ARC REVIEW: LEGENDS & LATTES | Travis Baldree
★★★★★
PUBLICATION DATE: 22 FEBRUARY 2022
Pre-order here (Aus) and here (USA)!
SYNOPSIS:
High Fantasy with a double-shot of self-reinvention.
Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.
However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.
A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.
I'm calling it now: this book will be in my top five of the year.
I don't care that it's only February. I've read it twice, and it is perfect.
Legends and Lattes is the u l t i m a t e fantasy slice-of-life novel. It is so lovely and gentle that I know I'm going to turn to it over and over again, whenever I need something comforting. It is a hot mug of coffee in book form - it warms you up from the inside, and you can just keep sipping, and sipping, and sipping.
This book is like Dungeons and Dragons, if your campaign was less about dungeon crawling and more about, like, buying a rundown building and turning it into the most perfect coffeeshop you could imagine, complete with cinnamon buns and fantasy biscotti. You want a rich fantasy world with all sorts of creatures? Check. You want magic and mayhem? Check. You want... coffeeshop renovation montages? Check. You want a story that is soothing and tender, that has an engaging and exciting plot, that has found family in droves, and a sapphic romance? It's Legends and Lattes, babes.
Travis Baldree looked at his blank word document and said "I'm going to give the gays everything they want," and then bloody delivered it on a platter held aloft by a buff orc woman. I, for one, am grateful. He's knocked it out of the park with this one. I truly hope this book spawns an entire 'high fantasy / low stakes' genre, because I can and will devour book after book after book of stories just like this.
Every single character in Legends and Lattes is shaped like a friend, and I adore them all. I could read about their adventures - about Viv making coffee, Tandri drawing, Thimble cooking, and Cal building - forever. There's also a giant cat, so, you know, we're ticking all the boxes here.
I could not be more enamoured with a book. When I first saw the synopsis and the cover, I thought to myself, you know what? I bet I'd like that. This was an understatement. Legends and Lattes is perfectly written, with wonderful characters, and a charming premise. Picking it up will be a kindness to your soul and your self - you will not regret it!
Thank you to Travis Baldree for providing me with an ARC of this book.
