Viv has had enough of her career as a mercenary. She’s quite ready to spend more than a few days in the same place and live rather than survive. So when she buys an abandoned building in Thune and starts refurbishing it with the help of a friend, it all feels right. But are townspeople ready to accept her? After all, she’s an orc, a species not often found behind a counter. And what on earth is *coffee* anyway?

This book, which helped define cosy fantasy, is perfect. That’s it, thank you for reading my review.

To expand a little, I’d say there is a particular pleasure in a book that’s doing exactly what it sets out to do. This one is advertised on the cover as “High Fantasy. Low Stakes. Good Company”, as that’s exactly what you get inside, nothing less. This is the book to turn to when you need the literary equivalent to holding a cup filled with a warm beverage between your hands, maybe not as emotionally intense as some of Becky Chambers’ books can be but playing in the same category. I can see myself re-reading this one over the years to come, and I’m looking very much forward to the author’s other book, Bookshops & Bonedust.