Legends and Lattes

by Travis Baldree

English language

Published Jan. 22, 2022 by Pan Macmillan.

ISBN:: 978-1-0350-0731-8

(224 reviews)

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.

16 editions

EBat reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Review of 'Legends & Lattes' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

This was like reading an I Can Read Book but for adults, because no kid would slog through such a boring story. It was a physically painful chore to read, but I forced myself to keep going to see what all the fuss was about and . . . yeah, I don't get it. The prose is childishly bad. Just a litany of "then Viv did this, then she picked up a cup, then she washed the dishes, then she exploited her employees", and that is hardly an exaggeration. It's basically capitalist propaganda. The dialogue is like a hallmark movie or the Star Wars prequel scripts.

This definitely reads like the first draft of a NaNoWriMo project. The author is just describing things to fill the word count, but the story isn't going anywhere and there is nothing happening. I almost hurled the book across the room when the resolution of the "threat" of the mobsters who are just extorting people all over town, is to pay them in cinnamon rolls?! I had to check the book's details again to make sure I wasn't reading a board book for babies. For the record, the only reason I didn't throw it is because it was borrowed from a friend.

Would not recommend. It's poorly written, the characters have zero depth and nuance, the message is so trite and cringey it will hurt your soul. Should have DNF-ed. But hey, at least it's short, rocked it out in two days between shifts at work.

Olcia reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Review of 'Legends & Lattes' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

Słodkie, zabawne i cieplutkie jak kocyk.
Język tylko trochę kanciasty, ale to może wina tłumaczenia.

ManyRoads reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Wierd but good...

4 stars

This novel is peculiar in many ways. A book about the introduction of coffee and cookies to a community, how can that be bad? Although I found the novel interesting, the novel's wrap-up and epilogue were less than 'rewarding' (helpful). The ending made the book seem as though the author thought the story required shoring up before closure. I may give other novels by this author a try. I hope any follow-ons are a bit more robustly edited.

VaishaliP reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Review of 'Legends & Lattes' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I really loved reading this book, it was gripping, and cozy. I loved the characters and their simplicity.

Grimbolina reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Gorgeous heartwarming story

5 stars

I loved this gentle heartwarming story of a badass mercenary orc hanging up her sword and opening a coffee shop. There's plenty of great drama and characters and it's wonderfully written.

There's no big adventures or fighting or conspiracy but I love it for what it delivers. Similar vibe to The Goblin Emperor.

Soh Kam Yung reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Dungeons and Dragons and Coffee: what's not to like about this story?

4 stars

A lovely tale of an orc woman who, in the prelude, does one last adventure and, with the treasure she obtained, now goes to lead a totally different life: running a coffee shop in a city that has no idea what coffee is.

With the aid of people she discovers as she sets up shop and runs it, her business grows and expands. But it attracts the wrong kind of attention from a local group of extortionists and from a former acquaintance who also has his eye on her treasure. Against them, she only has the new people she has met and some former members of her adventuring group. When a major crisis happens, she has no choice but to re-evaluate what is important to her and to decide what she wants to do with her life and who she wants to live the life with.

A light, entertaining fantasy …

A light, entertaining fantasy and an easy read. I might also consider it as an urban fantasy as some modern trappings, like a coffee making machine, ice, an 'electric' guitar and (later) amplifier makes an appearance, presented as advanced technology or thaumaturgy.

Darri's Grove reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Review of 'Legends & Lattes' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I was recommended to read this book by one of my dnd buddies. He said it was pretty good and that was all it really was. It was “good” by means of the author has a way of painting the story with words. Though I found Viv’s, the main character, string of luck to be painfully boring. Each chapter something good happens to her and that which made the climax seem a lot less interesting. Especially considering all goes well after the climax, as stories go. It was incredibly boring.

Viv was an unlikeable character. She and Tandri both had nothing interesting to bring to the table which made the slight romance towards the end feel unnecessary.

Cal and Thimble were my favorite characters as Cal seemed to have a realistic personality and goal and Thimble was so under minded at the climax that I felt more bad for Thimble than I did Viv. All he could say was “oh no…” and he left???? That was it??? The place in which little man’s works is burned to the ground, his kitchen gone, his stove gone, and all he could do was an oh no and left? No shared grief with Viv and Tandri?

This book would have been better if each chapter hadn’t been good streak after good streak with the barest minimum tease of protagonists who turned out to be nobodies in the end. Fennus was barely a villain. The characters had almost no personality so it was hard to really feel anything for them.

SynACK reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

A Nice Change of Pace

5 stars

This book is a very refreshing change of pace in the fantasy genre, just as advertised. It is well written and has a lot of nifty nods to modern culture but couched in setting-appropriate ways. The phrase "Technology, when sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic" comes to mind when thinking of how the gnomes, being technical savants of their time, could make versions of the various coffee-making apparatuses that are commonplace to us today. The "magic" of sufficiently advanced technology relative to the time period and setting in which the story is told makes it easy to accept.

The characters are all interesting in various ways, well thought out, and easy to identify with. There are one or two mysteries left unexplained by the end, although not major plot points, which leaves just enough desire for the next tale in the series without being a cliffhanger. This book is (hopefully) just the first of several in this world, but is a self-contained story that doesn't need a sequel in the sad event that it never gets one.

The paperback version that I picked up also included a short prequel vignette called "Pages To Fill" that was a nice set piece to fill in some of the back-story after finishing the main story.

L&L is a short, relatively fast read but is so rich with characters, world-building, and details that you will want to savor it as if it was one of Thimble's cinnamon rolls!

Stephen reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

As description: light froth

5 stars

If you are in the mood for incredibly low-stakes and predictable cozy fantasy, this absolutely ticks all the boxes. The few twists are so trope-y they aren't even twists. I'm absolutely sure if this was set in the real world I would find it immeasurably dull.

A Tim Horton's French Vanilla of a book: cloyingly sweet.

sapphiction reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

I wish I could rate this with hearts instead of stars 💕

5 stars

Can't wait to read the next one

Julie R reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

quick and comforting

5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this. There's just enough tension/conflict to keep me engaged, but not so much that I felt stressed for the character. It read really fast; I finished it in an evening. I appreciated how smartly Baldree wove in the world-building so that environment felt enormous without long exposition - this is my favorite way an author gives me setting. I can't say I really felt the romance angle, but this was a minor distraction. Some of the characters are so well done, that I found myself wanting to do fan art. This is rare for me, and I think a fairly high indicator of how lovable they were. (looking at you, Thimble)

Jack 💜 reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Review of 'Legends & Lattes' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Call this more of a 3.5, but I’m rounding up for the lesbians.

I needed this. Just some nice, low-stakes slice of life of an orc lady opening a coffee shop and making friends. It didn’t leave much of an emotional impression, but the ride was a cozy one and the characters appealing. It’s like a book version of a Hallmark movie, but with a fantasy glaze.

One thing that struck me as amusing was how it seemed like there was a lot more emphasis and attention given to the pastries that Thimble makes as opposed to the actual coffee.

(Listened to the audiobook narrated by the author, and oh man. I would do anything to listen to that guy read more. He nailed it!)

CuriousLibrarian reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (Legends & Lattes, #1)

Review of 'Legends & Lattes' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This was a lovely book, easy to read and heartfelt. I loved the characters and sense of community.

Jaelyn reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Review of 'Legends & Lattes' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

I finally got around to this one and it was adorable. Viv, an orc barbarian with a life of slaying monsters, settles down to open a coffee shop using an ancient relic to bring fortune. Into her life comes a beautiful cast of characters including a succubus future-girlfriend and a rat who invents cinnamon buns among other things. It’s a cute, low-stakes cosy read.