Synopsis

Viv’s career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam’s Ravens isn’t going as planned.

Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she’s packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk — so far from the action that she worries she’ll never be able to return to it.

What’s a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn’t possibly imagine.

Still, adventure isn’t all that far away. A suspicious traveller in grey, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.

Review

Travis’s first book was like a huge cosy hug and left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. I did not think I needed a prequel.

I was wrong. Although entirely standalone, Bookshops & Bonedust contains little nods to Legends & Lattes, yet it feels much darker and more like a fantasy. It is still cosy, with the focus on a bookshop rather than a coffee shop, but as both are my happy place, what’s not to like?

We meet more interesting characters – Fern and Potroast in particular are wonderful – and see friendships blossom as stubborn, closed creatures realise what can be achieved in a group. As with L&L B&B has many mouthwatering treats to make us desperate to join Viv during her recuperation (Daddy vibes aside) for a cosy coffee, baked bun and a tantalising tome.

Most readers will love the feeling of seeing someone pick up a book that speaks to their soul and in this, we see Viv discover an unexpected pleasure in reading.

There’s very little to fault really, as it’s just a delight to read, although it’s a shame that we know Viv is going to move on eventually. Cosy fantasy is the genre I would never have expected to love, but each book makes you feel happy right down to your toes and it’s truly wonderful.

Thanks to Tor Books (PanMacmillan) and Black Crow PR for my proof copy. Opinions my own.

Other books by Travis Baldree: Legends & Lattes