Legends & Lattes

Within a few chapters, I knew I would love this book. I could smell the coffee, feel the flour on my hands, and taste the pastries each time someone bit into one. The low-stakes trials of opening a cafe were so wonderfully written that I momentarily dreamed of doing so (which, for the record, would be a terrible idea for my chaos-goblin brain).

Even years after reading this book, Thimble and his mannerisms live rent-free in my head, which speaks to the impact this story had on my psyche.

Sometimes, I don’t actually want a lot of tension; there’s a reason this book kicked off a craze for cozy fantasy. I loved the relatively small stakes of an orc-turned-barista.

Watching Viv build herself a family out of the folks in her new town, binding them together in ways they had never before felt bound, reminded me how much we can accomplish in our own surroundings just by being kind. Sometimes, heroism is less about fighting with weapons and more about building something that creates warmth and community.

An ogre opens a coffee café in a backward village that never even heard of coffee.

I loved this book because, like my book, it deals in magical realism with likable yet severely flawed characters.  These characters encounter riveting obstacles that they resolve with humor, courage, and intriguing solutions. 

To any who would ask, I would describe this book as “a wonderful bit of fluff.”

Having recently started making my own espresso drinks, how could I resist a story of an orc named Viv trying to start a coffee shop? What sucked me into this book was the character interactions as unlikely characters try to start an unlikely business, where Viv’s biggest challenge is explaining to the people of the city what coffee is.

I’ve read a fair share of subverted troupes, and I find this novel is one of the better ones. I also tell people, “It’s a… show more.

The heroine in Legend & Lattes is a big orc lady, nothing like little Bilbo, but she’s done with violence.

She wants to build a settled business selling drinks and pastries. The giant heroine and the succubus behind the counter get constantly misjudged because of their appearances. As a woman carving her path in the tech industry, I know how that feels.

This book also taught me, right along with the heroine, that solving problems without violence can be even more heroic. A good story doesn’t require fight scenes. The wins were all kinds of satisfying, from the successful business… show more.

This book was one of the sweetest, most adorable, most wholesome books I've ever read. I loved it.

It is all about escaping one's past, building a new future, being kind, the value of friendship, and of course, love. It was a very easy read, and by the end, I just felt good. It gave me that warm, happy feeling one only gets from a steaming, rich beverage on a cold day. It reminds me of cozy blankets, fall leaves, and good times with friends.

The best part was the love story. It was so pure and simple. Just perfect.… show more.

I love this book because I’ve always thought about giving up adventuring to open my own coffee shop in a city that’s never heard of it, and that’s exactly what Viv does, the orc who wants to be more than just the famous sword she hangs on her wall.

This book is like a cup of coffee in word form and can be best described by the book itself in the way it describes coffee: “It’s like drinking the feeling of being peaceful…”

I didn’t realize cozy fantasy was a genre, and then I kept hearing about this book on TikTok. They called it “cozy fantasy,” and it is exactly what I love to read.

There are mythical characters, like an ogre who opens a coffee shop with a succubus, how funny is that? And there are no wars, gruesome deaths, or long detailed sex scenes. Just a great story about kindness, friends, and found family. It was a quick read and kept me turning the pages.

Oh my goodness, this book! Warning, do not read while hungry. Legends and Lattes is like a warm woolen blanket on a cold winter’s day.

It focuses on Viv (the main character) retiring to a riverside town after a life of fighting, and setting up a coffee shop. The unique and wonderful friends she makes and the appetite-rousing coffee and pastry descriptions were a sheer delight. As I turned every page, I could envision myself sitting in the coffee shop breathing in the aroma of cinnamon buns and sipping at a rich, full-bodied coffee.

Found family is one of my… show more.

A recently-retired Orc adventurer opens a café in a city that’s never heard of coffee.

The premise is delightful in its simplicity and originality, but the focus is really on the characters. The entire cast overflows with personality and charm, and even in a setting as whimsical as this, Baldree treats them with sincerity. I cared as much about this fantasy café as I would’ve cared about a world-saving adventure, because it was important to the characters, and they were important to me.

Their growth felt earnest and genuine, and the story was absolutely engaging. Not to mention, a tale… show more.