Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes - Travis Baldree

I’ve always been a sucker for a book about someone opening up a café or a book shop. Add magic, cinnamon buns and queer characters? Yes please. I read this book over Christmas, and it was one of my loveliest presents.

From the back:

After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream – for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can’t go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune’s shady underbelly could make it all too easy for Viv to take up the blade once more.

But the true reward of the uncharted path is the travellers you meet along the way. Whether bound by ancient magic, delicious pastries or a freshly brewed cup, they may become something deeper than Viv ever could have imagined.