Looking for a fantasy series that feels like a warm hug? Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes series has become the gold standard for cosy fantasy, proving that high fantasy doesn't need high stakes to capture your heart. With orcs opening coffee shops, rattkin running bookstores, and found family bonds that will make you smile, this series delivers exactly what modern readers are craving.
What Is the Legends & Lattes Series?
The Legends & Lattes series takes place in a D&D-inspired fantasy world filled with orcs, elves, gnomes, succubi, and ratkin; but instead of epic quests and world-ending battles, these stories focus on the quieter moments of life. Opening a business, making friends, finding love, and discovering who you are beyond what you've always done.
Travis Baldree, an acclaimed audiobook narrator who has voiced hundreds of fantasy novels, wrote these books with a deep understanding of what makes the genre tick. His debut novel became a #1 New York Times bestseller and earned Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award nominations, helping to define and popularise what we now call "cosy fantasy."
The series tagline says it all: High Fantasy, Low Stakes.
The Books in Order
Book 0 (Prequel): Bookshops & Bonedust
Set twenty years before Legends & Lattes, this prequel follows a younger Viv during her mercenary days. When she's injured hunting a necromancer, she's forced to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk; far from the action she craves.
What's a battle-hungry orc to do? Unexpectedly, Viv finds herself spending time at a struggling bookshop run by the foul-mouthed rattkin Fern. Through first loves, secondhand books, and an improbable number of skeletons, Viv discovers there's more to life than endless battles.
This is where Viv learns to love reading, meets the unforgettable gnome Gallina, and begins the transformation that will eventually lead her to hang up her sword for good.
Book 1: Legends & Lattes
After decades of bounties and bloodshed, Viv the orc barbarian is done with adventuring. Armed with a magical artefact said to bring luck, she sets out to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune; a place where nobody has even heard of coffee.
With the help of a carpenter, a succubus barista named Tandri, and a ratkin baker called Thimble who invents cinnamon rolls, Viv builds something she's never had before: a home, a community, and perhaps something more with Tandri.
This is the book that launched a genre phenomenon and proved that readers were hungry for fantasy comfort reads.
Book 2: Brigands & Breadknives
The newest addition to the series shifts focus to fan-favourite character Fern, the rattkin bookseller from Bookshops & Bonedust. Decades after meeting Viv in Murk, Fern relocates to Thune to open a bookshop beside her old friend's coffee shop.
But when a drunken night goes sideways, Fern wakes up far from home in the company of a legendary warrior, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping headache. For once, Fern finds herself on an actual adventure; and it might be exactly what she needs to figure out what's been missing from her life.
This instalment brings more action than its predecessors whilst retaining the warmth, humour, and heart the series is known for.
Why You Should Read the Legends & Lattes Series
The definitive cosy fantasy experience - If you're looking for the book that launched the cosy fantasy trend, this is it. Travis Baldree has been called "the King of Cosy Fantasy" for good reason; these books are comforting without being saccharine.
Characters who feel like friends - From Viv's gentle strength to Thimble's earnest enthusiasm to Fern's gloriously foul mouth, every character is distinct, lovable, and utterly human despite being orcs and ratkin.
Found family done right - Watch strangers become colleagues, then friends, then something closer to family. These relationships develop naturally and will leave you smiling.
Perfect for reading slumps - Accessible prose, short chapters, and a complete absence of grimdark violence make these ideal palate cleansers between heavier reads; or perfect comfort reads when you need something gentle.
Sapphic romance - The slow-burn romance between Viv and Tandri in Legends & Lattes unfolds beautifully, built on trust, respect, and genuine partnership rather than drama.
Celebrates small victories - In a genre obsessed with saving the world, these books remind us that opening a successful business, making a friend, or baking the perfect pastry can be just as meaningful.
Exceptional audiobooks - Travis Baldree narrates his own books, and his decades of experience shine through. If you enjoy audiobooks, these are essential listening.
Self-contained stories - While the books share a world and characters, each tells a complete, satisfying story. You can read them in any order, though publication order (Legends & Lattes → Bookshops & Bonedust → Brigands & Breadknives) is recommended.
Witty, warm writing - Baldree's prose has been compared to Terry Pratchett's Discworld for its humour and heart. Expect clever wordplay, genuinely funny moments, and an abundance of warmth.
Delicious food descriptions - From gnomish coffee to freshly baked cinnamon rolls to scones with clotted cream, these books will make you hungry. The food imagery is practically a character in itself.
Who Will Love This Series?
The Legends & Lattes series is perfect for readers who enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Tea Dragon Society, A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking, or Piranesi. If you're searching for feel-good fantasy, low-stakes fantasy, or slice-of-life fantasy books, look no further.
Fans of D&D and tabletop RPGs will appreciate the world's familiar fantasy races and settings, whilst readers who typically avoid epic fantasy might find this the perfect entry point into the genre.
Whether you're a lifelong fantasy reader looking for something different or completely new to the genre, Travis Baldree's cosy corner of fantasy welcomes everyone with a fresh cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll.
Books Featured in This Article
Legends & Lattes
by Travis Baldree
An Instant New York Times BestsellerA Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2022A Library Reads PickAn Indie Next PickA Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award NomineeThe much-beloved BookTok sensation, Travis Baldree's novel of high fantasy and low stakes.*This new edition includes a very special, never-before-seen bonus story, 'Pages to Fill.'*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 — 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.“Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. Legends & Lattes is a low-stakes fantasy that delivers exactly what's advertised: a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug. This is my new comfort read.”—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The Witch's Heart
Brigands & Breadknives
by Travis Baldree
Now in paperback, return to the cozy fantasy world of the #1 New York Times bestselling Legends & Lattes series with an adventure featuring fan-favorite, foul-mouthed bookseller Fern.Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!If only things were so simple...It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when nothing seems inevitable.