Brigands & breadknives

In Baldree's endearing third Legends & Lattes fantasy (after Bookshops & Bonedust), rattkin bookseller Fern moves cross-country to open a bookstore next door to her old friend Viv's coffee shop, hoping this will cure her ennui. Despite a warm welcome from her new community, however, she remains oddly dissatisfied. One night, she drunkenly stows away in a wagon belonging to Astryx One-Ear, an ancient elven adventurer and bounty hunter, who's currently bringing a chaotic goblin named Zyll to face justice. Unwilling to return home as she's unsure how to explain to Viv why she's discontent, Fern arranges to keep traveling with Astryx and Zyll. The journey proves perilous, with rival bounty hunters and Zyll's enemies all wanting a piece of the goblin, but Fern's escapades on the road allow her to reassess her life's trajectory and discover a passion for telling stories in addition to selling them. But when she must choose between old friends and new, it could change everything. While this road trip romp is more action-packed than previous installments, Baldree still conjures up the sense of cozy intimacy the series is known for. It's a delight. (Nov.)

Viv, successful owner of the Legends & Lattes coffee shop in bustling Thune, reaches out to her old friend Fern (her partner in accidentally beating a fabled necromancer in Bookshops & Bonedust), hoping that Fern will come to Thune and open a bookshop next door. Fern is in the midst of a midlife crisis and thinks a change will fix her ennui. Instead, it drives her to desperate measures, hitching a ride on a cart carrying a legendary elf warrior and her goblin bounty on the road to friendship, adventure, and the opening chapters of the rest of Fern's life--once she stops worrying about what other people think and marching to the beat of her own drummer. Baldree's third "Legends & Lattes" book ties the series together with a cozy bow as it catches up the story of Bookshops & Bonedust to Viv's present and takes readers on a slightly less cozy but very compelling journey with the cynical, self-deprecating, constantly cursing Fern to forge a tale of wacky schemes, found sisterhood, and growth. VERDICT Readers will be delighted to encounter more of Viv and her friends, as will anyone who loves cozy fantasies such as Rebecca Thorne's "Tomes and Tea" series.--Marlene Harris