What the staff at Old Firehouse Books suggests for your next great read

Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from book stores across Colorado. This week, staff from Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins “Legends & Lattes,” “This Is How You Lose the Time War” and “Even Though I Knew the End.”

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From the publisher: 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.

From Andrea, Events and Social Media Coordinator: This is the perfect fantasy book for those that just want to sit down and relax when the world is, perhaps, too much to take in. Nearly every single page put a smile on my face—the characters were so wonderful within themselves and to each other. The introduction of coffee to the fantasy world as a “gnomish creation” was one of my favorite things to read. As a coffee lover myself, reading people discover and fall in love with coffee was so fun. Overall, it’s just a nice and kind read. There’s no fighting to the death. There’s no incredibly high stakes. There is some drama, but all’s well that ends well. If you want a book that reads like a hug and a hot cup of tea, I absolutely recommend this one.

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From the publisher: Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

From Zane, Bookseller: Among every book that’s ever been recommended to me, this brought it maybe the hardest. It’s about two rival time-traveling masters of espionage and assassination who begin leaving each other letters throughout space and time. It is unbelievably beautiful, AND each character (and their letters) are written by a different author. Gladstone and El-Mohtar collaborate so well that I think they might have legitimately mind-melded.

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From the publisher: A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago’s divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery, intrigue, romance, magic, or all of the above. An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother’s life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell. When she turns it down, her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can’t resist—the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves.

From Nicole, Bookseller: C.L. Polk is really, really good at aching romance, twisty mystery, and weaving the two together. Angels and demons clashing over magic in the grimy, glittering world of noir Chicago, this book is simply gorgeous. Even if you know the end of the story, letting Helen tell it all over again is worth every page, every word. There is so much love in this book. Also murder. So, you know, it’s perfect.