I received an eARC from NetGalley and the publishers. All opinions are my own.
High Fantasy with a double-shot of self-reinvention
Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.
However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.
A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.
This book was a breakout success thanks to TikTok word-of-mouth, so it’s always intimidating going into a book with that much hype.
Legends & Lattes is a cozy fantasy about Viv, an orc adventurer who sets down her great sword to set up a coffee shop in a city that doesn’t know what coffee is. She makes friends with locals, and goes through the ups and downs of starting a business.
The beginning was pretty rough for me. Viv is just starting up in the city, remodeling the property she buys. It was boring, dry, and not that engaging. It was a lot of description about what Viv was doing, and not much about how she felt making such a drastic leap in her life. I almost lost hope, but once the café was built and the main cast in place, it became much more enjoyable. It was much more fun to see Viv interacting with her employees/friends and customers than just slowly building the café.
Speaking of main cast, I really enjoyed the characters. Viv and Tandri, the artistic succubi who helps Vvi run the place, were a great pair. They also have a pretty cute romance. Thimble, the baker, was undeniably my favorite character. He was just so cute that every time he was on page, I got excited! Cal, the grumpy carpenter, was also great.
I rated this book 3.25 stars. It was a nice cozy fantasy and it did it’s job in bringing a smile to my face. I just didn’t like it as much as most other people.
Kappa Reads 
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