'Can't Spell Tea Without Treason' is probably the weirdest Fantasy book I've read in a while, and a rather well-crafted one! Often, this type of fantasy novels, which are plenty in the self-publication world, tend to be pretty all-over the place and rather poorly written (due to a lack of help mind you). But here, a publisher helped put together a unique story with an ultra-modern voice, a book which is not perfect but will definitely find its audience.

On one hand, the best part of the novel is undoubtedly the two main characters, Reyna and Kianthe, whose backstories and interactions feel dense and make them look as if they really know each other so well. They make some aspects of their wild adventure seem mundane and humane, which is a really nice touch in this magical world full of obsctacles and barbaric warriors for the Crown.

On the other hand, where the book fails to keep up with its cool protagonists, it is within its tropes. It tries too hard to sell the coziness in some twists, the violence in some turns, and fails to find a real balance between its different tones. This book could for example have been split in two parts, a first volume where the reader got to know the couple in the tea shop, and a second one after the kidnapping happens, in order to really ignite fear. Rebecca Thorne clearly has a very creative mind, and I can assert that she will rightly grow a fandom. I just think that there is room to grow for her, some maturing to be done in order to rise among the great contemporary fantasy authors.

I had high hopes for this as I've been more into Cozy Fantasy books recently! It did not live up to my expectations at all. The chemistry between the main couple was very surface level, a bit too corny for my taste. The writing style felt a bit like an info dumpy. I really wanted to like this but I just really didn't connect with the MCs.

Está claro que hay alguna relación indisoluble entre la fantasía cozy y el té, porque no hay libro que no se encuadre en este subgénero que no esté regado con litros y litros de infusión. Esto de por sí no tiene que ser malo, pero me gustaría que aparte de eso sucediera algo más en la novela y es algo que en Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea se echa mucho en falta. Un conflicto, algo que nos haga tener más interés por la historia, porque tanto buenrollismo altera menos la tensión que un vaso de agua destilada a palo seco.


Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea es la historia de una pareja un tanto inverosímil, una guardia real y una poderosa hechicera, que sueñan en secreto con huir y montar una librería con servicio de te. Porque claro, cuando eres capaz de derrotar dragones con el chasquido de dos dedos o vas aniquilando amenazas que penden sobre tu soberana, es muy normal pensar en pastitas de té.

En un mundo poblado de dragones y con intrigas palaciegas variadas, lo mínimo sería que hubiese algo de tensión, pero es que todo les sale rodado a las protagonistas. La guardiana que no debería dejar su puesto bajo pena de muerte se escapa del palacio con una facilidad apabullante, la hechicera ultrapoderosa que debería estar defendiendo el reino tiene tiempo para tratar las impermeabilidades del granero que convierten en librería, y las situaciones más conflictivas y peligrosas a las que se enfrentan son una herida infectada y una caída en altura (el PRL de la fantasía deja bastante que desear).

Las relaciones interpersonales que también deberían ser un pilar en este tipo de libros se dan por supuestas. Llegamos al pueblo y ya son todos amigos para siempre cual canción de Los Manolos. Y los dos supuestos gerifaltes del pueblo al que van a parar, enfrentados por el poder, ya sabemos cómo van a acabar desde el minuto uno. Cero desarrollo de personajes.

Mira que la narración de Jessica Threet intenta arreglarlo, pero el material de partida es bastante pobre. Me temo que Rebecca Thorne no va a estar entre mi lista de autoras que seguir.

(Listened on Audiobook) This was a sweet sapphic cosy fantasy, that sometimes struggled with balancing high stakes and cosy feelings. For the length of the book I would also expect the plot to be resolved within one book, which is was not. The world is cosy, but shallow, and often doesn't make logical sense. Overall it's still a sweet and calm story, focusing on the relationship of the main couple, but doesn't quite pack any emotional punch.

I had heard all of the hype about this book on Tiktok, so couldn't wait to read it. Do I think it lived up to the hype? Mostly.

Rain is a Queen's Guard, and Key is the Arcandor, the most powerful mage around, and they want nothing more that to run away together and run a book/tea shop. This book is every bit the cozy fantasy that it sounds like, with a small sideline in assassins, dragons griffins and bandits.

Who doesn't love a book with a lesbian couple, and a small town in it? I enjoyed this book, and I am keen to see what comes next for Key and Rain. I wish there was a little more jeopardy, or adventure, but I guess that's when it would lose its cozy edge.

A fun read, and a great intro to the genre, or a great next read if you loved Legends and Lattes.

Reyna has betrayed the vicious Queen that she was sworn to, and now just wants to open a quiet bookshop/tearoom with her love, Kianthe.

I was hoping for a cosy fantasy here, but instead the plot was quite intense in parts. The world building wasn't very convincing, so although I mostly enjoyed the book I did still have a lot of questions. It was a fairly easy read though, which I think is all that stopped it becoming a DNF!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoy a cosy mystery and this one was perfect as it had fantasy too.
It was well written and had a good steady plot. I really like the authors writing style and found it easy to follow.
The world building was rich and really descriptive. I love the side characters just as much as the main characters. I found them to be well written and have a good depth to them. I would definitely love to read more about them.
As someone who doesn’t drink Tea this actually made me want to have some. I’ve already bought a special edition of this book and can’t wait to add it to my collection.
I’d love to read more from this author! And I can’t wait for the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this. It was a low (to medium) stakes high fantasy adventure, with a really good balance of cosy romance and an interesting mystery with an evil queen and dragons. I'm really excited to read more and learn about the dark secrets surrounding the palace.
Anything based around a bookshop/tearoom is going to be a winner, and the addition of dragons and magic had me hooked. The characters were fun, and I loved the interactions, especially with Gosling, he was such a sweetheart.
This is a definite recommend.

*3.5 Thank you so much to the author and netgalley for the ARC :)
An established relationship!!! We love to see it!!! There were so many great parts of this, but I think there was too many elements. It would have been more successful if their new life was further established and then there was less but more focused threats to the life they have built. this would have given more focus on the building of the shop and would have been more invested in that before it was threatened.
I also got the sense that sometimes it is clear they are an established couple but other times it seemed like it was incredibly early in the relationship with how insecure they both were about it. I love established relationships in books though so I did really enjoy the sections where it was obvious they were committed and comfortable with each other.

This also isn’t legends and lattes. I understand why the advertising and other people are comparing it but it is only like it on surface level. This is much more high stakes and less focused on the shop itself but the protection of the life these two are trying to make for themselves.

I loved this book so much! It had a cosy tea shop/bookshop, magic, dragons and such an amazing cast of characters (except the Queen and her guards obvs). I want to visit them! It was marketed as a cosy fantasy and it had its cosy moments but I don't feel it's cosy overall as half the book the characters are in a state of anxiety!
The ending definitely has me waiting for the next instalment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for the ARC.

DNF at 60 pages.

For me, the biggest struggle with this book was that the POV chapters of our two main characters seemed exactly the same. There was nothing that made them differ from each other and I had to keep double checking who’s POV I was on as I couldn’t work out who’s head I was supposed to be in. The personalities were very similar, and I feel the author really could have developed this more.

I will aim to perhaps revisit this book in the future if I can, as I can see the potential! The set up seems to be very good, I love the concept, but the characters just aren’t it for me.

3.5 stars (rounded up)

This was a lovely story to read, though I am hesitant to draw comparisons to Legends and Lattes, as I think has been done a fair bit - this book I felt was much more focused on the romantic relationship between Kianthe and Reyna than the establishment of their tea-and-bookshop, and the hurdles they had to overcome tended to be external (such as the queen's guards searching for Reyna) rather than directly linked to them setting up their new life somewhere quiet.

That aside, Can't Spell Treason Without Tea was very enjoyable, and definitely a fantastic cozy fantasy. I loved the unusual pairing of Kianthe and Reyna, who come from very different worlds, and how they interact with each other and everyone else that reflects that. I liked all of the characters, really, and the way that everyone is so willing to pitch in and help when needed which is one of the aspects of cozy fantasy that I tend to appreciate the most. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys relatively low-stakes fantasy and stories about choosing the path you were not supposed to take.

Thanks, netgalley, for the arc !


This is peak cozy fantasy, with still a bit of tension to keep us hooked throughout the story without ever getting boring. It's honestly impressive how I would keep walking just to listening to this because I wanted to see how things would go.

The cast of characters is vast and you can't help but care for each of them, and would like to go live in Tawney pls and thanks.

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is about following your heart and giving up everything to pursue your dreams. It’s about settling down and fighting for what you want for yourself. Ultimately, it’s about love and being kind to yourself. Reyna is a royal guard, secretly dating Kianthe, who also happens to be the most powerful mage in the world. She thought she would remain a royal guard until she either retired or died on the job, but one night she throws it all away and flees so she and Kianthe can open their own bookstore and tea shop. Doing so is not easy, but the town where they settle is welcoming, and they are happy together. Except neither can flee their old life entirely, and the Queen Reyna served is furious about her betrayal.

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is an undeniably sweet and lighthearted read. Kianthe and Reyna’s relationship is adorable, and refreshingly funny, and following them on their journey made for an pleasant read. I also appreciated the pacing of the books, because it did not fall into routine, but instead kept me interested through Kianthe and Reyna’s hardships.

Ultimately, though, I merely liked Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea instead of loving it. I suppose some of it might have to do with the fact that I prefer books with higher stakes, and as it was my first time reading cosy fantasy, I have nothing to compare this novel to. But I also felt like the characters weren’t fleshed out enough for my liking. They weren’t one-dimensional, but it was hard to like them beyond a surface level. The same went with the secondary characters; I loved their personalities, but I wanted to actually get to know them beyond interactions that felt superficial.

Despite this, people who are looking for a sweet, cosy read, and who want to read a story that doesn’t involve world-ending stakes while still reading fantasy will probably love this book

LOVED this one so much, such a delightful sweet read and just totally adorable. Absolutely love a cosy fantasy

Reyna is part of a controlling Queen’s personal bodyguard, she has a secret girlfriend in the form of an all powerful mage who has been trying to convince her to run away and open a book shop that serves tea. When an incident occurs that draws further attention to just how terrible the narcissistic Queen is, Reyna finally agrees and the couple flee to a small town to start afresh and build their dream.

I just couldn’t get into this, which was a massive shame as I adore the ingredients and was so hyped for it, and in fact it joined my small DNF pile at 39% read. There were plot holes before I even got to the end to see how things would wrap up, Reyna’s new identity lasted all of 2 minutes even though they’re in fear of being chased down due to her treason. But maybe I could have gotten over those if it wasn’t for the dialogue between the characters.

There’s a couple of significant gripes with this book; firstly, it is being sold as a cosy fantasy but it is not at all a cosy fantasy. It’s not entirely low stakes, there’s a risk of the Queen finding them at any moment and exacting her revenge for Reyna’s treasonous abandonment, there’s an assassination attempt right at the beginning; nor does it feel laidback and cosy. Legends and Lattes it is not.

Secondly, and the biggie as it really effected my enjoyment is the relationship between the main characters not convincing me. Each conversation between them either felt like them reading a relationship self help book to each other or were constantly punctuated by ‘darling’ or ‘dear’ and far too falsely saccharine. I couldn’t bare to read pages of it at a time, it just wasn’t believable. It felt smug and irritating. There was a severe lack of personality and it was all rather 2 dimensional.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this review copy, of course this review contains my own thoughts and opinions on this book.

Cosy Fantasy is a genre that you definitely need to be 'in the mood for' as it's often found to have a slower pace with very little to low stakes. Can't Spell Treason Without Tea delivers on its whimsical and magical promise as we're introduced to Reyna and Kianthe as they look to open their own book and tea store, with a bit of danger and thrill along the way. I devoured this story in one sitting as I found the pacing to feel steady and consistent, the story was easy to take in and the characters were a lot of fun to follow on their adventure. I had the constant sense of 'home' and 'comfort' when reading this story, and without spoiling its contents I really couldn't recommend further.

This was such a delightful read with a lesbian couple, a whole lot of tea, a few stabbings, griffins and dragons. Not sure what else you need in a fantasy book! Although this is described as a cozy fantasy book it still manages to have lots of action, thrill, danger and a few mysteries to solve.

Reyna finally decides to run away from her dangerous life as a bodyguard for the Queen with her love, Kianthe, to set up a cozy tea shop somewhere. Kianthe also happens to be a powerful mage with duties of her own. They find themselves in Tawney, a small town where they begin to build a life for themselves, but that only lasts until the Queen's guards begin to search for the traitor, Reyna.

I found this a really easy read and I loved the found family in Tawney. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely adored this book. Its the ultimate cosy fantasy. Our main character couple are just so adorable and clearly deeply in love with other. The description of owning and running a bookshop, and all the wee comments and quirks and references towards books will really hit home and greatly appeal to readers. Thorne really summed up all the wonderful and funny parts of reading and summed up why people love and adore books. As a tea lover, the descriptions of brewing and cosy feelings generated with the tea shop, alongside the ultimate atmosphere generated by the shop really filled me warmth and happiness and made me feel like i was there in the shop. Loved we had a running plot throughout that kept everything turning over too. And an absolutely fantastic side cast of characters that i want to get know more of for sure!

I've been seeing this book all over the internet and I am so happy that I finally read it. It was such a wholesome story to read. I loved the characters so much. This book has everything I wanted. It is queer, cosy, and adventurous. I loved it a lot and can't wait to continue the series.