Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes, #1)

by Travis Baldree

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.

Reviewed by pamela on

3 of 5 stars

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I understand why Legends & Lattes appeals to people, but this book was definitely not for me. A cozy read in interesting times seems like it should be just what the doctor ordered, but I just found Legends & Lattes unbelievably dull.

The story is simple. Very simple. Which, I suspect, is a big part of its appeal. It read like a novelisation of a video game side quest. The stakes were low, and the conflicts were on rails with nothing unexpected or attention grabbing about the story.

Here's the thing; Legends & Lattes is not bad. It's well written, and the characters are interesting. But it relies very heavily on vibes, which is not enough to carry a book. It felt like a writing prompt padded out to 50,000 words, and picking it up felt like a chore instead of something I was excited to do. Probably my most disappointing read of the year, given how much I'd been looking forward to it.

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Reading updates

  • 15 March, 2023: Started reading
  • 15 March, 2023: on page 0 out of 316 0%
  • 29 March, 2023: Finished reading
  • 31 March, 2023: Reviewed