Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree

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 traveler in gray, 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.

I admit it; I haven't read Legends and Lattes. I know; I'm fired from reading books. But as this is a prequel, I thought I'd try it anyway. Surely everything I need would be explained here?

Well, mostly. As the main character was injured and recuperating, she was meeting everyone for the first time, so I didn't have to worry about preexisting relationships. However, some of the creature classes were new to me and I would have liked more description. That's a very tiny complaint, though.

This kind of feels like the book equivalent of those Hallmark movies where the busy big city person ends up in a small town where everyone knows each other and they all help out (but somehow they need the big city person to save something or other). I mean that in  the best way; this is a nice, gentle, easy read, which is something we all need occasionally.

I'll be looking out for L&L  now, and I recommend this if you're looking for a nice, gentle read. Don't be put off by the fantasy mentions; these are all just people being people. 

Bookshops and Bonedust publishes on the 7th November, 2023. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.