Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Have you read Legends & Lattes yet? Then you’re in for a treat, and you don’t need to be a coffee drinker to enjoy it. This new novel, due out November 7, is a prequel.

Viv, an orc, is at the beginner of her career as a mercenary here. Recovering from a severe injury, Viv is stuck in the seaside village of Murk until Rackham’s Ravens return. While occasionally following the doctor’s orders, Viv is bored. So very bored. Constant questions from Gallina, a young gnome who wants to join the Ravens, doesn’t help. But Fern and her shabby bookshop do. One book, suggested by savvy readers advisor Fern, leads to others. Viv, with the help of Pitts, a poetry loving orc who hauls things, help make the bookshop more welcoming. Then there’s Maylee, a dwarf who runs the local bakery. Baldree writes so lovingly of scones and pastries in both books that you’ll want to make a quick trip to a local bakery or bake some scones, cookies, or muffins yourself.

Many cozy mysteries are set in bookstores or bakeries. I start quite a few, finish some, and am delighted by only a few. Baldree’s cozy fantasy books featuring Viv, though, are awesome. Besides an injured orc and a bookshop that needs spiffing up, there’s also a gryphet, a reclusive romance author, some sweet kisses, and a greatsword belonging to an evil necromancer. Also, a gray man, smelling of ice and death, has Viv and the local guard on high alert. What could possibly go wrong before the Ravens return? This is a charming read, well worth savoring. These books can be read in either order. More, please!

Brenda