This is exactly the cosy fantasy I wanted it to be! Just a cute, non-problematic, medium-stakes read with a sense of humour and great LGBTQ+ representation.

I loved every page and couldn't put it down, devouring the whole book in less than 36 hours.

I loved the relationship between the two main characters (although a few 'dears' and 'loves' could do eith being edited out). For a cosy fantasy, the magic system was explained well and organically, without heavy explanations being needed.

I say it's a medium-stakes fantasy as there are a few overarching things that create a sense of peril so it's not totally low-stakes. This does mean that it makes sense that this is part of a series and not a standalone book.

I've pre-ordered a signed copy of this book and I'm so glad I did because I love it. It's like hot chocolate in book form.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea shows that it isn't always that easy to leave your old world behind. The story follows Reyna and Kianthe, as they run away from their old lives to be together and live a more peaceful existence, filled with their love for tea and books. However, they don't get their happily ever after just yet, especially as new problems in the shape of dragons arise.

The inspiration that has been taken from Legends and Lattes is clear, and I'm glad that Rebecca Thorne did make it something of her own. The biggest addition is that it has more adventure. Where their shop serves as a centre where they return to, they occasionally leave town to deal with bigger issues than the brewing time of tea. Although I loved the plot, it did take away from the character interactions. The relationship between Reyna and Kianthe did get some action, but there was little about the customers coming in. I find that disappointing, as it was so well done in Legends and Lattes. The story is less about running a tea and book shop, and more just set in one.

The magic system and the world-building intrigued me, although it is a bit simple, making it accessible for people new to the fantasy genre, but might leave long-term fans longing for more.

The climax at the end did feel rushed. Some things are left unresolved for the next book, but as I loved this story and its characters, I'm happy to pick that one up and see what happens next!

4.5 stars - a sweet cosy fantasy with bookshops, dragons, griffons and lots of tea.

Reyna and Kianthe decide to runaway and open a bookshop and tea shop. Sounds perfect but Reyna is now on the run for treason and Kianthe is the leader of the Mages. Hiding in a small town Tawney they uncover found family and low stakes adventure.

I loved this story it had the perfect blend of adventure and plot but remaining on the cosy side plus a beautiful and healthy sapphic relationship between the two main FMCs.

The book leaves one plot point open for the next book to continue on with but it could still be read as a stand alone but I will definitely be picking it up.

Would recommend for readers looking to get into fantasy as it’s a very easy read. Similar to the very secret society of irregular witches and the house in the cerulean sea for the found family and magic vibes.

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne is a sapphic romance and cosy fantasy carefully woven together as one - perfect for fans of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune.

The cottage-core vibes are immaculate. Think homemade buttermilk and blueberry scones, freshly brewed rose and mint tea and piles of dusty books.

I desperately wanted to fall in love with this book, however, despite the dreamy setting and super sweet connection between Reyna and Kianthe, I felt that both the characters were far too similar at times and rather lacking in depth. I would often forget from which POV I was reading and have to go back and check, which took me out of the story.

Also, as their relationship was already established prior to the beginning of the book, I felt like we had skipped a huge part of their journey together. There were constant sweeping declarations of love throughout, however, I didn't have a strong emotional connection to the characters to be truly invested in the outcome.

There were also a lot of loose ends that I felt could have been tied up and therefore the ending felt anticlimactic

This book is the perfect starting point for fantasy readers looking to get into cozy fantasy.

We follow our main characters as they abandon their responsibilities to open up the coziest tea and bookshop in a small town. There they make the small town their home. I really enjoyed this aspect and loved the various relationships we explored.

I think this is the perfect bridge because there is still a small amount of action and mystery. While Reyna has left everything behind, Kianthe doesn't have the same privilege. Her job title is a little more difficult to leave behind and causes her to take on a huge task that will lead us into the second book.

The perfect book to enjoy over a rainy weekend!

Cozy Fantasies are very hit or miss for me. This one however was a clear favorite. There is witty banter, an adorable queer romance (which is already established, something I haven't read about in a while and loved even more so), peaceful moments and elements as well as some stakes and dangers around the corner. Can't wait to read more from the author

**Thank you to NetGalley and Panmacmillan for the e-ARC**

3,5/5

'Can't spell treason without tea' had benn on my radar for a few months, as a queer cosy fantasy. In the end, it was nice couple hours spent reading, like I expected, maybe a bit oversold from what I saw on social media. The book has that "searching for a quiet life" vibe, with a little town a little bit cut out from the rest of the kingdom, sense of close community and focus on building your own little nest. It worked for the characters and their goals, but I must say I didn't have that cosy feel in the end, maybe because of the stakes, quite high in the end.
What I did like was the fact that the couple was alrealy, well, a couple, and had to work together for theur shared goal. There isn't enough of such kind of relationships in books, it was refreshing. And the mains characters are cute together as well as being separate entities throughout the story, working together and doing stuff on their own sometimes, I liked that.
All in all, I think the book somewhat delivered its promise and I had a nice time, even while not being that much invested and lacking that strong sense of cosyness.
If you're looking for a fantasy with a tinge of cosyness and quite high stakes, 'Can"t spell treason without tea' might work for you !

So, I received an e arc of this book to give my honest opinion.

Writing wise, it is not badly written and the writing style is easy to follow… however, it is basically just legends and lattes with a slight change for the first half of the book which to me is lazy writing.

The plot lacked but at least I could continue reading. After half way the plot began to develop and I did begin to enjoy the book for its storyline finally.

Definitely would say it’s an easy read and good to break up any high fantasy books.

But, if you’re looking for something similar to legends and lattes it’s perfect however if you don’t like it being too similar I wouldn’t recommend.

Unfortunately this was a dnf for me. The book was all over the place with no structure, it didn’t seem like the author knew what they wanted it to be which made it confusing with pacing issues. I found the writing very amateurish and I had no interest in reading anymore

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc