This was like a cute warm hug in a book. I loved the characters so much and was very invested in their new life. I just felt that there could’ve been a bit more to it. But it was a really enjoyable read.

This book was far cosier than you’d think a book with treason, danger, and spies could be and it was a charming small town read. I enjoyed following Reyna and Kianthe as they started a life together in a close knit village away from their obligations, finally able to be together, though not without risks. Anything with a community vibe really draws me in and I loved to see the two women making friends and bringing others together as they settled in. The talk of tea and baked goods was giving me cravings and I could happily have curled up in Reyna and Kianthe’s shop with a book and some treats.

The audiobook was well narrated, with Jessica Threet doing a great job of voicing Reyna and Kianthe especially so their voices and accents were distinctly different.

Fans of Legends & Lattes are sure to find something familiarly cosy in this book.

This book was so adorable! I loved every second of it and I wanted more. Reyna and Kianthe were so adorable and badass! I literally want to open up my own book and tea shop. This is a low-stakes cosy book and it was perfect. The pacing was slow, which is how it should be, but I loved the slower moments just as much as the more action-packed ones. These characters grew on so quickly, I never wanted to put it down. Luckily I swapped between the book and the audiobook so I could keep reading even when busy!

I am really enjoying these cosy, magical reads at the moment! I loved Reyna and Kianthe and their relationship. I really enjoyed this sweet book! I also enjoyed the narrator and reading along with my physical proof!

This is just the cozy fantasy for people who love legends and lattes. I’ve preordered this too but the audiobook was a delight to listen to!

Can’t wait to see more from this author.

So unfortunately, this was not it

Nothing of massive interest actually happened for the first 60% of the book and I wasn't massively invested in their relationship. It was cute but I need more than a little cute for 60% of a book.

The actual book I felt happened in the first chapter and everything after the 60% marker but it felt really random. In 40% worth of book you have dragons attacking, being caught by the queen, lying to the queen with that whole "twist" that isn't fooling anyone, the gryphon thing, one of thems decided to go searching for dragon eggs, proceeds to not search for dragon eggs, both of them are really ill and that's worth chapters.

If this wasn't an audiobook I would of dnfed. If the pacing was better and there was a clear cut goal I probably would of liked this book a lot more.

4.5⭐️This was a wonderfully whimsical and cozy fantasy that I loved from the first minute. It was like a hug in book form and was an easy but engaging listen with low (ish) stakes, likeable main characters and a lovely romance. This book managed to be well paced and exciting while still maintaining a calm and cozy atmosphere. I loved the world that was created and the side characters were fantastic and well rounded.

The narration was soothing, matching the vibes of the book well, and really enjoyable, bringing the characters and the world to life.

You know that happy, floaty, warm fuzzy excited feeling you get when you finish a book, instantly want to read it again and then get hit with the realisation that you’ve just found a new favourite book?

This book gave me that feeling.

The audiobook narration was also wonderful.

This was a bit underwhelming...

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea focuses on Reyna and Kianthe, a couple who have had very different life experiences. Reyna has worked as an elite bodyguard for a vengeful Queen pretty much all her life, which is how she meets Kianthe, the most powerful mage in existence. At the start of the book, both women run away to fulfil their ambition of opening a cosy bookshop/tea shop and we accompany them on this journey as they get used to this new lifestyle and get to know the people from Tawney, the small town they've chosen to settle in.

This cosy fantasy's debt to Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes is evident and has been recognised by Rebecca Thorne in the original acknowledgements of the book. However, while Baldree's book maintained a really good balance of minimal but functional world-building, Can't Spell Treason Without Tea felt a bit too heavy-handed in its explanation of the world this story was set in. I did love the characters, but I felt like I expected more of the cosy and less of the fantasy going into this one. Overall, I love cosy fantasies, so it was nice to read another book in this subgenre and I loved Jessica Threet's narration of the book. It really made it come alive!

Thank you very much to Macmillan Audio UK for the ALC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an audiobook ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea is a cosy, sapphic romance set in an exciting fantasy world. Sounds perfect on paper, but I felt this one fell a little flat. The fantasy elements did make for an interesting love story, however the high-stakes adventure promised in the summary felt very secondary and really sunk into the background until it suddenly became relevant again towards the end. I also felt that the ending was just thrown in to tie up loose ends and was very unrealistic.

My biggest problem was just how unoriginal the storyline is. I don't like comparing books in my reviews, especially when it's not for a particularly positive reason, but this title was advertised as "for fans of Legends and Lattes" so I feel like I have to comment. The similarities are so many that it just came across as a worse version of Travis Baldree's hit cosy fantasy. Sure, the background story was different but the premise (a fighter is looking for a change of career so moves to a new town and opens up a café with the help of her lover, and support from local townsfolk) was exactly the same! It's a great premise but this came across as a messy rip off.

I have nothing against the writing or the narration of the audiobook, but this just wasn't for me.

This book is often compared to Legends and Lattes. I'll admit that I struggled a bit with that one since I need a bit more action in my books. I got a little bored and it didn't keep my attention as much as they hype suggested. I, however, heard good things about Can't Spell Treason Without Tea from bookish people I know so decided to give it a shot! And I'm glad I did. It has a lot more action (and a griffin!) and it was less repetitive so I found it much easier to stay invested in what's happening. Maybe the fact that I'm more of a tea person also helps! I don't know.

If, like me, you like the idea of lower stakes fantasy but still need some stakes and a plot to keep reading, this one may be one of the better cozy fantasy options for you. I loved Visk. Easily my favourite character and I wish we'd gotten to see more of him. I did enjoy the other characters and getting to know them as well of course. I liked that the narrator used different voices and accents to distinguish them.

Despite my enjoyment I do feel like the plot suffers from a big event being solved far too simply, similar to how I felt in Legends and Lattes. I suspect this is largely to keep it low stakes but I was hoping for something bigger. While it definitely had lower stakes (mostly personal rather than the whole world is in danger variety) I felt like this book had done a decent job of dealing with them until this point. The journey in Can't Spell Treason Without Tea was still incredibly enjoyable for me though! The ending definitely didn't ruin the experience, even though I did find myself wishing for more. I'm definitely interested in picking up the sequel.

Unfortunately DNF'd this audiobook after struggling through a third of it (speeding it up after a bit to try and get through).

I loved Travis Baldree's Legends and Lattes books, and I experienced them through Travis' own narration which was fantastic, so thought I'd love this book, which was inspired by those books, but it just didn't hit. The characters felt very young, highly strung and overly dramatic, especially the way they were read, there was such an intensity to all of their feelings and how amazed they were to have each other, how desperately supportive they were to each other, hopelessly attracted to the other, and how we were told that all the time. It didn't help that the narrator was American, but used strange semi-British accents for most of the characters up until the point I stopped listening. Thinking about them, I'm not sure how I listened so long, they really stopped me hearing the story.

It's hard to say how much I was put off by the narration, and how much I just didn't connect with the characters because of how they were written and their dialogue, that seemed to be at the forefront for me so that I kept missing any plot that might have been happening.

I'm going to give the book itself another go in written form, just to see if it was the narration that prevented me from connecting with it, but I'm not sure about this one. I know there's an inbuilt customer base in saying this book is perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes, and it's great that Travis Baldree's work inspires other authors to write similar for us newly-awakened cosy fantasy fans, but I haven't felt all that cosy reading this, I haven't been warmed by the characters or their surroundings, so the direct comparison to Legends started to harm rather than help the book for me, especially because I started to feel like the tea shop was chosen because the coffee shop idea had been taken, and done so well.

Anyway, we'll see if the ebook version helps me out.

I think the blurb said that this was an adventure with a healthy dose of romance. I'd say, after finishing it, it was a romance with a vague storyline supporting it. There was certainly very little adventure involved. What we did get was a slight amount of hardship and peril which was quickly resolved. Even the most hazardous of episodes were turned round within a paragraph or two.

The basic story is that a Queen's guard and a magician have fallen in love and decide to run away to a not so far flung town where they set up a bookshop/cafe that is an instant success. They then have a couple of very minor adventures which are cleared up remarkably quickly. And throughout the entire book they spend the rest of the time telling each other how marvellous they think the other is and how sexy and how they don't feel they deserve the other person. This went on for the lion's share of the book.

In summary if you like a Mills & Boon style romance then you'll love this. If you want an adventure then I'd give it a miss.

I listened to the audio which was very clearly read by Jessica Threet. However she has a very melodramatic delivery, which I really don't enjoy. I like to be read to, not acted at.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Macmillan UK Audio for the advance review copy.

This book delivers exactly what it says on the tin. Sapphic romance? Check! Cosy vibes? Check! Adventures with dragons? Check!

I loved the two main characters, Reyna and Kianthe. They were both great characters in their own right, but also complemented each other and were a great couple to have a centre of the story. It was also nice to have a romantic story where they’re already together at the start.

There was also a really fun fantasy adventure, and while it wasn’t the focal point of the story, it was a nice addition to give the story some drive and a nice conclusion.

An absolute gold star goes to the audiobook narrator, Jessica Threet. The commitment to this audiobook was honestly unmatched, she acted the absolute heck out of it, and really elevated the whole story.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

Reyna and Kianthe fall in love and dream of escaping the Queen’s rule to open a bookshop and serve the best tea and cakes. If Reyna is caught her life will be forfeit but the hope of 5he future is worth the risk. They will go to Tawney where they will make friends and th3 life they want, until the Queen’s spies find them.

Very enjoyable novel, well written and well narrated (I listened to the audiobook). Great characters whose love and skills will help them in their new lives. Action, adventure, dragons, hope, fear and love in this well paced novel. Can their dream become their reality, read and find out.

I lost any interest when they started mentioning how they didn't have enough money to afford a house. If I read a fantasy book, it's not so that the characters bring up financial issue from our world thank you.

I lpved the audio of this book! Solid 3 5 stars. I don't understand all the low ratings for this book, was it the greatest ever book ever written, no? But it was a good, easy read, with simple language, no massive world building info dumping, and mild peril. Oh, and dragons.

I thought the love between the two characters was well thought out and sweet and there was other rep writing the book too including NB.

I will definitely up the sequel.

The audiobook narrator was also great.

Thank you to netgalley for advanced copies of both the book and the audiobook.
An enjoyable romp through Tawney!

I could not help compare this to Legends and Lattes, and while it did not hit for me the same way that book did, I did enjoy this. I found the established relationship to be fairly cute and I liked that they supported each other. I feel like they were distinct and I appreciated seeing Kianthe dealing with anxiety. I enjoyed the other towsfolk and how they interacted with the MCs.

I do feel like this book didn't know whether to invest fully in the cosy side or in something more dramatic, so we were left with something awkwardly in the middle. I would have liked more depth and detail to them preparing for and opening the shop, and dealing more with that. It just sort of felt like an afterthought/backdrop after a while to the other things going on.

A really lovely addition to the cosy fantasy genre that was packed full with plot but still felt comforting and warming all the way through! The perfect book to transport you and make you forget the world, full of magic, mischief, plots and fun!

This is a very sweet sapphic fantasy that had me rooting for both characters along with everyone in their little town.

Reyna decides to run away from her job as a Queen's Guard for a tyrannical queen to start a tea and bookshop with the most powerful mage in the world, Kianthe, who she has been in a secret relationship with for years.

The narrator made sure that each character had a distinct voice which helped me to keep everything right as I can sometimes struggle keeping fantasy characters distinct.

Although their new home is dealing with dragon attacks and Reyna is being searched out by the brutal queen for deserting her post, their relationship with each other and the residents of their new town is the shining point of this book for me. I was interested enough in all of the side characters that it never felt like it was intruding in on the focus of the romance at the heart of the book.

The addition of the prequel story of how they met at the end of the book was honestly one of the highlights for me, it was so funny and sweet. Also the epilogue at the end felt out of place at first but then immediately made me want to pick up the sequel.