I loved this story so much. It was the perfect "low stakes" sort of book I needed to read when other things in my life were stressful and I really wanted to decompress. The author did a great job creating the setting, so much so that I hardly noticed being dropped right into the story without much backstory. I'd definitely recommend this one and can't wait for more from this author.

Viv, a battle-weary orc, discovers coffee during her travels and decides to have her own coffee shop. Slowly, people show up at her door and help her expand on this idea of what a coffee shop should have.

This is a very comfy book, and there is a warm, welcoming feeling throughout the book. My only slight problem was that I'm not fond of coffee. So whenever Viv enchants people with the smell, I'll take your word for it. However, once bakery items were mouth-wateringly described, I was there.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I loved this book SO MUCH! I keep hearing it described as "cozy fantasy" and that fits perfectly.

The writing was tight and descriptive without being flowery, which I love. The hodgepodge of characters was delightful and the plot so so unique.

I can't recommend Legends and Lattes enough and I'll definitely be buying a hard copy when it comes out.

I was intrigued about this book as I was told it was a soft fantasy book that would be good for non-fantasy readers to dip their toes into the genre. I agree with that, however, this was not the book for me. I don't usually read fantasy, but wanted to give it a shot. The book started a bit slowly for me and I just wasn't as drawn into the book as I would have liked. I ended up DNF-ing the book at about the 15% mark. A good book, just not the one for me.

I was given a free copy in exchange for a review. I Give "Legends & Lattes" 5 stars! It's also earned a special place on my favourites shelf. I'll be purchasing a physical copy.

This was a cozy little story for the lore-loving gamer in me. I adore the unique cast of characters, the community care, and the dream-chasing.

This book is perfect for lovers of video games, sweet sapphic content, and food bringing people together. I feel all warm and fuzzy after this one.

Thank you, Travis Baldree, for the delicious and easily devoured read!

Viv has a plan: she’s done her last job, got the Scalvert’s Stone, and she’s ready for the next chapter in her life. As an orc, she’s spent more than twenty years travelling about, doing jobs, and she’s done. No more killing, no more mud. She has a new purpose now, from the second she stepped foot into what was called a cafe by gnomes on one of her recent adventures. She’s going to open her own coffee shop, introducing coffee to the people of the city Thrune, the place she picked in her research.

She assembles a crew of people to help her, during the open: Cal, a shipwright job who builds the new shop; Laney, her neighbour who’s terrible at baking; Tandri, the succubus who answers her job ad; and Thimble, a rattkin who loves coffee and baked incredible pastries. Is this going to work? She has the Stone…but other people are sniffing around to find it.

This is a lovely, lighthearted, cozy fantasy story. Throughly enjoyed it. Baldree almost made me interested in coffee, which I don’t like or drink, and the pastry descriptions were top-notch. This was a fun read, and a lovely take on the friends as family story. Looking forward to the next one!

"You've found a very peaceful place here. A special place. You've planted something, and now it's blossoming. Very nice. A good spot to rest. My thanks to you for letting an old-timer shade under the branches of what you' ve grown."

(A customer to Vic at her coffee shop)

Who wants a cuddly feel-good fantasy?
The characters were just great here and the atmosphere invited to dream. The queer slow-burn love story was wonderfully realistic through friendship, respect and the little looks.

The former orc warrior Viv fulfills her dream and opens a café. She got to know this hitherto unknown drink of the gnomes on her travels. She makes friends and allies and is always adding new things to her menu.

The entire book plays out 90% in their cafe building - didn't bother me at all! 😁.

I personally liked the plot. Unfortunately, it was also a little bit too straightforward and one shouldn't put everything on the gold scales.

One of the most charming and heartwarming stories I have ever read. Wonderful characters, a setting that slowly becomes home and gorgeous writing tying everything together.

A very cute, cozy story that warms the heart and is gay while doing it. Viv is the sweetest, and Tandry is the love of my life. Not amazing enough to be ranked a 5 star, but I could definitely see this as a book that some will want to keep going back to and rereading. It's just a very nice, comforting book that makes you want to open up your own coffee shop in a far away fantasy land, and the relationship building for all characters is wonderful. Highly recommend if you're looking for something to make you feel warm on the inside.

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree is a slice-of-life fantasy novel about an orc trying to open a coffee shop. Viv is tired of her life chasing bountys and killing monsters. After one last score she comes to Thune with high hopes and her dreams. With new partnerships and a budding business old and new foes threaten to ruin everything she's worked for. Can she overcome her past to set forth her future?

This book is a cozy fantasy read! So many novels are have such drastic measures and the fate of the world lies on the hero's shoulders and all that...but this novel is purely different! Viv just wants a coffee shop, a simple life. I found this take on high-fantasy refreshing! This was a book I could get comfy and read and not have to worry about the world's impending doom. I really think this will become a comfort read for me. I also really loved the short prequel story that told of Viv and her group!

I'd recommend Legends and Lattes to anyone who enjoys high-fantasy, slice-of-life animes, and wants a low-stakes novel.


Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for an egalley of this novel. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Legends & Lattes
by Travis Baldree
Pub Date: November 8, 2022
Cryptid
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I picked up this book because I saw the author in a webinar with other authors. For those of you who don’t know, Travis Baldree has been well known for his role as the audiobook narrator behind Will Wight’s Cradle series. And many other series, really. Legends and Lattes is his debut novel, and I do think Baldree should now be known for his fantasy novel, too. I am not normally a fantasy reader but this book is great! This is a high fantasy novel with low stakes as noted on the description. I recommend this read when you are in the mood for something short, cozy, and wholesome.
Great Job Mr. Baldree!

4 stars

I really loved this one. It’s so wholesome and warm-hearted, without being too simplistic or moralistic. I think this could be a great intro to fantasy for people who are hesitant to explore the complex genre

This book was precious and its author needs to be protected at all costs.

Everyone on my Twitter feed had been screaming about this book for ages, and when I saw Tor had acquired it, I knew it was the real deal. It's not a long read—I finished it in an afternoon—but it's a love letter to everyone who's ever gotten too attached to their Dungeons and Dragons character.

Viv is an orc adventurer ready to retire. Her last job involves acquiring a stone that is said to bring great luck to its owner. After sampling an exotic Gnomish drink called "coffee" she decides to open a shop of her own, hoping the stone she'd acquired will bring luck to her business. Along the way she makes several friends, including a hob(goblin?) construction worker named Cal, a succubus, a ratkin baker, a dire-cat, and a nosy next-door neighbor. I loved each and every one of them. The book is so sweet it will rot your teeth and I will be recommending it to everyone with a pulse.

This is a cute, cozy fantasy about reinventing yourself and learning to trust that you can rely on the people who care about you.

The premise for this is clever and charming, and it’s a great low stakes fantasy for those who feel stressed out by traditional high fantasy or for anyone who likes warm and fuzzy with a side of magic.

Viv is an orc who is tired of the barbarian life and seeks to reinvent herself as a coffee shop owner in a town where no one seems to have encountered coffee before. It’s a cute concept and the story is populated by sweet friendships and nice moments.

For me it was a little *too* low stakes, and I’m probably not enough of a fantasy reader to be able to get into an entire book that feels like the cozy subplot to a more meaningful story. But if you’re a huge fantasy fan and if you like a side of warm and fuzzy with it, you’ll probably enjoy this one a lot.

I think this is probably a perfect book. Calling it a comfort read would be putting it lightly— I would like to crawl inside this book and stay there.

I picked up this book because I saw the author in a webinar with other authors, several of whom were, um, young & brash. When Mr. Baldree was polite and did not give them the set-down they richly deserved, I figured I should give his book a chance. And I am so glad I did! This is the fantasy book equivalent of a warm blanket and a hot beverage on a snowy day! Gentle & lovely, I was hooked from the subtitle: "A novel of high fantasy and low stakes." If you're stressed out, come and enjoy Viv's world!

This was great. Such a funny premise. The writing style is welcoming and easy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC.

Legends & Lattes is comfort fantasy at its coziest. This was a book about not having to fill the role that's expected of you because of your background, upbringing, race or class, and giving yourself permission to make the future you want to have.

You follow Viv, an orc and recently retired sword-for-hire, who abandons the life of violence and bloodshed in pursuit of something else. Something like running her own coffee shop, in a small town that has yet to learn of the stuff. All she has on her side are her savings from her mercenary days and a good luck charm that she isn't even sure works. Plus, an acquaintance from her past isn't quite ready to let her settle down in a comfortable job just yet.

This book was cozy and light-hearted. High fantasy and low stakes were what was promised, and that was exactly what I got. I cared a lot about Viv and her friends, but I knew a happy ending would be on the horizon. I'd recommend this to someone looking for a fall vacation read, wanting a feel-good happy ending or itching for a fantasy novel that gives you the same feeling as drinking a warm comforting beverage.

I adored everything about this. It was just like a hot coffee on a cold day, so cozy and heart warming.

Viv is an orc, who retires from adventuring to open a coffee shop. Filled with lovable characters and delightful details, I will be highly recommending this to customers as soon as it comes out!

Legends & Lattes was a joy from beginning to end. The story begins as Viv the orc barbarian’s adventuring career winds down. Viv takes on a new mission in life to open a coffee shop in a city where no one has ever heard of coffee. The reader shares her cozy hopes and dreams, delighting as she makes new connections and solves problems without soaking them in blood and gore. The cast of characters is very memorable, and while the stakes are described as low, the reader’s investment is not.