Legends & Lattes is the cozy, warm blanket of a book I didn’t know I wanted.
Then it got really cold, icy, and snowy in St. Louis. I had just finished my previous book (Defiant) and needed something new, and I recalled seeing a friend recommend a book with an orc on the cover. It looked like a D&D novel, but the orc was in a coffee shop. I was intrigued.
From the opening pages of Legends & Lattes, I was charmed and delighted. This is a book about an orc who opens a coffee shop. That’s it. Yet that’s all I needed on a cold St. Louis weekend.
While the author, Travis Baldress, probably could have set the book in the real world, I think the light fantasy setting works great here. Not only is there something inherently cozy about a fantasy city, but the genre twist is refreshing. This isn’t about an orc as a monster or about questing or slaying; it’s about an orc who wants to build and run a business featuring a drink that no one has heard of (coffee).
Legends & Lattes is a complete story, though I’m excited to learn that a sequel has already been released. I’m excited to snuggle into bed tonight with it.
Have you read this or anything like this?
Ok, your description alone has me intrigued. It reminds me of an anime a friend asked me to watch. Normally I don’t enjoy anime, but I was willing to try it for this friend. The anime is about a fantasy world where, once each week, on Sunday, a door to our universe appears, specifically to a restaurant, and the entire anime is about the goings on of that restaurant. Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I think I’ll give this book a try! (Restaurant to another Universe is the anime, for the curious)
That sounds delightful! Thanks for sharing.
I loved this book. Simple and delightful! Looking forward to a sequel.
The comment from Christopher Breymeyer reminded me of a podcast; Midnight Burger. It’s about a time travelling, dimension-spanning diner. Every day it (and its staff) appear somewhere new in the cosmos.
Brilliant! Thanks for the podcast recommendation.
Yeti Left Home by Aaron Rosenberg is an easy read about a yeti who is trying to fit in when he travels to the city. With his ballcap on, people just mistake him for a tall guy with a big beard. The supernatural characters are disguised and just a part of the story about trying to fit in and appreciating some of the simpler things in life. It can really make you think, but is also a fun read with Rosenberg’s offbeat sense of humor.
That sounds wonderful! Thanks for the recommendation.