I don't know where to start with this book. I picked it up and put it down many times. However, when I finally sat down and said, I want to read this book, I'm going to read this book, I couldn't put it down.

I'm an avid Dungeons and Dragons fan. I live off coffee. So when Legends and Lattes showed up I knew it would be a book for me. The legends of orcs in any setting is always negative, so when Travis Baldree used an Orc Barbarian who just wanted a peaceful existence making coffee and being happy, I feel in love with the idea.

Viv is the aforementioned Orc Barbarian who wanted to open a coffee house after having a sinfully delicious drink after an adventure. Meeting the different people along her travels and creating friendships in this new town she decided to settle in, Viv has created her own little found family. I found this cozy book to be what I needed to get through the small reading slump I was in.

Side Note: Travis Baldree as narrator is one of my favorite things. Being able to bring justice to the book he wrote has made him an auto buy author for me.

So cute!!! Loved every second of this! Highly recommend for the cozy fantasy genre. I think this was very refreshing to read and was just amazing.

So I walked in to this book after a D&D game and needed something heart warming and cosy. This book did not let me down.

Easy to read and fills you up with warmth and love for found family. By the end of this book I wanted to open a cafe and have a dire cat

As someone who plays D&D, I very much appreciated this just NICE story of what happens when the campaign is over. It was light, it was enjoyable, honestly, I hope there are more just like it.

Legends & Lattes was an adorable fantasy read. It was the coziest and cutest fantasy about an orc named Viv who wants to quit her old life of a fighter and open up a coffee shop. I would definitely read another book by this author again. Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to receive a copy. Can’t wait to have a physical copy next time I’m in a book store.

The perfect and fictional representation of a cosy, safe space, a hot cup of coffee and a biscuit!
Okay, I understand why my book friends desperately wanted me to read this; this was an absolute DELIGHT! The hope and restart of our lovely Orc main character Viv as she starts her business and puts her dreams into the world was so sweet. I love the characters who helped make it a reality while giving advice and problem-solving for the shop!
LOVE LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK!

I'm going to be honest, much like with anime, I don't usually go for anything slice of life. I love some action and adventure, however I was lured in by the pretty cover art and the idea of a cosy fantasy!

I believe I mentioned in another review that I'm not as into fantasy as I used to be and a large part of that is because I feel like it lacks various different kinds of rep, which brings me to the other reason I was lured in: the queer romance.

I can quite happily say that I have zero regrets about picking this book up because it's been kind of a tough few weeks for me and this book was a bright spot throughout it all! It truly is a cosy fantasy, and it says low stakes but...there kinda are some high stakes as Viv opens her Cafe and navigates being a new business owner, the gang? Kind of people wanting a cut, and the irate ex-party member whose breathing down her neck. The way my heart broke during THAT scene towards the end like...you promised me cosy and now I'm in my feels!

Anyways, I was rooting for Viv. I can't say I've ever read a book with an Orc as the MC but I loved her. She wanted a change of pace, she had a dream and she went for it. She worked hard and I loved seeing the Cafe come together, all the elements slot into place and the family she found along the way in the form of Tandri, Thimble, Cal and Pendry! The underlying message of this book, about the kindness of strangers, the good hidden in little corners of the world and the joy that comes from finding the people you need, at the right time, who just get you, is something that I personally feel is really needed right now. At least by me, anyway!

Truly, the friendships blooming between all of them made my smile and warmed my heart, even when it came down to her dealings with the Madrigal! Every time I settled down to read this book, it was like being enveloped in a warm hug that smelled like cinnamon buns and made me crave them too! Like I said, there's some tension here and there along the way, but it's not the life or death, grim, bloody battle kind and I always had the vague sense that everything was going to be okay.

The characters are brilliant, from Viv to Tandri, and Thimble to Cal. Each is different from the other and brings something to the table, and despite their differences, they all slotted together well. Even Pendry who seemed quite shy in the beginning and Hem who was more than a little reluctant! I even came to like Lack towards the end, just a little and of course I LOVED Amity! Although I have my suspicions about a certain, mysterious character and I'm quite curious as to whether we'll see him again!

Throughout the book, not only does Viv develop as a character, coming into her own and carving out her own little place to belong, but the business develops as well! You truly do get to watch it grow from an old stable to the bustling Cafe it becomes and there's always something going on, whether that's improving and expanding, meeting a new character, or facing some new obstacle in the course of running the Cafe! There's even some romance on the side between Viv and Tandri and it was so sweet, even if Viv was so oblivious!

Legends and Lattes, a cosy fantasy, is both the book and the genre I didn't know I needed. It was comforting, soothing and just generally good vibes, with mouth-watering food descriptions that had my stomach rumbling while I could practically smell the cinnamon buns! I truly do hope Travis writes at least ten more cosy fantasy books because I'm obsessed!

Legends & Lattes is a cozy fantasy novel with a dash of romance that delivered exactly the vibes it promised—slow, comforting, heartfelt, and warm.

Viv the orc warrior has retired from the adventuring life after tiring of the constant bloodshed, travel, and exhaustion. Her last adventuring score enables her to start her new dream in a new city: opening a brand new coffee shop. But certain shadowy elements in both the city and her past may make Viv’s dreams stay just dreams after all.

This slice-of-life story is so incredibly sweet. It explores a premise often seen in fanfiction but less seen in traditionally published novels, which is: What happens when the adventure is done? The first half of this book reads like playing a soothing restaurant sim game. (I would totally eat and drink everything mentioned in the novel). While the stakes do increase in the second half, ultimately this is meant to be a leisurely, slow-paced read. The romance was sweet as well and it was a pleasure to see it unfold.

My biggest critique is that personally, it was still a bit too slow for me. There are large stretches where truly nothing much happens, and while it's well written, some of it didn’t quite contribute to the overall experience for me.

Overall if you’re looking for a short, easy, heartwarming read about the power of choosing a new path and the people who help us get there, with a sprinkle of sapphic romance on top, I’d highly recommend Legends & Lattes.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

Talk about a book that 100% measures up to the hype. Someone told me the other day it's high fantasy with low stakes and I would co-sign that. Legends & Lattes is about an orc who just wants to retire and make coffee for people who don't even know what it is. From the beginning I was swayed by the preciousness of it all. First of all, I love to watch passionate people. Whether that be Viv and how much she loves the magic of coffee and wants to share that. Or the various other side characters around her.

While I don't necessarily love the idea of a sapphic romantic fantasy written by an ostensibly cishet white guy... this works. What a fun cast of characters in a charming setting. Baldree asks you to dive headfirst into this world and just accept that everything is weird and anything could happen. And despite being a siren and orc at the center, it's a beautifully human story.

A fun cozy DnD styled romance, can't ask for much more. Main characters were multifaceted, and I enjoyed the comradery.

Whenever I tirelessly search for a new cozy fantasy to read, Travis Baldree’s debut novel shows up on the recommendations. First self-published, this delightful novel has already made the November Indie Next Pick and Barnes and Noble Best Science Fiction of 2022 lists.

I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley.

This was just what I needed at the perfect time. In a year full of reading slumps on and off again without end, this made reading enjoyable for a few days.

I've heard a lot about this book through the year and finally got to reading it. I can definitely see what all the hype was about and how this was fast tracked from self pub to traditional published novel.

I'm definitely looking forward to more from this author.

This was a perfect cozy fantasy -- it felt like a hug. My only wish is that the story was longer. The characters are lovable and I really found myself rooting for them.

This book made me forget I was reading! I got lost in this cozy coffeehouse fantasy. It doesn’t have the drama of bloodshed and battles - although you get a taste of what that was like for the main character (Viv) before she decided to reinvent herself and open a coffeehouse - but it has a ton of heart, a smattering of mystery, and lots of coffee! The author tells the story using all five senses - as you read you can envision the cafe (Legends and Lattes), you can hear Pendry playing the lute over the percolating coffee, you can smell the fresh grind of the beans - it was an entirely enjoyable experience reading this story and I hope it’s the first of many.

Thank you NetGalley and Cryptid Press for the advanced electronic version of this story in exchange for an honest review!

This book is amazing. It is sweet and very cozy. The cast of characters are very lovable and unique. My only problem is the fact it ended. I'm really hoping Baldree writes a sequel to this one of a kind book about coffee and second starts in life.

A warm hug on a cold night. I absolutely adored this story. An absolute delight. The cafe culture was fantastic, the entire cast charmed me from beginning to end. It’s got the soft, wholesome quality of animal crossing, mixed with D&D, and I want to crawl inside and live there. This is 100% a new comfort read and I can’t wait for more people to read it!

This was such a sweet, heart-warming, feel-good story! I love fantasy but sometimes starting a new fantasy book can feel daunting -- multiple books, intense character lists, violence and war. This was like a breath of fresh air.

This book was exactly what I wanted when I heard the term “cozy fantasy” for the first time. I just didn’t know it yet.

It has all the lead-up to an epic, sweeping story… a hardened warrior, a master builder, a succubus lover, a timid baker, and an insecure bard… and instead, carries out its tale in a captivating, quiet, unassuming way. This is the book I’m going to turn to when I need some warm-fuzzies, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ll be visiting it again and again.

It reminds me a lot of T. Kingfisher’s Saint of Steel series, and I mean that as the highest compliment. It was the perfect read on a chilly night, with a cozy pair of socks and a warm latte.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

4/5⭐️

I’ve never heard of “cozy fantasy” before this book but it just might be one of my new favorite genres. Sapphic D&D fantasy book about coffee? Sign. Me. Up.

This is a book about an ogre-like creature who leaves behind her life of blood and fighting to achieve her dream of opening up a coffee shop. There she meets many like-minded innovative and creative friends, including a girl she just can’t stay away from, who help her bring her dream to life.

This story was so cute and heart-warming. I love fantasy but sometimes fantasy books are just too intense and difficult to read for long periods of time. This innovative take on the genre, coined “low-stakes” fantasy, is refreshing for anyone who loves stories set in other worlds but gets mentally worn-down from the intensity of them.

This is the simple but intriguing story of a woman who opens and runs a coffee shop in a city that’s never heard of coffee before. Oh, and falls for her coworker along the way. What’s not to like?

My only critique of this book is the same cause for why I like it so much. Because the book is relatively low-stakes, compounded with the fact that the romance doesn’t pick up until over halfway through the book, it can get a bit boring at times.

That being said, I immensely enjoyed this book nonetheless and look forward to exploring other similar books in the genre.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.