You aren't stuck. You just need to go on an adventure with a legendary warrior and their.... prisoner? to shake off the dust of life!

While not as "cozy" as the 1st two books in this world, Brigands & Breadknives was full of charm and adventure while also making you sit and think... "am I happy with my life? Or do I need to step out of my comfort zone?"

I truly loved the ups and downs of this story and could not possibly love Zil anymore. I want more of their adventures! While at moments I felt the story was going to be predictable, I was thrown a curveball that kept me on my toes.

I will be highly recommending this to fans of Travis Baldree & lovers of charming adventures.
Grateful to the publisher and netgalley for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A story of Fern, a bookseller turned reluctant adventurer looking for personal renewal, purpose, and peace - finds herself caught up once again on an adventure with some rather eclectic travel companions. I'm sure Fern would raise a glass to the themes of bravery, nostalgia, and finding yourself again.

Redwall meets D&D in this nostalgically descriptive adventure of unlikely heroes. Another entertaining installment to Travis Baldree's "Legends & Lattes" journey, most assuredly worth the read if you enjoy adventure campaigns.

I had the opportunity to listen to Macmillan Audio version and I loved it. Travis Baldree's voice is a unique blend of soothing and abrasive (trust me it worked for the characters) and I felt myself be lulled into the adventure, the moments of contemplation, and the action. The narration was very well done, clear and articulate at varying speeds. It was a pleasure to listen to.

A huge thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC audiobook. Legit I love this ragtag band of idiots. I feel like this series has just continued to develop with its characters and world. And while yes, this still falls under cozy fantasy because we're not fighting some world-ending threat, there's still adventures and stakes that feel very real, even if just on a personal level. Zyll is the chaos goblin of my heart and I'd love to see her running through the grass right at me (maybe). I have FEELINGS about the ending, although I think it'll hit people differently. But I still loved this all the same.

Travis does a fantastic job with the audiobook. It took me a little bit to settle into his narration, but the voices of each of the characters are distinct (written and sounding) and it really helped bring the story to life. Made Zyll shine so well and Fern's swearing was even better. The voices of the swords - all of it. This was my first Legends & Lattes audiobook and I imagine I'll want to read future installments the same way.

Since I loved the first two books by the author I was excited to read his latest. And it’s a lovely read in many ways. It still had the cozy aspects but a bit less. More adventures and a bit more stakes. I’m not sure what kept this from being a five star raid for me but I’m hovering between 3 and 4 stars. Leaving it at 4 stars as it might just be me. Again still worth the read but I loved the previous two so much and this one would be more in the like category.

Review plan: my StoryGraph review is already up. I’ll share it on Bluesky and Barnes & Noble the day the book is scheduled to release.

My honest review was provided in exchange for an audiobook ARC on NetGalley. Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for giving me this ARC! And apologies for any character names I may have misheard and/or misspelled.

5/5

Fern is going through a midlife crisis. She’s uprooted her whole life and moved her decades-old bookshop to Thune, but she still feels empty and unmoored. Purpose is a funny and fickle thing, though. Sometimes, it stumbles into you when you least expect it. Or you drunkenly pass out in the wagon of the most prolific swordmistress on the continent and stumble into it. 

This is a beautifully crafted story with a delightful and heartwarming end. It’s more action-oriented than Legends & Lattes (Bookshops & Bonedust is on my TBR), but the focus of the plot is still on Fern: rebuilding her self-confidence in the face of her midlife crisis, finding her new purpose, and ultimately, finding happiness. Her struggles feel so all-encompassing and human that it’s hard not to relate. 

Which I think is a core strength of this book, and Baldree’s work in general. You have been or maybe you are Fern, wondering what it’s all about and if anything you’re doing is even worth it. But through exploration, community, and small acts of courage, you gain back some of your hope. Before you realize it, you’re (metaphorically) fighting a horde of monsters to save a small town without a second thought. If a provincial, middle-aged bookseller can overcome her self-doubt and ennui to become more than she ever imagined, then maybe you can, too? And maybe the drive to pursue new pastures doesn’t invalidate the meaning your life held before? You can still believe in your cause and life’s work, but recognize you crave and need more. And that growth and change aren’t signs of failure, but of a life and purpose well-fulfilled. It’s a powerful and life-affirming message. 

Like Baldree’s previous works, this book feels poppy and light, with the perfect blend of humor and heart. I couldn’t imagine a better conduit for exploring highly vulnerable concepts like meaning, worth, and guilt. And their narration added so much to the audiobook that I’m sad I didn’t listen to L&L, too. Every voice - especially those of traditionally inanimate objects - felt like perfect characterizations.

The same accolades Baldree gets for their other works apply here as well: rich world building, hilarious and lovable characters, and a delightful blend of fantasy and reality. I think this one resonated with me more deeply than L&L, though, which made me love it more.

I will say, I struggled with an early disconnect between my perception of what the stakes would be and what they actually were. For me, it felt like character conversations and Fern’s internal monologue built the world to be more treacherous than it actually was. But l think that structure intentionally mimicked Fern’s internal fear and emotional chaos, which muted as time went on.  

Overall, I really loved this book. I think fans of fantasy will really enjoy this. It’s not cozy, but it’s also not super high stakes, so it’s perfect for readers who like plots balanced by action and character growth. It’s definitely not L&L, so it’s important going into this with that knowledge. But it’s 100% worth your read. You’ll come for the heroes journey, and stay for the courage it gives you to keep on.

This was just fine. I didn't hate nor did I love it. I couldn't get invested in the story and also couldn't get invested in the main character. This book will definitely do well with its niche audience! Maybe if I read the first book and prequel I might have been more invested (?). I'll definitely try to read either the first or the prequel in the next few months.

I enjoyed the first book, the prequel less so, and this one least. The "cozy" element of this series for me came more from the initial set-up of the shop and the interactions with the townsfolk. This one was just mostly adventuring, fighting, and wallowing. I'm not sure it was a necessary addition, maybe just not something I like after the first book.

Welcome back to the series we love. It is everything you expected with a few new friends. I loved the message at the heart of this story that sometimes what we think we want isn't what we truly need. It takes incredible bravery to be honest with ourselves and with those we love, and the book beautifully highlights the courage it takes to listen to your heart and make changes that lead to an authentic life. Plus, the new character additions were such a delight, bringing fresh humor and depth, while the overall tone still carried the same cozy, heartwarming feel. I love this series. It felt like both a fun adventure and a meaningful journey home. It is was thoughtful, yet a whimsical story that will leave you smiling and reflecting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio / Tor for the opportunity to review and provide my honest feedback.

I love this series sooo much! I think this one might be my favorite so far. Travis Baldree really brings his series alive in the most perfect way. He knows his characters and he's able to give them their personalities where you don't have an issue knowing who's talking or who they're talking about. It's cozy, adventurous and extremely heartwarming.

Brigands & Breadknives takes up a couple years after Legends & Lattes, but this time the protagonist is Fern, the rattkin bookseller we met in the prequel novel, Bookshops & Bonedust.

Fern has sold up and decided to move to the city to open a new bookshop beside her old friend Viv, the Orc who gave up a life of mercenary marauding to open a coffee shop. She is hoping that a little of Viv’s act of reinvention will rub off on her, but things don’t quite go according to plan.
Unusually for a cozy novel (or any commercial story structured by a writer shaped by the western creative-writing-industrial-complex -- and MFA-holding or not, aren't we all?) Fern doesn’t have a simple want that drives the plot: she has a massive but undefined need, a desperate ache for a renewed sense of purpose, an unfocused desire for reinvention that she can’t articulate. At the macro level, Fern is undergoing a mid-life crisis, something we don’t often see approached sensitively or even addressed in fantasy fiction
. 
The story takes place more than two decades after we last saw Fern in Bookshops & Bonedust, and Fern is looking for her second act. She thinks moving to a new city and setting up a new bookshop beside her old friend will fill the void of meaning in her life. Viv and Tandri seem to think that introducing her to their rattkin baker, Thimble, might cause romantic sparks to fly and Fern might then find the same happiness that they have. But, instead she gets drunk, takes an ill-advised night-time wander through the still-unfamiliar city, and finds herself many miles from civilization and in the company of a famous elf warrior, her mischievous chaos-goblin prisoner, and a talking sword. 

A series of trials and tribulations follow as Fern comes to care for her new friends and discover that despite the cold, the damp, and the pretty constant risk of death or dismemberment, she rather enjoys life on the road!

It’s an interesting departure from the cozy fantasy template of characters taking pleasure in pursuing a relatively mundane dream in the face of bureaucratic and/or emotional hurdles. It’s hard to convey cozy vibes when your characters are cold, wet, or wounded, miles from any semblance of home, and unsure of who to trust, but somehow Travis Baldree manages it (from time to time, anyway). Perhaps this book should more-accurately be labeled plain old fantasy, if labels are required at all?

Unlike the western (character-driven) tradition, this is more of a picaresque adventure, where our heroes meet a series of colorful adversaries and conquer various challenges. It is perhaps a more ambitious novel than typically found in traditional fantasy; concerned with self-actualization as much or more so than sword fights — although there are plenty of those! That the novel still barrels along at a fast pace and entertains wildly is a testament to the author’s light touch and sense-of-humor.

It’s an interesting turn for cozy fantasy to take. A lot of the appeal of cozy fantasy has been the low-stakes escapism; readers seem to be attracted to tales of self-determination and reinvention — something that seems to be very much on people’s mind over the last few years. Author’s like Sarah Beth Durst have charmed us with characters reinventing their lives in the face of chaotic revolution and instability; Travis Baldree initially focused on an individual radically changing their situation, daring to do more than dream of a better life; and Rebecca Thorne followed that impulse to take the story of individuals pursuing their dream one step further, to using that dream to change society itself. Brigands & Breadknives explores the despair that people face, the ache felt when they realize the life they lead, despite its physical comfort, is not fulfilling, but without a clear sense of what they should be pursuing instead. In other hands this would be a downer of a story, but Baldree, with his empathy, compassion, and ability to evoke wonder, turns Fern’s dark night of the soul into a warm tale of found family, adventure, and expanded horizons.

Note: the review on my blog referenced below will go live when the book publishs in November.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I had just finished Bookshops and Bonedust so I was itching to get my hands on it!

First and foremost, I want to give Travis Baldree a huge shout out for creating a side character in each book that I absolutely adore. I find myself looking forward to any scene with them throughout the book, first with Thimble in L&L, then Satchel in B&B, and now Zil. I'd read a whole series about each of them.

I was excited to see the plot reversed from an adventuring character learning to settle down to a settled character learning to adventure. Fern is such a fun shift from Viv and her midlife crisis was very relatable. Her navigating through her own wants and needs was compelling to follow.

As with all of his other works, Brigands and Breadknives supplies you with a new cast of characters, each with such distinguishable characteristics and voices (both literally and metaphorically). I enjoyed watching Fern as she went on this unplanned adventure with Astrix and Zil.

There was a point about 75% of the way through where it almost cozied a little too close to the sun and I kind of forgot what the plot was working towards but it pulled me back in pretty quickly.

Overall, such an entertaining book to listen to! The narrator knows how to pull you into each character with the exact right pacing!

I love this series so much and this new addition was so fun! The narration was amazing, as always. I loved the adventure aspect of this and getting to see more of characters we've met before.

Returning to the enchanting world of Legends & Lattes was an absolute delight! Brigands & Breadknives continues the cozy charm and heartwarming storytelling that made the first two books so well loved. Travis Baldree once again narrates the audiobook with remarkable dedication, seamlessly translating the emotion and nuance of his written words into a performance that feels both intimate and immersive. This story felt like being wrapped in a soft blanket on a rainy day. It was comforting, whimsical, and full of gentle magic. It’s a warm hug in book form, perfect for fans of cozy fantasy.

Thank you to Netgalley, Travis Baldree, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy. My review is voluntary and honest.

I'm honestly not a big fan of cozy fantasy. I won't name names here, but there are several very popular books that I've tried and not enjoyed at all. However, the Legends & Lattes series is a noteable exception. Baldree has crafted a world that is neither so wholesome that it skirts saccharine nor too dark or high stakes.

Whereas the first book was heavy on the cozy, this was much more action driven. It reminded me a bit of The Hobbit--a non-adventurer goes on an unexpected journey and experiences a series of adventures with unlikely new friends. Even better, it's kind of like if Terry Pratchett wrote The Hobbit. Friendship, self discovery, a lot of the f word--underneath all of the action, it's actually a bildungsroman for adults. Also, Fern is my favorite character from the series (I always identify with the bookworm), so I was very pleased to have an entire book from her perspective. I think this is my favorite from the series so far.

Also, Travis Baldree is a fantastic audio narrator. He has a great voice and does an amazing job giving the characters different voices. Not that many writers have what it takes to do the audio narration justice, but I don't think that anyone could have done a better job narrating this series than Baldree himself. I usually prefer physically reading books over listening to them, but this series is one where I actually prefer the audiobooks and would recommend them to others.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.

The second book in the Legends and Lattes series follows Fern, the Ratkin bookseller that set Viv on her path decades ago. In a reversal of roles, it's now Viv offering a helping hand by inviting Fern to move her bookstore into the vacant space beside Legends and Lattes. However, Fern's not happy, excited, or calm about the move and she's not even sure if she wants to be a bookseller anymore. When she inadvertently catches a ride in a adventuring elf's carriage and wakes up hundreds of miles out of town, Fern finds herself on an adventure that might end in the answers she's looking for.

This was a fun, cozy read that once again has more action than Legends and Lattes itself. I like the cast of characters. Fern and the goblin zyll are great. Side note, I've just found out there's an entire short story about zyll that I absolutely will be reading.

My only qualm with Brigandes & Breadknives was the ending. It felt a little lackluster to me and Fern's choice in the end wasn't the one I thought she would make. However, overall this was a very solid sequel.

Travis, Travis, Travis Baldree did it again! That book was a good surprise. Following Fern and a new adventure. The way he made it allllll of the story by accident. The big question coming back of : What do I want to do with my life?
- It is not just around this question, but the adventure of getting to know new people and trying to trust.
- The writing is so well done and then having the author reading himself is own book is precious !
- It's hard to not like the different character. He is creating them to find their soft spot and sometimes you have to work for it !

I can say it, I wish I could read that book again, please?

ARC and ALC review

Publication date Nov 11 2025 (US) and Nov 13 2025 (UK)

"Brigands & Breadknives" by Travis Baldree is the second book in the "Legends & Lattes" series. The series also contains the prequel
"Bookshops & Bonedust"
I would recommend reading both books before.

Thank you Pan Macmillan for the e-ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

I read the other books in the series before so I was glad to be able to read this early.
The book is described as a cozy fantasy, but, as the author states in the acknowledgements, it is less cozy than the previous one.
In this story, Fern, the rattkin bookseller from "Bookshops & Bonedust" struggles with the grief of disappointing her friends.

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook narrated by the author, but it was better to read the e-book at the same time.
Lately, I found that I like to imerse read a lot and it helps me concentrate on the story better.
The narration is great as Travis Baldree manages to voice different characters and make them fell unique.

Regarding the story, I would say it is a good combination of humor, action and conflict.
The characters are diverse and well developed.
There is an elf warrior, a rattkin and a goblin that go though adventures.

Overall this is a good story well written that I recommend.

I really enjoyed this. It’s nice that Travis Baldree is also a voice actor, because he really brings his words to life on the audiobook. I enjoyed the focus on Fern and her accidental road trip. Zil the goblin is a delightfully chaotic entry to the Legends & Lattes universe. Asterix the Oathmaiden keeps everyone grounded while bringing the sword wielding adventure.

If you recall, in the Legends & Lattes prequel, Bookshops & Bonedust, Viv made friends with Fern, a bookseller in Murk, where Viv is convalescing. Fern is a ratkin and a bookshop owner who introduces Viv to the wider world of books. In the years since Viv left Murk, Fern has continued to run her bookstore. When she hears that Viv has settled down in the city of Thune, she reaches out and says she’s looking for an adventure, like moving to Thune to open a bookshop. Viv and Tandri, now married, are excited about creating a space next to the coffee shop for Fern. But on the way to Thune, Fern’s carriage is attacked and she and the driver are rescued by Astrix the Oathmaiden, a thousand year old stone fae renowned for her adventures with her legendary enchanted sword, Nigel. Once Fern arrives safely in Thune, it seems like the cozy part of cozy fantasy is ready to start. However, Fern still feels discombobulated and thinks maybe she may have made a mistake. She may have asked her friend to spend money, time and effort on something that Fern doesn’t actually want. She gets drunk in a fit of self pity and passes out in a cart instead of going to confession to Viv that the new store isn’t making her happy.

The cart Fern landed in belongs to Asterix the Oathmaiden and Fern finds herself far from home with no money. Astrix offhandedly includes Fern in her mission to deliver Zil, a goblin, for a large bounty. Along the way they encounter people who also want the bounty on Zil, people who have dealt with Zil before and want nothing to do with her again, a ratkin adventurer who is a possible love interest for Fern, a ratkin monastery dedicated to a scary destroyer elder god, a chatty bread knife, murderous trees, and others. Fern constantly tries to figure out how to apologize to Viv and Tandri, and who she is if she isn’t a bookseller. She and Astrix slowly build a friendship.

Brigands & Breadknives challenges the cozy part of cozy fantasy. Once she leaves Thune, Fern spends a lot of time cold, wet, in danger, and eating hard bread and cheese. Astrix the Oathmaiden isn’t exactly jolly, though her subtle humor comes out more as she warms up to Fern. Still the focus is on relationships, personal choices, and how we define our value. It’s a lovely story and does a beautiful job of expanding the world of Legends & Lattes. I recomend having a warm beverage and some good bread and cheese while listening so that you can appreciate *not* being on the road with brigands after you and chatty sharp things annoying you.

I received this as an advance listener copy from MacMillan Audio and Net Galley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

This was good and in my opinion, it was better than Bookshops & Bonedust. Unfortunately, I don't think it recaptured the magic from Legends & Lattes. What made Legends & Lattes so special is that Viv took a chance and quit her 'dead' end job so she could start her dream job. This is something many of us aspire to do and readers really connected with Viv and were cheering her on. If she could do it, then maybe...just maybe we could also make that leap one day. Not to mention the incredible sensory writing had more than a few of us craving cinnamon buns.

In Brigands & Breadknives, Fern is perhaps even more relatable. She's working a job that is not her dream and has been doing it for decades. She wants to quit, but feels obligated to keep going even though just the thought of doing so is soul crushing. Making matters worse, is that she doesn't even know what her dream job is. All she knows for sure is her current job isn't it.

Unlike Viv, who took matters into her own hands, Fern doesn't make a conscious decision to leave her job. Her journey is one of chance where she literally gets carried away from her job and goes on a journey where new friends are made and multiple potential life paths are laid out before her. She just has to figure out what it is she wants to do and make her decision. So while readers might hope for the best for Fern and enjoy the journey she gets placed on, we aren't invested in her success like we were with Viv. This makes Brigands & Breadknives an enjoyable read, but not a magical read like Legends & Lattes.

While you may not get the same magic as from Legends & Lattes, what you will get with Brigands & Breadknives is action, adventure, and comedy. Characters will experience camaraderie and betrayal, fear and courage, and they'll see new ways of lives and new paths they can walk. Maybe they don't know what it is they want to be doing, but seeing a bit of the world and learning what's out there has got to help in some ways - if it doesn't kill them first.

I requested this book because I heard such great things about Legends and Lattes, but I just couldn't get into this and DNF around 30% in. It just never grabbed my attention and I'm not sure what is even going on in the audiobook right now. Maybe it's something that would be better to read and not listen too. IDK, it just wasn't for me.

I don't want to yuck anyones yum so I won't be posting this on any other sites.