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.

Difficult to find fault with Travis Baldree's writing. Another 5* read which captures and warms the heart.

Delightful, whimsical and funny.

“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.

Sometimes happiness does not means opening a store of your favorite things. Sometimes you need to go look for it! And as much as I loved the other two books with the bookshop and then the coffee shop, it was nice to see Fern go out on an adventure to find what she felt was missing. And boy was it exciting yet cozy too with an accidental stowing away (drinking sure can lead to unexpected actions!) into a wagon used by the famous warrior, Astryx and the awesomely crazy yet always has the thing that is needed, Zill, the chaos goblin! Yes, there is quite a bit of action (saving a village from a tree being, fighting off others looking to claim Zill's bounty, etc.) but also the quiet moments with Fern composing letters to Viv, or even a bit of reading in between the battles and the conversations with Nigel and Breadlee (who is totally awesome!). You get the nice found family, good friends, and finding what makes you happy, even if it not what you expected and it might not look like what other people dream of. If you enjoyed the other two books in this series, you should enjoy the charm of this one, even if there is a bit more of the classic adventure story (it is even has a tentacle god!). I loved seeing an expansion of the Legends and Latte world and hope that Travis Baldree will keep finding more stories set in this world!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me enter this amazing world of Travis Baldree one more time and see Fern again finding her place and happiness, even if it is not in the bookshop (though I would love to visit that bookshop anyways and see Pot Roast!).

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 enjoyed Legends and Lattes , and was very happy to get an ARC of B&B from NetGalley.
The series is described as ‘cosy fantasy’, but this tale is a lot less ‘cosy’ than L&L. Fern, a ‘ratkin’ bookseller from Bookshops and Bonedust, arrives to set up a bookshop next to Viv. But she is hiding a secret; a dissatisfaction with her life that inadvertently leads her to into a classic ‘epic’ journey- albeit one with many humorous and quirky twists.
The storyline is great, the themes, as in L&L include becoming the person you want to be, friendship, and loyalty, with mayhem and adventure thrown into the mix.
This is an even better tale than Legends and Lattes.

Wow I loved this book just as much as the others! This one really switches up the pace, in this book we follow Fern and her crushing disappointment with her cosy bookseller life.

She essentially (accidentally) runs away to have an adventure of her own and I LOVED every second of it. Potty-mouthed and awkward, Fern just dives in headfirst.

This book proves that cosy fantasy doesn’t have to be just a slowed paced, small business owning, romantic story. Instead it was an action packed adventure filled with friendship, still just a cosy.

12/10 for Zyll. I loved her character so much.

Thank you so much to the author and NetGalley for giving me a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly my favourite yet!

Baldree's ability to create such delightfully deep characters with relatable struggles (and foul-mouths!!) yet wrapped in a cosy backdrop is just pure joy. The humour is also right up my street, dry and will have you cackling away.

Zyll gets my vote, for anything, anytime, anywhere - the secret MVP.

Everything you would expect from the Legend's and Latte series just with a bit more umph (quests, sword fights and slightly higher stakes)!!

Thanks to Pan Macmillan, Tor and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Travis Baldree write the most perfect cosy, low stakes books. Literally feels like a hug,
If you enjoyed the other two, you will love this one!

An excellent addition to the series begun in Legends and Lattes, this follows Fern, the rattkin bookseller who appeared in Bookshops and Bonedust. An exploration of burnout and existential crisis through a fantasy adventure with elves and goblins, Fern has emotional depth and complexity, and an arc of growth that feels very real and nuanced. Lovely.

Dog the bounty hunter meets mid-life crisis work sabbatical - in the best way possible.

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Brigands & Breadknives focuses on Fern, the feisty, foul-mouthed rattkin we all fell in love with in Bookshops & Bonedust, as she goes on an epic adventure of discovery, reflection and moderate-yet-persistant peril, kind of by accident.


All too often, in the third book of a series, one of two things happens. Either, a) the story becomes stale, predictable and dull, or 2) the story takes a sharp left, gets wildly out of hand and goes too far in a bid to keep things fresh and interesting.


Travis Baldree successfully avoids these pitfalls by taking us along a parallel path to the first two books. There is familiarity in the warmth of the writing and the cozy moments sprinkled liberally throughout the book but where it really differs is the message. Travis Baldree reaches through the pages, holds your hands and says "Hey, it's ok if the things you used to love no longer serve you and bring you joy. You can put them down and find a new thing. It's never too late."


The overall story and plot felt really clean and tight; everything served a purpose and the plot clipped along at a steady pace. There are a whole host of new characters that I hope have cameos/story lines in future books (I also hope there are future books!)


My favourite character by far was Zyll, a chaos goblin with sticky fingers. She is the embodiment of chaotic good and she has become my newest role model.

In fact, not long after reading this book, I liberated a really cute cake fork from a wedding reception - I know Zyll would approve.

10/10. no notes. go read it.

I loved this so much! It's still fairly cosy, but is a more traditional fantasy quest-based roadtrip. Fern is a great character, and I enjoyed her begrudging introspection throughout the journey in particular. But really, all the characters are marvellous, they're all vividly told and busy with their own business and motivations, and several of them totally steal their scenes, it is definitely not just The Fern Story.

If you're looking for more 'building up work/home/found-family in a single location' style fluffy fantasy, this is not that ... but as a mid-life-crisis-response adventure story, I think this rocks!

I absolutely loved returning to this world. Brigands & Breadknives takes everything I adored about the Legends & Lattesuniverse (comfort, found family, and cozy vibes) and layers it with adventure, humor, and just the right amount of chaos.

Fern is such a fantastic main character: grumpy and endearing, fiercely independent but yet still learning (and yearning to!) how to open herself up to others. The crew she surrounds herself with in this book is both absolutely hilarious and heartwarming. I specially adored the chaos-goblin, who completely stole my heart.

This book was just so comforting and cozy, and exactly what I didn't know I needed. Whilst the stakes are real, what matters most in this book are the friendships the characters create throughout the story, witnessing their resilience and bravery and the happiness you feel reading it.

This is another perfect gem of a book; a cozy fantasy that reads so easily and perfect for a rainy afternoon under a blanket.