**AD| We were gifted an ARC copy of this book in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are our own**
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree* took the book community by storm when it was released back in 2022. The cosy fantasy proved just what readers needed after navigating the Covid years and you couldn’t log on to social media of any kind without seeing it pop up and hearing rave reviews. Fast forward 18 months and it’s almost time for the release of it’s much anticipated prequel, Bookshops & Bonedust*. I was extremely grateful to receive an ARC copy earlier this year – thanks as always to the wonderful bookish peeps over at Tor Books – and I immediately cleared my reading schedule and dove straight in as I simply couldn’t wait! With my finished copy due to land on the door mat in mere days I though it was about time to share my review her so I hope you enjoy.
About The Book
Viv’s career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam’s Ravens isn’t going as planned.
Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she’s packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she’ll never be able to return to it.
What’s a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?
Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn’t possibly imagine.
Still, adventure isn’t all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.
Review
After reading Legends and Lattes as what I thought was a stand-alone book I was thrilled to be getting more from Viv’s world with this prequel and it didn’t disappoint!
Set 20yrs before Legends this book follows a wounded Viv left behind in a sleepy town to recover while her crew carry on chasing their current bounty. Cue the introduction of a cosy bookstore and a delicious sounding bakery and we have all the elements of the perfect tale.
This book offers all the cute cosy fantasy vibes that Legends has as well as the inevitable adventure and action that our main character always finds herself entangled in. I absolutely adored every second and it may even (just) be better than Legends.
Loved that the epilogue left things open for more stories from this world and I truly hope that we get many more as I’ll be first in the line to devour anything else this author puts out there!
About The Author
Travis is a New York Times Bestselling author, and a full-time audiobook narrator who has lent his voice to hundreds of stories. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his very patient family and their small, nervous dog.
Bookshops and Bonedust is available to purchase from Amazon*
Fraser’s Fun House 