Guarding the Queen is all Reyna has ever known. It’s the family business, and it was assumed from birth that she would follow in the footsteps of her mother. The thought of doing something else hadn’t crossed her mind until she met Kianthe, the Arcandor, the infamous Mage of Ages. Falling in love with Kianthe was a risk, and the two sneaked midnight rendezvous afraid that the Queen, not known for her mercy, would find out.

After a particularly nasty assassination attempt leaves Reyna realising just how expendable she is to the Queen despite her loyalty, Reyna decides to accept the offer Kianthe made to her – to run away and set up a bookshop with a tearoom.

Of course, Queen Tilaine is never going to just let Reyna go. Finding the seemingly perfect place in Tawney, a town with uncertain borders far away from the Queen’s court, the couple set up shop in an old bandit hideout. But life was never going to be quiet for the Mage of Ages, and Tawney, well, it’s a town that has more happening than they first realised, including dragon attacks.

Can Reyna and Kianthe help the town, avoid the Queen’s guards, and get their business off the ground, all while working out their relationship as a proper couple?

I picked up Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne because the title practically begged me to, and the synopsis backed it up. I was expecting a cosy fantasy that would be fun and interesting and was blown away by how good it was. Thorne’s writing is brilliant. From her characters to her plot twists and her world building, her writing was a delight to read and I love her style. Her unique narrative style fits well with the cosy fantasy genre, and I loved the way that the narrative slipped into omniscient narration at times, commenting on how Renya and Kianthe reacted to a situation later. For example, when they tell a necessary white lie to save a teenager from a life of crime, the narration mentions that it’s something that they never dissuade him of his belief.

Speaking of said teenager, the whole bandit subplot was such a laugh, and I enjoyed the way that Thorne seamlessly blended humour with romance and fantasy in this book. While this cosy fantasy definitely comes under the romantasy genre, there is a lot more happening other than just the romance. Also while there are a lot of displays of care, snuggles, hugs and kisses, that is the only intimacy shown on the page, although there are plenty of hints in the dialogue that more is happening off the page. I’ve seen other reviewers referring to the flirting scenes as being a lot more involved.

I don’t know if the author has reworked the book for this Tor reprint in 2024 or if other people have a much lower tolerance for scenes like this. But I did not find anything to be “inappropriate for a workplace”, especially one that is run by a couple that is clearly in love.

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea also has great mental health representation, which was a nice surprise, and I was very impressed with how well these scenes were written. There is a focus on anxiety, intrusive thoughts and recovering from abusive and toxic situations.

What stops this book from being a full five stars for me is that I realised a bit of a big plot hole. Reyna is running for her life from the Queen, and a huge deal is made about how dangerous it is for her… and yet she doesn’t change her appearance at all? It also takes a while for both her and Kianthe to realise that Reyna running around with her Queen’s guard sword probably isn’t the smartest idea! Everything else in the book fits together very well, and Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea has one of the most daringly funny endings I’ve read in a long time. But that bit let it down for me, and once I realised it, I couldn’t stop going back to it.

I fell completely in love with the world and characters that Thorne has created, and can’t wait to continue the adventures of Renya and Kianthe in the next Tomes & Tea book!

This was a fun read, but I feel it's a bit misleading that this was marketed as cosy fantasy. Yes, there are parts of the plot that clearly fit the genre: Reyna and Kianthe opening their coffee/book shop together and everything that went into this venture definitely qualified. But there is also a significant level of higher stakes at play: Reyna escaping the vengeful queen, Kianthe fulfilling her responsibilities as the most powerful mage, and saving an entire village from dragons. A significant chunk of the book is also spent on Reyna and Kianthe taking turns to get injured or burnt out and requiring extensive care.
Overall, I enjoyed the characters, but wasn't blown away by the novel because I'd gone in wanting cosy fantasy, which I felt was only delivered in part.

Thank you very much to Netgalley, the publisher and author for accepting my request to read and review this one early!

Firstly, I have realised that unless its second chance romance, I do not like book where we are following characters already in a relationship. It relies so much on telling us that they are in love without SHOWING US. I did not feel the butterflies with these characters, I was being told their feeling, I did not FEEL their feelings or their romance at all.

Second, this is not a cozy fantasy in my opinion. Aside from the overly copied (and yet poorly done) Legends and Lattes and Bookshops and Bonedust elements, this book was actually following a rather grand scale plot (evil queens and dragon threats). I felt as though the cozy elements of this book were hurried, and therefore did not actually have any COZY affect. Saying "oh theres tea and books and plants and a fireplace and a cute couple" does not actually result in "cozy".

Thirdly, I felt as though this book was highly unrealsitic in terms of the actual shop element. For one, how would a queens guard ever actually have time to pratice cooking and baking. Two, how come they could afford to build the entire shop and hire staff and stock it with books and tea and other food etc. And then how is it that thier business thrives from day one in a tiny small village.

I think other cozy books like Legends and Lattes does a much better job of actually showing how the shop runs and how it costs alot and the lack of customers at first etc.

Lastly, this book had two persepctives but let me tell you, they had zero difference. I could not tell them apart and every chapter I forgot who we were following. Neither character has a distinct personality.

Overall my biggest issue was simply the pacing and the plot. I was genuinly so freaking bored reading this. Getting 46% into a book and still not being interested in anything, having nothing super intriguing happen, is such a slog.

While I am super grateful to have been accepted to read and review this book early on Netgalley, this was sadly not for me.

This book, is not cozy. Did I like it? Yeah. Would I recommend? Yeah! to a particular kind of person. I did feel like it was a little too much like Legends and Lattes, however it had a lot of its own elements that didn’t make me feel like I was reading the same book too much. I enjoyed the characters. This is a 3.75 for me, which is still high in my books. I enjoyed it, but as I stated earlier. I wanted cozy and this didn’t really deliver on that. WAAAAAAY too many high stakes.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

DNF at 48%

Don't get me wrong, I love a good cosy read but this felt like such a blatant knock off of Legends and Lattes that I really struggled to take it seriously. The characters were flat and lacking in personality, everything just conveniently solved itself in record time and the author couldn't decide if it was slow stakes or action packed.

This was a fun story that was less cozy fantasy than I expected and more regular fantasy. This has intriguing worldbuilding and magic systems but some of the other bits felt a little unrealistic. Still, I had a good time and enjoyed the read!

This is a sweet story and a fairly low-stress read. A bit too low-stress for my tastes, perhaps, as everything seemed to resolve quickly and easily. Then again, cosy fantasy is not my normal genre, so it may appeal more to readers looking for kind of lighter read. 3.5*

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

DNF at around 50% unfortunately, although I might pick it up again one day.

I couldn't quite get into this - I loved the concept of it but honestly, neither of the main characters were that interesting to me and I couldn't quite get into the plot either. I know it's meant to be 'cosy' but some of the parts where they're setting up the tea shop are boring rather than cosy.

It's a shame because the description sounded great and I really thought I'd love it.

Inspired by Legends & Lattes, this book is a cosy fantasy with a sapphic love story, a bookshop / tea room, magic, dragons, griffons and found-family. It's like sinking into a warm bath and feeling utterly content. Can't wait for book 2 as Bobbie and Serina already sound fantastic.

This was a really sweet yet magickal story, it was cute and quaint, but also had a gritty side which I loved. It was a beautiful love between 2 ladies that just wanted a peaceful life, and what more could you want with tea and a bookshop. Oh and plants!!! Totally wonderful.

Thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

'Can't Spell Treason Without Tea' is unlike any fantasy book I had read before. It's told through the eyes of two main characters, Reyna and Kianthe, who are lovers and both keen to settle down and open a bookshop that sells books and tea.
But Reyna works as one of the Queen’s private guards, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. The two women are beset by problems and issues, but they work together to overcome everything.

This is a feelgood fantasy, sweet and gentle for the most part., with moments of thrilling action. I loved how Rebecca Thorne wove magical realism into real world events, and made her fantasy world come to life. Her characters are both believable and lovable.

This cozy fantasy with a sapphic romance was charming, fun and like a warm hug. I would love to run away from my responsibilities and open a tea shop bookstore!

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The mage of mages and a queen's guard decide, after years of a secret relationship, to run away together and open a tea/book shop in a small town. So far so Legends&Latte + Bookshops&Bonedust.

The novel finds its feet around 40%, when secondary characters have been introduced and a quest seems to come up.

There is potential for a series and I'm looking forward to it.

#CozyFantasy

After being recommended this by a friend who read it when it was indie published, I knew I had to request it as she raved about it. Sadly I didn't enjoy it as much. Whilst the concept is interesting, I just don't think cosy fantasy is the right genre for me.

The writing was great though.

This book is awesome! Definitely a solid 5 stars from me. It's not just a total page-turner, but it's also a blast to read. I'm digging how easy it is to get into, from the storyline to the writing style—it's all just so breezy! And the vibe? Super heartwarming, like a cozy hug that never ends. Total relaxation vibes all the way.

I quite enjoyed Can't Spell Treason Without Tea. There is a great cast of characters, interesting settings, and some cool magic and magical creatures.

I do have to say that I agree with a lot of the criticism given by other reviewers that the content of this book is different to what was marketed. Now, I'm no expert on what classes as a 'cosy fantasy' and what doesn't, but this one did seem to be like a 'standard' fantasy to me? Maybe a little slower, and it definitely lacks on the worldbuilding - but I feel as if that was more a writing and structural flaw than a genre choice. I expected this to be low stakes, with the characters enjoying their lives in their book store, I did not expect so much murder, villainy, and multiple plot threads.

I originally thought this was a standalone but it became abundantly clear while reading that there wasn't going to be much solved in this one, which told me that Thorne was setting up a sequel and so she had to leave things unsolved for the sequel. I do think more could've been done in this one and that would've made this story work and flow better, while also leaving room for things to be expanded upon in a sequel.

My hopes is that the sequel does actually continue with the main plot left over from this one, however I have the feeling we will get tons of side quests and plots that will ultimately distract and this will probably end up dragging on for a third book. With that said, I am intrigued to see where it goes and for the new setting - I'm hoping we will get more on the worldbuilding and the mechanics of the world.

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is a captivating tale full of magic, books and tea. It’s well-written and has likeable characters and a storyline that keeps the reader interested. This book is advertised as a cosy fantasy and often compared to Legends and Lattes, but I found this hard to agree with. Rebecca Thorne’s novel is instead an original blend of cosy and high stakes. While the characters crave peace and quiet, they are often forced to abandon their bookshop and face their past and other duties. This creates a contrast between cosy scenes and those full of action, which some readers might find annoying. For me, this only stressed the comfort of returning home. Also, I enjoyed reading a different kind of romance subplot from the usual new lovers slow burn, as Reyna and Kianthe have been a couple for a while but never had enough time for each other. Living and working together is a big step for them, and it was refreshing to see their relationship.

To sum up, I recommend this book to all fantasy fans but keep in mind that it’s not exactly what you would expect from cosy fantasy.

I’ve only just started to discover cosy fantasies, but there is something about them that I just love! This book was like a warm hug that I just settled into and enjoyed from start to finish.

I really think a lot of the negative reviews stem from people not knowing what they were going into with a cosy fantasy - it’s not a fast paced adventure from start to finish. A lot of page time is dedicated to building, renovating, innovating baked goods, describing teas and just the day-to-day simple mundane little beauties of life.

I also absolutely get why there were so many comparisons to Legends and Lattes. They are absolutely similar reads but for me they also felt different enough that I didn’t find myself compelled to compare. This definitely has higher stakes than Legends and Lattes - which I thought was a really interesting twist personally! (I wonder if this has also contributed to some of the negative reviews though as high stakes and cosy fantasy don’t usually go hand in hand…)

I do absolutely agree with a lot of the negative commentary around the main relationship though. They completely read as a couple still in the beginning/honeymoon phase of their relationship. To me, that made sense though as while they have been in a relationship for a long time, the majority of that has been apart from each other with only stolen moments together. So in many ways they are still in the beginning stages of their relationship - plus it’s their first time living together! I liked them as a couple but to each their own!

Overall, I really enjoyed this. Is it a literary masterpieces? No. Is it a fun, cosy read that I enjoyed without having to utilise my brain? Yes. Will I be reading the next installment? Probably.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

I've had a pleasure of reading yet another cozy fantasy lately. Can't spell treason without tea by Rebecca Thorne was on my TBR for a long time, in the version with the old cover. As I love cozy stories, I was happy to see it on Netgalley and decided to try it.

In the story we follow a sapphic relationship of two pretty distinct characters. It's really similar to Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree, with a plot where characters that had lead pretty dangerous lives decide to settle down.

In the beginning, I've found something in the writing style jarring, though I can't really put my finger on what it was. I've just had a hard time with getting fully invested in the story. After getting used to it, I've enjoyed it quite a lot!

There was some action, more than I've anticipated by the premise, and the growth of characters, which I always enjoy. The relationship between the main characters seems pretty realistic, with each of them having some insecurities. I've really liked the approach to communication between them!

Overall, I'm really glad I've read it, it was fun. I won't remember a lot of the plot some months in the future, but I'll remember it as a good time.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for granting me access to an e-arc.

Sweet and sincere, with a lot more mortal peril than appearances suggest. Very easy quick read, very open prose. It's always nice to have more sapphic fantasy and I expect a lot of our customers will come back to this as a comfort read in the future