Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree Narrator: Travis Baldree
Series: Legends & Lattes #3
Published by MacMillan Audio on November 11, 2025
Genres: Fantasy
Length: 8 hours, 24 minute
Format: Audiobook
Source: NetGalley
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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 surviving on inertia, 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 there isn’t a job to get in the way.
We met Fern in the prequel book to the series Bookshops & Bonedust. She is a ratkin that has been in a rut for awhile and when Viv invites her to the town where she has set up a coffee shop Fern is up for the adventure of a new place with an old friend. Brigands & Breadknives the third story in the Legends and Lattes world give the reader more action than the prior books and takes us on a bit of an adventure as Fern searches for what is missing in her life.
Fern was a fun character. Going through a bit of a midlife crisis, she comes to visit her old friend. Viv looking to help out Fern has set up a bookshop next the to coffee shop for Fern to run. One problem, Fern really doesn’t want to be a bookseller anymore. Something is missing from her life and she isn’t sure what. But instead of owning it and telling Viv, she gets a bit drunk and accidentally falls asleep in the Wagon of a notorious Fae bounty hunter and is about to have a grand adventure.
Asteryx is millennia old and set in her ways on the road. She didn’t expect to find a hungover ratkin in her wagon but it is too late to turn back as she is on her way to deliver her bounty, a Goblin named Zyll for a rather large reward. Fern has been a fangirl of Asteryx and all of her adventures for awhile and can’t believe her luck in stumbling into the makings of one of the stories she has read about. With no money on her and no way to get home, Fern is in this journey until they get the tricky goblin to the bounty destination. She just needs to figure out how to tell Viv as well.
I liked this story much more than the prequel with Fern. The quest the troop is on had danger, betrayals and a fantastic twist at the end that was well worth the read. Zyll it seems has been a tricky goblin indeed and has quite a few characters after her on the road looking to either get the bounty or make Zyll pay for the trouble she has caused them. I had so much fun with this story and the characters in it. I liked how Fern was able to revitalize Asteryx’s view of the world and how in return Asteryx is able to help Fern realize a different path for her journey.
Bonus for me at least there is a sentient sword and breadknife diminished sword (don’t judge) to add to some of the frivolity of the story.
Another cozy fantasy where you know it is all going to go okay in the end but for me at least this one had more substance to the entire story and was a nice change of pace from Bookshops & Bonedust. If the prequel was a win for you this will probably also be a fun read, but if you were like me and it was just okay, I think Brigands & Breadknives will be a nice surprise and a better overall read.
Narration:
Performance: ★★★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★★
Diction: ★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★★
Sound Effects: none
Travis Baldree is an accomplishes narrator and again does a great job narrating his story. All of the voices are well defined and you can tell he had a great time bringing the story to life. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip:Â HERE
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I read book 1 a while back. I should read book 2.
I liked book 2 for sure maybe even a little better than the first and I don’t think you need to have read the prequel to really enjoy it.
I haven’t read Bookshops and Bonedust yet, but probably should since I enjoyed Legends and Lattes and want to read this too. Great review!
Thanks…I thought it was a fun time and if you liked Legends and Lattes it is a safe bet.