Rebecca Thorne

This occupies much the same space as Legends and Lattes, but I didn't find it quite as engaging. I did enjoy it, however, and will be reading the sequel.

Reyna resigns the Queensguard by running away with her girlfriend Kianthe, the world's leading mage. This is treason; no one leaves the Queen's service. They open a teashop/bookstore in a remote border village and begin making friends. But dragons and the Queen's spies don't care about their comfort.

A cross between cozy and action.… (more)

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Reyna is the private guard for a cruel queen. Kianthe is the most powerful mage in the world. They love each other. When Reyna has yet another near-death scrape with no respect or gratitude, that's it--she flees, and with Kianthe, they set up shop in a remote border village to create the tea-and-bookstore of their dreams. There are bandits to consider. That the squabbling local leaders. And the dragons that keep threatening to burn down the town. But through it all. Reyna and Kianthe's love is the constant.

The love story at the center of this is cute. I mean, this book is as formulaic and cozy as they come. I really enjoyed that aspect, and the village and the townspeople. The whole vibe is just lovely. What drove me bonkers, though, and kept jolting me out of the coziness was the worldbuilding. It just didn't make sense. A lot of emphasis was placed on the food and drink they were making, because that was a major part of the cozy vibe. This medieval culture was making things that didn't make sense. Yeah, yeah, I know, I should let it go, like enjoying a big turkey leg at a Renaissance Fair, but after researching this stuff extensively for my own books, it's really hard when it's not just one thing that doesn't make sense, but everything. Where are these supplies coming from? How are they eating these foods in THIS season? What about their winter stores? Do you realize how much butter goes into croissants--and that they didn't exist until the 19th century, which is weirdly out of step even in this secondary world? How do these people know what vanilla smells like?! Cocoa?!

I think most people wouldn't even notice these things, but for me they were like a flock of mosquitoes.… (more)

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.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.… (more)

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Tomes and Tea series. I got a copy of this in audiobook format from NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: I liked this book. It was a fun, cozy fantasy with traditional swords and sorcery types of themes. This definitely has similarities "Legends and Lattes" but I think it has unique aspects of its own as well.

The story alternates between Reyna and Kianthe. Reyna is the personal guard to a cruel tyrant queen, while Kianthe is the most powerful mage alive. They both have a lot of responsibilities and they both dream of running away together to find happiness and peace. Then Reyna decides she has had it and they do exactly that. Unfortunately, you can't just leave everything behind. Reyna ends up dodging spies, while Kianthe has a responsibility to help those with her enormous power...and the remote town they choose to live in has a bit of a dragon problem om top of all of their other problems.

I enjoyed all the characters in this book. This is one of those happy, cozy books where even the "bad" guys end up having redeeming qualities (well most of them do). There is a wonderful community here. I also loved watching Reyna and Kianthe get to grow and understand each other (and themselves) better. There is a lot of humor in here too, which I really enjoyed.

This is decently written and I thought it was a fun, light fantasy read. There's nothing surprising or ground-breaking here but it is a very nice and pleasant read that will leave you entertained and happy.

I will mention that I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was okay but not great. The narrator had trouble keeping character voices straight and would accidentally forget to switch voices or use the wrong voice at times. This wasn't too disruptive to the story but did add confusion at times. When I read the second book in this series I plan on reading it in written format and not listening to it.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and plan on continuing the series. I would recommend to those who enjoy humorous, swords and sorcery types of fantasy reads with some romance. This has a happy, cozy feel to it but also has enough action, humor, and intrigue to keep the plot moving forward at a good pace.… (more)