Excerpt from Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

This is an excerpt from the book Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree.
Thimble rapped on the front door as the two of them prepared to open. In his hands he clutched a cloth-wrapped lump that trailed wisps of steam. Viv smelled something warm and yeasty and sweet, and thought she recognized cinnamon, too.
He scuttled indoors.
Tandri emerged from the pantry with a bag of beans and a carafe of milk, inhaling deeply. “What is that wonderful smell?”
The rattkin glanced anxiously between them, then slid his wrapped bundle onto the counter top.
Viv pointed at it. “May I?”
Thimble nodded hesitantly.
Carefully unfolding the cloth, Viv revealed a roll as big as her fist, almost too large to imagine eating. Soft bread wound in a spiral, with dark sugar and cinnamon nestled between the rings, and a thick, creamy glaze frosted the top and dripped down the sides.
Tandri was right. The scent was unbelievably amazing.
“You made this?” asked Viv, impressed.
“Did,” whispered the rattkin, again with the little bobbing nod, his hands clasped before his flour-dusted apron.
Viv and Tandri shared a glance, and then Viv delicately tore a piece from the enormous roll, sniffed deeply, and popped it into her mouth.
She closed her eyes and made an involuntary noise of pleasure. It was easily the most delicious thing she’d had in … well, maybe ever.
“Good gods,” she murmured around the mouthful. “Tandri, try it.”
Tandri peeled off a piece and obliged.
As she chewed, Viv could feel some kind of atmospheric shift around Tandri, a sultry radiance, and her tail lashed back and forth in elegant loops. Viv and the rattkin watched her chew, rapt.
When the succubus opened her eyes again, her irises were huge, cheeks flushed. She looked dreamily at the rattkin. “You’re hired.” Her voice had gone husky. Then she startled and glanced at Viv. The aura dissipated. “Wait, that is why he’s here, isn’t it?”
Viv turned to Thimble. “How would you like to bake these here every day?”
He nodded and shifted from foot to foot, as though he wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words.
“Four silver a week?” Viv prompted. She looked at Tandri to make sure there would be no objection.
The succubus nodded, eyes big, and made a yes-yes-get-on-with-it flapping with her hands.
Thimble nodded an affirmative, then he stretched out his nose, and for the first time, uttered more than one word in his silky whisper. “Free coffee?”
Viv offered a hand. “Thimble, you can have all the coffee you want.”
Have you read this book? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment below!
Legends & Lattes- 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.
Copyright © 2022 by Travis Baldree.
You can find more details here on Goodreads and on StoryGraph.
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