It was a very cozy and relaxing story. I’d definitely recommend it to fans of fantasy that aren’t really looking for the kind of action that a lot of fantasy comes with.

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is a delightful and charming fantasy novel that will make you smile, laugh, and swoon. The book is full of humor, romance, and magic, with a cozy and whimsical atmosphere that will warm your heart. The characters are lovable, diverse, and quirky, each with their own personality and backstory. The writing is witty and immersive, with a smooth and fast-paced plot that keeps you hooked. Legends & Lattes is a perfect book for fans of low-stakes fantasy, found family tropes, and cute coffee shop romances. It's a book that will make you feel good and wonderfully slice of life.

A comforting, low-stakes queer slice of life fantasy about an unusual coffee shop. Includes found family, friendships, romance, unexpected acts of kindness, protection rackets, old enemies, magic, nosy neighbors, and delicious pastries and coffee.

It's a quick comfort read for turbulent moments.

An absolutely wonderful embodiment of cozy fantasy! Legends & Lattes has just enough going on to keep the reader happy, with the most wonderful characters, while maintaining a cozy and low-stakes feeling. It feels like the kickoff for this genre and has delivered a fantastic setting in every way.

It’s not long, or super dramatic, but it is cozy and easy and comfortable. Just a really good sweet read to enjoy with a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll as big as your head. If you like dungeons and dragons or rpgs of that sort, you’ll have a lovely time with Legends and Lattes.

Viv is tired of being a hired mercenary; living by the sword. Then she came across a coffee house in a town they had stopped in. She was fascinated by the smell, the taste, the equipment—everything about coffee. She began to spend a lot of time in the library and talking to the people running the coffeehouse. She came up with a detailed plan. As luck would have it, the next job got her the critical item she needed to achieve her goal.

Viv determined Thune would be her new home and, as soon as she arrived, she began searching for a place to renovate for her coffeehouse. She found the perfect place. But nothing is easy when you are changing careers. No one having ever heard of coffee was the first hurdle she needed to solve.

The next obstacle was a gang that controlled all business in the city—basically a protection racket--and she wasn't about to cave to their demands. She also discovered she'd never researched marketing. There was much more to starting a business than she thought.

Of course, that's not the entire issue. As Viv tries to get her coffeehouse up and running, she is threatened by locals and an old partner from her previous life as a mercenary. She also makes some interesting friends and customers, and finds herself a family.

The story is low key but there is enough tension, danger, and unique situations to keep the reader interested. You may think you know what's going to happen next when you are reading but, believe me, there are some interesting twists and surprises.

Legends & Lattes was a lovely change from the usual mercenary putting down the sword story. Viv and all the other characters involved were interesting and well-developed as was the plot. I hope there will be a few more novels with these characters.

I avoided this book for some time because it has been soooo hyped that I thought it couldn't possibly live up to its reputation. Despite that I ended up really enjoying it.

It's a quick read and the plot isn't the reason to read it. Viv, a mercenary who's had enough of that life, takes her earnings and brings coffee to a city that's never experienced it before. She starts her own coffee shop, buying a former livery stable and building it up with the help of folks that she meets along the way.

The power of the story is the way it shows how someone can find/build a community, which is the vital ingredient to Viv's success. She chooses wisely. She finds the right person to help her renovate her space, the right person to help her branch out into baked goods, the right person to help her run the place and market it too. Viv also chooses to build relationships instead of resorting to violence. There's a protection racket that takes advantage of business owners. Viv's former decision would be to go in sword a-swinging. Because she wants to live her for a long time, she has to think more deeply than she would have needed to as a wandering mercenary.

I worked in and managed a book store for 10 years. I know what the reality of the business is but I still like reading books set in bookstores that have nothing to do with reality, because the point of the bookstore book is to give the reader a soft place to land, a comforting place to imagine themselves in. Same with this book- it's not the reality of a small business or food service but that's not the point. The point is to imagine yourself hanging out in Legends and Lattes, munching on a sublime cinnamon roll and slowly sipping a coffee the likes of which you've never had before, while watching pleasant, competent people do what they do best and absorbing the friendly vibes of the place just by being there. It's cozy, perhaps the ur-text of the modern cozy fantasy movement, and it does the job just fine.

Legends & Lattes is a rare book that I wanted to read again as soon as I was finished with it — it’s warm and cosy, a world with a lot of goodness in it and people who will make an effort and put in work, even when it’s hard. A world where even an orc can quit being a mercenary and make a coffee shop, and a rattkin can come on staff to make baked goods, and a succubus (who doesn’t use any of her charms) can come on board as a barista. It’s a world where a far-fetched dream can come true with a little magic, a little luck, and a lot of willing hands.

Honestly, I got to the end of it and was a little outraged that the bit I thought was left was an additional short story and not more of the same coffee-scented cosiness. I wanted more of Viv, more of the coffee shop, more of the little mysteries around it (the gnome who seemed to be some kind of time traveller, for example).

I think some people have dinged it rating-wise for not being original, which is a little bit confusing to me: it’s not meant to be some spectacular and strange fantasy world with intricate world-building. It’s more like “here’s a generic fantasy world, and here’s the kind of story we don’t tell set in this kind of world very often”. The world-building is far from the point — it’s more taking this basic fantasy world and saying, well, not everyone can be a mercenary all their life. What do they do after? What do they do if killing people isn’t what makes them happy?

So I wouldn’t go in expecting something super original, because it’s not about that. It’s a mug of hot coffee (or hot chocolate, if that’s more your thing, as it is for me) on a cold day; a friend’s shoulder leaning into yours while you’re just going about your day.

Like Monk and Robot this book takes you to a place you want to live in, with characters you want as best friends.

A cozy story set in a fantasy world is everything I didn't know I needed. The tale is heartwarming, with details to flesh out the experience but not bog down the flow. Each character introduced is distinct, vivid, and richly defined. The story of hardwork with a little bit of belief.
The audiobook narration is gold if you get the chance to listen!

Legends & Lattes is such a wonderfully written YA fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out Legends & Lattes today.

I absolutely loved this book, i read it in a single sitting. it was warm and cozy, filled with love and acceptance both internally and externally, and made me feel safe and warm just by reading it. the characters are loveable and emotional and i wish i could give them all a hug.
the perfect little brain vacation, like listening to a DnD podcast

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my netgalley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

Ii have never played Dungeons and dragons but have always been interested. I only bring it up to mention I am not well versed in the game but loved this story! It was cute, it was low stakes, but I still raced through it. You will love every character and always want more.

(i received an e-arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

i finished Legends & Lattes back in December, and this was the perfect cozy fantasy to end my year with. all i need now is for this quaint fictional world to exist in real life.

I struggled with this book. I don't know if it was my mood or the fact that I truly love high fantasy because of the action and adventure. This book just didn't click with me. Don't get me wrong. The writing is great. The characters are lovable. The story is cute. However, I was continuously asking myself, "Is this it?" I personally needed more.

Legends & Lattes is the cozy, slice-of-life fantasy you’ve been looking for. The book’s tagline describes it as a story of “High Fantasy and Low Stakes,” which perfectly sums things up. This book has the energy of a D&D session played by people who love Animal Crossing instead of combat.

Author Travis Baldree tells a simple story here, and a familiar one, even if it takes place in a fantasy world. At its core, Legends & Lattes is about starting something new. It may be difficult and feel like it’s too late, but it’s never impossible. Baldree shows the benefit of getting out of your comfort zone through Viv and her shop. This is primarily an internal story; we rarely step outside the shop, and that’s okay. The stakes revolve around Viv’s livelihood and the cafe’s well-being, making this more of a slice-of-life story than a full-fledged fantasy adventure.

Despite her past as a warrior for hire, Viv is genuinely good. She actively works to change her way of thinking and approaching problems. She literally hangs up her sword as a decoration in an effort not to attack every issue with violence. With their shop, Viv and her new friends try to create something special for the people around them, with very little expectation of reward.

Another real standout in Legends & Lattes is the descriptions of the food and drinks. I’m one of those people who somehow doesn’t like coffee, but this book made me crave it. And I dare you to read Legends & Lattes all the way through without buying yourself a cinnamon roll!

When the world feels like a bad place, sometimes you need a quiet, comforting book to take your mind off things. Legends & Lattes is that book. It’s perfect for when the weather gets cold; read it curled up with a warm drink, preferably at your favorite local cafe.

This book is exactly as advertised: a cozy fantasy with low stakes. There is a little bit of drama, but it’s easily resolved and the cast of characters is very charming. They are a small group but well rounded and they fit into the story comfortably.

The baked goods are very well described and I love how they are all based on human creations, so I can taste them as well. It also makes me want a strong cup of coffee, though I don’t currently have the energy to brew one! It was a fun twist, to bring human creations into the fantasy world. Not only does it add even more comfort to an already warm setting, it brings some fantasy into our world as well.

I very much love how no one needs to forgive Viv for her past and the people she’s hurt or killed. It’s mentioned and known, and yet Viv is who she is now, not who she was then. She doesn’t have to make up to anyone, except for herself. And even that is coming to terms with the fact that people can change, fundamentally, and otherwise.

The romance is very sweet and obvious from the beginning. A slow burn with an obvious ending, but still satisfying when it finally happens. The slow way Tandri worms her way into Viv’s heart is sweet. Tandri is intelligent and commanding. She’s been hurt but hasn’t lost her confidence.

My favorite little marker of progress and the passage of time was the gradual editing of the menu, as written by Tandri. The baked goods, the addition of ice beverages…I was only disappointed that they didn’t add a mocha to the menu!

I can’t wait for more in this series! It was a quick read and easy to get into with not too much that required explanation. The next book is a prequel, again centered on Viv, but involving a bookstore! While a sequel would be great, I relish the opportunity to get to know Viv more.

While the beating heart of this book is its peaceful, heartwarming atmosphere and incredible cast of characters, it has even more to offer:
- beautiful writing that is incredibly evocative without taking away from the narrative;
- masterful pacing that makes this book a rapid read that, nevertheless, is never rushed;
- deeper themes of understanding, kindness, enduring friendship, rejection of stereotypes, and perseverance that (while simple) are no less poignant and important;
- a general lightness and ease that makes this the perfect comfort read while still targeting an adult audience;
- complex and complete worldbuilding that is never dumped on the reader or over-explained;
- a beautiful example of the "found family" trope that will leave you smiling to yourself at minimum once per chapter;
- a conflict that is not an overblown misunderstanding or other frustrating plot convenience but an event that spurs on the transformation of not only the main character but those around her;
- a sapphic romance that not only doesn't take the spotlight away from the most important relationships in this novel (the friendships) but is also incredibly natural and free from angst or external judgment/obstacles;
- varied and diverse characters that each have their own moments to shine, coming into their own and finding purpose in a new phase of their lives;
- and so much more!

This truly is such a gem of a book, and I have only come to love it more the second time around. Learning that this is Travis Baldree's debut novel has completely blown me away! All I can hope is that Baldree never stops writing so I can continue to live in his peaceful, happy little world full of loveable misfits finding belonging together like a slightly unexpected yet breathtaking jigsaw puzzle.

This was so cute! It was cozy and heart warming. I really got to know and care about the characters. Thimble was my favorite! I was hoping for some more action scenes, but I feel like we got exactly what was advertised. Everything was just sweet and nice and I enjoyed the story and how it was told. I’ll definitely read the next one.