Rach's Reading Club

Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes   by Travis Baldree

My partner chose this book for me, and I absolutely loved it. Nothing I would have chosen off the shelves because of the cheesy-looking cover, but hey: it's about an orc who's discovered the wonders of coffee in a large dwarven town, realizes she's had enough of the life of violence she's led for years, and decides to leave her old life behind and open up a coffee shop of her own.

She chooses a town to settle in based on the ley-lines of the land, purchases an old livery stable, and finds that no one there has any idea what coffee is. With her willingness to work hard and trust her new friends, together they build a successful shop with an ever-increasing menu of items, with the introduction of a genius baker (cinnamon rolls as big as your head), iced lattes in the heat of the summer, and live music offered by a very amateur bard, she feels she's finally found her happy place. (There's magic involved, but I'm not going to spoil that for you. You'll have to read it to see where that fits in.)

Of course success and happiness isn't that easy, the bottom has to fall out. But with difficulties and twists come blooming relationships and kindness. The story is light and fun to read. The author makes some interesting and difficult descriptions, like the circle of friends and how they experience new things, like tasting chocolate for the first time.

If you love coffee, or baking, or high fantasy, it's a nice rainy-day read. It could almost be considered a "cozy," except for the first two pages of the book, which are quite gory. Beyond that, it's hot coffee and baked goods. Good stuff!

   

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