Synopsis:
After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.
The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success โ not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone.
But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.
My Review
I’ve been itching to read this book for awhile as I’ve heard such good things from the book community about it being a cozy fantasy. I dipped my toes into Romantasy last year after being strictly a romance reader, and I think it may be my favorite genre now. But despite my love of romance books, Legends & Lattes is really quite light on the romance, but moreso just a really heartwarming cozy read.
I don’t think there was anything in particular I didn’t love about this book. The characters are absolutely endearing and have a way of making you smile with their cute little quirks. I also really enjoyed seeing Viv open up and forge friendships with others who were generally known to be disliked, or awkward. She’s the kind of character who sees through stereotypes and judges others based on their character, not their external appearance or societal stereotypes and I really liked that a lot, because our society holds a lot of prejudices against other people, whether it be race, sexuality, political standing, etc. and I think most of us can relate to experiencing these prejudices in one form or another, no matter who you are. All that being said, this book is really a breath of fresh air, you get to live in a fantasy world for a little while where it feels like everything is okay. I think this book also inspires readers to see parallels in how we can do better, be better, and refine our own character when it comes to social interactions in our very politically tense society where we majorly like to rely on particularly negative stereotypes of other people as a collective.
Politics aside, this book also promotes a strong sense of community, love, healthy conflict resolution, and believing in your own ability to achieve your dreams and goals. I absolutely loved it from start to finish. I think anyone who wants to feel warm and fuzzy inside should read this book. โฅ Legends & Lattes will be taking up residence in my permanent personal library. Highly recommended!
The Cozy Cat Rating: โ โ โ โ โ
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