This charming story about Reyna, a brave bodyguard, and Kianthe, the most powerful mage in the world, will capture your heart. After Reyna decides to leave her life of risk-taking for a narcissistic queen, she and Kianthe open a cozy bookshop and tea room in the lovely town of Tawney. However, their peaceful existence is disrupted when the queen's guards arrive to take Reyna back for treason. This cozy fantasy has just the right amount of drama, and the characters' dynamics make it an enjoyable read.

The narrator, Jessica Threet, brings this story to life with her excellent range of accents and passionate portrayal of the characters. Listening to this audiobook feels like watching a captivating TV show or play.

I highly recommend this audiobook, and I am personally looking forward to seeking out other books read by Jessica Threet.

Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillianaudio and @rebeccathornewrites for the gifted audiobook.

I feel like this was mismarketed as cozy, low stakes fantasy. It definitely has some more serious content, but the slang and modern sensibilities pulled me out of the story quite a bit. The romance was sweet, but felt very generic to me. All the build up of the relationship happened prior to this book, which makes it very much a case of telling instead of showing. It was very disjointed in the plot, feeling like a set of tropes strung together. The resolution of the plot felt very anti-climactic, the whole book was just very 'meh' to me personally. Overall, it only rated 3/5 Stars because the audio production was amazing (I love the distinct voices for the two leads) and it did make me smile/chuckle a couple times. Not the best but definitely not the worst, it will have an audience for sure.

**Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC copy, all opinions are my own.

I was blessed with both the ebook arc and the audio book arc. I really was hoping I would like this but I did not sadly. It was really herd not to compare it to Legends and Lattes, but it was inevitable. In general it's missing some of the charm L&L has. Some of the plot points don't seem to be resolved, they will come up and won't be mentioned again. There is also a good bit of telling and not showing.

Honestly I don't think I can read another cozy fantasy about bookshops, coffee shops or tea shops. Maybe a cozy fantasy about a taco truck.

I ADORED this book! I am usually not the biggest fan of the romantasy genre. I don't hate it but it's just not what I usually gravitate towards but one of my friends recommended this book to me and I loved it! It was so cozy and wholesome and made me want to grab a cup of tea and swoon. I loved the characters and their interactions. It was also so nice to have some more cozy sapphic lit! A major win was had for the lesbians on this day.

A wonderful narration of a cute and cozy fantasy. I loved the expression in the audio for this book, and the distinction between the voices of the two main characters was deeper than just accents. It really made the story come to life.

The story itself was just cute and fun. A love story about two women overcoming a variety of obstacles to their new life together. The main conflicts were the dragons and the queen, but really this didn’t feel like a main conflict kind of book. It was more a sweet and cozy outline of the beginning of a new bookshop. As someone who loves books and tea, the discussions of tea blends and the debates about rereading vs new books hit in a particularly satisfying way. I can’t wait for this story to continue!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance listen of this audiobook. All opinions here are my own.

If you are in the mood for a cozy fantasy this is perfect! Reyna and Kianthe flee the queendom to start their life independent from what they knew. They settle in a cozy town to open a bookshop and sell tea. There is romance, magic, griffons, books, plants and tea! Also, dragons! I don’t really know what more i could’ve asked for. its not crazy action packed so its the perfect relaxing cozy read. I really truly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book. Also perfect for someone looking for an lgbtqia+ read FYi :) I really enjoyed the performance of the narrator as well! Highly recommend this book. Five stars from me!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio arc, this review is my own opinion.

I was very excited for this book. Magic, tea, bookshops, low stakes, cozy, it sounded perfect. Unfortunately this is not cozy or low stakes. This is almost written like an episode of a tv show, each set of chapters has their own mini dilemma, which is quickly resolved, and on to the next. Both MCs are perfection embodied, and so similar in mannerisms I just keep forgetting who is who. Some of the content just seemed so forced, I love having representation of different people in books, but some just fell flat. There's a scene with a major medical emergency and they go on a tangent about pronouns, an extended monologue on how to deal with anxiety.

The narrator wasn't my favorite, she did a good job differentiating between the secondary characters, but the two main female characters sounded pretty alike.

ARC Review
Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne is a sweet and fun sapphic fantasy that's laid back. I received the audiobook and the narrator Jessica Threet was absolutely fabulous! I cannot say enough good things about the narration - her inflections, her emotions and changing voices to accommodate different characters made the whole story come alive for me.

I fell in love with Kianthe and Reyna and found both of them to be adorable and charming. Their relationship was established at the start of the book and their interactions were sweet. Despite there being a romantic relationship this was a clean romance with zero spice. 

There are several low to medium stake plots happening throughout the book that are interesting and will keep you entertained. The book is not in any kind of hurry and just tells its tales in a slow pace so you can relax and enjoy. The humor and wit really brings out the personalities and I found myself smiling and giggling a lot while listening.

The book is part of a series and the ending definitely leaves more to tell and leaves one loose end. I cannot wait to find out what happens in the next book.

Cozy-ish Fantasy
Found family Sapphic FMCs
Gryphons
Dragons
Humor and wit
Slow paced
Clean romance with zero spice
To be continued ending

I could not more highly recommend Can't Spell Treason Without Tea- especially as an audiobook. You should read this book if:

- You read the indie published version and want to reunite with this whimsical story and ready about the meet cute.
- You enjoyed Legends and Lattes, Cursed Cocktails, or The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
- You like books, plants, or gryphons
- You love reading about healthy, loving, sapphic relationships
- You enjoy a found family trope

Literally no notes- it's amazing. I love Rebecca Thorne's story telling, I love this world, and the narration of the audiobook just took everything to the next level. Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Rebecca Thorne for this must read story!

I think it's unfortunate that "cozy fantasy" has become such a widely used term. Just because they start a tea/book shop doesn't automatically make it feel "cozy".
The 2 MC were a little one note for me. Not too much personality for either than them (I will add that the one bonus chapter where they met had more personality for both of them then the rest of the book).
I just overall found this a little boring.
I don't usually read more than one book at a time but this really didn't grab my attention enough to make me want to keep coming back to it.
Overall 3.5 but rounded down to a 3 because it doesn't feel like it deserves a 4 star.

This was the perfect cozy fantasy read. It had a great blend of action and vibes. It felt like a warm hug listening to this. I also enjoyed the subtle nods to modern technology which added some humor to the book.

A sweet sapphic adventure I couldn't stop listening too!

I loved every moment of this story. It was fast paced and sucked me in immediately. Jessica Threet's narration really brought the characters to life and I finished this book in just 2 days because I never wanted to stop listening.

Magic, dragons, found family, and fighting for a life of happiness. Perfect lighthearted fantasy read that still has adventure and drama.
There are so many wonderful side characters in this story and the epilogue has me DYING to read the next book.

If you liked Legends and Lattes, but wanted a bit more action and more established romance then you will LOVE this book!!!!

Thank you NetGalley for an ALC of Can’t Spell treason without Tea in exchange of my honest feedback.

First and foremost I loved the audio narrator! The text interpretation was beautifully done and it made the story much more enjoyable!

Can’t spell Treason without a tea is a cozy fantasy in the same vein of Legend and Lattes. Both characters are sort of leaving their past behind and want to start fresh in a different town where they will build a tea house + book shop/library. However, the past will catch up with them and they will have to sort their lives before being able to move on.
Overall the story is very cozy and has low stakes, but I felt that there were some muddle parts such as the build up of their store that got into second place to the romantic plot and the plot about their past.
For those who loved Legend and lattes and wants more I would totally recommend this book, but for me that had recently read it, it felt a bit repetitive.
Overall is enjoyable and I really recommend the ALC for the narration that I thought it was beautifully done.

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea is such a comfy, cozy read! This book follows one of the Queen's personal guards, Reyna, and her mage girlfriend, Kianthe, as they decide to open up a book and tea shop. It really gives off Legends and Lattes vibes but with a little more adventure, which I loved. I got the chance to listen to this as an audiobook and I think that it was possibly the best way to enjoy this book to its fullest. One of my favorite parts in audiobooks is when each character has there own voice, it really helps you get lost into the story.

Oh man this audiobook was fantastic. The vibes were immaculate. I love cozy fantasy so much and this did not disappoint AT ALL.

This is my favorite story of 2024.

The romance is adorable. I wish it had spice but it’s a minor thing because the relationship is so well done. It’s so deep and loving.

The voice actor is top notch. Wow! Her voices are great.

The suspense is excellent! I loved the ending. Adorable and masterful.

And I cannot wait to listen to the second book!

I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone but you will fall in love with Tawny, with Reyna and Keyanth (spellings may be off because I listened to the story).

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I when to go seek refuge in their bookshop.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC.

The audiobook narrator was amazing and I love that she gave the FMC’s different accents.

If you’re looking for a cozy sapphic fantasy this is definitely a great pick.

It has:

☕️ A bookshop tea house setting
🐉 Magic, dragons and griffins
⚔️ Action and battles
👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 Adorable sapphic romance

I really enjoyed this book! It was cozy and fun. The story between the main characters is really sweet and cute.

3.75 stars...first off thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this audioARC. I enjoyed the narrator and the storyline gave me Legends and Lattes vibes and she definitely set it up to be a series so can't wait to see what the characters get into next. It was cute and cozy, had a whisp of mystery, lots of LGBTQA+, Dragons, Griffins and magic. I definitely recommend this if you want something fluffy.

I really enjoyed this! It was super cute and cozy but still had conflict and plot. I think this was well balanced - it kept my attention the entire time, even during the sections where not much was happening. I LOVE that the relationship was preestablished and not a source of conflict. I liked the different fantasy elements and how they were incorporated. Kianthe and Reyne were interesting characters, and while I didn't fully attach to either of them I liked them both!

Cozy sapphic fantasy is so wonderful and I'm always looking for more - so I'll definitely pick up the sequel.

The narrator did a great job with this book!

Thank you to Macmillan for the audio ARC!