I loved this so much! It’s cozy, it’s interesting, it’s fun. The main characters are delightful & endearing. The side cast is also enjoyable. The main story line is both sweet & intriguing, but the side storylines make the book. I can’t wait for the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this audiobook!

While I am extremely grateful to get an ARC of this audiobook, it is not one for me. I could not finish it. It was confusing as to which perspective we were in. The world building, while creative, lacks a certain Oooph for me. I could not get enraptured in the prose the way I was hoping to.

If you love it, then I’m stoked for you. I wish the author all the best in her endeavors.

DNF @ 40%

Can't Spell Treason follows Reyna and Kianthe, two characters with fantasy trope roles in their world who want to leave it all behind, open a tea/bookshop and settle into a cozy life. Sound familiar? It should. It's the plot to Legends & Lattes. Treason Without Tea tries to do things a bit different by frontloading the romance angle, and it's suggested, upping the stakes on the ticking clock of the inevitable "upset".

The writing works well enough, and the narrator on the audiobook does a good job, however, the problem is that at just over 5 hours in I still was completely unengaged with any of the characters or what was going on because the book had failed to find it's own identity. Beat by beat we were repeating Legends & Lattes, almost to a distracting degree. Not just as a genre thing, but characters were similar, the events were playing out the same, down the the curmudgeonly builder, leylines and all.

Maybe this will work better for someone unfamiliar with where the inspiration is so clearly taken from, and likely in the time remaining the book finds it's own ground, but 5 hours is a LOT of time to invest and feel like I'm being told someone else's tale.

*Thanks you for the ALC provided by NetGalley & the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I really enjoyed this. It was cozy feeling but still had some medium stakes at hand. I like that the relationship was there but it didn’t leave that cozy romance rather than something spicier. It was a good change. The characters and their growth, dynamic, was really well done. The plot was also something I enjoyed and want to know the mystery that’s unfurling too! The narrator was really lovely and made it enjoyable to listen to. I finished it in two days, only because I had to sleep.

Reyna is the queens guard and Kianthe is a powerful mage. The two are in love. In a spur of the moment decision, Reyna runs away from her position with the queen to be with Kianthe. They are going to start a new life in Tawney and run a tea shop. There were a lot of aspects of the story that I really liked. The adventure, the dragons, the community in Tawney were all lovely. I think the story would have benefited from some editing to tighten it up. It felt as if the story just rambled most of the time, and what I thought was the main focus was not resolved in the story. This is the first book in a series and the author has provided a lot of world building as set up. While the story is marketed as a cozy fantasy, I didn't find this one to have cozy vibes. There is adventure and peril and angst. The ending was unexpected, and seems to be a set up for the next book. I will definitely be picking up the next book to get the conclusion of this story.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy.

“Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea” is a sapphic cozy fantasy novel in which two powerful FMCs, Reyna & Kianthe, run away from their pre-determined roles and responsibilities in the Queendom to open a bookstore in an inconsequential town, off the beaten path.

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel, and I thought the narration was wonderfully done! The plot had more action than is typical for a “cozy” fantasy, but I enjoyed the sense of adventure. The side characters and animal companions were fun additions to the story, but overall the interpersonal relationships felt a little too easy. The world building also lacked depth. However, this book was heartfelt, easy to read, and kept my attention throughout - I constantly wanted to pick it back up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Rebecca Thorne for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have one issue and that was that it was incredibly boring at times. The audiobook narrator was fantastic, but that doesn’t change that the story feels slow.

Can’t spell treason without tea was a sweet sapphic love story with dynamic side characters and beautiful world building. I enjoyed getting to know the town and watching Reyna and Kianthe fall more in love and develop their relationship, I am looking forward to reading the sequel and following other works by Rebecca Thorne.

Cozy fantasy that’s sapphic and sweet? Low stakes and yet not boring? Nailed it! This is such a darling of a book, and while I can’t read things like this all the time, it was a great change of pace for me!

Our main characters were really different, but I loved that they were already together when we began, and they knew each other well, respected each other, and had a healthy thing going.

I also loved the townsfolk who rallied around them and made for excellent friends! Who doesn’t want their community to have a new books-and-tea shop?!

And- I hope the evil queen gets what’s coming to her in book 2!!

I really, really wanted to love this book but found that the audiobook fell a bit flat for me. Between the moments of big adventure and quiet cozy, I just didn't find the energy I usually love in a fantasy read. I found the audio narration to lack the excitement and emotion of those big and small moments that really make the story something you can fall into.

It's got all of the right bits of a cute, queer, cozy, found family, fantasy romance to fall in love with, the audio execution just left it feeling a little bland for me.

You really can’t just have a bookshop with plants and tea as a part of your setting and slap “cozy fantasy” on it when the stakes of everything else and the rest of the action is this high. If it were just the trading off of almost-life-threatening hurt/comfort, I could see that, but the story is much more about the wider political issues and trying to keep under the radar so Reyna isn’t /executed/ than the cozy setting up shop or starting life in a new town and the day-to-day things. Even when the shop is set up and the issues with the queen are dealt with, then there’s dragons to handle? It’s all a lot and we don’t really get time to bask in the cozy nature of the shop or Rain and Ki’s relationship.

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea is a very sweet, low stakes, sapphic, cozy fantasy that lovers of the genre will love! It follows Reina, a member of the queens guard and Kianthe, the most powerful mage. Reina decides to abandon her post (at the risk of treason!) to run away with Kianthe and open a tea and bookshop.

I liked this but my main issue with the cozy fantasy genre as a whole is that because I know it's low stakes and the plot really isn't going to be a main thing, I tend to space out, particularly during audiobooks, and have definitely missed some key pieces. This was an issue for me in this book though I don't think it took away from my enjoyment per say. I liked all of the characters - particularly the griffins!! I thought it was very sweet but ultimately I just need a little more grit or plot in my books.

I liked the narration by Jessica Threet and enjoyed listening to her performance. She brought a lot of life into the story.

Thank you to Macmillan audio for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for providing a audio arc.
TW: self doubt, burn marks, manipulation
4.5
Can’t Spell Tea Without Treason is an adorable sapphic cozy fantasy. The story features our main characters Reyna and Kianthe as they try to escape their past from murder hungry queen to open up a tea shop/bookstore. The banter between the two main fmc characters is adorable. I love the fantasy setting the fact that both characters are bad ass. Kianthe with her magic and Reyna with being an assassin. I will say this story leans more on the fantasy aspect and does have higher stakes than other cozy fantasies out there but that doesn’t take away from the story. Imo it enhances it. I will say I wish there was a prequel to explain the magic system more as well as fleshing out how the two fmc got together. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

(If you love dragons, sapphic love, griffins, bad ass fmc, found family and tea this is the book for you).

I needed to cry when I ended the book, because I never wanted it to finish. THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Cozy, romantasy sapphic and cute. It gives you all the fuzzy feeling with the most beautiful and strong characters.

THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ!

This was such a cute, sweet, adventurous, and cozy read! And, it has dragons!!! A queen's guard escapes to open a bookshop and tearoom with a mage. While hiding out and creating their dream, these two women have adventures with bandits, stolen dragon's eggs, and the queen on the lookout for her runaway guard who committed treason in the escape. I absolutely love the relationship that develops between Rayna (guard) and Kianthe (mage)! They are caring and sweet and try to have open communication. This is such a cozy fantasy book!

I was so excited to get to listen to the audiobook version of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne! It is the first of a trilogy and is THE perfect cozy fantasy. Narrator Jessica Threet does a fantastic job with this story and is a delight to listen to. Even at faster speeds, her telling of this story is always easy to listen to and her voice acting is so good that you'll see the journey of Reyna and Kianthe as they build their life in Tawney.

If you read this book before Ms. Thorne was picked up by her traditional publisher, you will be pleasantly surprised at how this fun, low-stakes fantasy has evolved. It is worth re-reading in every aspect!

Like "Legends and Lattes" but with much higher stakes, "Can't Spell Treason without Tea" is a charming sapphic romance full of adventure and cozy vibes. We follow Reina and Kianthe, who decide after a few years of dating to abandon their posts and open a tea and book shop together to allow their relationship to grow. However, Reina abandoning her post comes at a high cost-TREASON! As Reina and Kianthe weather the highs and lows of moving forward in their relationship, they must decide if their decision is ultimately worth the cost. This story has everything from dragons and treason to cute, fuzzy romance. I think if you liked "Legends and Lattes" but wanted a bit more action/adventure, this story will be for you.

Audiobook narrator:
I thought her pacing was excellent. I listened to the audiobook on normal 1x speed and never felt like the story rushed or dragged. The narrator put a lot of emotion in to these characters, and you could really tell when they were at the climax of their emotions (stress, panic, gushing romance, etc). My only complaint would be that the "narrator" and Kianthe's voices sounded exactly the same, while Reina's was a British accent. Sometimes I felt the narrator lost Reina's accent when in a time of high emotion. However it was overall enjoyable to listen to; I just think I'd prefer to have physically read this one.

The Book:
-Contains action, adventure, romance, coziness
-Sapphic romance/LGBTQ+ friendly- the main love interest is f/f and there are many non binary characters
-Depicts mental illness in an accurate way (severe anxiety and panic attacks) and delves into healthy relationships and how to speak with your partner to relay what you need

I would definitely recommend this to readers who want wholesome, cozy vibes PLUS some extra action. There are definitely HIGH STAKES in this novel, but also times where you get to see friendships blossoming and chill tea/bookshop scenes. 4/5 stars- I can't wait to read the second novel to see where Kianthe and Reina's relationship goes, as well as continue with them on their adventures!

Thank you so much to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advance listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

You see the cover and description and thing Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea will be Uber cozy fantasy. It is part cozy part high stakes. Yes there is the whole let’s move away to a small town and build a cafe/ bookstore but we also have an upset queen and threat of dragon attack.

I still thought it was a cute story and the two main characters were a nice couple and just wanted them to succeed.
If you are a fan of cozy fantasies then you will probably like it but if not into them then this will not be your book.


Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Rebecca Thorne for the Audio Arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ALC. This book was really sweet. I can see why it is compared to Legends & Lattes. I can see why that is but this book is markedly different in tone and oftentimes feels as though it’s a pursuit of coziness fantasy because the main characters just want to settle down but are forced into action because of previous ties and commitments! Anyways this was excellent and a really good palette cleanser!

What a cute lighthearted adventure!
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
I appreciated the lighter nature of the story, but still included a bit of action and high fantasy elements to round it out a bit. Our two FMCs relationship is relatable and realistic, even for the setting. I wish we got the magic system and world explained a bit better, but I believe this is the first in a series so maybe we’ll get more later.
I will also agree with other reviewers that the PDA was oddly timed and seemed out of place for most situations they were in.
Overall, it’s a nice escape and inspiring daydream away from the hustle.