Legends and Lattes

Alex Cabe reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Surprisingly Engaging for Such a Low-Key Book

4 stars

This book did a great job of being relaxed and low-stakes, but still had that special magic where I couldn't wait for the next chapter, and I blew through this in two days. So far as being a chill-out book, it hit the target exactly.

I wish the author had committed to the romance a little more if it was going to be a part of the book, but maybe in the sequel.

Looking forward to the prequel story and prequel novel for a little more world-building.

Anders reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Surprisingly positive experience

5 stars

I do not read all that much fantasy, and I did not expect all that much, but this book provided a surprisingly pleasant reading experience.

Breaking free of old habits, friendship, opportunities and coffee are things most of us can relate to. Hence I would recommend this book to everybody, with a good cup of coffee on the side. I might even read this book again.

Clare Hooley reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Needing an ‘extra shot’ to get beyond an OK–good

4 stars

I came to this book knowing that it is described as ‘cosy fantasy’ and they’d be few surprises. I didn’t know what cosy fantasy is but do now. Here, we have light-hearted, but not sexual, romance embedded in a fun slice of life story about Viv, an orc, opening a café (complete with a cook to make cinnamon buns and biscotti) perhaps, or perhaps not, with a little magical help. The other characters comprise those enlisted to help in the cafe endeavour, as well as a few rogues and the members of DnD-style adventurers’ troupe that Viv previously belonged to. The trouble is there’s just not much here world- or character-building wise, and the book itself is very short. The only person we really learn anything about is Viv, and apart from a few references to height and strength, she might as well be human. One to enjoy on a …

I came to this book knowing that it is described as ‘cosy fantasy’ and they’d be few surprises. I didn’t know what cosy fantasy is but do now. Here, we have light-hearted, but not sexual, romance embedded in a fun slice of life story about Viv, an orc, opening a café (complete with a cook to make cinnamon buns and biscotti) perhaps, or perhaps not, with a little magical help. The other characters comprise those enlisted to help in the cafe endeavour, as well as a few rogues and the members of DnD-style adventurers’ troupe that Viv previously belonged to. The trouble is there’s just not much here world- or character-building wise, and the book itself is very short. The only person we really learn anything about is Viv, and apart from a few references to height and strength, she might as well be human. One to enjoy on a commute but could only recommend buying if you get a really heavy discount off list price, which thankfully I did. 3.5 stars, but grudgingly, I’ll round it up not down (mostly for the descriptions of the baking).

Bjorgulf reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Kuschelig

4 stars

Legends & Lattes ist ein eher kurzes Buch, aber genau richtig, wenn man einfach mal abschalten möchte. Wenn man es ganz genau nimmt, gibt es keinen großen Plot, aber trotzdem fühlt man sich beim Lesen sehr wohl. Der Autor setzt Dinge, die einem dieses heimelige Gefühl geben sehr geschickt ein, so dass man sich direkt daheim fühlt. Wie ich schon schrieb: Man hat immer ein Lächeln im Gesicht. Baldree ist eigentlich Voice Actor für Hörbücher (und ein sehr guter), das merkt man dem Buch an. Es ist geschrieben, um gesprochen zu werden. Das ist nicht negativ, sondern belebt die Figuren, die nie hözern wirken.

Lauma Pret reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Review of 'Legends & Lattes' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Comfy, good natured fun when one needs some kind of feel-good read. It was exactly what I needed. The way coffee and cinnamon buns are described reminds me Night Circus - everyday tastes and smells elevated almost up to the point of magic. The plot was simple enough not to drive me anxious (sadly that happens to me quite easy), yet captivating enogh to make me care about Viv's success. And I really liked the final reveal, it felt very fitting.

finktank reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Cozy, fun story

5 stars

A fun and cozy queer narrative set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, but with a move into non-violence, solving problems through honesty/care, a love story, and so on. Takes place IN a cozy setting and leaves you feeling like you've curled up by the fire in winter. You quickly come to trust that, though there IS tension and danger, you, like the characters, will find ways through that don't toss you back into the violence of traditional D&D problem solving. A fun book, even if you aren't into D&D.

Eric Wagoner 📚 reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Low Stakes Sword & Sorcery? Yes, Please

5 stars

The tagline is "A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes" and then sneakily spends the entire novel showing that when you focus on individuals (including yourself) the little things really do matter.

This was just a fun read. I loved all the main characters, the bits of backstory, the interactions, the bending of coffeehouse stereotypes, and the bits of mystery here and there that never get resolved.

I instantly pre-ordered the next book, and hope this setting spawns many more books. I think this would many an excellent multi-author world, each telling low stakes stories, and would love to see that happen.

Mela reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Vorerst mein letztes "Cozy adventure"

4 stars

Der Untertitel "A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes" ist sehr charmant und war mit der Grund zum Buch zu greifen. Der andere war die Hugo-Nominierung. Vom Typ her geht das Buch in Richtung der Bücher "The Magical Bookshop" oder "The House Witch" die ich ebenfalls dieses Jahr gelesen habe. Sie bieten dem Leser ein ziemlich gefahrloses Lesevergnügen.

Gefahrlos und für mich auch ein bisschen langweilig und anstrengend. Am Schlimmsten aus dem Trio der "Cozy"-Fantasystories war für mich "The Magical Bookshop" ... (eine Rezension folgt früher oder später). Dort habe ich nach Buch 1 aufgegeben obwohl ich die Trilogie als günstiges Gesamtpaket erworben hatte. Auch "The House Witch" wird es wohl nicht zu Buch Nr. 2 schaffen. Eventuell gebe ich dem 2. Teil von "Legends and Lattes" "Bookshops & Bonedust" eine Chance ... eventuell auch nicht, weil ich das Thema mit dem "Magical Bookshop" schon mehr als durch habe. …

Der Untertitel "A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes" ist sehr charmant und war mit der Grund zum Buch zu greifen. Der andere war die Hugo-Nominierung. Vom Typ her geht das Buch in Richtung der Bücher "The Magical Bookshop" oder "The House Witch" die ich ebenfalls dieses Jahr gelesen habe. Sie bieten dem Leser ein ziemlich gefahrloses Lesevergnügen.

Gefahrlos und für mich auch ein bisschen langweilig und anstrengend. Am Schlimmsten aus dem Trio der "Cozy"-Fantasystories war für mich "The Magical Bookshop" ... (eine Rezension folgt früher oder später). Dort habe ich nach Buch 1 aufgegeben obwohl ich die Trilogie als günstiges Gesamtpaket erworben hatte. Auch "The House Witch" wird es wohl nicht zu Buch Nr. 2 schaffen. Eventuell gebe ich dem 2. Teil von "Legends and Lattes" "Bookshops & Bonedust" eine Chance ... eventuell auch nicht, weil ich das Thema mit dem "Magical Bookshop" schon mehr als durch habe.

Im Prinzip funktionieren diese "Cozy"-Bücher alle nach einem ähnlichen Strickmuster.

Der Hauptcharakter erfüllt sich einen lange gehegten Traum. Raus aus dem blutigen Abenteurergeschäft oder dem hektischen Alltag einer Analystin und hinein in einen sicheren, gemütlichen, unhektischen Job in einem Buchladen oder einem Coffeeshop.

Warum Einzelhandel oder Gastronomie hier als "gemütlich" verklärt wird, ist mir persönlich unerklärlich und an diesem Punkt bekomme ich schon ein Problem mit meiner "Suspension of Disbelief". Vielleicht habe ich zu oft auf LARPs gekocht, um zu ignorieren, was es für eine Kraftanstrengung bedeutet.

Egal. Im Prinzip verfolgt man also, wie der Hauptcharakter sich seinen Lebenstraum erfüllt und das in jedem quälenden Detail. Von der Suche nach dem richtigen Ort, bis hin ins letzte Fitzelchen der Dekoration. EIn bisschen was darf schief gehen, damit es nicht ganz langweilig wird, aber nicht zu viel. Es soll ja "Cozy" bleiben.

In Legends & Latte geht ein bisschen mehr schief, deswegen ist das Buch ein bisschen interessanter als andere des Genres. Aber so richtig Spannung kommt an keiner Stelle auf, denn das Buch ist komplett vorhersehbar. Und soll es auch sein. Es ist exakt die Art Story, nach der Menschen suchen, die nach "Cozy Adventures" greifen. Ein Genre das in einer Zeit der Krisen durchaus seine Berechtigung hat, von dem man aufgrund seiner Süßlichkeit aber auch schnell zu viel bekommt.

Für mich wird es vorerst das letzte "Cozy Adventure" bleiben und ich brauche jetzt mal etwas Hard Science Fiction oder eine bitterböse Fantasystory als "Gaumenreiniger".

SynACK reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

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) …

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!

penwing reads (they/them) reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Fun

4 stars

As lovely and fun as I'd been hearing.

Kantolope reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

A Cozy Cup of Warmth

5 stars

This is a fantastic January read for when the weather's bad and you're curled up inside. The plot is very slice of life focused, and it's as warm and cozy as the drinks described in the novel itself. Highly reccommend for anyone who feels they need to escape from real life for a couple of hours.

Bryan Redeagle reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

A Fantasy Rom-Com

5 stars

"A novel of high fantasy... and low stakes"

You get exactly as it reads on the tin for this book. It feels to me like a romantic comedy in book form. An orc woman stops adventuring to start a coffee shop. What follows is hi-jinks, suspiciously convenient events, and mostly non-conflicts. Even the worst thing that happens to the main character in the book is not so very terrible in the end.

Unless you are bothered by same-sex relationships, nothing in this book is a game changer for fantasy nor will it challenge your view of the world. Personally, I loved it. It's like a warm cup of coffee in the morning.

death2cupbots reviewed Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Super Cozy!!

4 stars

This book is super cozy! If you need a fantasy pick for a reading challenge and don't really like fantasy, I'd highly recommend it!

BookShopGhost

rated it

Jan 1

Dragna

rated it

Aug. 15, 2023