A Pirate's Life for Tea is the second book in a cozy fantasy series by Rebecca Thorne. Originally released in 2023, this reformat and re-release from Macmillan on their Tor/Bramble imprint is 368 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a lovely, immersive, well written cozy fantasy with F/F romance. A former royal mercenary and a high ranking magic user diplomat just want to be together, to have a cozy bookstore with a big fireplace, tea and baked goods and nothing is going to stand in their way if they have anything to say about it. They got that in book one and now they're on a mission to save their hard-won independence and their town, and that means more diplomatic missions.

It's full of magic and world building and if the characters are maybe a tiny bit tropey, well, that's why readers *love* cozy fantasy. Inevitable comparisons will be drawn between this series and Travis Baldree's wonderful Legends & Lattes, and while it's true they share a niche genre, this series is not at all derivative and readers who enjoyed L&L will likely enjoy this one as well.

It's full of warmth and humor and the author is unapologetically LGBTQIA+ friendly, here's a quote:

"To the people who gave me one-star reviews because the first book "had lesbians." I doubled the lesbians in this one. Just for you."

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 13 hours 5 minutes and is capably read by series narrator Jessica Threet. She has a well modulated voice and does a surprisingly good job of the disparate fantasy acents. Her voice is a tiny bit sharp to actually fade into neutrality during the read, but it's not at all intrusive and there aren't any accents that come across as patently fake or forced. Sound and production quality are very high throughout the read.

Four and a half stars for both the book and audiobook. Highly recommended for fans of cozy fantasy. There -are- violent scenes with battle descriptions. There is some light sexual content/PDAs, but nothing NSFW. With two books out and a third due out in late first quarter 2025, it would be an excellent choice for a series binge or buddy read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A fun, queer pirate fantasy romance perfect for fans of Travis Baldree's Legends and Lattes. While this book had it's cozy moments, the adventure removes it slightly from the true "cozy fantasy" genre. Readers will be excited to see Kianthe and Reyna again, and travel with them as they attempt to collect lost dragon eggs and engage in matchmaking shenanigans.

Lesbian pirates! Dragon drama! So many puns! Rebecca Thorne writes delightful escapist fantasy that's so refreshing to read. I love getting lost in the world of these characters and can't wait for the sequel.

I loved this continuation of Kianthe and Reyna’s story as well as the addition of Bobbie and Serina. This story picks up a little while after the events of the first book and follows Kianthe and Reyna’s mission to find out what happened to the missing dragon eggs. As the two discover some leads about the eggs they also come across piracy on the river. I loved reading about the two of them trying to figure out all the things that crossed their path and how they solved them. While this one did have some slightly higher stakes for multiple people it was such an easy read. I can’t wait to see these 2 get married and whatever happens next.

This book was an incredibly enjoyable read, and I absolutely loved the story. Strong plot and excellent character development are crucial for me, and Rebecca Thorne nailed both in this book. 'A Pirate's Life for Tea' delivered everything I craved, from pirates (but make them lesbians) to the thrill of hunting for dragon eggs.

If you are looking for the perfect escape into open seas and romance then I would high key recommend you add this to your fall TBR.

*Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

☠️🧡 A Pirate’s Life for Tea Review 🧡☠️

Thank you so much to Rebecca Thorne and Bramble books for the opportunity to read and review this book

A Pirate’s Life for Tea is a cozy sapphic fantasy novel and book 2 in the Tomes and Tea series. After the events of the first book, Reyna and Kianthe are on a mission to save their hometown. In order to do this, they must agree to work with Bobbie, a local constable to help find a notorious pirate that’s been disrupting the supply chain. But Bobbie and the pirate Serina have a history that could mean a disaster for everyone

This was a cute fantasy read. I enjoyed seeing the continuation of Reyna & Kianthe’s story from the first book, while also meeting new characters. Bobbie and Serina were a complicated couple but I enjoyed their relationship together. This is a fun world and I liked how this story continued to develop the world created in Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea

Overall this was a cute four star read. I enjoyed this story and look forward to more in this world. This book did have some potential triggers, so please check if you’re sensitive. While this book had a romantic subplot but, there was no on page smut, so one flame for spice

If you’re a fan of cozy fantasy novels with low angst, magical worlds and found family vibes, then absolutely pick this series up! Even though this book is technically a standalone, I’d recommend reading the series in order to get the most out of it.

This was the perfect cozy read. That’s it, that’s the review.

The book continues the tale of Kianthe and Reyna on their journey to find lost dragon eggs, running into corrupt lords, swashbuckling pirates, and greater conspiracies along the way.

This is the second book in the series, and I read it without reading the first one. I do recommend reading them in order, but you can get away without doing so. The worldbuilding is simply flawless - it has all the aspects that are needed to tell the story without being too overwhelming. It definitely adds to the overall cozy tone of the story.

The characters are all well developed and fleshed out. They are sympathetic, funny and you just want to read more about them. I especially loved the domesticity of Kianthe and Reyna’s relationship - it was just so sweet and lovely and really drew me in.

The plot was pretty evenly paced, and it didn’t feel extremely slow. It was the perfect read for my flight back this weekend and really hit my low stakes fantasy craving.

This is the perfect series for anyone wanting to start a fantasy with low stakes and cozy feels ❤️

Thank you to @torbooks and @netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for this review!

A delightfully cozy fantasy read with a dash of adventure and just a hint of intrigue. It's a perfect read for anyone wanting something warm and happy but with some adventure. Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I intentionally savored this book reading it slowly because I know the next one isn't available yet, and I love this series too much to rush through it. Adorable, cozy rom-com vibes blend perfectly with high fantasy adventure and, yes, some serious swashbuckling in this installment. I actually finally learned to crochet after reading about Bobby (I made two koalas!) and sat down with my tea to knit and sip and read this absolutely wonderful book. I'm a little sad it's over, but the spicy one-shot at the end makes it impossible to feel too sad.

So maybe this sounds familiar to you, this is the sequel to Can’t Spell Treason without Tea. A cozy romantasy series. Also if I’m not mistaken I think the finished paperback copy as orange sprayed edges, like it was dipped in pumpkin juice. We’re following the same 2 characters as they search for stolen dragon eggs when they find themselves dealing with a pirate who steals grains to redistribute to others who need them. I love me a good seafaring adventure, a fun nautical story so if you enjoyed the previous book, look out for book 2.

What a fun continuation! I giggled and smirked my way through all of Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, and this was a great follow up.

We follow Reyna and Kianthe on their quest to find the dragon eggs to save their new cozy home from the dragons’ ire.

They fall in with some pirates along the way, and that doubles the angst. The adventure is lighthearted and fun, while some of the topics and relationship themes are quite heavy. The anxieties are presented beautifully.

The distinct character voices were continued perfectly, and I loved returning to the world.


Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of the book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Picking up after the events of You Can't Spell Tea Without Treason, this is the direct sequel featuring the same main cast of characters. Back to take on pirates and solve dragon egg mysteries, the cozy fun series continues as both Kianthe and Reyna work together. We are also introduced to new characters in this one as well. While this is a cozy read, I would have to say this series just isn't for me. i found the romance to be a bit meh and the actual story to feel a bit too slow for me. I love a cozy romance but this one just doesn't really feel like a cozy fantasy romance and sadly I will not be continuing on with this series. I would definitely recommend it for fans of DND-esque novels and cozy slow stories.

Release Date: October 1, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Another great addition to this series! I feel like maybe it is drifting away from being strictly cozy fantasy, a bit too much action, but hey I still enjoy it! I enjoyed getting to see more of Kianthe and Reyna. Serina and Bobbie's storyline I wasn't as engaged by, but I also get very frustrated by miscommunication tropes.

I read this book when it was still Indie and loved it! I will ready any and all books Rebecca releases I love my LGBTQ Cozy Fantasy books!

I enjoyed this one a little less than the first, but just barely. It still scratched the cozy fantasy itch I've been leaning into lately really well. I think all the couples we are meeting in these stories are fun, although our sidequest couple in this one did suffer quite a bit from miscommunication. However, it quickly became obvious that each person was doing the best they could with limited information. Overall, another enjoyable story - and mixing magic, pirates, and dragons!

This was another cozy installment of Reyna and Kianthe. I quite enjoyed the pirate adventures and though this was much more a traveling adventure, the story remained heartwarming. I missed the tea and book shop a little bit, but understood the need to be away. Bobbie and Serina were also fresh and fun perspectives. Bobby and her embroidery was probably my favorite thing.

My actually rating is 4.25 stars. This was such a quick and fun read! This series continues to be higher stakes/action than a lot of other cozy fantasy, but I felt that those stakes worked better with the plot of this book than they did book one. I enjoyed the additional characters and POVs in this book, and in fact would have enjoyed even more chapters from these other characters. One of my main little nitpicks about this series continues to be the incidental nature of the shop they own, but that is just my own little personal problem and doesn’t really impact my enjoyment of the series so far. I was also happy to see that certain plotlines were resolved in this book, instead of being dragged out further into the series. I am very excited to see what future entries into this series will have in store!

Unfortunately this wound up being not for me :( I DNFed after about 50%.

This book picks up after YOU CAN'T SPELL TEA WITHOUT TREASON with the same main set of characters, and we are introduced to several new characters along the way. I can't put my finger on why, but I did not particularly care for any of them or what would come of them, and I didn't care for the 'so what'. Overall, I found the execution to be boring and I did not want to continue. I will be stopping the series at this book but I think that there will be some people who like this a lot more than I did!

Kianthe and Reyna are back in *A Pirate's Life for Tea*, taking on pirates and dragon egg mysteries while keeping things cozy and fun. The story has a great mix of adventure, humor, and sweet romance, with plenty of puns to make you smile. I loved how the characters continue to build meaningful relationships, and the low-stakes vibe makes it a relaxing listen. The addition of Serina the pirate and her old friend Bobbie added a fun dynamic, though I did wish we got more of their perspectives.

If you’re a fan of cozy fantasy with some action and romance, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

A cute addition to the world of the first book! It definitely needs to be read as a straight-up sequel. It’s been a while since I read Can’t Spell Treason and I wish I had reread it since I forgot about a lot of the side characters. Still was a fun read though, and the focus is mostly on the two MCs from the first book, with some cute secondary relationships as well.

🌈Queer Rep: Main FF relationship. Secondary FF relationships, nonbinary characters.