📚Review: Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea 🫖

Thank you for the #gifted copy, @brambleromance! 🥰

By: Rebecca Thorne
Publishing: May 7, 2024

Reyna works as one of the Queen’s private guards, Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence, and all they want is to open a bookshop that serves tea and is filled with plants together. Leaving their lives isn’t so easy, but after a near death experience for Reyna & Kianthe wanting to flee from the weight of responsibility they decide to risk everything to run away. They land in Tawney, a town nestled in the icy tundra near dragon country, and open the shop of their dreams. Cue the mishaps, mysteries, a murderous queen throwing the realm’s biggest temper tantrum, and so much more.

Well, looks like I’ve found my latest cozy fantasy obsession! 🥰

Books, tea, magic, dragons, and it’s queer…come on! This book has all of my favorite things. The writing is good, the storytelling is well paced, and there’s so much great groundwork for the story to come in future books (I’m already making guesses on how certain things will unfold).

For me, I think the enduring relationship between Reyna and Kianthe was my favorite part of the story. You learn so much about these characters, their pasts and present, so you really get invested in how things turn out for them. Loving someone and yourself is complicated and this doesn’t shy away delving into that.

Much of the story is about setting up the shop and I was having the best time reading about it. I think I’m entering my cottagecore era! I also loved the easy to follow magic system and seeing Kianthe in action, especially with the dragons.

Can’t wait to get my hands on book 2 to see those plot lines laid in this book play out more! Pick this up if you’re looking for something cozy and magical with a dash of action. 😘

Verdict: Really Loved 😘

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this ALC!!!!!

All the cups of tea for this one!!! I’m ready for the next book!!!!

Loved: all the things!!!

Did not love: the queen

I adored Jessica Threet’s storytelling. I am so happy to have met Reyna and Kianthe. I want to adventure with them!!!

I am not generally one who listens to audio books. I seem to get distracted far too easily and end up having to back up and replay time and time again, but I found this one to be quite easy to listen to. There were not too many characters which perhaps helped and different characters were read with slightly different voices and accents. Reminiscent of the style of "Legends & Lattes" it was a most enjoyable listen.
Thanks to #NetGalley#CantSpellTreasonWithoutTea#MacMillanBooks for the EARC

*E-ARC-audiobook provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I loved this book! It was so sweet and cozy. Just enough plot and romance which great characters! I am really looking forward to the next one.

This book is the perfect cozy fantasy romance. The characters are all so lovable, even the minor ones. I'm use to reading more fast pace/high stakes fantasy novels so this book was a step out my norm. However, I'm so glad I took the risk. There are far too few sapphic romances that get a lot of traction these days so I'm thrilled to have received this one. The narrator was wonderful, and the voices/acting always fit the characters I was building in my head. I'll definitely be recommending this one.

2.75* Not going to lie, I thought this was a standalone so I was a little disappointed when things didn't wrap up in the end. I enjoyed parts of this book, the first half is very slow and nothing really happens. It does have a good amount of coziness. The tea, townsfolk, and relationship between the 2 MCs I really enjoyed. I felt like this book tried really hard to mesh cozy low stakes with high stakes fantasy and it felt a bit choppy to me. The conflict also wrapped up quite quickly and conveniently, and though I do feel like it could cause problems in later books, I unfortunately am not interested enough to continue.
I listened to the audiobook read by Jessica Threet. The narrator did a really good job with this one, I enjoyed her tone and voice as well as the pacing. I generally speed up my audiobooks and I listened to this one at 1.75x which I felt was a comfortable speed to enjoy the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had already read this book back when it was indie published and I loved it even more now with the audiobook! I just love audiobooks and the narrator for this book did a fantastic job.

I'd love to say I enjoyed this book, but I think there were just a few things in it that were working against it for me. It had an established relationship so I didn't even get to enjoy the longing and pining of building a relationship. For some reason I just felt like I was brought in too late to enjoy the characters or their personality. Like their stories were already told and I didn't really get to see it for myself so I didn't feel much of a connection to them. It was an interesting story, but it just didn't keep my attention sadly.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this audioARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my 1st book by Rebecca Thorne, but will not be my last! This was a fun and touching read and I can't wait to see what happens next in the series!

Thanks NetGalleyand MacmillanAudio this arc

3/5 stars

I was so excited about this, but it got so boring in places I ended up taking way too long to finally finish this. I think the writing just wasn't strong enough for the story. A lot of things just happened, and it was like we all just went oh ok and moved on. This could have been more exciting and still held onto the cozy vibes easily! When Raina was running away from the Queen we should've been on the edge of our seats, but it was so anticlimactic, and it didn't get better for me from there. Maybe cozy fantasy actually isn't my thing? I need less vibes more plot? I'll continue with this series as there are things left unfinished, but I am not holding out hope it'll be much better with stronger writing than this one.

The narration felt so much like a young adult novel than an adult fantasy it really took me out of it. She read some things pretty whiny and some of her pronunciations and accents really threw me. I ended up putting it at 2 times speed for the last quarter to finally finish it

I had high hopes for a cozy fantasy escape with this one. However, I ended up dnf’ing at 30%. I felt the cozy atmosphere was lacking, and the characters felt disappointingly flat. Unfortunately, this one just didn't capture my imagination as I'd hoped.

🎧✨ Thank you @macmillan.audio for the gifted audio! ✨🎧

Hey book lovers! 📚✨

Get ready to be swept off your feet by Can't Spell Treason Without Tea.

Picture this: Reyna, one of the Queen’s fierce private guards, and Kianthe, the most powerful mage around, are in love and ready to ditch their high-stakes lives for some peace and quiet, so they open a quaint book and tea shop complete with worn wooden floors, plants everywhere, and firelight making everything glow. Total vibes, right?

This cozy tale is filled with mishaps, mysteries, and a murderous queen who's not taking their departure well. You’ll find yourself rooting for these two as they navigate their new life, solving problems and strengthening their bond over quiet fireside chats and lots of tea. The side characters are quirky and lovable and the plot has just enough excitement (hello, griffins and dragons!) to keep you hooked without disrupting the cozy vibe.

Reyna and Kianthe’s relationship? Absolutely swoon-worthy and full of playful banter that’ll make you smile. Plus, if you’re into audiobooks, Jessica Threet’s narration is a real treat—she brings the characters to life in such a special way.

If you love fantasy but don’t want to get bogged down by heavy world-building, this book is your perfect match. It’s lighthearted and perfect for anyone needing a comforting escape. Trust me, Can't Spell Treason Without Tea is your sapphic daydream turned reality. 🌈📖☕️

#CozyFantasy #SapphicRomance #MustRead #ParksideReads

*Social Media post is scheduled for June 10 on @ParksideReads

🪲 Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. 🪲

If I could describe the book with one quote, it would be this, "You like tea. I like books. Let's open a shop somewhere remote and forget the world exist."

Imagine sitting down by the fireplace on a cold, wintery night; snuggling up with a warm cup of tea, and a good ole book. The aroma of sweet chamomile and wood burning fills your nostrils as you sit there in warmth and complete bliss. Now imagine all that warm and fuzzy feelings in book form. That's the definition of "Can't Spell Treason Without Tea." You have magic, dragons, book shops, lesbian love interests.... plus a hint of treason! What more could you ask for?

You begin the story being introduced to a royal knight named Reyna. Reyna is hardworking and risks her life on a daily basis for a selfish, idiotic queen. One day, after almost losing her life to the enemy, Reyna decides she has had enough and finally takes up on Kianthe's offer to run away. Who is Kianthe, you may ask? She so happens to be the most powerful mage in the queendom, and Reyna's girlfriend. Together, they settle down in an icy, cold town in the middle of nowhere and opens a tea bookshop. However, not everything goes as smoothly as it should. We follow along on Reyna's and Kianthe's journey as they learn how to live with each other and navigate living in a mysterious town that occasionally gets attack by fire breathing dragons, all while trying to be conspicuous and remain in hiding from the murderous queen.

Reading this book is like sipping on a warm cup of tea. I was fully immersed into the story and world building as soon as I turned on the audiobook. I adored the healthy, loving relationship between Reyna and Kianthe, and it was a pleasure to be able to watch them grow more confident with themselves. If you are a fan of "Legend and Lattes," or the cozy fantasy genre with a touch more action, I highly recommend you to pick this book up as your next read!

this books was such fun and cozy read! exactly what i’d hoped for and more, as there was a bit of adventure and relationship aspects that i really enjoyed. I listened to the audiobook provided by netgalley and the publisher, and the narrator does an excellent job differentiating between characters.

Another case of “LeannReadsBooks didn’t read the synopsis.” Ha! The cover of Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea looked like a cozy mystery, and it was only once I was a few chapters into this audiobook did I realize that it was a “cozy fantasy.”

This would be perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes or Bookshops and Bonedust.

The sapphic romance between Reyna and Kianthe was so sweet - seriously relationship goals. The fact that talking out issues is brought up multiple times is such a good lesson.

This really was a cozy read and made me want to curl up next to a fire with a cup of tea and a good book.

2.75 Stars

Big thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for providing me with the ARC of this book for my honest review.

Thoughts:

Sadly, this is one of those reads where I wanted to like it more than I did. I was all in for a cozy/sapphic romance/fantasy story, and was let down by how little of the romance, the cozy and the fantasy there was in it for me personally. It was a very slow start and my interest only peaked half way through, but was let down again. The characters are lovely, but I kept looking for more complexity and dynamics in them than we were given. Maybe this is a case of wrong book and wrong time, but it just didn’t meet the expectations I had for it while reading the summary.

Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:

Audiobook

Pace:

Slow

Cover thoughts:

Adorable!

POV: (single or multi)

multi

Triggers:

Injury, Violence, Death, Some Swearing, Fire, Harassment, etc.

I recently finished the audiobook for Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by @rebeccathornewrites. I enjoyed it so much that I just had to pick up this trophy to add to my collection. 😉 If you know what I mean.

Reasons I ❤️:
📖 Cozy fantasy, although with slightly higher stakes
☕ Bookstore/tearoom combo. Lord knows I want to open up one of these myself.
🫖 An established romance. It's not that I don't love watching couples come together...I do. But I also love the familiarity shared between an established couple. The sharing of space, little everyday moments, and communicating without needing words.
✨ The magic system.
🫖Dragons and griffins. They're both badass.
☕ Side characters that I am invested in and want to see more of.
📖 The narrator was amazing!

A special thank you to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the audio arc of this book to review.

Well, I loved this cozy fantasy, including Jessica Threet's excellent narration. Kianthe and Reyna are adorable and I really liked that their relationship was already established. Pining is fine, but it's nice to see a couple working through living together and building a life together instead of just falling love. I loved all the side characters in Tawney as well. The stakes are sometimes high, but other than the queen, most people are pretty nice or at least understandable when you get to know them. The struggles of renovating the tea/bookshop and setting up trade routes and establishing a customer base are all worthwhile moments in this tale. I can't wait to read the next installment and see what happens with the dragon eggs and the relationships between other citizens of Tawney.

Unfortunately this book did not work for me. I want to like cozy fantasy, and have enjoyed some cozy books in the past, but something here didn’t land.

Let’s start with the positives.

I liked the set up and the setting. I really thought I was going to like this story when we start with a Queen’s guard who wants to quit and open a tea shop. We get to see a glimpse into her life and why she is ready to move on.

I also liked that our two protagonists have been in a relationship for a few years before the start of the book. I always love seeing the later stages of relationships beyond just meeting and falling in love.

However, I didn’t really connect with our main characters, and I wasn’t really rooting for them. Their scenes felt cheesy and unrealistic. The story also kept telling us that they were good at communicating, but then their conflicts were due to miscommunication.

We also didn’t spend much time with the tea shop and bookshop. I wish we got to see them setting it up and operating it! It was started and run mostly off page. And our main characters were able to convince a local gang, who used to use the location as a headquarters, that it was a front for their operations in a single conversation!

Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this book. I think it will work for a lot of people, and I would still recommend giving it a try to anyone looking for a cozy palate cleanser.

This story is amazing! I adored these characters and their relationship. Such a great cozy listen!

The narrator did an amazing job bringing this story to life!