Travis Baldree has once again woven an enchanting tale full of heart and comfort, this time in the form of a ratkin who chooses to abandon the life she's known for the unexpected and unpredictable. Another amazing installment in the Legends & Lattes universe!

This was such a fun read with intriguing characters and hidden mysteries, and all the wholesome moments you've come to expect from a Baldree novel.

Another great addition to the series, we follow Fern the bookseller who… is not sure she can call herself a bookseller anymore. As she journeys farther from what she’s known about her life and about herself, Fern challenges herself and her companions in new and surprising ways. Excellent cozy fantasy with adventure and friendship.

I love a good cozy fantasy and Baldree has perfected writing in this genre. This book was the perfect blend of cozy, action, and emotion. I found it to be faster paced with more adventure than Legends & Lattes. I loved Fern and was ecstatic to learn she would be getting her own story. I also found her character to be incredibly relatable as she grappled with where the future would take her. I’m also a huge fan of the found family trope, and I love how Baldree uses the trope with some truly unexpected found families. I adored the audiobook narration for this. Baldree really brings his characters to life in is narration, and the different voices he used made it easy to keep characters separate. His performance was clear and easy to understand while being packed with emotion and heart. This whole series is a delight on audio, and I can’t recommend them enough.

I loved getting to know all the new characters we met in this one, but I didn't care for the plot at all. I did appreciate the emotional moments regarding friendship between Viv and Fern, as well as Astryx and Fern at the end. It definitely had cozy vibes, but it didn't hold my attention for very long, and I still prefer Legends & Lattes.

Didn’t live up to the previous two books in the series but still cozy. I could have used about 5 less mentions of “ghost light eyes” though.

decently good books. not my favorites, but a quick, cozy read without too much investment. same level as the first one

Sometimes you read a book that cleanser you and resets your expectations for writing. This is that book for me. I feel like I have to go rethink all of my book ratings for the year. Absolutely a delightful entry into the series that I was excited to read and it did not disappoint. I had a lot of fun with our band of adventurers and the action scenes were dynamic and interesting. Huge recommendation from me

Fern is an absolutely hilarious character. She swears as much as me, and that is saying something. If you don't like foul language, maybe skip.

This was way more adventure than cozy, but I loved it. We meet new and old characters in this story. Viv is so sweet to Fern. Their story continues in an unexpected way. Cal is as dependable as ever with few but wise words. Astryx is introduced to us early, and we see growth over time.

I enjoyed the struggle of communication. It isn't just the same old miscommunication issues most stories give us. We get to see the thoughts and emotions behind the struggle of communication. There are examples of different kinds of friendships, and I feel like as dangerous as the adventure is, it somehow is still cozy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy an early release copy.

Brigands and Breadknives was everything I expected from Travis Baldree and more. It’s adventurous, yet taps into its predecessors cozy roots. It’s beautifully written and heartbreakingly true to the human experience of friendship and exploring one’s true self. I loved the new settings and pace of this book and really hope Travis continues to explore more adventure writting! Thank you to the author and Tor Publishing for the opportunity to experience this journey before official release.

The highly-anticipated sequel to cozy fantasy Legends & Lattes, this story follows rattkin bookseller Fern who escapes to Thune. She finds herself on a legendary adventure with a ragtag group including a legendary warrior and chaos-goblin, and with every high stakes encounter with outlaws and bonding with her new group, Fern begins to discover who she really is outside of the bookshop.
While I didn’t gravitate to this story quite as much as its predecessor, I loved finally getting foul-mouthed Fern’s story and similarly to Viv’s journey to self-discovery.
Thank you to Tor for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved being back in this world! Fern makes a great main character. She's absolutely hilarious, but she also has emotional depth. I enjoyed seeing how she developed over the course of the story. And I loved the new characters we were introduced to, especially Zyll. Such a fun, cozy read!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of Travis Baldree's 'Brigands & Breadknives'.

I was so excited when my request to read an ARC of 'Brigands & Breadknives' was approved. Baldree's previous novels in the series were fantastic and I am excited to see if he will continue to explore the backstories and future of key individual characters as he's done in this novel.

Bookseller Fern finds herself unsatisfied with her lot in life. The realisation hits her with full force one evening shortly after setting up her new bookstore across the alley from her friend Viv's cafe, Legends and Lattes. Drunk and feeling sorry for herself, Fern falls asleep in a wagon and wakes up to find herself far from Thune and everyone she knows. What transpires is an epic quest with a renowned elf bounty hunter, her captive goblin bounty, 2 sentient weapons and a donkey which takes Fern far out of her comfort zone. As she wallows in her midlife crisis, Fern finds this adventure provides her with an opportunity for introspection and ultimately paves the way for her to realise just what she want out of life.

This series is a comforting read when life has been difficult. Fern makes some crazy decisions in this installment, yet she ends up coming full circle and sorting out her own priorities after her adventures. Her choices lead her to need to apologize and learn to speak up and both happen by the end of the book. I really appreciated how her "squiring" led her idol to move from myth to real person and make new connections as well. Grab a cup of tea and a blanket cozy up with this adventure!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!
This felt very different and also so similar to the other titles in the series. The settings and turns of phrases continue to be beautiful. I can perfectly picture where each scene is taking place.

At first I was a bit disappointed that the story wasn't about Viv, even though I loved Fern in the last installment. But I was pleasantly surprised as the story went on to find that it was more adventurous and we got to see a ton more of the world they live in. I ended up liking this one more than BnB!

This was such a fun read for the most part. I adored Astryx and Zyll so much and the sort of found family they created with Fern. I do think the minor inconveniences and fights got a little repetitive but I still enjoyed them! I’ve binge read all of these books so that might have also made it feel more repetitive. Overall, a very enjoyable book! My one request is that when it’s published, we get the short story about Zyll. I heard it came out last year, but I never knew about it until I’d finished this one. I feel I could have connected more with Zyll quicker if it was included.

Two main issues with this book:

1) It presumes you read the prequel AND the Subterranean Press short or, if you had inclination to do so, don't worry, they'll be spoiled for you in detail or if you have it makes both sections feel unnecessarily repetitive. It never hurts to catch a reader up in a series, but maybe not with the climax of a previous book?

2) For a person who got famous off of a queer book, it sits weird with me that Baldree would have a character who over and over is called by a name it does not want to be called.

Other than that, very interesting premise, I laughed aloud a few times, and came to care for all the characters.

4.5/5

A cozy fantasy I've come to expect and love from Travis Baldree. This one follow our favorite rattkin, Fern, as she struggles to find her place in the world and her own life. A little more battles than seen in the other two, but I didn't mind that. I love Fern, but I'm hoping to see a return to Viv in the next book in the series. I love the world this is set-in and relish every opportunity to return it.

Be sure to read the author's note. It's wonderful.

I feel that each story in the world of Legends & Lattes gets better. I adored Brigands & breadknives. It did up the stakes and is a little "less cozy" as stated by the author in the acknowledgments but I think that just made it a more interesting book. Ferns potty mouth and way of looking at the world kept me reading late into the night. I love a main character that hasn't gotten everything figured out and we get to go on their journey of discovery. Travis Baldree said that he wasn't sure if people would read a book that wasn't about Viv but I've loved every character so far. Zyll needs to have her own story because I really enjoyed her mischievous character.

Brigands & Breadknives makes for a cute expansion to Baldree's world with a slightly different approach than the other two books. Where Legends & Latte's features Viv settling down and finding romance, and Bookshops & Bonedust gives us a Viv, fleeting romance, and introduces us to Fern, Brigands & Breadknives starts out looking to meet up and settle down, before careening off in another direction altogether.

To put a fine point on it, Fern is having something of a mid-life crisis and ends up in rather unexpected places with unexpected company. Some things about the natures of her traveling companions will come across as odd until the reveal near the end. The story is less about the cozy and more about the literal journey to find oneself, and beyond a little flirtation, not about romance at all.

Overall, a fun light read.

A little more action than the other titles in this series, I feel like it lacked the coziness of the others, but it was still good!! Just not what I was expecting, so I felt a bit let down.