Firstly, thank you to Netgalley for providing the audio book for review. Even though I ended up buying a copy and reading most of the book. The audio book just didn't click for me.

I was very excited for this book and had my preorder in for book two (which will get read as it's on my shelves but no idea when that will be) months ago. I have struggled with this book, coming back to it over and over and never quite reaching the expectations I had for it.

"Cosy Fantasy" is what the marketing for Treason kept selling me, but I don't think it fits. I think if I hadn't expected cosy I probably would have enjoyed this more. The story is also bitty and busy while having chapters where nothing happens.

Also, if the chapter headers hadn't told me which character was the focus I wouldn't have been able to tell. Their voices are rather similar.

I was so excited for this, so I'm probably more negative than if I'd gone in blind. I hope that when I do pick up book 2 I will enjoy everything more because I know what to expect..

I am very new to the cosy fantasy subgenre but my friend had been raving about this book since it was an indie publication, so I took the plunge!

I’m not 100% convinced I am the target audience for books like this, I enjoyed it but for me it felt like something was missing but I can’t really explain what? Maybe it was the fact that it didn’t feel particularly cosy but also didn’t feel as high stakes as regular fantasy? I don’t know! But I am glad I read it, even if only to be able to talk to my friend about it!

I had a lot of issues with this and I'm pretty disappointed because I thought it was going to be great fun. The writing was repetitive and did far more telling than showing, which made some of the things we were meant to believe unrealistic. We were *told* throughout the story that Kianthe is incredibly powerful, but we never really see it apart from during the dragon fight scene. We're also told that she and Reyna care deeply for each other, but I wish the author had shown us more of that in their actions and tender moments, rather than reminding us every other chapter. The dialogue, too, was cliche and overblown and felt like the author was trying to write the sort of fun, snappy dialogue we see in Hollywood movies (but unfortunately it very much missed the mark). The ending was also pretty anticlimactic (you want me to believe that the Queen, who we've been repeatedly told is dangerous and ruthless, just lets them go?), though I can see how it's being set up for the second book. Sadly, this didn't hit for me at all.

This is the perfect book to cosy up with by the fire this autumn with a hot drink and a cake! It’s a cosy, queer read with friendship, small town vibes and a good dose of action too. I really enjoyed the dynamic between our main characters and loved that we got to see both their relationship and their individual lives too. The only thing that bothered me a little was that there were multiple points where it felt like the story was coming to an end and then something else would happen to keep it going. I will however continue with the series as I’ve become invested in these characters and their world! I’d 100% recommend if you’ve enjoyed things like Legends & Lattes and The Dallergut Dream Deparment Store.

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I have realised that I don't think I am the biggest fan of fantasy version of real world things as I keep trying to real world-ify the magical bookshop and cafe as someone who works in a bookshop and cafe. I will say that I did enjoy the plot but found it hard to differentiate between the two main characters from a narrator stand point.

This was loads of fun. A cosy fantasy that is, as over-used as the term is these days, a real 'romp.' It's pacy and imaginative and spikier than most cosies I've read lately (in a good way!). Loved the sapphic romance. I wasn't immediately impressed by the narrator, but she quickly won me over. Can't wait to read the author's new book!

This book was the perfect cosy fantasy, and so very ideal for Autumn. It has a unique blend of adventure, romance and court intrigue, and I can't wait to read the next one.

The audiobook narrator did an amazing job with the different voices and accents, and I recommend the audiobook to any audio-reader.

Perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes, Thorne is a fantastic addition to the cosy fantasy genre.

Thank you to Netgalley for an audio ARC of this book, and to BookBreakUK for a physical ARC.

This is a really fun, lighthearted book. I enjoyed the characters and the world created.
The audiobook was well read and enjoyable.

I had to dnf this ARC as it was incredibly repetitive and wasn’t much a fan of both the audiobook and reading it myself through the physical proof I was gifted

I can't recommend this cosy read highly enough! Creative, heartwarming, and soothing as a cuppa. I've already recommended it to my friends and I bought a hard copy for myself!

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea felt like it was trying to be Legends & Lattes, but fell flat on its execution. It's hard to do a cosy, lowstakes fantasy when your protagonists have a highstakes conflict.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

The audiobook Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne is a true treasure! It's cosy and completely enthralling, just like curling up with your favourite tea on a winter afternoon. The story of Reyna and Kianthe is masterfully intertwined with sapphic passion, exhilarating adventure, and a hint of dragon magic, as they travel from their troubled pasts to opening a charming bookshop in a little village. Thorne's universe will please fans of TJ Klune and Legends & Lattes with its unexpected surprises and uplifting nature. This is the ideal option if you're searching for a cosy and endearing audiobook to lose yourself in.

Reyna and Kianthe dream of opening a friendly book shop together, serving the very best tea and cakes. But Reyna is an elite bodyguard to a vengeful queen, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. Leaving their lives behind seems . . . impossible. Yet they flee to Tawney, a town nestled in the icy peaks of dragon country. There, they open the bookstore they'd always wanted.

I was truly in the mood for this! After a whole week of tiring work days, it was so good to escape to the book and tea shop run by Reyna and Kianth, two of the most powerful people in this fantasy realm. Cozy fantasy seems to be gaining traction lately, and I’m ready for them all!

Reyna and Kianth made the perfect grumpy-sunshine couple. Their chemistry was palpable, the banters were entertaining, and the adventure was fun. I really couldn’t think it would be possible to open a bookshop in the midst of dangerous dragon attacks - perhaps in this world, you couldn’t be a bookseller if you weren’t either a royal assasin or a poweful mage!

The audiobook I listened to was narrated perfectly! I chuckled a few times listening to it. I’m truly looking forward to the sequel!

I enjoyed this story, but it took some time to get into it.
Would love to visit the magical bookshop/tearoom they have created :)

I just finished ‘*Can't Spell Treason Without Tea’* by Rebecca Thorne, and I’d give it three stars. It’s a really cozy, magical story with a cute premise—two women ditch their old lives to open a bookshop and tea shop in a charming little village. Sounds perfect, right?

The setting is definitely what I loved most. The way Thorne describes the village, the shop, and all the little details of their daily life made me want to curl up with a cup of tea and just soak it all in. It’s the kind of book that feels like a warm hug—super comforting and easy to get lost in.

But, honestly, the story was a bit slow for me. There were times when I felt like not much was happening, and I started to lose interest. I get that it’s meant to be a low-stress, cozy read, but I lost momentum to get the story going. And whenever a problem did come up, it seemed to get solved almost too easily. I never really felt like the characters were in any real trouble or had to work hard to overcome anything. I would’ve liked to see them struggle a bit more to make the story feel more engaging.

Overall, *Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea* is a cute, feel-good book that’s great if you’re in the mood for something light and relaxing. It didn’t totally wow me, but it was a nice escape for a while. If you love cozy reads with a bit of magic, this could be worth checking out.

I've recently developed a real taste for all things cosy - whether mystery, romance or fantasy - maybe because of how utterly full-on real life has been in these past few months, maybe because they feel safe and comforting and leave me buzzing with warm, fuzzy, positive feelings. Or maybe both. Regardless, when I read the blurb for Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, I immediately knew I had to read it, because it sounded exactly like the type of book I would love. Perhaps that's why the disappointment I felt over this book stung worse than others, but it was probably the worst let-down of the year so far.

For starters, I feel this was mislabelled as cosy fantasy. The fact that the main characters drop everything to open a bookstore and tea room in a remote town is not enough for this to be a cosy fantasy: the main plot lines are rife with danger and the stakes are high - life-threatening even - involving both a vengeful royal and dragons, whereas everything related to Reyna and Kianthe's new life is so easy and conflict-free it would almost be laughable if it weren't boring. This is, essentially, a fantasy with some cosy elements and, in truth, not even a great one at that.

The worldbuilding is insufficiently developed, and when we do get any information it's usually through exposition, either in dialogue or in one of the main characters' internal monologue - of which there is a lot. I was also incredibly annoyed by the blatant attempts to be "woke" and diverse by continuously drawing attention to any elements pointing in that direction, some of which frankly made no sense in the context of a semi-medieval-feeling world. One clear example is a lengthy passage in which the use of pronoun pins by a very minor non-binary character is discussed. Pronoun pins, seriously?? Couldn't characters just, you know, use the correct pronouns? But perhaps was that too radical a choice for a fantasy world…

The main characters also came across as really bland. Any conflict between them is immediately resolved with a lengthy conversation and the use of great communication tactics, which of course comes with a side of commentary on just how good they are at communicating and a detailed list of all the things they do to keep such a good level of communication between them. The book is told in alternating POVs and, at least in theory, we're told just how different these two characters' personalities are but, in practice, I sometimes had trouble distinguishing between the two voicesand forgot whose POV I was supposed to be following at that moment. I did like the idea of them having a pre-existing relationship, but I didn't really feel as if I got to see them being in love - though I was repeatedly told just how much they loved each other and how good they were together.

This was, essentially, the main flaw of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea for me: everything was told, nothing (or very little) was shown. The overarching storylines are not even resolved in this book, leaving everything hanging in anticipation for the next one, while the cosy fantasy plot is solved even too quickly: everyone in town immediately loves Kianthe and Reyna, including the local lords; the shop is magically fixed in one afternoon; suppliers are secured with one trip to the neighbouring city.

I listened to the audiobook for this one and I did like the narrator: Jessica Threet did a great job at trying to infuse some life in these characters and differentiating between them in some way, but she couldn't fix everything else that just didn't work here. It was a real shame as I was truly looking forward to this book and I think it had great potential, but it just ended up not working for me.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. Part of the problem is that if you’re adding a romantic sub plot to your cosy fantasy novel, you’re starting at a distinct disadvantage if your MCs are already together. Even if you’re writing 2nd chance romance, the MCs should not be together at the start – that’s romance 101. In which case, it needs to occupy a back seat to the rest of the story or things get dull. That was not the choice made here. In addition, this was a fresh start story – great – with zero tension or suspense – not so good. All obstacles were easily overcome without effort; everything just went right. Added to which, I prefer deeper world building. So overall, I just didn’t like this as much as I wanted to.

Whimsical, heartwarming, adventurous. It's such a wonderful book and the narrator was so good!

We follow Reyna and Kianthe as they strive to build a life together in a land ruled by a self-centred Queen. Both escaping their roles as the queen's guard (Reyna) and the most powerful mage in existence (Kiathne) they struggle and strive under new identities to build the cosiest bookshop and tea room in the land.
Through mishaps and danger we follow the love between the two women solidify and grow into something beautiful, and cosy,

I feel that this book took me a while to get into but once i started to understand the characters and their relationships more I began to enjoy every moment i spent with them. Reyna & Kianthe dynamic was so fun to witness, their love was palpable and every time they bantered i was mesmerized by them.
I really liked seeing the story evolve the more into the world we got, it felt very natural as would being a newcomer in a small and slowly getting the trust of the townfolk and discovering the gossip and community that comes with it.

I really enjoyed the narrator's voice, it made the getting into the story very fun.

This was a cozy fun queer read focusing on an already established relationship, which was a relief. There was no build-up to some grand final battle, instead the story gently sailed along, which made it easy and enjoyable to read!