*Can’t Spell Treason Without T* by Rebecca Thorne is an absolute delight! This cozy fantasy novel is filled with warmth, wit, and a charming found family that will steal your heart. The story weaves together the perfect mix of magic, tea, and treason, creating a light-hearted adventure that’s as comforting as a cup of your favorite brew. The characters are endearing, and the bonds they form feel genuine and heartfelt. If you’re looking for a cute and cozy read that leaves you with a smile, this book is a must!

I tried listening to this book several times and while the narrator was fun to listen to I couldn't get invested in the story. I got to 70% before I decided to DNF it because I wasn't invested. I do think that others who like fantasy and slower moving stories would enjoy this.

What a beautiful and heartwarming story. I loved the banter between the characters and the writing was incredibly hilarious at times. This is a cozy fantasy for sure but the plot and setup had me intrigued. I'm curious about what will happen next. I adored the narration of this book as well.

I could see the in between a cozy fantasy and a bit of adventure.
Sometimes I was confuse on who was talking but by chance I had a physical copie of the book
before it was edited. The voice actor was really good and let me be transported in the universe.
I can't wait to read the sequel!

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea (Tomes and Tea #1)
Written by Rebecca Thorne
Read by Jessica Threet
Book 63/250
Genre: Fantasy (Cozy)
Format: ARC, Physical, Digital, Audio
Pages/Time: 438/11hr 26min
Published: 2022, R: May 7, 2024
Rating: 7.5/10
Narration: 9/10

“It was a dangerous thing, mistaking relaxation for boredom.”

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea is a relaxing cozy fantasy in the vein of Legends and Lattes, with a promising future on the horizon. When I say this book is “in the vein of Legends and Lattes,” I mean that it is extremely similar to the Travis Baldree’s book. If you did like that one, I would recommend giving this one a read as well, because, while it is similar, the hints at the future books (two of which have release dates) are sure to deviate into a new and exciting direction.

All in all, CSTWT is fun and cozy, with sorcerers, dragons, swordfights, and romance. It is delightful from beginning to end and I definitely recommend it for anyone that enjoys cozy fantasy.

I really enjoyed the narrator. I just couldn’t get into this one. I listened to it for a good portion of the book. It was just very boring to me. I love that it was a sapphic romance and had cozy vibes.
Thank you NetGalley

Reyna is a Queen’s guard that runs away from her job after being taken hostage and having the fact that the Queen doesn’t care for her even as she dedicated her life to her as has the rest of her family that has died in service to her. Kianthe is a powerful wizard and the secret lover of Reyna. With Reyna leaving the queendom in secret, Kianthe joins her for some quiet time in starting a life together hiding from the Queen and Kianthe ducking everyone that wants to use her power for things they can do themselves. Of course, they have to deal with spies from the Queendom and set up a tea shop/ book store in peace. Of course, this doesn’t always work out and there are some hurdles to be taken care of. A nice lower stakes fantasy story of lovers finally getting together and settling down.

I cannot avoid mentioning another very popular book I really enjoyed when reviewing this book: Legends & Lattes. The similarities are too blatant. Just want to put that out there first....

The narrator's voice may have been a contributing factor to my not enjoying this book as much as I would've expected to. Her voice is professional and she does a good job of differentiating the characters, but hers is just not a voice that I like to listen to as much as others. I realize this is a me-problem and will re-read this as a regular book.

I did enjoy certain aspects: descriptions of tea, the way the townsfolk accepted the newcomers so quickly, developing relationships and friendships.

However, I feel that it started off kind of boring (to me) and a lot of the political back and forth sort of made me zone out.

I love cozy fantasy and read it all the time. One issue that I sometimes have is that the stakes are not high enough. This book definitely did not have that issue. While it had all of the amazing cozy vibes that made me just want to live in the world, it was also tense and had some fantastic action scenes.

I was in love with the characters, their struggles, and the location. The magic system was incredibly interesting and I would love to see more about it in the coming books.

I will absolutely be continuing this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. I leave this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

A fun tale of setting out on your own to chase your dreams and live a quiet fulfilling life. Felt like a cozy D&D game. Great audiobook!

This is a blend of cozy fantasy and action-packed adventure. Reyna, a former Queen’s guard, and Kianthe, the most powerful mage in existence, leave their demanding lives behind to open a bookshop that serves tea in a charming little town. The story follows their attempt to build a peaceful life while navigating mysteries and the wrath of a vengeful queen.

The little community’s warmth is palpable and I enjoyed learning about those who lived there. The two main characters are interesting and I enjoyed the story.

What I like most about cozy books is that they typically revolve around the characters. Most of them that I've read take the time to deepen relationships and the lower stakes allow for that. The romance between Reyna and Kianthe, while sweet and enjoyable, feels underdeveloped. Starting with an already well-established relationship meant that there was less room for growth. Especially because the two characters often find themselves separated, focusing on their individual tasks. It feels like it limited their on-page interactions and relationship development.

Despite the increased amount of action and peril, they are resolved with minimal bloodshed (and perhaps too much convenience), and the story mostly maintains its cozy charm.

Overall, Can't Spell Treason Without Tea is a fun and cozy read with an edge of action and peril. While it may not delve deeply into character development or relationship growth, it offers an enchanting escape into a world where books, tea, and a touch of magic come together in a charming tale. I had a fun time and the audiobook was well-narrated.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Macmillan for the physical copy. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review.

I just couldn't get into this one, there wasn't a ton of rhyme or reason honestly it just wasn't my thing. I had high hopes too, I know so many folks who loved it.

Let’s talk about the latest cozy fantasy I’ve read, which is Rebecca Thorne’s Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea!

In this tale the Queen is absolutely terrible and one of the queen’s guards decides she finally has had enough and decides to run off with her girlfriend; who by the way is might be the most sought after mage and desired by the Queen….

So they flee to the edge of the kingdom to open up a tea and bookshop.

You get the cozy story of them building this business and their relationship while a background tension of being caught by the queens court, along with a couple local issues along the way.

You can see why this gets compared to legends and lattes so much but it’s definitely its own story and I’d say has a little more action, plus you get griffins and dragons!

Some people might say the stakes are a little high for it to be cozy but I felt cozy while reading and I think I liked the added elements.

Definitely check it out if you have the chance

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book early. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

Unfortunately I only got partway through this story before deciding it wasn't for me. Something about it felt very...surface level, like I just couldn't connect with the characters or feel invested in their goals. The premise sounded great, but between the writing and narration style the delivery felt more modern than what appeals to me for fantasy books.

This book hit at just the right time for me, and I was so grateful for it. The cozy world and story still have stakes, which made the perfect balance to keep me engaged. Humor felt natural and was peppered well throughout the book. A nice book that carries the Terry Pratchett torch, but adds the bonus of romance. The reader did well with voices without taking you out of the story too big a variation. Bramble has made some good choices and this book feels promising for future titles. Thanks so much for letting me preview the audiobook!

It took me various tries in order to get into this book, I’m not going to lie. I don’t know why, but the beginning did not grab me right away. However, I did buy the paperback with the sprayed edges so it was my duty to make it through. And I’m actually glad I did. You definitely need to be in a cozy fantasy mood in order to get into this story. But once you sink into the story? It is magical :)

You follow two heroines who are already deep in love with each other, so much so that they risk everything in order to be together. One is a queen’s personal guard, the other is their version of “The Avatar”. One day Reyna stops one assassination too many, and thinks enough is enough. It doesn’t help that the queen is a raging b*tch. Reyna takes a horse and gallops away, without a firm plan, just leaves. Thank goodness Kianthe had been thinking about their future. They leave for the far reaches of the kingdom, and open a bookstore/tea shop.

You have to suspend your disbelief in more than a couple of things. I could not believe how Reyna and Kianthe thought they wouldn’t be discovered. They barely try to hide their identities, and just manage to find people who already know them in the town they arrive in. That part of the story is a bit ridiculous, but the rest is well written and throughly charming. I am going to pick up the sequel, but more than likely I will pick up the audiobook, because the narrator was fantastic :)

While this book was very enjoyable, it was incredibly too long with no real plot except the life of a mage and a Queen’s guard.

This is given the blurb of “if you enjoyed Legends & Lattes” and that is pretty much the truth. This seems this follows the same script but has way more minute details and not enough plot to keep my attention.

There seemed to be so much potential with this story, but at times, it seemed like the author had way too many ideas for the mage, guard, magic system, two different rulers, etc. It almost seemed as if there were two or three different novellas the author wanted to write but their publisher said they needed to combine it.

This is a super sweet and cozy story with a little found family thrown in. Recommend for those who enjoy cozy slice of life novels.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to an advanced reader copy to share my humble thoughts and opinions.

I really don't think that cozy fantasy is for me.

I liked the how well fleshed-out the characters felt. One downside is that the dialogue felt stilted and forced at some crucial points.

There wasn't enough action, the characters kept making dumb decisions that resulted in predictable conflict, and those predictable conflicts ended in predictable ways. I really enjoyed the magic, the politics, and the world-building, I just wish that its was more... intense.

I think people who enjoy slower-paced stories with low stakes will have a good time reading this! I gotta admit that it was nice to not have to worry about who was going to die next...

This. Book! I really enjoyed this journey! If you love Legends & Lattes, this one will be even better! I got to meet the author at an event in Austin, TX and it was so cool to listen to her talk about her process and inspiration. This was the queer cozy fantasy I’ve been wanting!
My favorite part is that the two FMCs are in an established relationship at the beginning and that was honestly refreshing. I’m excited to see where their relationship and plot goes in the next couple books!
A lot of reviews complain about it not being cozy, and I really didn’t agree. Honestly Cozy Fantasy is what is cozy to you! Low stakes doesn’t mean no stakes. Like things still need to happen. I don’t know. I really enjoyed the premise of the book and how the plot went.
Definitely check this one out! It’s definitely worth the read. Don’t count it out based on the 1 star reviews. <3

I love listening to audiobooks because I get to hear how the names and places are pronounced!! The narrator of this one was great to listen to.

Cozy romantasy generally hits the spot, for me, but this felt just a bit too derivative. A bit of “Legends and Lattes” and quite a lot of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” It’s the latter that I’m most meh about. Like, the teashop setting and romance elements, that is compelling. But the Mage of Ages element, where one of the romantic partners is sort of a nation-independent balancer of nature, feels almost tacked on. Kianthe could just as readily been a normal mage, instead of the Most Important Special Magical Girl.

I didn’t wind up interested in the protagonists at all, nor the people about them. It all felt a bit flat. And I REALLY wanted to like this book. I want more queer romance in fantasy or sci-fi setting! Normally, I never get enough! But normally, I LIKE the people in love! And this book didn’t make me like them.

This book seems to be trying to set up a whole series, but I don’t see myself continuing. I hope other enjoy it more.

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.