Day: July 11, 2025

Posted in Bookish Babble

Book Review – Series Review Part 2: Legends & Lattes

Posted on by Mama

Title: Legends & Lattes


Author: Travis Baldree


Genre: Fantasy, Fiction


Number of Pages: 304


My Rating: 💋💋💋💋💋


Book Summary:

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.


My Thoughts:

Absolutely LOVED it! I really couldn’t put this book down to be completely honest. I think I read it in just a few days, which is a rarity for me when it comes to novels. It was the first novel of Travis Baldree’s that I had read and so glad that I did. It captivates you right from the start and the pace of the book flows so effortlessly. It’s fun, cozy and you really fall in love with each character in their own way.

Viv is a battle-worn Orc that longs for a peace, quiet and simplicity. After years of battles and mercenary work, she is ready to finally pursue her dream- to open up a coffee shop. And she had found just the place to do it – in the city of Thune. She even acquired the Scalvert’s Stone which is an artifact that is said to bring good fortune and attract those who share the owner’s desires. Just to make sure that everything went in her favour, she needed an “insurance” policy so to speak. No one could really blame her, especially when no one in that city—let alone that part of the world—had ever heard of coffee before.

First order of business was fixing up the joint and she knew just where to look, down at the docks. She spots a hard-working Hob whose name we learn is Calamity (AKA Cal). Viv quickly learns that he’s not only hard-working, but blunt, practical and trust-worthy. Oh did I mention he’s a big softie on the inside? He becomes a vital ally and friend to Viv and to her success.

With the shop is happily on it’s way, Viv decides she would like to hire a little bit of help. So when she put up the help wanted sign, she didn’t expect much however she hoped for the best. Her luck persisted and in walked Tandri – a succubus with an artsy side and an eye for marketing. Tandri quickly becomes entwined in Viv’s life and the business, becoming a friend and partner….in more ways than one.

And every good coffee shop needs a baker right? Well, we find that in our soft-spoken Ratkin who we know and love as Thimble. He was first introduced as a customer, eagerly coming back day after day for his coffee fix. But with suggestions from fellow patrons regarding food, Viv had a mind to speak to Thimble. She approached him and he happily agreed to help out Viv in the baking department. It wasn’t until the next day when he brought over warm cinnamon buns. Needless to say, Thimble became a permanent fixture in the kitchen and would essentially get whatever he wanted. From Cinnamon rolls, to Thimblets to Midnight Crescents, there was no stopping his genius as long as he had his coffee in hand, he was a happy camper! Can you tell I adore Thimble?

Pendry, though a minor character, eventually befriends Viv and becomes the entertainment in the coffee shop. Shy, sweet and musically ahead of his time. He slowly grows a fan base after Viv’s encouragement and he quickly gets over her “stage fright”. A nice little addition to the shop.

Hemington, another minor character, is a local scholar who just loiters about in a booth at the back of the coffee shop, who studies and jots notes constantly. Purchase-adverse at first until the ladies find something for his liking, along with Thimble’s baked goods. He ends up being a big help to Viv with his knowledge of magic and leylines.

And every cozy coffee shop needs a pet and boy, did they get one! In saunters the beautiful Dire-cat named Amity. No one really knows where the cat came from, all they know is it likes to hang around the shop. And who are they to deny the Dire-cat a little comfort and some protection for themselves.

But don’t forget some of Viv’s old rough around the edges comrades; Gallina – the feisty little Gnome who is eager for a fight, Roon – the helpful, loyal, protective and funny Dwarf and Taivus – the quiet, mysterious, logical Stone-fey.

With all these wonderful characters surrounding Viv, you would think trouble wouldn’t come crawling into her new life, right? What would a good book be without a little bit of trouble.

With Viv’s experience as a sword for hire, she knows to keep her wits about her, to be logical before just swinging at times and to have a take-no-shit attitude. Which all serve her well when others within the city and from her past life begin to cause a few problems.

But like all heroes and dreamers, the story has a pretty great ending to it. A dream come true and she even improved the community in her own way. But she truly couldn’t have done it without her circle of friends and in turn, she helps them to see their potential and self-worth.

Truly the ultimate cozy fantasy novel and one I do highly recommend to read. I promise you won’t put it down!

Hope you enjoyed the review!

Ciao!

Posted in Daily Life as a Parent

Lions, Tigers and Bears….Oh It’s a Zoo Day!

Posted on by Mama

On July 4th, we went to a smaller zoo that was about an hour away from us. Valeria has taken a real liking to all kinds of animals (she gets her love of animals from her mama), so we thought a zoo day would be perfect. Plus my parents wanted to come along so added bonus for Valeria, since grandma had the week off for vacation. I’ll scatter a few of my favourite photos throughout the post, as always I’m not going to post much of my daughter.

We left fairly early in the morning, but by the time we drove the hour to get there – the place was packed with cars. Not really a surprise, to be fair, since school is out for the summer and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. The zoo is a small one compared to Toronto, but needless to say it had a lot to see and a lot to do! We started off walking around half of the zoo – we saw goats, cows, monkeys, bears, pigs, lions, tigers, zebras, a camel, ostrich and even caught a glimpse of a wolf. Wolves are my husband’s favourite.

Grandma was nice enough to grab us some feed for the animals so we can feed the omnivores and herbivores. Valeria loved feeding the goats. I was able to capture the attention of my beloved bears, who were fast asleep until I threw some food in the cage for them. Beautiful black bears to be exact (though I love all bears, they are my all time favourite), and I just feel a kindred spirit to these gorgeous fur balls. I know crazy right? But they didn’t get up for anyone else, and others were feeding them too. Coincidence? Maybe, but I’m going to pretend like I’m special just this once.

Valeria was having a ball and she wanted to go into every single cage, looking at me and Anthony going “In, in!” And we’d have to tell her no, it’s too dangerous we can’t go in there. She got really upset when she couldn’t get up close and personal, especially with the ones who could tear you apart. She did, however, get her mind off that when we circled back to the goats to feed them. Oh how excited she was that the goats were eating out of her hands.

Once we were done, we took a quick bathroom break – handwashing thoroughly and a diaper change and than off to the picnic area we went, hoping to score a picnic table in the shade. We were indeed successful! We got a solo table right under a big tree, we grabbed the cooler from the car and had a little lunch. It was great because it was right by the splash pad, swings and playgrounds. They even had one of those big bouncy jumping pillow things for the kids, I have no idea what they are called. Did I say this place was amazing yet? It had a lot for kids to do, it was incredible!

Valeria did her rounds, even went to try the splash pad with daddy (I made sure she had a bathing suit that day, with a change of clothing for once she was finished. Prepared mom alert) and she hated the cold water! After a few attempts there, she wanted to play at the playground and we happily obliged. I took her to the toddler play area and she quickly made a friend with a little blonde girl. They took turns going down the slide and playing peek-a-boo through the play house window. It was very cute! She makes friends so easily. Alas, we had to go finish the zoo, so we said bye to her little friend and off we went.

We put everything back in the car and went into the second half of the zoo. There we saw lemurs, all sorts of reptiles, chickens, llamas, kangaroos, peacocks and mini horses. Chickens are Valeria’s absolute favourite animal. So when she saw them she squealed and got so excited, even started making chicken sounds. The white chicken in the photo immediately came to the fence when she started doing it. It was hilarious and I was able to capture a video.

We also went into the souvenir shop and of course we couldn’t leave without a little something. Two small stuffed animals for Valeria, a magnet for the fridge and a cute little crystal for me.

My parents had an absolute blast and my dad would have walked around with Valeria to see it all again, but alas the long day caught up to her and she was exhausted. No nap will do that to you! We piled in the car and Valeria immediately passed out for the hour long car ride – mom and I chatted the whole way, dad was driving and chatting with Anthony, who occupied the passenger seat.

All in all, it was truly a wonderful and fun day and I’m so glad we could spend it with my parents. Hoping to do more trips with the family, not just my side but Anthony’s as well. Would love to take his mom for a day trip (or two) with us this summer.

Hope you enjoyed a small glimpse into our trip and more to come!

I hope you have a wonderful day or night wherever you are in the world!

Ciao!