This book was wonderful. Cosy and comforting with books and tea and just the right amount of danger. This is the sort of book to fall in love with. Reading this book as an audiobook was a delight and made it ten times more cosy. I would also definitely recommend curling up with a blanket and a cup of tea while reading in whatever format you pick.

The characters truly felt like my friends by the end of it. It’s definitely the sort of book I can see myself going back to. It also looks like it’s going to be a series, so that is really exciting as well. The bookshop truly felt like a magic place as well. It really felt like somewhere I would like to go and have a cup of tea and peruse a book or two! It was perfect.

The more dangerous plots were also brilliant. The constant threat of the queen finding Reyna was always there in the background and the subplot with the dragons also gave a nice bit of action in the centre of the book.

I cannot wait for the next book and to see more from these characters.

While the idea behind this was good, the execution was very lacking. The characters were pretty bland despite the fact they're a guard and a super powerful wizard. The focus should have been on the overall plot of building this shop and staying undercover because everything just felt like scenes thrown together. Every "problem" between the main characters was solved same page and no development of their relationship. I get the stakes have to be low for a cozy fantasy but this was just boring.

This book was everything! It started a bit slow but wishing two chapters, I couldn’t put it down! Featuring a bit more danger and intrigue than Travis Baldree, Thorne has crafted a beautiful book about finding a family, discovering an identity, and creating a home.

I love cozy fantasy, and I was so grateful to NetGalley for the chance to read this one. I’m a picky reader, and I found this just lovely. The story was cozy and comforting, with enough perils and twist to make it interesting but not stressful. The characters were believable and no one was too perfect— both main characters grew and changed over the course of the book, rising to the challenges before them. I also liked that there was a sweet romance but not an explicit one. The chemistry was great and the attraction was natural, with excellent dialogue and relationship growth.

Five stars! Thank you!

4.25 stars.
This Sapphic cosy read has higher stakes than Legend and Lattes with a romance element, more plot dragons, small town, magic and of course a tea / bookshop.
In a way it was everything i wanted, but also it just didnt quite hit the mark.
The relationship between the two main characters was the cutest, and the relationship growth was a nice journey to see in books. What didnt quite hit the mark for me was possibly the meandering storytelling, with a lack of focus. It wasnt very obvious though, its just the overall feeling on why it wasnt a five star read.
I did really really enjoyed this and loved the ending act. I cant wait to read more about this couple.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bramble/Tor publishing for an eARC of this book for review

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

If you like cozy, domestic romance with a hearty dose of fantasy and a dash of danger, this is an excellent book for you. Reyna decides to desert her post as a Queen's guard to run away and start up a book and tea shop with her girlfriend Kianthe, who happens to be the most important mage in the world. They have to dodge suspicion or risk Reyna being executed for her treason. It's love of the deepest kind and reading it felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket by a fire with a cup of tea, especially when it came to the domestic bits. There are ups and downs for our two heroines but it is worth every bit of their freedom to have a life together.

I really enjoyed the plot and the characters, especially the ones who were rooting for our main couple (talk about an audience stand-in!). We're also treated to an open ending for a sequel and a special oneshot at the end. I'm excited to read more about this world.

I'm loving this new trend of queer, cozy fantasies, and this one is a nice addition to that growing genre!

Can't Spell Treason without Tea is a charming cozy fantasy that I think will appeal to many, but didn't manage to fully capture me.

The reason it lost me in places was almost entirely the lack of detail in the world. It felt very much like it was an AU fanfiction of something I couldn't identify, or if it wasn't, it was written by an author who had cut her teeth on fanfic, because there was almost no description given of the setting or of the characters in it. It had the sense a lot of fanfic does of relying on you to recognize the world and characters who appear in it so they don't need description or detail -- but of course, this world was new to me, so I could have used a little more grounding in it. Related to this, I couldn't understand all the world details as they developed; it's a high fantasy world full of bandits, dragons, etc, but a small town has enough people with literacy that the characters can afford to open a combination bookstore-library and have 4-5 people in it at all times. In Ch 15, Kianthe "orders a multitude of books" for the bookstore (sixteen crates of them!), but it isn't until Ch 16 that they mention the new technology of the printing press (which is new enough to confuse Reyna that the books aren't hand-written). Likewise, they had easy, cheap access to green tea and ginseng, vanilla and cacao, along with black teas. I think none of these would have confused me if they'd been worked in earlier and with more description -- I want to know how this world works, and what it runs on.

But this is a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things. It's well-written, with engaging and skilled narrative turn of phrase, and the main characters have a genuinely cute relationship. It's low-stakes, though higher stakes than some others in the genre (Legends and Lattes is the natural comparison) since the characters have to deal with local politics, bandits, dragon attacks, and of course, the queen sending people to try to kill her runaway guard -- but you can expect problems to be solved fairly easily with little stress to the reader. If you want a charming read to keep you company through an afternoon, this will definitely provide that!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

If you loved Travis Baldree's Legends and Lattes, you will almost certainly love this book. Even if Legends and Lattes wasn't really your thing, but you still want to give cozy fantasy another go, I'd still give this book a try. The stakes are a little higher here than in L&L, but it's still perfectly cozy (a bookstore/tea shop? Sign me up!). The magic system is fun, the romance and the found family are heartwarming, and the ending is happy (although it does leave some dangling threads that are addressed in the sequel, A Pirate's Life for Tea, which I am diving into next and am very excited for). Overall, this is a perfect book to read in front of a roaring fire, tea in hand... or hell, even on the beach, for some low-stakes fun.

This was so cozy, warm, and fuzzy!! I enjoyed every second of it. Reyna and Kianthe are already an established couple at the start of the novel and it´s such a refreshing take to see the couple getting through the part that comes after the honeymoon, where you figure out how you fit into each other´s day-to-day life and how to deal with them leaving their clothes all over the washroom. This is a story that´s completely character-driven, and I am head over heels for every one of them.
There is not much plot going on and the problems that appear are resolved pretty fast I understand that might not be everyone´s cup of tea (hehe see what I did there) but I ended up enjoying an easy win and basked in how lovely and domestic their lives are in this new town they decided to call home.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my unbiased review.
This book felt like a mug of warm tea: cozy, comforting, and a perfect way to end a long, exhausting day. Reyna and Kianthe's relationship is deeply realistic. They navigate their different ways of life with communication and love, which is a breath of fresh air after reading an excessive amount of romance novels with frustrating miscommunication tropes. This book gives its sapphic main characters the comfortable domestic romance that has been severely lacking in the Romantasy genre.
Just because this book is branded as a 'Cozy' does not mean it is boring. It keeps readers invested with exciting side plots that are intriguing but do not detract from the main plot of the book/teashop.
I would recommend this to anybody who is looking to see a sapphic relationship that is simple and thus so investing. Reyna and Kianthe are the kind of relationship I wish I had read about sooner.

This story was a warm mug of tea by a fire. There is not much I love more than a cozy little fantasy book about leaving the hard life behind and opening up a cute little cafe and bookshop. Secret identities, found family, magic, flying, dragons, this book has it all. It’s certainly not high fantasy, but sometimes you just need a cute little story about happily ever after to cheer you up. This is one of those books.

⭐ Rating: 5/5 stars
🗓 Publish date: May 7, 2024
🌈 Representation: lesbian MCs, non-binary SCs, queernormative world

CW/TW:
Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Cursing, Violence, Death of parent (minor)


Omigosh, I loved this book so much!!

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea has so many things I love in a story: characters that feel real and interesting, a world that completely immerses you, and plenty of action and drama to keep you invested.

One of the main strengths of this story, in my view, is that the main characters are already in an established relationship. I wish more books had that! I adored the way Reyna and Kianthe were always supporting each other and building a home for themselves. I would read infinite books of them going on adventures together (which is why I’m so excited for the next book in this series!)

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Reyna and Klianthe want to open a tea shop together, but have responsibilities: Reyna is one of the Queen's private guards, and Klianthe is a powerful mage. When Reyna is taken hostage by an assassin, the two are fed up enough to leave. They set out for a small town near Dragon Country and set up the shop of their dreams. In the meantime, there are mishaps and a Queen throwing a temper tantrum.

Cozy fantasy tales are a fun genre, and this book is directly inspired by Legends and Lattes. There doesn't need to be a world-ending disaster to stop. Sometimes it's enough to realize what makes you happy or to fall in love. Reyna is finally ready to leave her cruel queen when she doesn't care that an assassin almost kills her. The town she and Klianthe choose to settle in is in dispute between the Queendom and another country, right next to Dragon territory. On top of that, they take over an old bandit hideout, setting themselves up for hilarious misunderstanding and found family situations. The supposed rulers on both sides are fun characters when they show up at the shop, and the mystery of missing dragon eggs makes me hope for a sequel. Reyna and Klianthe got lucky at the end, and I look forward to seeing how it shakes out if this becomes a series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bramble for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I stopped at about 25% in. In theory, this book was going to be everything I loved in a more cozy fantasy setting. Since this book is continually comped to Legends and Lattes, I couldn’t help but compare the two as I was reading. Can’t Spell Treason without Tea has its charms and decent world-building, yet I was left unsatisfied by the characters and their pursuit in opening up a bookstore and hiding away from the Queen, the latter of which felt wholly unnecessary. However, I do see how this book continues to pave the way for the cozy fantasy genre, and I believe people who enjoy low stakes and DND will love this one too. It just wasn’t for me.

Cozy fantasy with lesbians and fun magical creatures, what more can you want?

I really loved the dynamic between our main characters, they’re so completely for each other. The world building is good and interesting enough but not so overwhelming to take away from the main relationship and their cozy journey. I’m thrilled to already have book 2 to dive in!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bramble for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you enjoy cosy fantasy, this book is worth a read. While the writing was lovely and the romance sweet, I discovered that the cosy fantasy plot isn’t quite my style. I wanted to connect more with the story, but I’ve come to realise that I prefer emotionally intense & traumatic books with complex morally grey characters (which is seemingly the opposite of cosy 😭). I’d give it a solid ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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Reyna and Kianthe are tired of living their lives only for their duty. They work for political machines that don't care for them as individuals. So they decide to run away together and pursue their own happiness for once. That happiness is being together more than in stolen moments and opening a bookstore that serves tea. Will they be able to keep their pocket of happiness? What will they do when their pasts catch up with them?

This book was the epitome of cozy fantasy. Reyna and Kianthe have such a cute relationship. This book contains a lot of representation of healthy communication in relationships. You don't see that often. Reyna and Kianthe work on their insecurities and share their feelings with each other. It's very wholesome. This book was a daily life type of book, which made it feel slow at times. I thought the mystery introduced was going to be solved within this book, so I was disappointed that it wasn't. It felt a little out of place being introduced and then put on the backburner for the rest of the book. I'm not sure I will read the next one even though the mystery does intrigue me. I recommend this book for cozy fantasy fans who don't mind a slower paced book.

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea follows Reyna and Kianthe who escape from their current magical lives to set up a book and tea store in a small town. Focusing on the good, I loved the sapphic representation that this story provides. I think the banter was fun and I liked the emotional growth that both our characters display throughout the story. I think this cozy fantasy will appeal to established fans of cozy fantasies who are looking for another read. However, I don't think that this story does anything new or exciting for the genre. Additionally, the story was a little too action-packed for my liking; when reading a cozy fantasy, I hope for something more character-driven, especially when I like the characters as much as I liked these.

Ultimately, I would recommend this to cozy fantasy fans, but this would not be the first title that comes to mind.

Adorable and comforting like your favorite blend of tea….

Reyna and Kianthe, an elite queensguard and the powerful Mage of Ages, leave their lives behind to follow their dreams of becoming bookstore owners in a small mountain town. Shop ownership isn’t without its problems though - new issues arise as soon as they arrive in town and their old responsibilities catch up soon enough. Together, Reyna and Kianthe must fight to save their new friends and the new life they’re trying to build together.

This book was very cute and fun to read! Fans of Legends and Lattes and similar cozy titles will enjoy this one. I feel like 1 world have enjoyed this a bit more if I were in the mood for something less high stakes, but I don’t have any complaints.

I really wanted to love this book. I love a cozy fantasy, but this one did not hit the mark for me. The story was a bit slow and there was a lot less focus on the cozy bookshop/tea store than I anticipated. I never really felt much connection to any of the characters either. There was a lot of telling of the story instead of building the world so I could see it for myself.

Reyna is a Queensguard who does her duty well. But the Queen is cold hearted and callous, and when Reyna finally reaches her breaking point, she abandons her post to live the life she’s always dreamed of with her girlfriend Kianthe, the Mage of Ages, the Arcandor. Kianthe is thrilled Reyna has finally left, and now they can open up their combination book and tea shop.

But even though Reyna and Kianthe find a new home in a forgotten town, where people live in harmony with each other, the world won’t just let them be. There are mysteries to be solved, dragon attacks to stop, and not least, a price on Reyna’s head for committing treason.

It’s one thing after another for this pair, and the townsfolk they’ve befriended, but their love in strong, and together they’ll do anything they must to get the happily ever after they desire and deserve. Even if it means facing the Queen.

This book is marketed as a cozy fantasy. For me, it falls short of that mark. It’s a fantasy through and through, but there are only moments in which the cozy component shines through. There is some humor and there are mishaps, but it doesn’t hit the mark of what a “cozy” story should be for me, as the stakes are too high for it to truly fit that category.

I liked the MCs. The story is told through alternating third-person POV, so we get to know them both well. But the chemistry between them was missing for me. The pair are together before the story even starts, and have been for a while, so we’re told of their love, and they constantly tell each other of their love, but I didn’t feel it as a reader. And it’s not because of the lack of graphic sex on page. Instead, it just felt like two women who were sharing space instead of an epic love pairing.

The narrative style didn’t really work for me. It was a whole lot of telling and not nearly enough showing. I felt, as I was reading, as if I was being talked at instead of being immersed in the story. It made it hard to sink into the tale. On top of that, every conflict that arose, whether it was internal or external, was immediately resolved. Now, normally I’m a fan of communication, and I did like that there was a lot of that in the book. But because of the quick resolution of every single conflict, there was no tension pushing the story forward. It just felt like a succession of moments. There was also very little world building, for as long as this story was, and only a surface-scratch of how magic works. It’s the first in a series, and several loose ends were left to set up for more stories, but there’s no anticipation there either.

All in all, I can objectively see how this story would work for some people. There is banter and a light feel, despite the high stakes. But for me, it missed the mark on too many things. All of that combined with an author’s voice that didn’t really work for me as a reader. I’ll not only be giving the rest of the series a pass, but I can’t recommend this book.