Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I enjoyed this instalment because it moved away from the shopkeeping day to day formula which were a heavy focus of the first two books in this series. I really enjoyed a different perceptive of the world and Fern's journey of self-discovery. Would really love a map please! Also, I would love a book about Zyll, because she is epic. Just make sure you hide the silverware....

LOVED IT! What more can I say? 😹This book came to me when I needed a cosy, funny and heartfelt D&D-style adventure story to magic me out of the mortal world for a few hours and BOY did it do that! Travis Baldree has such a unique writing style and I fall in love with these characters a little more each time we get to glimpse into their lives.

This one has higher stakes than the previous two in the series, and I really enjoyed that. I just know everyone is going to love journeying with Fern, Astryx, Bucket and a surprisingly likeable goblin named Zyll!

I love how relatable and loveable Travis Baldree's characters are and Fern's journey was no exception. It's more action-filled than past installments but I'm not complaining!

Charming, adventurous and reflective, Brigands & Breadknives mixes up Baldree's cosy authorial beginnings in a natural, character-first way, by exploring navigating a period of uncertainty in life.

Brigands & Breadknives trades in the more cosy, small-shop vibe of the previous two entries, and instead puts us on a road trip of self-discovery with our protagonist Fern, who fans will recognise from Bookshops & Bonedust, whilst she travels with a legendary bounty hunting elf and her bounty, a chaotic goblin, as she tries to reflect on what she wants her future to be, and what will make her happy. In effect this book is really a sequel to Bookshops & Bonedust over Legends & Lattes, but it does follow on from both.

With 3 strong and entertaining main characters, a good chunk of humour and (surprisingly frequent) action, I suspect this book has something for almost everyone, and manages to surprise existing fans with how different this entry is.

I truly adored this book and am so grateful I was able to read this early as a NetGalley ARC. I had high expectations because I absolutely loved Legends & Lattes and I was not disappointed! I loved the different pace and all the characters were so wonderful, I really felt like I came along on the adventure with them all! Also, as a horse-girl I absolutely loved the equine friends made along the way and would, respectfully, die for them. I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoyed the other books in this universe!

Travis Baldree’s writing is emotive, comforting and descriptively poetic. His characters are interesting, charming and complex.

Each story is fantastic in its own right and this third instalment is no different.

However, the story I wanted and expected was the first 10% of the book. Fern travels to Thune and sets up Thistleburr Booksellers in the lot next door to Viv & Tandri’s coffee shop. Cal helps with the building and there seems to be something sweet bubbling between Thimble and Fern. That was the cosy fantasy story I was hoping for.

Then Fern leaves it all behind to stowaway on the Oathmaiden’s cart meeting a crazed goblin and a talking bread knife to discover that perhaps what she needed wasn’t cosy, comforting stability after all but adventure out in the open, meeting a multitude of creatures and most importantly sharing stories.

I adore the way that Baldree has made each story take on a life of its own. He isn’t reinventing the wheel and creating a copy of Legends & Lattes (no matter how much id like that) he is creating stories that are personal to the characters he has imagined. Viv was searching for a home, a place she could put down roots, a cosy and warm environment to attract others looking for the same. But that isn’t what Fern wants and this story is her own adventure to discover what she’s really searching for.

Personally I didn’t love this as much as Legends and Lattes but if you enjoy fantasy stories with interesting characters and exciting adventures this would be perfect.

An enjoyable addition to the Legends & Lattes world, though I felt it was a bit too long to sustain the relatively thin plot, especially given the quest's nature compared to the focus on daily life; the third quarter dragged a bit for me. Still, it's a sweet and wholesome story about finding your way as a people-pleasing adult and made for a lovely read overall.

Travis - you killed me. In the best way possible! I’m going to bill you in tissues.

This was such a heartwarming and life-affirming story and gosh did I fall in love with the characters in this. We take a step back from Viv and Tandri, and get to know Fern and the one-eared elf of legend - Astryx. Oh and a Goblin I actually wanted to take home by the end of this.

Cosy fantasy, low stakes is rapidly becoming a favourite genre and these books are like no other. I love the gentle pace yet steady and endearing plot and they wrap you in total comfort. This one gets a lot more action though and we navigate dangerous roads and the odd sword fight in between gentle speights of travel and replenishment so we get the best of every world.

In a nutshell, we join Fern as she’s on a discovery to follow her heart. It leads her to the opening of her new bookshop in Thune but is she truly happy? She stumbles across the one-eared elf legend herself, Astryx and Fern finds herself embroiled on a journey with a colourfully languaged goblin. She’s travelling further and further away from her life at the bookshop but she’s about to find something that could be the answer to her everything.

Gah, I just loved it. I love that these books exist and they make for such a great reads. By the end I was so wholly hooked and it was just brilliant. I’ve changed my mind Travis, I won’t bill you for the tissues. The book was so worth it (:

This was everything I needed to read right now. A ratkin who doesn’t know what she wants to do but knows it isn’t this anymore. I’ve not connected with a character so much and I wasn’t disappointed by her journey one bit. The characters were engaging and interesting and I loved that troll. So funny. An excellent book that filled me with hope. Loved loved loved it.

A very enjoyable addition to the Legends & Lattes world. I liked that this story went in a different kind of direction to the previous two, with basically no shopkeeping involved, and I liked main character Fern a lot. I did find it to be slightly too long to carry the rather slight plot, which was more noticeable due to the nature of the quest rather than the focus on day-to-day life; the third quarter of the book dragged for me. But overall, this is a sweet and wholesome story about finding your path as a people-pleasing adult, and was a lovely read.

This is the next part of the Legends & Lattes series and we witness the Ratkin bookseller Fern deciding she needs a change in her life and moving to be near Viv is the change that she needs. But life doesn't always go to plan, one night of drinking and Fern finds herself on another type of adventure.

This time she is travelling with a famous elven adventurer and the mysterious goblin Zyll, who we met in the short story Goblin's & Greatcoats. This story felt very much like a mid life crisis adventure as Fern tries to work out what she wants to do with her life whilst trying to stay alive.

I enjoyed catching up with these characters, but it definitely concentrates on Fern rather than Viv, so don't go into it expecting the next part of Viv's story.

We are introduced to new places, characters and religions - the world building is getting stronger but feels very familiar. I hope the series continues to grow, and I would really enjoy a full length book from Zyll's perspective.

“Brigands and Breadknives” By Travis Baldree

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary: Fern, the little rattikin, has everything she wanted; a new bookshop, living near an old friend and new friends. So why does she feel so empty? After getting drunk one night, she accidentally stumbles into a cart owned by the legendary elf, Oathmaiden, and before she knows it, she is off on an adventure.

Potential Spoilers!


Thoughts: I previously read “Bookshops and Bonedust” and remember liking that a lot. With this installment, I actually enjoyed the more action paced adventures this book has.

Fern is the main character in this book, the little rattikin who was in “Bookshops and Bonedust”. Fern is struggling with something, I feel many people may have dealt with in the past; this feeling of maybe wanting something different or feeling stagnant in their life.

The Oathmaiden, Astryx, is introduced early on and appears to be stand offish; she has a job to do which is to bring a goblin, Zyll, to a town as she has a bounty on her head.

I would love to follow a story about Astryx. I really enjoyed the character and she does develop from being kind of distant to becoming more involved with other people.

I feel these books are for fans of D&D; especially this one, it did feel like someone was retelling their D&D campaign. It was fun.

Disclaimer: This is a review of an ARC, which I'm grateful to Pan Macmillan for allowing me to read this and NetGalley. Due to be released 13th November 2025; good luck to the author!

Five stars always!

Travis has done it again! Perfectly blending his trademark warm and cosy with endless humour and adventure! Fern was my favourite character from Bookshops and Bonedusr and I knew I would love this book!

In this one we follow Fern of Bookshops! Fern wakes up after a heavy drinking stint in the the cart of the most legendary warrior and the adventures begin!
This story follows Fern’s internal fear of being a disappointment to her friends and of finding her joy again. Fern is such a relatable character; grumpy, self-deprecating, and just trying to figure out what she really wants from life while dealing with brigands, a goblin with way too much energy, and a very opinionated bread knife (my absolute fav character).

As always Travis’ humour is spot on but between the laugh-out-loud moments and the action, there’s a lot of warmth and friendship. The found-family vibes are top tier, and the dialogue is sharp!

If you loved Legends & Lattes or Bookshops & Bonedust, you’ll be smiling the whole way through this one! It’s got the same cozy, feel-good energy, but with a bit more mischief and adventure.

Thank you to Travis Baldree, Pan Macmillan | Tor, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Brigands & Breadknives is a cute cosy cottagecore fantasy that follows on from Legends & Lattes. B&B expanded the world well with excellent world-building but didn’t compromise on characterisation or plot. The slow pacing is to be expected of a cosy fantasy and there were, of course, low stakes. I’d recommend it for anyone who enjoyed his first book and prequel, and also other cosy fantasies, such as The Spellshop.

Legends & Lattes has been my favourite series since March 2023 and all of a sudden this year it has been knocked down my rankings so I had high hopes for this book to reinvigorate my love for this cosy fantasy series and I expected an easy 5 star in Brigands & Breadknives. Unfortunately this read didn't exactly go the way I was anticipating.
I was elated when I found out this would be following Fern, our beloved bookseller, but from the get go there is a decision made by her that just broke my heart. I spent the rest of the book trying to get over this choice, but really it just got under my skin. I wish it was handled differently but alas, I still love Fern and I see so much of myself in her. Zyll is a big feature of this book too and I'm so glad we got more of her character after Goblins & Greatcoats.
The best part is Travis Baldree's writing, I feel so at home and I could read pages upon pages of his writing style. The themes explored are very important and this was a tear-jerker for me. However overall, I didn't feel as invested in the plot as much as I wanted to be and it felt too slow. I really appreciated the ending and the way it wrapped up which really rescued the book in my opinion.
I am so appreciative of receiving an arc for this as it is still an all-time favourite series of mine, but this instalment just didn't live up to the other books for me. Equally I can see how this could be many people's favourite book of the series so I would highly recommend reading it if you're looking for a more action-packed adventure that still incorporates found family with warmth and love.
4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor and Travis Baldree for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

Review posted to Goodreads and Storygraph. Review to be posted on Amazon and Waterstones on publication day.

“Look, I didn’t murder anybody. I was barely involved. Except for the stabbing part.”

Magnificent.

Going back into the L&L universe was such a treat, like being wrapped in a blanket and eating a warm cinnamon roll. Whilst B&B does evoke the cosiness of the universe, this one is definitely giving more adventure vibes.

In terms of the cast, we’ve got Fern, a 1000 year old legendary elf, a goblin with a proclivity for cutlery, a sentient bread knife being wielded as a weapon, and a somewhat pompous great sword.

There’s the teensiest bit of romance (but it’s definitely more of a side quest and is almost predominantly in the last chapter), but the platonic relationships are built so wonderfully. The character development is great, and there’s almost a…it’s not quite found family, but found sense of purpose?…that comes with these developments.

The writing is great as per - really funny, touching/emotive where needed, and just a delight to read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I just love returning to this world again and again. This time we follow Fern on an adventure across the Territories featuring a seemingly omnipotent goblin, an elf who’s a bit jaded by the world and 2 sentient swords/former a sword turned bread knife.

This is a lot more epic in scope and less on the cozy side but whilst I did really enjoy it, I did just miss Viv.

I feel really conflicted about this rating, because I really appreciate that the author didn't want to just rehash familiar material and have Fern build and level up another bookshop, and he instead took Fern on a very different tale. I liked the premise and the themes, about disappointing friends and trying to figure out what you actually want out of life. But unfortunately there was just something about this one that didn't sweep me away into the story. I don't really know why, but I wasn't as connected to the new characters and the main character as much as I was with Legends & Lattes or Bookshops & Bonedust.

3.5/5

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from Pan Macmillan and NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.

I requested this as I’d recently bought lattes and legends and thought it would be cute to read the series. That’s my fault, really I should have read the first book to soo how/if I enjoyed it.
Whilst I did enjoy this book and I cannot find fault with it, it just ultimately wasn’t for me. I understand why it’s it’s so popular as a ‘cozy fantasy’, it’s just not for me sadly as I enjoy high stakes with angst and trauma.
Such a cute easy read though, I enjoyed this book more than I did L&L

I loved this even more than the first two books, and that’s saying something, because they’re both all-time favourites! Brigands and Breadknives has a fair bit more conflict than the previous entries, but still manages to feel just as warm, cozy, and full of heart.

Fern’s arc was such a joy to follow. Her fear of disappointing her friends and her struggle to speak up felt so real and relatable. That emotional undercurrent gave the adventure a quiet resonance - right from the start, even when Fern wasn’t sure where she was going or why, her inner journey was always moving forward. It just took her mind a little while to catch up. Watching her grow, learn what she wants from life, and find the courage to be true to herself was incredibly rewarding.

Astryx, Zyll, Breadlee, and Nigel were all such standout characters. Each so different, yet together creating a sense of found family that brought so much depth, humour, and heart to the story. They’re the kind of companions you wish you could adventure with yourself.

This book is an absolute treasure.