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I had such a good time with this book! I liked it even better than Legends & Lattes, which was cute but a little too cozy to really fall into the “love” category for me. Sure, I adored the characters, and who doesn’t swoon over a cute story about found family and pastries? But I do tend to like a little more substance to my reads.

Bookshops & Bonedust has the best of both worlds. It’s a prequel, taking place while Viv is still making a name for herself with Rackam’s crew. But don’t worry, there isn’t a bunch of orc sword fights here; Viv is injured and recovers in a cute little seaside town. I do think this book still feels like it belongs in the cozy category, but it’s more novel-length (versus novella) and has a more substantive plot and a bigger bad guy. Still lots of found family vibes and plenty of pastries, and this time, also a bookstore!! So what’s not to love?

If you liked Legends & Lattes, even if it wasn’t a favorite, I think you’ll like this one. Give it a shot.