» do you have any comfort reads? hello my friends, Anything in the cozy fantasy realm is immediately a comfort read for me. I adore a good cozy fantasy book, they always leave me feeling happy. & this book is probably one of my fave. It was just perfection. » hashtags:. #bibliophile #bookworm #booklove #bookstagrammer #instagramreads #booklover #bookstagram #legendsandlattes #travisbaldree #torbooks #cozyfantasy #cozyfantasybooks #fantasy #perfectbook #bookstagrammers #bookstagramfeature #favoritebooks #mustreads (at Boise, Idaho) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpioLZ-ggP0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I finished Legends and Lattes by @travis_baldree This book has been the darling of Fantasy Fans since it’s release last year with many praising its “cosy fantasy” story as a nice tonic to the constant slew of Epic/Grimdark Fantasy. Being in the need for some cosiness I dove right in. The story that Baldree has written here brings me to doubt this was his debut, as Legends and Lattes has the confidence of an author who has been writing for decades. The characters are front and centre in this story, a requirement for the cosiness factor, and if they were lacking in proper development this would absolutely kill the book. Baldree manages to engage the reader in the first few chapters and you’re quickly fully engaged in wanting to find out how the orc Viv is able to make a success of opening her coffee shop and leave her warlike past behind her. Baldree follows in the footsteps of Fantasy authors like Terry Pratchett who wrote the characters as the focus of the story and let the world develop around them as opposed to vice versa. Sometimes it’s nice to read epic Fantasy where a gigantic dragon descends on a team of warriors who have fairly thin characterisation but you don’t care because the set piece is just too cool. But where Fantasy really shines is in stories that focus on the individual warriors and what they experience in the lead-up to and aftermath of that fight with the dragon. And when the big dragon is a particularly fussy clientele I’m reminded of the idea that, just because Fantasy deals with Orcs, magic and giant talking mice that bake pastries, doesn’t mean that there also isn’t room for coffee and good vibes too. Read this book if you want a Fantasy themed cwtch as they would say in Wales. Thank you to @megolass for getting the lovely @thebrokennbinding edition for Valentine’s Day. See in this picture my attempt at making Thimblets which appear in the book with a recipe! #bookstagram #bookstagramuk #books #fantasybooks #fantasy #legendsandlattes #travisbaldree https://www.instagram.com/p/CplMO1TMmdX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Swipe for pics #NewSwag from my visit to the #MCMComicCon (@mcmcomiccon) in London on Saturday #TheSandman #1 signed by #TomSturridge (Dream) & #MasonAlexanderPark (Desire) from the #Netflix series #TheFinalStrife signed by author #SaaraElArifi (@saaraelarifi) #LegendsAndLattes signed by author #TravisBaldree (@travis_baldree) Various mini prints from the #VicePress (@vicepressnews) stand #BladeRunner2049 24" x 36" #screenprint by #MattFerguson (@mattfergusonartist) #Books #Print #Comics #MCMComicConLondon (at MCM London Comic Con) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkYNAg7sXNa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

🤍You all have a nice weekend! I was busy last week and feel a little bit tired and overwhelmed by it all. So I wasn't very active up here too. Today I have a cosy photo and a coffee quote from my current comfort read Legends&Lattes for you. ☕️"She sat back on the flagstones and rolled the bean between her thumb and forefinger. “I told you I came across it in Azimuth, and I remember following the smell to the shop. They called it a café. People just sat around drinking it from these little ceramic cups, and I had to try it, and… it was like drinking the feeling of being peaceful. Being peaceful in your mind. Well, not if you have too much, then it’s something else." https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdx_oG1gXLl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

There was something missing from my Legends & Lattes journal page....#Fixed

Nothing like a good book, hot tea, and a bubble bath after a long day at work. Currently Reading: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree #bookstagram #book #reading #tearexreads #currentlyreading #legendsandlattes #travisbaldree #bookstagrammer #bookshelf https://www.instagram.com/p/CeFb-hHoO4ggDuJeN_O4VSwcboj6ORMhb1iGaw0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

GET BOOKT

A guide of books to gift the people in your life and yourself!

For the people looking to put a different kind of magic into their holidays…

The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab

For the genre connoisseur with a love for high concepts in short form… 

Africa Risen edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, & Zelda Knight (now in paperback!)

For the treasured party member who’s saved your character’s life many times on TTRPG night…

Bookshops & Bonedust by @travisbaldree

━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━

For those who love (or possibly are 👀) gay werewolves

Wolfsong by TJ Klune

For the mutual who devoured the epic highs and lows of Riverdale and craves more…

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard, now in paperback!)

━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━

For your brave and luckless friend, constantly trapped in transit purgatory and upset about it…

The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey

For the true buckaroos trotting beside you…

Camp Damascus by @drchucktingle

For the friend who says “but have we considered burning it all down?” on an alarming and refreshingly regular basis…

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━

For the friend who has a hot date on Friday night (with their book)...

Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

For the avid doodler who sketches plans for their future volcanic villain lair equipped with a space laser…

Starter Villain by @jscalzi

━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━

Not enough books? We agree. Check out our other GET BOOKT guide.

Legends and Lattes.

(Such a cozy book by @travisbaldree . I highly suggest it.)

— legends & lattes by @travisbaldree

Thank Gnome it’s Friday!! (with Fanart Friday double plus bonus!)

So, in-between/in the background during work on many things, I took my dear friend Troll (of Shoptroll – LOOK ) through @travisbaldree's “Legends & Lattes” and its prequel, “Bookshops & Bonedust.” Which I adore, and are a delight to read (and listen to) every single freaking time.

And finally, fiiiiiiiiiinally, I have drawn Gallina.

Stabby stabby Gnome Queen. She who teaches unconditional self-regard, especially when no one is gonna step up for you but you 💕

Thank you, Master Baldree, for your lovely works. Hoping, so very much, that there are more to come!

~

Bonus art and stories ~ Prints, comics and more!

It’s so beautiful! Can’t wait to dive into this @thebrokennbinding edition of Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you to @megolass__ for getting me this lovely book! #bookstagram #fantasy #travisbaldree #legendsandlattes #torbooks #thebrokenbinding @torbooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CoqWKQEoZRC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I had the time to sit down and finish Legends & Lattes by @travisbaldree and I LOVED IT! It's definitely one of my new favorite books so drawing some quick fan art before bed was an absolute MUST. I had to draw my favorite little guy, Thimble won my heart simply because I love rats and I love kind little dudes who love baking. It's unfair how tailored Thimble was for me, since all the characters are great.

If anyone who's reading this hasn't read Legends & Lattes, READ IT! IT'S SO GOOD!

#NewSwag #LegendsAndLattes by #TravisBaldree (@travis_baldree) #CoverArt by #CarsonLowmiller (@emberwickart) Loved the audiobook and had to get myself a physical copy for my collection. Yes, I know the novel has now been picked up by @torbooks, but will probably get a copy of that edition too. #Books #Fantasy #BookCollector https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce8X14zApSo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Two miniature dire-cats safe-guarding one of the best books I have read this year - thanks @travisbaldree 😊

Also if you did enjoy Legends & Lattes I would highly recommend the Mangoverse by @shiraglassman!!!

Book Review: "Legends & Lattes" by Travis Baldree

What happens when you want to start a coffee shop in a new fantasy town - but the locals don't even know what it is!? Find out in "Legends & Lattes" by Travis Baldree! #LegendsAndLattes #TravisBaldree #cozyfantasy #bookreview #reading #amreading

Cover of Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. I’m back with another book review, and this time I’m reviewing “Legends & Lattes” by Travis Baldree! This book has been recommended to me several times in the past year, especially since it’s marketed as being a cozy fantasy novel. I’ve read plenty of fantasy novels, but most if not all of them leaned on being very action-packed. Finding a novel that…

View On WordPress

I did say I was going to try to make book club guides, so behold! Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, available for purchase via affiliate link here. It was initially self-published, but Tor is re-releasing it in December. Text of each slide below the cut.

Cover slide: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. This guide contains minor spoilers.

About: Legends & Lattes is a short cozy fantasy novel about an orc adventurer named Viv. She wants to retire to open a coffee shop. It's fast-paced, cute, and happy, with plenty of baked goods and DnD vibes. Best read with a cup of coffee and a pastry on hand.

Archetype Subversion: The book opens with Viv ripping a monster apart in pursuit of her goals. She's a barbarian, and has spent her life fighting and killing. How does she work to escape the role she's been pigeon-holed into? Would she have been successful under different circumstances?

Cozy Content: Legends & Lattes states right on the cover that the stakes in the story are low. There's little in the way of violence or sexual content, and problems seem to solve themselves most of the time. What do you enjoy about "cozy" stories?

Gaslamp Fantasy: Legends & Lattes has been described as gaslamp fantasy, which is fantasy with an almost steampunk aesthetic but a bigger focus on magic. Do you think that's accurate? If not, what subgenre of fantasy would you classify it as? Ignoring that it was necessary for the existence of a coffee shop, did you like the presence of almost-modern technology?

Making Your Own Luck: In your opinion, was the Stone lucky? Would Viv have been successful without it? How much power did it really have? Was it magic, or was Viv adaptable, resilient, and good at reading people after a lifetime of adventuring?

Happily Ever After: Viv doesn't seek revenge for the destruction of her shop, which is the biggest indication to readers that she has settled in and committed to her new life. However, Fennus is still punished. Do you think Amity's actions support the "violence isn't the answer" moral within the story? Or do they detract from it because readers find Fennus's fate satisfying?

More Information: You can follow the author @TravisBaldree on Twitter. In addition to gifting us with Legends & Lattes, he's also a game developer and audiobook narrator. If you, like me, are obsessed with the cover art, you can find the cover artist on Twitter as well @EmberWickArt.