I really enjoyed this read - it's got some adventure, a lot of love, dragons and magic!
I loved the cosy feel of it!
This is the first book I've read by Rebecca Thorne, but I'll be on the lookout for more!

I wanted to love this as I love cosy fantasy, but this just missed the mark for me. I felt several points were filled out and the whole book was just flat.

too long. i was intrigued at first, but after 65% i started to lose my interest.

slightly has a higher stake than the other cozy fantasy i’ve read, but i get the coziness. a mage—kianthe, and a queen’s guard—reyna running away to a small village to build a new life together, planning to open a bookshop-slash-tea cafe. but kianthe still have a responsibility as the mage of ages, and reyna was considered a traitor since she abandoned her post. and they could only ignore those for long.

with the book being this long, it’s funny how it actually didn’t explain a lot of setting or magic system and after a while i stopped trying to wove them in my head, and just accept the plot on face value. there’s too much empty patches.

on the other note, it WAS brimming with love. the couple was adorable. and the epilogue insinuating that they appear again in the next book? we’ll see.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
4 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the stories in this book. Loved every single second reading it.

Cozy fantasy is still a hit or miss for me but I did enjoy this one somewhat. The pace was my biggest problem as it sometimes felt somewhat boring, but because of the characters I ended up not really minding the pace.

The characters were really enjoyable and I LOVED the main relationship! Sapphic couples aren't always well written but the author did a really good job with their interactions and characters arcs.

It's a great book to read if you're not looking for anything high stakes.

3.5 stars!!!
Brew yourself a warm cup of tea and get ready to delve into a new world that promises to wrap you up like a comforting hug!
Cozy fantasy is 100% a comfort genre for me. This book delivered on so many levels - I was whisked away to a realm where you can picture every detail and imagine yourself in their shoes, Rebecca Throne truly made the world come alive. It was a nice change to read an already established couple who just continuously grew stronger together throughout.
There were definitely moments that could have moved a little quicker, however the balance of coziness and tension definitely kept me engaged throughout.
I am excited to hear this is a series and will look forward to seeing what adventures the next book holds!

This book is like a warm hug or perhaps a warm blanket by the fire on a crisp day just like it’s setting. Perfect for fans of Travis Baldree (who is mentioned in the acknowledgments) and anyone who has ever fantasised about a quieter cozy life!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

In the acknowledgements, Thorne mentions the debt this book owes to Legend and Lattes, which is clearly evident throughout the novel. However, having read Bookshops and Bonedust first, while this book is a strong effort in the cosy fantasy genre it doesn't *quite* live up to Baldree's level. It was a lot of fun to read though the prose did sometimes jam a little, and it has great LGBTQ+ rep and found family vibes, so I think a lot of people will enjoy it.

4.5

This was so sweet and lovely! A worthy successor to the cosy fantasy title, reminiscent of Legends & Lattes. This is all about trying to escape the pressure and stress of life to something more gentle, with an endearing romance and so much kindness, shown in a town that is plagued by dragons. This was easy to read, cosy and warm, with splashes of adventure that added excitement into the story. I think my only struggle was that Kianthe and Reyna's POVs felt a little too similar to me - I kept having to remind myself of whose chapter it was. But the whole concept of running away from the stress of everyday life to open a bookshop/cafe in a quaint town in dragon country... how could I not love that??

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea war für mich eine ziemliche Enttäuschung. Zunächst einmal ist es falsch kategorisiert als cozy Fantasy, denn das war es absolut nicht.
Ich bin wirklich traurig darüber, wie langweilig das Buch war. Gemütliche Fantasy sollte trotz ihrer Atmosphäre immer noch emotionale Spannung bieten. Trotz meiner Enttäuschung bin ich bereit, dem zweiten Buch dieser Serie eine Chance zu geben. Ich glaube daran, dass Autoren sich weiterentwickeln und verbessern können.

Insgesamt jedoch hat mich Can't Spell Treason Without Tea nicht überzeugt, und ich hoffe, dass die Serie in Zukunft meine Erwartungen besser erfüllen kann.

I had a fun time with this book! This "cosy fantasy" book felt more like traditional fantasy than cosy fantasy to me - while the writing was lighthearted and I love the tea and bookshop, the stakes were consistently high throughout the story. I didn't mind this because I love fantasy and thought the plot was intriguing, but it's important to note if you want a purely cosy fantasy story with low stakes.

I thought the plot and characters were good and the world-building did its job, but I would love to know more about the characters' backstories and the magic/religious systems. I also felt like the book was a bit too long. Overall, this was a fun read with romance, magic, dragons, tea, and books. If that sounds like your cup of tea, I think you'd enjoy this!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Macmillan for an advanced copy of this book!

I enjoyed it! Cosy fantasy (cosy anything really) isn’t my bag but TJ Klune and Travis Baltree have gone a long way to fixing that. While this story had a few pacing problems, it was still a warm, entertaining and satisfying read. I enjoyed the two main characters’ relationship, but felt a bit too much time was spent on the dynamics of setting up home together. I loved the magical world building including the dragons, griffins and unicorns. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

1⭐️

I really struggled to get into this book and hate to admit that it was a DNF, which is why I’ve only given 1 star.

The premise really intrigued me and I was looking forward to getting into the book however, I couldn’t get past the first few chapters.

I hope to one day go back to it with a fresh mind and if I do, I will update my review accordingly.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC copy.

Thank you Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review. I am unusually late posting this review due to medical reasons, my deepest apologies and this hopefully won’t happen again.

I liked this (partially cozy) fantasy. It starts with a great action packed scene where we meet Reyna, a palace guard who is getting tired of her job. She works for a sociopath queen called Tilaine and when she saves her (again) from being assasinated, it becomes very clear that the queen does not value Reyna’s life at all and that hurts Reyna more than her sustained injuries. The offer Reyna’s secret girlfriend Kianthe (an important and powerful mage (who’s dry humor and easygoing nature always lightened the mood :)) made, to run away together and open a book and tea shop somewhere, becomes more and more appealing. Queen Tilaine’s betrayal makes her decide to just do it!

Reyna & Kianthe end up in a small town where they follow their dreams but the treath of queen Tilaine, a queen you don’t just run away from.. and dragons attacking the town for some reason (which adds a mystery to be solved to the story) make their life harder than foreseen. But they do love and have eachother, their cozy shop and great new friends!!

This was an easy read but it did take me a long time to finish, so I wouldn’t have minded if it was a bit shorter. The characters felt so real!! The only one I didn’t completely get was Reyna. And for some reason I hated when she started calling Kianthe “Darling”. And the obvious dislike and misinformation around horses made me kinda sad.. And made me care less for Kianthe’s o so perfect :/ mythological partner creature.. But the author did say, at the end of the book, that this story isn’t perfect.. And I love that this originally self-published book, about two characters pursuing their dream life, allowed her to fulfill her dream of becoming a full-time author!

I keep thinking of Kianthe and Reyna and I can’t wait to see the mystery around the dragons get unraveled further and their relationship progress (they did have their struggles in this book but love prevailed).

Very cozy vibes book. Heavily reminded me of legends and lattes where plot and depth were not the main focus and having a fun, cute and cozy ready was the main adgend. While enjoyable, it did feel like too much like legends and lattes

I enjoyed this a lot. The author admits she was heavily influenced by egends and Lattes and yes, it does show, but the book is also different in many ways. I liked it enough to want to buy the follow up, until I saw the price for a Kindle version. Ooof.
Recommended but...

This book was so fun and cozy!!! I've never really read a book like this before like a cozy mystery and I really enjoyed this one and would love to carry on the series for sure

I knew going into this book that there would be an overall cosy bookshop vibe and it did not disappoint! In fact, it was even better and there was an ominous threat in the background which could impact our main characters’ happy relationship and their new found family. I thought that any conflicts were resolved very well and the overall cosy feeling made for a beautiful and fun read.

I loved the premise of this book and there were some very cute moments between the characters.
I loved the element of found family and the way people rallied to help each other when it wasn't expected.
It took me a while to warm to the main characters and feel fully invested in the story. I just always felt like something was missing.
It was a cute, cosy read but I don't know if I'm invested enough to read a sequel.

Billed as cosy fantasy and happily inspired by Legends & Lattes but this doesn't quite have the magic or chemistry that made that such a success.

There's a lot of telling rather than showing, and Kianthe and Reyna's relationship, despite only being together for 2 years of stolen moments, has firmly established communication queues, zero conflict and only darlings, dears and off-camera romance. It's cute and perfunctory without any of the steam or heat that might make a relationship more cosy on page.

There's an awful lot of admin to this plot - seeking out permits and establishing trade routes, but everything seems to come very quickly and smoothly. Which again doesn't quite hit cosy, because it's not just low stakes - there aren't any stakes.

Except for the two big plot lines- Reyna abandoning her post with a cruel and murderous Queen, and the dragons setting fire to the town where Reyna and Kianthe set up shop. Two big plot lines that unfortunately didn't feel like they were particularly resolved ...

There was plenty that was cute here, but without enough conflict to make you care, unfortunately.

I received and eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.