Can't Spell Treason Without Tea might be one of the most intense and high stakes cozy fantasies I have read so far, but I was here for the chaos!

The queen's bodyguard and the world's most powerful mage are just about done with all the shit they have to put up with, so they decide to follow their hearts and flee to a backwater village in the dragon country where they open a bookshop that serves tea. But the chill idyllic vibes are quickly disturbed by some raging dragons, inexplicable mysteries, squabbling lords, dangerous spies, and a vengeful queen... in other words, que the mishaps and mayhem!

Now, this story delivered exactly what it promised, while also being completely unlike anything I was anticipating. The sapphic romance was entirely too wholesome, I gobbled up the cozy teashop vibes, I loved the support of the small-town community, and my bookish heart burst with joy from all the bookish love in this story.

However, I do feel like this story took on a bit too much at times. For me, most cosy stories work so well because they are so driven by the characters and their interpersonal relationships, but there was a lot in this story that distracted from those aspects here. Amidst the chill moments of building their dream life, Reyna and Kianthe are thrown into a lot of high-stakes situations, especially for a supposedly cozy book. And all that action, combined with the fact that I found their respective inner voices to be a bit weak and indistiguishable, resulted in the fact that I just could not really get emotionally invested.

Moreover, Kianthe and Reyna are already in a steady (though long-distance) relationship when the story starts, and it took me a long time to catch up to their level of love and devotion for each other. Normally I love a romantic element in my stories because we get to see the build-up and yearning, but here that development has happened off-page. Now, there was a bonus short story at the end of the book that gave a glimpse into their first meeting, and those were actually my favourite scenes of them together, and it made me enjoy their dynamic a lot more in hindsight; I almost wish we would've gotten that at the start of the story!

Despite my little quibbles, I still had a very delightful time with this story. I mean, we've got a delightfully queer-normative world full of lovable chaos queers, there's a cute griffon companion, and it features plenty of cheesy and hysterically bad tea puns that will have you giggling like a little kid... how could I not have a fun time?!

If you are looking for a more high-stakes version of Legends & Lattes full of magic, dragons, endearing characters, and wholesome queer love, then you have to check out Can't Spell Treason Without Tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor UK for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book is scheduled for release on 9 May, 2024.

This was very much a cozy fantasy with really fun ideas and world-building, but the characters were already established and the plot was solved as soon as problems arose, which meant there was absolutely no tension and no character development. Unfortunately this made it a bit of a slog, but it was still a fun read.

Sadly dnf'd, felt too.much like a replica of much loved Travis Baldree's books.

Recently watched an interview with the author & as a result understand why I didn't connect with this, her approach is self declared as being based on a formulaic approach where she writes the end and several plot points & that this formula always works, that all books are based on a few ideas & it's not plagiarism to copy another's idea & develop it.

More mature authors reflect that they learned to let the characters speak to them & guide them. A formulaic approach doesn't create a great novel.

Books, tea, and magic - what more could you want?

This was such a perfect and cosy story, especially after having read so many heavy fantasy novels lately.

Reyna and Kianthe both had interesting perspectives, and I never found myself disappointed at whose POV I was reading. I loved their relationship, and even though it seemed a little too good to be true at times, I really enjoyed watching them progress in their new life.

The main selling point of this story for me has to be the atmosphere itself - it was so comforting to read, and I want nothing more now than to curl up with a chair by the fireplace with one of Kianthe's books and Reyna's tea and cake! But at the same time there was still a level of drama, and I'm curious to see how the tension and cosiness will mix in any future stories.

Books with similar vibes - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, and Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree.

I enjoyed this book. I've seen it described as Legends & Lattes (L&L) but with tea, and to some extent that's true. The acknowledgements explicitly say that the book was directly inspired by L&L. However, personally, I found this book more engaging than L&L. Reyna and Kianthe's story is just beginning and although you can read this book and be left with a warm cosy glow at the end, I'm hoping that we'll get to read more about what happens next. Especially if we get to see more of Ponder.

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne is a cosy fantasy about a royal guard and a powerful mage who run away and open a bookshop tea cafe. Rayna is tired of risking her life for a selfish queen and Kianthe wants to build a life with people who see her as herself and not just a vehicle for powerful magic.

It's a cute and easy read. I liked the characters and enjoyed the little community they become part of. It drags a bit at points but I wasn't in a rush and for the most part was happy to just follow along. What did frustrate me was some of the details, for example they are in hiding but repeatedly use Reyna's real name in group settings instead of her alias.

Some of the plot points also felt too easily resolved but it's a cosy fantasy so I can mostly forgive needing to suspend my disbelief a bit more than usual. If we can have elemental magic, why not particularly gullible villains.

Pick this one up if you're in the mood for a cute, cosy fantasy story with a loveable couple, lots of puns and are happy with world building based on *vibes*. For me, I picked it up at the right time and this was lovely to read while recovering from a cold. ⭐⭐⭐.5 stars

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea is coming out May 9th. Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the eARC.

A beautiful y written and perfectly paced cosy fantasy. A bookshop I could only ever dream to live in. A recommendation for anyone who just needs a good relaxing read with dragons, books and tea.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I almost DNFed this book- almost. The first 100 pages were really hard to read, both with how it’s written and the characters personality.

But it picked up as soon as they opened their bookshop- all I needed was books to get me more hooked into the story.

Our two main characters are Reyna, a palace guard, and Kianth, a mage (we’re told this in every other sentence that describes her) who are badass lesbians, escaping their roles and running away to open a bookshop and serve tea. It’s cute and they do make a good couple, but obviously things all crash around them. The drama added to the story but I also felt that things seemed to happen just to cause trouble.

That being said, both characters end up needing medical assistance and the other then frets and worries.

At one point I was wondering why?

They don’t listen to each other so it seemed a fight was on the horizon and then although it never happened it just felt like the author was putting the couple in danger just for the sake of it.

Overall though, the story is good and the ending wasn’t what I expected. I liked the prequel story at the end which adds to their relationship and you realise where they started.

I don’t think I’ll be reading the sequel though.

3/5 stars.

This book made me feel as cosy as curling up with a good book and a cup of tea can.Yes, there is mild peril [hard to involve dragon threats and evil queens without it] but i always felt secure in the happy ending which is EXACTLY what i want from this genre.

Looking forward to more stories from the expanded Tomes and Tea family, there are so many characters in this shop and this town that i want to learn more about.

I really loved Legends and Lattes and so when I saw that this was being marketed as Legends and Lattes but with tea and added dragons, I had to request the ARC.
The beginning of the book has very obvious similarities with Legends and Lattes and the author credits Travis Baldree with the inspiration for the book. In Treason, we have two protagonists who want to create a tea and book shop and the sections where they build the shop with the help of the local inhabitants felt very familiar. However, the plot and the characters are very different to either of the books by Travis Baldree and the book quickly took on its own life.
I liked both of the main characters. The combination of a guardswoman, skilled in the use of weapons and an all powerful mage reminded me of Mercedes Lackey’s Tamra and Kethry stories which I love. The relationship between them was nicely solid and it was a change to have a story about an existing love affair rather than seeing them fall in love (although we do get to see that as well). The secondary characters were interesting too especially the two men who are rivals for control of the small town.
The world building was effective and the descriptions of the countryside were vivid especially when Kianthe was out in the wilderness. I enjoyed the idea of the two different countries with very different methods of government coming together in one small border town. I also loved the magic system and the fact that magic wasn’t unlimited. I also really loved the griffons and dragons.
This is a bit more involved than other cosy fantasies that I have read and is closer to a more traditional fantasy story with the quest to find the stolen dragon eggs. In some ways, there was almost a bit too much plot with the addition of the vengeful queen as well. It went down the cosy route as none of the difficulties took much to overcome. The ease in which Reyna and Kianthe overcame their problems was a bit too tidy for me but that’s a very minor complaint.
This was a fun read with two very likeable characters and a well thought out setting. I’m looking forward to seeing where the two of them go next.

'Can't Spell Treason Without Tea' sells itself as a cosy lesbian fantasy and overall it delivers on that promise. It's a 'Legends and Lattes'-style novel about a mage and a guard Captain who attempt to run away from their lives and open up a shop selling tea and books. They need to balance dealing with local politics against the larger, more national affairs they've been used to dealing with, while also learning how to run their little business. There's also the small matter of dragon attacks that threaten everything they've built.

This is a mostly charming novel. There are a few missteps - Kianthe letting out moans every time she eats something tasty is weirdly sexual, and the PDAs and overuse of the word 'girlfriend' feels quite teenage - but there is also a lot to like. The sense of place in the border town of Tawnee is strong, with a believable cast of side characters. It's also nice to read stories set in worlds where gay and non-binary people are simply accepted without comment. People keep secrets for political reasons, but not because they fear discrimination,

This is very definitely the beginning of a series. There's a sense of moving into act two at the end of the book - a definite pause but by no means the end of the story. Fans of Casey Blair and Travis Baldree may well enjoy this cheerful novel that contains plenty of cups of tea.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Can't Spell Treason without Tea was originally released back in 2022 and is being rereleased in 2024. It is being sold as a Legend and Lattes but with tea. I don't think that marketing is doing the book any favors. If you don't compare them, this can actually be a good read.

Our story starts with Reyna, a bodyguard to a not so nice queen. When the queen has no qualms about sacrificing her in a murder attack, Reyna finally decides it has been enough. She runs away and sends out a signal for her girlfriend, Kianthe, who is only the most powerful mage in existence. They decide to run away together and start a bookstore.

The story is not without its flaws. Arguably the world building and the plotting around them are some of its weakest points. The supposed vengeful queen that gets wrapped up so nicely in a neat little bow, the bandits they so easily discard of, the all powerful mage.

But Reyna and Kianthe did manage to pull at my heart strings. I enjoyed that they had an established relatonships. All their insecurities came topside when they did start living and working together. They talked these things through and I enjoyed seeing that kind of relationship. No break-up, no threats of breaking-up, no temptations from another person. They just truly wanted to be there for each other and they worked through that. I also enjoyed the side characters that came with them.

I know some people find this too high stakes to be a cozy fantasy. I disagree with that to a point. I don't think the near death experiences means this can't be cozy if that is the feeling that it brings to you. What a lot of people are describing as cozy fantasy seems to be more of a slice of life fantasy. What is and isn't cozy fantasy can be very personal. I do think that there has to be a balance between the higher stakes and the cozy set-ups for a book to remain cozy. For me this book still hits that. I understand that for some, this might not.

I do find that the plot that is clearly moving into the next book concerning the town, makes me wonder where exactly we are going and what the author truly intends with these books. I found it frustrating that this plot point was not wrapped up.

A very cosy and wholesome fantasy book about two lovers who escape together to start a new life as a book and tea shop owners.

I really enjoyed ready Can't Spell Treason Without Tea. It was nicely paced, probably on the slower side for some readers, but considering it's genre, I didn't care too much. There were sprinkles of fantasy and high stake plots which kept me interested, as well as genuine thought and interaction with the characters whether they were main or side (Gossley is precious). Before I realised, I had got to the epilogue and was looking forward to the second book.

The only downside I have is that I would have liked to explore the tyrannical queen of the Queendom more. She had a lot of potential plot points that could have been explored, but nothing happened with them, which was unfortunate. Plus, her naivety which lead to the resolution of a very large issue was kind of too simple.

Nevertheless, thoroughly enjoyed this book as a whole and I eagerly await the sequel, A Pirate's Life for Tea!

A great cosy fan-tea-sy. Not sorry about the pun, Kianthe would be proud. I super loved this book, so cosy and fun. My first foray into cosy fantasy, the slow pace was nice and a nice change from what I’m used to. Just living with these characters was great, and the cast of neighbours added to the great setting of the tea shop. There were a few trials and tribulations, but mostly was events the two main characters had to face. Glad it’s left a sequel open, definitely want to go back to this world.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc, the pub date is 09/05/24

I really loved Can't Spell Treason Without Tea.
The pacing was really well done, and I never found myself bored - it just flowed naturally!
It felt a lot like a Studio Ghibli film - cosy and warm; just like a good brew!
5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital ARC of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea.

I actually rated this 4.5 stars. This is definitely for fans of Legends and Lattes, however this story did seem to involve much more high stakes fantasy and jeopardy. Seeing Kianthe and Reyna open up their little tea shop after conforming to what's been expected of them and keeping their relationship secret was such a breath of fresh air despite being quite a common trope in fantasy stories such as this. The found family themes were so heartwarming and like the title suggests, it was like drinking a hot cup of tea by a lovely warm fire in a snuggly jumper! An absolute credit to Rebecca Thorne and I can't wait to read book 2 which will be released later this year!

This is a little treat, cozy fantasy but with higher stakes than Travis Baldrees work, ie there is a lot of retail comfort but there are also dragons and evil queens . A lovely bridge between two fantasy genres with compelling characters entering a cozy small town vibe. Clearly the opening of a new series I’m interested to see where it goes from here!

soft DNF @ 44%

I was so excited for this cosy sapphic fantasy with dragons as that is right up my alley but unfortunately I'm not loving it. After getting almost halfway through and putting it down for a bit I find myself not wanting to pick it up again and always choosing another read instead. I love the whole idea of a tearoom/bookshop but I'm finding the process so far extremely boring and I'm not really invested in the character's stories. The writing feels a little lazy to me, for example, Reyna is supposed to be in hiding and using an alternative name to stay anonymous in Tawney but is constantly referred to as her real name around townspeople as though the author forgot she's in hiding. I might pick this back up in the future when in the mood for something slow and easy.

Thankyou to Netgalley and the puclisher for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was ok. Not bad but not great either. I found it was way too similar to Legend's and Lattes. So much so I pictured Rayna as an ogre. I found the word Arcandor weird to read, it was like my brain stumbled on it every time. Also there is a phrase used in the book 'another think coming ' which should be another thing coming. I get that it was a cosy low stakes fantasy but it just felt like nothing really happened.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I haven’t read a lot of cost fantasy before this. The low stakes were nice, the characters were cute, and the story was fun.

I don’t have a lot to say about it, it was a solid read. If you do already enjoy cosy fantasy, if you want to read about two lesbians with a magical book/tea shop - this is for you. You can’t really go wrong by picking this up!

4⭐️