still feels like it belongs in the cozy category, but it’s more novel-length (versus novella) and has a more substantive plot and a bigger bad guy. Still lots of found family vibes and plenty of pastries, and this time, also a bookstore!! So what’s not to love?

If you liked Legends & Lattes, even if it wasn’t a favorite, I think you’ll like this one. Give it a shot.

Despite being published second, Bookshops & Bonedust is the prequel to Legends & Lattes. After being wounded in battle, Viv takes some downtime to recuperate in a town called Murk, there she discovers her love of books and makes some new friends along the way.
I just adore this cozy fantasy series. I would definitely recommend reading this one first and then venturing onto Legends & Lattes. Knowing where things will ultimately end up, I felt like my reading order hindered my full appreciation of this story.
I am glad to say I enjoyed the audiobook narration which was done by the author, Travis Baldree.
Hoping for more books in this series in the future! 3.5 stars
Special thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ALC of this title. All opinions are my own.

Bookshops and Bonedust is a very sweet prequel to Legends and Lattes. It fits right into the world, fleshing it out and giving cute nods to the first book. I do think that it should be read after Legends and Lattes, although there aren't spoilers for L&L until the epilogue. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy to uplift, this is it.

This was a perfect listen for a cold, wintery day with a warm cup of coffee and a cozy video game to play - that's just Travis Baldree's vibe! I LOVED Legends and Lattes for this reason, and had high expectations of something similar with Bookshops and Bonedust. His narration is truly enthralling and brilliantly immersive. I loved the prequel idea of this book, getting to learn more about how our loves of L&L came to be, but I think it still missed the mark on being the new favorite of the two.

The one stronger criticism I had of L&L was it's lack of climax - the pinnacle conflict of the story was so easily defeated and, if you had more "plot-driven" expectations, this could prove unsatisfactory. I think B&B corrected this, but I'm not sure it was in a more savory way for my tastes. As a non-fantasy reader, I find it challenging sometimes to delve headfirst into complicated worlds with non-human characters, names, and story arcs - it's not the most accessible reading for the less creative-brained peeps. I struggled to follow the storylines and character dynamics of this read. Although it got a bit of an eyeroll at first, I came to appreciate the lack of plot of L&L. B&B was ultimately not better than it's sister book, but I'll definitely still pick up another if Baldree graces us with it.

3.5 stars from me.

Bookshops and Bonedust is a brilliant prequel! I loved the focus on Viv and her journey as she falls in love with reading. The plot was well paced, and this is just as cozy as I was anticipating.

There's something inherently magical about books about bookshops. When Orc Viv is injured in battle while pursuing a powerful necromancer and left in the backwater town of Murk to recover, she is restless and grumpy. While exploring the town, she stumbles upon a rundown bookshop run by a rattkin named Fern.
Fern, as any good bookshop owner/librarian does, found a book perfectly suited to Viv. As Viv discovers the joy of reading, she decides to make herself useful by helping to spruce the store up.

Viv's peaceful recuperation is not to last, however, as soon a body turns up along with a mysterious satchel of bones. It seems the necromancer's reach may be further than anticipated. This book is filled with wonderful characters, adventure, and a good mystery. Travis Baldree reads his own work and captures the joy that is present on every page. This is a wonderful story that will leave you sighing with contentment.

I received a copy of this book from the pubisher

Travis Baldree is one of the best in the game. This will forever be a comfort series for me. Congrats on another amazing release!

Bookshops & Bonedust
by Travis Baldree
Narrated by Travis Baldree

I’m a huge fan of Travis Baldtree’s writing and this one was even better than the first! I loved the audio narration as well - great voice acting that really made the characters come alive!