Bookshops and Bonedust opens with a brilliant battle scene, we meet a younger Viv, who’s full of life and eager to make a name for herself. However after getting stabbed through the leg, Viv is left to recuperate in the sleepy seaside town of Murk, whilst the rest of the gang head off to fight the Necromancer.
Viv meets a brilliant, but potty-mouthed Ratkin named Fern, the owner of the failing local bookshop. Maylee, a dwarf and ex-mace wielding mercenary turned baker, owner of the very successful bakery, and we meet the knife wielding gnome, Gallina, a familiar face from Legends and Lattes.
What I love about this book and indeed Legends and Lattes, is that the character development, the relationships they create and the bonds they build, is just as important, if not more so than the action and the battle scenes. (Which there is also more of this time around!) There’s is so much charm and depth to this fantasy world, the links between this and Legends and Lattes were subtle enough that you don’t need to read them in any particular order, but the nods to the original story were so lovely and much appreciated. There is however a little spoiler at the end but it was so heartwarming it had me sobbing!
It is the prequel we didn’t know we needed, and I cannot wait to read more from Travis Baldree.

For a tough, bloodthirsty bounty hunter, Viv is just so nice! She really cares about people, especially the underdog. I think she can't help helping others. I really love the way Viv's people end up drawn to each other, its just so warming.
My only (very slight) complaint is the paragraphs from books that Viv is reading which are sometimes quite long and which I found boring. They were nowhere near as good as the actual book! That aside, I really enjoyed the book and hope there will be more in the series.

I've been so busy, and finding time and brainpower to read has been hard so it's taken a while to get through this, but I love that I have spent a long time in this world and savoured every moment of it.

Travis has this wonderfully descriptive writing that really pulls you into the world and makes you never want to leave, I felt it with Legends & Lattes and the magic hasn't left. I think overall I'd rate this 4.5 because I think I enjoyed L&L a bit more even though there's actually a whole load more plot going on in this one.

Also I never expected the prologue to make me almost ugly cry, but it did. It was the most perfect ending and I cried and I am not ashamed of it.

Again, thank you Netgalley and thank you Travis for writing some of the most perfect books to ever grace my eyeballs.

This is a wonderful book and serves as a great prequel to Legends and Lattes. It gives the back story to Viv and how she becomes the orc she is in Legends. I can't wait to read more of this series.

A wonderfully sweet prequel to an already gorgeous book. My only wish with Legends and Lattes was that there was a little more adventure, and Bookshops and Bonedusts delivers! I'm so glad to have spent more time in this world.

This was the perfect prequel to ‘Legends and Lattes’.
I devoured this in 2 days (my silly job got in the way), and am already wishing there was more.
As a tabletop adventurer who plays an orc Barbarian, as well as being a bookseller by trade, this book had everything I wished for.
The plot felt like a year’s campaign being told by the notes of a player and reading this kind of fantasy tale, makes me feel like the author may have rolled to see how certain things played out.
We are introduced to a wealth of new and unforgettable characters, with Potroast having been teased already by the author himself, and we see how Viv became the orc we all know and love.
I’m going to be very sad come November when the hardback is published here in the UK and everyone around me will get the ‘reading-it-for-the-first-time’ feeling.
Thank you to both Travis Baldree for the gift of his words, and to Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

It's impossible for this to be as good as Legends and Lattes, I thought. How wrong I was.

L&L was one of my top reads last year so I was incredibly thrilled to be approved to read and review this, and it didn't disappoint one tiny bit. Set years before L&L, it follows Viv at a much earlier point in her journey and I loved this insight into her former life.

It's incredibly clever how this book gets to where it needs to go, with Viv early on in her adventuring career and not at all ready to settle down as she is at the start of L&L, but at the same time clearly sets up that later storyline in a wonderfully believable and organic way.

The cast of characters is what brings this book to life, and they really do infuse the place with a sense of tight knit community that had me wanting to live inside the book.

These stories are the moments in between or after adventures, the bits that usually get left out of epic fantasy but that actually ground the world deeply in reality. These are the books I didn't know I'd been waiting for my whole life.

"Every book is a little mirror, and sometimes you look into it and see someone else looking back."

In this, the prequel to Legends & Lattes, we follow a younger Viv as she finds herself stuck in the small town of Murk as she recovers from an injury she sustained whilst hunting down a necromancer.

Again, like Legends & Lattes, its a cosy, lowstakes fantasy but unfortunately it just didn't hit the same. I wasn't as hooked as I was with Legends & Lattes and honestly was a bit bored in some places😔

That being said, the characters are loveable and the settings are so well written you can clearly picture everything. The bookshop gives off amazingly cosy vibes and Potroast sounds absolutely adorable, if I could visit I 100% would!

Thank you to netgalley and Tor for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Overall rating - 3.5⭐️

This prequel is set 20 years before Legends & Lattes. A younger, less scarred Viv is at the start of her warrior adventures and she has a lot to learn.

The story has similar cosy elements to Legends and Lattes. Afterall, you don't get much cosier than bookshops, scones and a comfy chair. But this book also includes more adventure and danger, as befits a much younger Viv.

I enjoyed both books, but this one is my favourite. We get to know more about Viv and the experiences (adventure, friendships and a little romance) which shape her early years. It helps provide more depth to who Viv is in Legends and Lattes. Though gnomish coffee doesn't feature so perhaps there are other stories which Travis Baldree will treat us to in the future.

If you enjoyed Legends & Lattes, or like cosy fantasy with a sprinkling of good triumphing over evil, you will enjoy this book

You can read this book as a prequel or as a standalone. You can also read it in advance of Legends and Lattes though I'd suggest that you avoid the epilogue if you read this book first as there's a line or two which could be considered a spoiler for L&L.

Rounded up from 4.5 stars

I was very excited for this book as I absolutely loved legends and lattes. This prequel follows Viv back in her mercenary days so there is more of a focus on action and Viv's life when it revolved around fighting. It took me a bit longer to get into than the first book but there is a lot more insight into Viv which I loved. I really loved watching her make friends and save the day.

I loved the bookshop setting so much. Fern and Potroast were wonderful. It was great to see the world being more built up and becoming richer.

I really loved Legends and Lattes and was very excited for the prequel.

It was a lovely enjoyable read it was great to hang out Viv again, however it was slow at times and I struggled sometimes to keep reading.

I am very excited for the next book in this series and the joining of the characters in both books.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Tor for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

Anyone who enjoyed the first will enjoy this equally!
Charming characters
Cosy atmosphere
Well written
Short quick chapters
All vibes with amazing characters!

Set 20 years before Legends and Lattes, we meet a young Viv on her first mercenary job with a new crew, but after getting injured, Viv finds herself holed up in a small coastal town while she recovers. It’s here that Viv learns to appreciate reading and meets some incredible characters along the way.

As with L&L, there is something so comforting about this read; it’s like curling up under a blanket with a hot drink while it’s raining outside.

This has some more adventure packed in than L&L and I honestly flew through this, I couldn’t put it down I was so gripped.

Viv meets some great characters along the one and I really enjoyed all of them but I must admit Fern is my favourite (don’t tell Maylee).

While helping Fern out, Viv discovers a love of reading and it really felt like having a good friend take you for the ride and it gave all the warm and fuzzies.

The writing style is easy to follow and pitched so well! Cannot praise this enough and I really hope we get to see more of Viv’s world.

Second books are notoriously difficult to produce, so I must admit I was initially worried about Travis Baldree's follow-up to the beloved Legends & Lattes (L&L). However, Baldree once again works his magic, introducing us to a younger version of Viv (protagonist in L&L) and enveloping us in the cozy atmosphere of a bookshop filled with potential. The story unfolds with charming characters, fantastic creatures, despicable villains, exhilarating fights, and intriguing mysteries. It is cosy fantasy all over again, and I am here for it.

The shabby bookshop, in need of tender loving care, felt like an enchanting tribute to the world of readers—both those just beginning to discover the joy of reading and the creators, writers, and owners of these treasured shops. As I dove into the story, the fragrant aromas of fresh bread and cookies from the adjacent bakery tickled my senses, reminiscent of Thimble's enticing treats in L&L. And amidst all the enchantment, a heartwarming love story gracefully unfolds.

This delightful surprise exceeded all my expectations and left me eagerly anticipating Baldree's next instalment. I can't wait to see what literary wonder he has in store for us next!"

Huge thanks to Pan Macmillan, Tor and Netgalley for the advance review copy. #pudseyrecommends.

This was delightfully cosy. If you liked the previous book you’ll like this one. I promise. I will happily read everything this author writes, it feels like a warm hug.

Having loved everything about Legends and Lattes I was so excited to get the chance to read Bookshops & Bonedust.

Yet again this was a snuggle up, cosy down hug of a comfort read, and one I'll definitely revisit time and time again.

This is the prequel to Legends and Lattes, and I loved that we got to see Viv in her younger battle hardened days.

With a cute bookshop, seaside town, fun characters and a bakery we all need near our home, the author yet again creates a world that has EVERYTHING you need for the perfect cosy read.

With extra adventure and danger, a great fantasy character in Satchel and strong friendship vibes with Fern (loved that epilogue, roll on book three) this book had me wrapped in a warm hug throughout.

One to recomend and reread for sure.

This is a light, romantic and definitely cosy prequel to Legends & Lattes. Full of the same type of quirky fun fantasy characters as Travis’s first book. It could be read as a standalone but those who have already read Legends & Lattes will get more out of the story.
As any lover of books, I found the comments about the importance of books and bookshops especially touching. Really looking forward to where the author takes Viv the Orc from here!

Thanks to Pan Macmillan, Travis Baldree and NetGalley for this ARC, in return for my honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up.

This book was the perfect prequel to Legend and Lattes! Set 20 years prior to Viv setting up her coffee shop, this book explores her days recovering from an injury in the seaside town of Murk. This book had the same feel as L&L, a cosy read that you can easily fly through! We had a cute little bookshop that Viv helped revive, a mouth watering bakery, found family and a hint of adventure.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the little update on Viv and Tandri at the end was perfect. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for that third book!

I was pleasantly suprised to find that I got accepted to read an eARC of Bookshops and Bonedust on Netgalley! Bookshops & Bonedust is the upcoming prequel to Legends & Lattes, a cosy fantasy novel by Travis Baldree. I loved Legends & Lattes and so was excited to get straight into the prequel! Here were my thoughts! ☕️

Bookshops & Bonedust takes place 20 years before Legends & Lattes, and so we get to see Viv in action in her younger years! After a mission gone wrong, Viv finds herself alone in a quiet beach town nursing an injury that means she can't do much but wait. But we all know our Viv, and she ends up on a mysterious journey, filled with blossoming friendships, crumbling bookshops and even potential romance 👀 And with a mysterious foe, there's also an element of danger that threatens Viv's newly found happiness...

When I saw this was a prequel, I was excited to get a chance to see parts of Viv's past but also nervous because I didn't to leave the characters that I had gotten to love behind. Of course, I shouldn't have been worried because if there's one thing Travis Baldree does really well, it's write friendships! I loved the relationships that Viv built with her new friends, and I loved the added aspect of danger that raised the stakes!

I preferred Legends & Lattes as I did find this harder to get into initially. It was a slow start for me, but I soon got into it and found it a delightful addition to Viv's story! My absolute favourite character was Satchel and I would devour a spin-off based on him (cough cough @travis_baldree 👀). An excitingly charming tale that ended on an epilogue with much promise 👀

I would recommend this book for anyone who loved Legends & Lattes, who wants to read about beautiful friendships, the love of books and a brief but impactful romance 💕

4/5 ⭐️‘s

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Tor for allowing me the opportunity to read this eARC in return for a fair and honest review 🤍

Bookshops and Bonedust will release on 09/11/23.

Many thanks to Pan Macmillan and Travis Baldree for the advanced copy of Bookshops and Bonedust via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.

Oh, this book was simply delightful. I love this new (to me) genre of cosy high fantasy and I hope Travis Baldree keeps giving us more.

This book came at exactly the right time for me. Having had abdominal surgery, I was on a minimum of two weeks’ bedrest. I saved this book for the first day that the drugs had worn off enough to be able to read a paragraph and not have to go back and read it again 30 seconds later. There was only one problem…I finished it by day four of bedrest. Had I not needed a nap, it would have been day three. But it was exactly the right thing for being stuck in bed. It’s happy, it’s cosy, it’s all wrapped up by the end of the book.

I had not expected this book to be a prequel but Baldree pulled it off really well. If being really picky and comparing this with Legends & Lattes, I would say that L&L is still the better of the two, written with slightly more heart and soul. When reading the author’s note at the end, you can see the journey Baldree took to write the book, which may explain why B&B maybe lacks some of the depth and heart, but it does contain more adventurous spirit.

Whether this means that this diverges a little from the ‘cozy’ genre, I don’t know, but I loved it all the same. More please!

Moods: adventurous, funny, lighthearted, happy, cozy
Pace: medium
Character development: medium
Plot or character driven: 50/50
Diversity: high
Spice: 1/5
Trigger warnings: None

Rating 5/5