Book Review: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Author: Travis Baldree

Title: Legends & Lattes

Series: Legends & Lattes #1

Genre: Fantasy, Cozy Mystery, Romance, & LGBT

Format: ebook

Pages: 296

Published: February 22, 2022

Where I Got It: My Shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.

Review: 

I have had my eye on this for a little while, but never pulled the trigger. Not sure why but just never did it. It was picked for book club, so I'm glad I'm finally getting the push I needed. 

Here we follow Viv who is hanging up her sword. She is done with adventure. She wants a quiet life and opens up the first-ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. Not only does old and new rivals stand in her way to success, but so does the fact that no one in this area knows what coffee is. 

If you like DND you would truly appreciate this. Heck, even if you don't know a lick about DND I think you would enjoy this too. There is fantasy, coffee, a cozy mystery, and a sprinkle of love. Very cozy indeed. 

Originally, I planned to count this as a book for my Romance Reading Challenge, BUT the romance element was SO small I would forget about it until something happened. Yes, there are some other moving parts going on so romance isn't the key element or focus......but I simply think there wasn't enough focus on it for it to be counted as a romance. I wish there had been more. This is def a PG-rated book, BUUUUUUUUUT there could've been more focus on Viv finding the love of her life. Bummer.

Now, this is super cozy. Even the mystery wasn't a huge deal. Rather simple and simplistic. It barely even rocked the boat. Which is fine for me. I want Viv happy so I'm glad she didn't have to deal with TOO much craziness. Yes, there is some, but nothing insane. 

Sometimes I did find this was TOO cozy. I think I would've loved it more if it was a short story instead. There were lots of dragged-out moments and explanations. It felt like a lot of fillers, to be honest. 

All-in-all, this was a very cozy story. Like I mentioned....some mystery, fantasy, coffee, and a teeny tiny sprinkle of romance. Literally just a teeny tiny cherry on top. I feel like there is great potential in this story. Maybe book 2 will spice up a tiny bit. This was a lot of build-up. Cute and fun, but sometimes it felt TOO cozy. I'll give this 3 stars. 

 

Challenge(s):

- Cloak and Dagger - #1 (Cozy mystery)