Legends & Lattes was all about Viv fulfilling a dream that she’s had for a very long time, to retire from the mercenary life and open a coffee shop, a place where she can hang up her sword (literally) and dispense peace and life-giving liquid in equal measure – instead of dealing death to people who generally deserved it.

The story in Bookshops & Bonedust is the story of way back when Viv was considerably younger and a whole lot dumber (as we often are) and first caught the inkling of that dream. Not in bustling Thune but in tiny, tacky, tawdry Murk, a seaside town that has certainly seen better days.

But it’s the most convenient place for Rackham’s Raiders, the mercenary company that young Viv is signed up with, to deposit her after she gets herself ahead of her team in a fight and gets skewered in the leg for her trouble. Or her hubris. Or just her belief that as a young orc in her first big skirmish she’s both immortal and indestructible.

Of course she’s neither, and has the bleeding holes in her leg to prove it. So she’ll be rusticating and recovering in Murk while Rackham’s Raiders are off to bring down Varine the Necromancer and her horde of skeletal warriors.

Viv is scared that Rackham won’t come back for her. She’s worried she won’t heal properly. But more than anything else, she’s frightened half to death that she’ll go out of her mind with boredom while she’s stuck, literally on her ass, in Murk.

Which is what leads her, albeit very indirectly and with a whole lot of excruciating steps, to Maylee’s bakery and Fern’s bookshop. The bakery because damn it smells good and the dwarf baker looks every bit as yummy as her freshly baked wares. The bookshop because there’s nothing to while away a whole lot of quiet time quite like a good book. Or a whole series of them.

And that bookshop, Thistleburr Booksellers, looks like it has lots and bunches of books, all sort of moldering away in a place that reeks of mold and moist and uncleaned rug and unwashed gryphlet. It smells ‘yellow’ to Viv, and any pet owner knows EXACTLY what that means.

But that doesn’t stop Viv from stepping in to while away a few minutes as she certainly has plenty to spare. The bookshop owner, desperate for both companionship and custom, induces Viv to take a book that she is certain will suck the orc right into its pages for a few hours.

And she’s right – of course she’s right – and it’s the beginning of the kind of friendship that will save them both, the store, and eventually and surprisingly the entire town of Murk.

Because Rackham’s Raiders are chasing that necromancer. A necromancer who is already on her deadly and deathly way to Murk – where Viv and Fern are waiting to beat her. Not with swords – but with just the type of cleverness that eventually will make Viv and her coffee shop such a success in Thune.

All it will take is a bit of ingenuity and a whole lot of help from Viv’s newly found friends.

Escape Rating A+: Anyone who sunk straight into the cozy fantasy vibe of Legends & Lattes is going to sink into Bookshops & Bonedust and not emerge for much of anything until they fall out the other side with a huge smile, a taste for Maylee’s lassy (molasses) buns and a hankering for more stories just like this one – especially for more set in this marvelous world.

What makes this world, and this cozy fantasy style, just so much of a comfort read is that, although bad things do happen to good people, that is most emphatically NOT what the story is about. It’s not about big wars and bigger politics and gigantic battles between good and evil resulting in stupendously high butcher’s bills.

Not that there isn’t danger, and not that there isn’t a confrontation. Because there is most certainly both along with plenty of tension, both dramatic and romantic, to push the whole thing along.

But the way that things get solved and resolved is through less bloodthirsty means – and just as occurred in Legends & Lattes, quite often problems, from small to world-shattering, get solved with a whole lot of ingenuity and more than a bit of help from the friends – and even the frenemies – that Viv has made along the way.

So it’s all cozy in the best way, where the reader slips under a warm blanket of story and gets told a marvelous tale that displays more of the best in people than it does the worst.

Even better, Bookshops & Bonedust, while it has all the charm of Legends & Lattes, is a prequel and not a sequel. Meaning that if you somehow missed the sensation that is Legends & Lattes, you can start here. The story, after all, does start here. If this is where you start, you’ll be thrilled and charmed and ready to start Legends the minute you finish.

But if you started with Legends, reading Bookshops & Bonedust will almost certainly inspire you to pick up Legends again the moment you finish, so you can discover how all the little clues about Viv’s later adventures fit into her first one. I know it certainly inspired me! Which is a good thing because, both fortunately and unfortunately at the same time, the author has three more cozy fantasies lined up, but the first won’t be published until 2025. Plenty of time to reread – or maybe listen this time around – to both Legends and Bookshops (and maybe my other cozy favorite, Can’t Spell Treason without Tea) before my visit with Viv!

Bookshops and Bonedust
By Travis Baldtree

4 stars

In case you weren't aware, Bookshops and Bonedust is a prequel to the story of Legends and Lattes. Which as a runaway hit last year in the newly minted "Cozy Fantasy" genre. With the surge in seeking out low stakes, high fantasy, many credit Legends and Lattes as the OG cozy fantasy.

Baldtree excels in creating charming characters and tangible settings. His stories have a very dungeons-and-dragons-esque feel to them. And it is the perfect escape into another world if you need a soft place to land.

Viv, our main character, hurts her leg in battle and is forced to take it easy for a while to recover. She is taken to a small seaside town, Murk, to recover. There she meets and makes friends with several “people” who live and work there. (People is in quotes because Viv is an Orc, the bookstore owner is a Rattkin, the bakeshop owner is a Dwarf and so on.) She stumbles upon a fledgling bookstore and the owner, Fern, talks her into reading and soon she is helping out and helping to save the bookstore. Queue the found family vibes I love that Travis does so well. However, soon her old life seems to be coming back to haunt her. There is a good amount of action close to the end of the book, but most of the story is pretty “cozy.”

This book makes a great fall/winter read and is great for a snuggled up day in by a fire. If cozy fantasy, romance, and a relaxing read are things you are seeking, then look no further and pick up this book.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for this ebook arc in exchange for my review.

Sometimes, you don't need a book to be fancy. Sometimes it just needs to be cozy. This prequel to Legends & Lattes is like a cup of tea (yeah I said it), a blanket, and a day just cool enough to bring it all together. I can't say I was AS engrossed by Bookstores & Bonedust as I was Legends & Lattes, but the difference is so slight, it doesn't matter.

This was a cute prequel to Legends and lattes. I liked it well enough (didn't love it though). I was hoping I'd enjoy this more than I did the first book (which wasn't as much as most other people seemed to sadly).

I don't know if this style just isn't for me but I had a hard time getting invested in the plot. The characters are charming and quirky and who doesn't enjoy a good story about books and bookshops.
The author does a great job narrating his own book though and if you like audiobooks I'd recommend listening to it for his performance alone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review. I honestly think this is a just me not you thing and lots of people are going to love it like they did his debut.

This was excellent! I absolutely loved Legends & Lattes so I had high expectations for this and Baldree did not disappoint! And on top of that the author was also an excellent reader.

I liked that there was a bit more action in this one than in Legends & Lattes. While I loved L&L's cozy slowness, I can also appreciate that this started off with a high stakes fight scene, had more going on and still managed to have a general warm and cozy vibe.

Once again, Baldree does an excellent job with characterization. Each one has a unique personality that is distinctive and memorable. On top of that, all of the characters- despite vast differences- blend so well together.

Especially loved the short add-on at the end of the book that eludes to a third installment that brings the stories of B&B and L&L together.

If you like the genre "cozy fantasy" this is for you. A prequel to Legends & Lattes Viv is in battle and is unexpectedly sidelined due to injury. She finds herself in the small town of Murk and needs to pass the time while she recovers and waits for her company to return. She finds herself in a run down bookshop and in the middle of a lot of trouble, friendships, summer love and sword play. Favorite character hands down - Satchel. Bravo Travis Baldree on another brilliant story. Loved the audio (narrated by the author). Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books on this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Comes out 11/7/23.

I didn't love this one quite as much as Legends & Lattes, but it still had a great cozy fantasy vibe. Viv is a great main character as ever, her character remains pretty much the same, but it works for her. After getting wounded on the job, Viv finds herself convalescing in the dinky town of Murk, home to nothing much. She ends up spending a lot of time in the local bookshop with its owner, so reading and books factor heavily into the plot. The cast this time has its charms, but I felt like it was a bit lacking compared to the first book, though I did like Fern a lot. This was a slow build, at times much slower than L & L was, which worked in places but ended up dragging in most parts.

My bookish heart is so warm and full.

This book is a breath of fresh air! While Bookshops & Bonedust is slightly more bittersweet and action-forward than Legends & Lattes, I loved it just as much and was still left with that warm fuzzy feeling.

My favorite part of B&B is, of course, the characters. I love these characters and I love how we get to watch them subtly growing and changing throughout the story. Viv, forced to take a break from her mercenary lifestyle to recover from an injury, settles into a small town and finds herself spending a lot of time in the local bookshop, where she befriends the snippy, foul-mouthed rattkin owner. Every single character in this story stole a piece of my heart and kept it.

Friendships, a pet named Potroast, necromancers, books, baked goods, and first loves- what more could you possibly need in a fantasy book?

I’d read 100 books set in this world if Travis wrote them.

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree is the perfect cozy prequel to Legends & Lattes. In this story we get to learn a bit more about why Viv wants to slow down and retire from all the quests and pillaging. After being injured during battle, she is forced to slow down to heal and recoup in the town of Murk. There she meets an adorably sassy bookstore owner and helps her get her business back in shape. I loved watching the process of Viv falling in love with reading and the slower life.

This book checks off all the cozy fantasy boxes for me. We have slow living, books, baked goods, orcs, ratkins, and gnomes. It is pure perfection. And I love any book that talks about books! This book feels like a warm hug, just like Legends & Lattes. Fingers crossed for a sequel!

Loved this book. Before reading it I read the book before this one. I love a cozy book and this one provides comfort and coziness. This is a book I could curl up with on a rainy day more than once. Recommend this book to anyone who asks for a cozy book to read.

If you absolutely loved Legends and Lattes, chances are you'll be into this book, too. Set before the events of L&L, Bookshops & Bonedust follows Viv the orc as she helps revitalize a small business - a bookshop (big surprise) - and also cultivates her own love of reading. There are all sorts of charming side characters, including a rattkin, a goblin, a dwarf, a few elves, another orc, and a serpent-woman. Just about everyone has good intentions, Viv has a sweet sapphic love story, and an evil necromancer meets her demise.

For us, it was just fine. It's really (really!) similar to Legends & Lattes, except that there are really no stakes at all since we know Viv will be alive and kicking in a few years, not in this town, not with these friends. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy book to fall into and not have to worry about anything, check it out.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

I really enjoyed Legends & Lattes but I wasn't as interested in this one. Knowing what happens in Legends & Lattes made me less interested in Viv's character development in this one.

This is such a wonderful novel and a great prequel to Baldree’s Legends & Lattes. Anyone that loved that will love seeing Viv’s journey. This also makes the perfect autumnal read. Curl up with a mug of something warm, and let Baldree take you to a different world with his excellent writing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor for allowing me to read this novel that’s sure to be a beloved cozy read for all. My opinions are my own.

A prequel to Legends and Lattes which was all the rage last fall, Bookshops & Bonedust gave us a glimps of Viv's origin story. It was every bit as cozy as Legends with some endearing characters that you just had to root for.

3.5/5

I absolutely adored this book from start to finish. From the captivating story to the heartwarming epilogue, it was an unforgettable read that pulled me through a rollercoaster of emotions. The author's ability to elicit tears, swoons, laughter, and pure delight is nothing short of remarkable.
I just reviewed Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree. #BookshopsBonedust thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!

Bookshops & Bonedust is a charming prequel to Legends & Lattes, and readers who enjoyed one will surely enjoy the other. This entry digs into Viv's conflicting feelings on adventuring and what it would mean to settle down one day, while knowing that she isn't quite ready to do so yet. While it never strays from its cozy fantasy feel, these explorations of character (and relationships) keep the story humming along just as much as the overhanging threat of the necromancer that injured Viv in the first place. Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I'll be recommending to any fantasy reader in search of a break.

I loved Legends & Lattes so much, when I learned about Bookshops & Bonedust, I couldn't wait to read it. I was so happy I got this from the publisher as a widget.

Following Viv's early days of bounty hunting a necromancer, and she is injured and has to stay behind in Murk to recover. She stumbles into a bookshop ran by the rattkin Fern who sparks a love for reading for Viv. From there on out another family we see for Viv.

This was the perfect cozy read I could have asked for.

Thank you Tor and Netgalley for this arc.

I admittedly was not a big fan of the first book. We read it for my book club and while I thought it was fine, I wasn't wowed by it. That one was a 3 star read for me. Not mad I read it, but wouldn't read it again. I didn't want to completely give up on Travis Baldree and I thought maybe I was just in the wrong mood for "cozy fantasy" at the time. So I decided to give this one a go. While I do think this book had much more plot than Legends and Lattes, it just still was so very slow for me. I guess I'm just not a fan of "a day in the life" type books. I get why people like them and I'll admit this and Legends and Lattes may be much better in audiobook format. An easy listen for your drive to work. But it's definitely not my genre.

This book was everything I wanted it to be, and more. Baldree's writing has only improved with this newest installment, and with that my love for Viv has solidified. I loved everything about this story and there were moments when I audibly gasped, laughed, and said "oh shit!". This story was clever, thoughtful, and I will be eagerly awaiting more from this world.

ARC provided by the publishers—Tor Books & Tor UK—in exchange for an honest review.

Legends and Lattes and Bookshops and Bonedust, Travis Baldree truly knows the secret recipes for crafting wholesome cozy fantasy novels.

“Never trust a writer who doesn’t have too many books to read. Or a reader, for that matter.”


When Legends and Lattes appeared and took over the fantasy landscape early last year, it popularized the cozy fantasy subgenre. Before the surge of romantasy, plenty of fantasy authors rushed to write and publish their respective cozy fantasy novels as soon as possible. The purpose might be to write a wholesome story that resonates with readers. Or maybe they hoped to gain the fame and success Baldree attained from his debut novel. Traditional publishing tends to follow trends, and cozy fantasy was (and is) one of the trends in the market. Whatever the reasons, since the release of Legends and Lattes, I still haven’t found many cozy fantasy books or series that attract my interest as much as Legends and Lattes did. Sure, most of the books I read are serious, grim, or dark in their tone. But occasionally, I would like to have the option to take a break by reading a wonderfully cozy or slice-of-life story when I am in the proper reading mood. This is where Bookshops and Bonedust came in. Written after Legends and Lattes but chronologically taking place two decades before it, this is a prequel novel I didn’t know would be written but grateful to have. The author did not plan to write this prequel, too! And similar to Legends and Lattes, Viv's younger days manage to charm me again.

“So here we are, with a prequel I never intended to write. And I’m happy with it. It says things I want to say, and if I’m lucky, it interlocks with Legends & Lattes in a way that makes both stories better, while still allowing them to stand on their own. I hope it gave you a nice afternoon or three, and that it left you warmer than when you started.”—Travis Baldree


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.

What's a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

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.

This is the premise of Bookshops and Bonedust. And I guarantee you whether you have read Legends and Lattes or not will influence your experience of Bookshops and Bonedust, even though this is designed to be a standalone novel in the series as well. Except maybe for the epilogue that would make more sense and impact if you have read Legends and Lattes. But if you have read Legends and Lattes first, there is the possibility the stakes of the plotline will feel even lower than it should be. That is the nature of this book as a prequel. You will know Viv’s fate in Legends and Lattes already, and the dangers she faces in this novel will feel more minimal. Every reader will have a different reaction, but personally, this is a cozy fantasy. Stakes and dangers were never in my mind when I started reading Bookshops and Bonedust. If Legends and Lattes is a story about starting something new, no matter how late it is in your life, then well, Bookshops and Bonedust is about planting the seeds of hope that the change in life is possible.

“We were just discussing a book for someone in particular. A gift. That’s the bookseller’s art, choosing just the right one for the person in question.”


Through meeting the right people at the right time, or maybe the right people at the wrong time, Viv will eventually realize there is more to life than just fighting and killing. And it is through the delight and escapism bestowed by reading great books that she feels this further. Yes, as the title says, many scenes in Bookshops and Bonedust will take place in a second-hand bookshop. And I loved the relationship Viv built with Fern, Potroast, Maylee, and Gallina. Gallina is a supporting character in Legends and Lattes, and I have no doubt we will see Fern, Potroast, and Maylee again in one or two future-to-be-written books in this world. Some readers can argue that writing a fantasy story about finding and savoring the joy of reading is cheating. It goes without saying that readers reading this book and Legends and Lattes will most likely be readers who love reading books. However, reading our unspoken emotions and words written by other authors eloquently, or feelings spoken by characters who feel the same passion about reading, can feel good. I actually think Bookshops and Bonedust had too many battles for a cozy fantasy novel. I wish we had more slice-of-life portions here like Legends and Lattes did. Reading Viv finding pleasure in reading for the first time put a smile on my face, and I wouldn't mind having more of her reading and eating delicious foods.

“Every book is a little mirror, and sometimes you look into it and see someone else looking back.”


It may not be the type of book I read frequently, but Bookshops and Bonedust operates like a charming and comfortable inn, and the employees are full of heart and personality. Pretty much just like Legends and Lattes. Viv took a break from her injury in Murk, and I took a brief break from my intense reading adventures inside Bookshops and Bonedust. Enlightened by Viv’s newfound happiness for reading, I feel recharged to read the next dark fantasy and sci-fi novels I love to read. Baldree has mentioned three more standalone fantasy novels in this series will be written and published, and the first one is slated to be released in 2025. I have no idea how many cozy fantasy novels, in total, there would be in this world, but I will read them all. And if you are reading this review up to here, I recommend you to read this book and Legends and Lattes when you feel like you want to relax and take a break from everything. It always gives me satisfaction when I hear from readers they took my reviews and recommendations into account when they chose which books to read. Even more when they love the book I recommend, and I hope the same notion can be implemented into Bookshops and Bonedust.

“Having you here is connecting me to why I do this. To why I used to love it. I don’t know if I can explain it, but watching you read what I give you, putting a book in your hands and seeing what happens to you once you put it back down . . . I can’t make you understand how that gives me something I didn’t know I had to have.”


You can order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel