What a great book! I recently read Legends & Lattes and have been in the mood for another cozy fantasy. I really enjoyed this one! Filled with great characters and a love for books- this was the perfect read for me. I loved how Fern cussed like a sailor and her pet Potroast was so cute. I hope we get more from Travis Baldree in this world.

A solid addition to this series, and I liked it as much as I liked the first one. Highly recommend for fantasy readers looking for a mental/emotional break, without giving up their fantasy setting.

I can't believe I forgot to review this one! I absolutely adore Bookshops & Bonedust (and Legends & Lattes, but that's for another time!). I'm a huge fan of the cozy, low-stakes fantasies, and this one definitely fit the bill. I'm so excited for the next installment in this series! Thank you for the early access, and I apologize for forgetting to submit my review!

This is a story that has no business being 300+ pages.

As the follow up to his cozy fantasy smash hit Legends and Lattes, Baldree takes us back to Viv's youth as a young mercenary. Once injured on a job she finds herself on a forced sabbatical in a sleepy beachside town where she befriends the local bookseller and discovers a love a reading. This was all very well and good. I like Viv she's a kind woman, and seeing her help Fern's business flourish was very sweet. However, was it 300 pages worth of sweet? I found the beginning nice and entertaining but as we approached the halfway mark I was forced to realize that I didn't care very much for any of the characters or the setting. While I understand the point of illustrating how important certain chapters in your life can be even if you know your time with that place is fleeting, it is still worth experiencing to the fullest, a sweet message to be sure. But as a reader I really did struggle to invest at all particularly because the time limit imposed on all the relationships Viv was forming. It just diminished the feel-goodness of the story for me. It's a bittersweet intentionally so I'm not saying it's wrong for having done that but I think ultimately I just struggled to care after a while knowing that there was no reason to get invested and that there's no stakes to the conflicts that arose because I know where Viv ends up down the line. I think I would have enjoyed this more as a quick 150 page novella. 336 pages was a bit too much for me.

2.75 stars.

Just like Legends and Lattes, this was a cozy, fantasy read that left my heart feeling warm and a wish for some coffee and dessert.
This was delightfully slow, domestic, and full of friendship, with just the right amount of fantasy and world building to keep the reader engaged but never confused. I loved the low stakes and taking my time reading this one. there will never be enough cozy fantasy in my life!!
I was very excited to read about Viv's younger days after how much I enjoyed Legends and Lattes and this hit the spot perfectly.
Very very much looking forward to more Travis Baldree books in the future!

It is a prequel, and I found it interesting to get more of Viv’s backstory. It was clear she had had a lot going on before we meet her in L&L, so I liked this peek into her history.

My favourite parts of Bookshops & Bonedust were the moments in the bookstore. I loved the changes and improvements that Fern and Viv slowly made at the store. I secretly wanted more of this and less of the actual villain of the story 😂

Knowing how Viv finds her happily ever after in L&L made it hard for me to care too much about her summer romance with Maylee. Rather, I was quite invested in Viv’s friendship with Fern, especially after reading the Epilogue 😍

So cozy and the perfect prelude to legends and lattes! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a quick, cozy fantasy to binge.

A prequel to Legends and Lattes, I knew I wanted to read this book.

Viv's career as a mercenary goes awry amongst and injury. She finds herself spending her days at a bookshop (enter all the bookworm lovers here). Adventures still arise for Viv as we learn more about her in this prequel.

This was a fun, light, book that kept me entertained. There was an entertaining cast of characters that gave us a cozy vibe with the location.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the gifted eARC.

It would have been so hard to top Legends and Lattes so Im glad Travis Baldree went with a prequel! I was so happy to be back in this magical cozy world, but now with the added coziness of a bookshop! I really did love this book, the stakes felt a little higher than in LaL and that really worked for me!

Travis has the ability to sweep you into a fantasy world like no other. I’ve never been the biggest fan of cozy fantasy until reading Legends and Lattes. With this sequel, I’ve been blown away again. Viv once again has my heart as this warrior bookworm who craves an ounce of normalcy and comfort.

In "Bookshops & Bonedust", Baldree's latest prequel novel in the "Legends and Lattes" series, we are reintroduced to the beloved character Viv during her adventuring days. In this novel was see a moment in Viv's life after she injures her leg and is forced to ride out her recovery in a sweet, charming seaside town. Her time is well spent though, she helps out a local bookseller, slays some necromancers (of course, she cannot avoid it), and enjoys a little love affair with a baker. Though we know as readers that these relationships will be short-lived, it was still a lovely pitstop to rest a while in.

It was so lovely to dive back into this cozy world. Baldree really had done it again. The novel was a bit more action packed in comparison to "Legends and Lattes" but that is to be expected. I cannot wait for further books in the series.

f you've already read Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, you may have wondered what Viv's life was like prior to leaving the mercenaries and changing her life by opening a coffee shop. Well, luckily Bookshops and Bonedust fills in some of that information. If you haven't read Legends & Lattes don't worry as you don't need to have read it to enjoy this story.

The book opens with Viv already a member of Rackam's Ravens. Being young and eager to prove herself, Viv, in the heat of battle, forgets the rules and races ahead of the main fighters. Alone and quite a distance from the main group, she is terribly injured and bleeding out. Found by the mercenaries later, they patched her up and took her to recover at an inn in Murk. They paid for medical care and room and board and said they'd return to pick her up again when they were in the area.

Viv feels abandoned. She is frustrated, hurt, unable to move freely, and alone in a strange place. When she finally can manage to leave her room using a crutch, she learns she has much to apologize for and she rapidly begs pardon for her offenses while she was not coherent and in pain. With her crutch, she begins to explore and finds a bookshop and a bakery. She begins to make acquaintances and friends. Gains a young aggravating would-be-mercenary who sees Viv as her ticket to joining Rackam's Ravens.

The bookshop and its owner, Fern, become a key part of Viv's recovery. She suggests books for Viv to read. The books are a way Viv can maintain some patience with the slow pace of her recovery. There are snippets of the text of these novels interspersed along with later discussions of the story and characters with Fern. It's integrated so well with the main storyline that I often wished the books discussed were actually available. The things Viv learns and discusses with Fern help form part of Viv's character as she goes forward in life.

The main story of the Raven's search for the necromancer is not forgotten and Viv's involvement and knowledge of their target begins to intrude on this idyllic pause in her life. Something or someone is causing Viv to get the feeling that all is not right in this quiet seaside village and fortified town.

This is what is now being called cozy fantasy. However, there is still danger and battles to be fought as well as friendships to be made, romance to be had, and reading to be enjoyed. I'm so looking forward to more stories of Viv no matter where in her life's timeline they are placed.

I truly LOVED this book. Being back in this enchanting cozy world Baldree has created was so heart warming and so much fun. I always look forward to this authors work knowing it will be the vibe I need.

I loved this one! Baldree does it again with a cozy fantasy title with just enough stakes to keep it thrilling. I really loved to see Viv as she comes into her own, and enjoyed seeing those inklings of the character we'll get to meet later on in Legends and Lattes.

I'm in love with Travis Baldree and this world. Viv is such an endearing and relatable character. I loved getting to know her backstory in this book and the events that helped push her to open her coffee shop in Legends & Lattes. Plus, as a bookseller, the scene in the bookstore and Viv helping Fern revitalize the bookstore were both sweet and uplifting and felt so true to my work. Bookshops & Bonedust feels like a love letter to bookselling and D&D.

Just a great story about the importance of found family. The characters are all someone I would live to meet and spend time with. Would definitely recommend

Thank you for the opportunity to review Bookshops and Bonedust. This fun fantasy was just up my alley, although it took quite awhile for me to get back on NetGalley to review it after starting a new job. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for similar books by Travis Baldree.

Thank you to Tor for sending me an eARC this early before its release!
so sad this wasn't 5 stars. i literally dont want to anticipate books ever again but i cant stop lol. it was a fun time, but i simply wanted more cozy vibes, less fantasy plot the way Legends & Lattes was, but I very much enjoyed the epilogue and the cute bookishness!

This low-stakes story was perfect to get me out of a reading slump. Friendship, pastries and books, what else do you need ?!

Travis Baldree is the KING of cozy fantasy! I will purchase every book he ever writes. He leaves you with such a warm-hearted feeling with his amazing characters and settings.