You Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is a delightful, cozy, slightly fluffy (and I don’t at all mean that in a disparaging way!) fantasy read. I was given an audiobook ARC and actually think I enjoyed this even more than I would have if I’d simply read the physical book. The narration was well done and added to the whimsical nature of the story. Listening to this on my daily walks was a fun escape! Don’t go into this expecting some grand, high stakes epic fantasy with intricate world building (I don’t know why you would, since this is clearly marketed as a lighthearted, cosy read). I especially appreciate the romance between the two main characters. Seeing a committed (sapphic!) relationship continue to develop and navigate the ups and downs of learning to share a life with someone you love was truly refreshing.

The narrator here is absolutely lovely and tells the story so well.

This story waffles the line between cozy fantasy and normal fantasy - the stakes definitely err on the side of too high but I can see the marketing perspective and it didn't take away from the story for me as I saw the author's tiktoks about there being epic battles and it very much riding that line.

I did also feel the story showed a bit more than told. How often do you need to tell me you're in love. You can show me.

But otherwise, this was really good. I found the world interesting, I liked the pacing and was interested in wanting to know what happened next. I didn't feel any one character really grabbed me or made me super immersed, which is why I gave four stars. This was very good, fun, and I highly recommend it. But it wasn't something that worms into my brain and I know I will be thinking about for weeks to come.

I had been wanting to read Can't Spell Treason Without Tea book one in the Tomes & Tea series by Rebecca Thorne, so I was very excited when I was approved for an audiobook arc on Netgalley. Narrated by Jessica Threet, this was such a cozy fantasy treat!

“In the tradition of Legends & Lattes, comes a cozy fantasy steeped in sapphic romance about one of the Queen’s private guards and a powerful mage who want to open a bookshop and live happily ever after…if only the world would let them.”

The audiobook is 11 Hours, 26 Minutes and Threet does an excellent job. Each character had a unique voice so it was easy to follow. I would very much like to drink tea with Reyna and Kianthe and relax in their bookshop. This was a nice balance of cozyness and adventure. Reyna and Kianthe are a wonderful couple. @macmillan.audio

I listened to the Audiobook of this cozy fantasy and I absolutely loved it. It was the perfect thing to listen to while relaxing. I loved the relationship between Raina and K; it was sweet and endearing. There support of one another was relationship goals. I also loved that the main premise of this book is two women leaving their stressful jobs behind to start a tea and bookshop, a dream of my own for as long as I can remember. The supporting cast ensemble in the book also added to the cozy small town feel of this book. They really created that found family that I adore. All around great book.

Highlights:
✨Powerful Mage x Experienced Guard MCs
✨Cozy Fantasy
✨Tea & Book Lovers
✨Mythical Creatures
✨Sapphic Romance
✨Found Family

Favorite Quotes: “Run away with me. You like tea. I like books. Care to open a shop and forget the world exists?”

“It was a dangerous thing, mistaking relaxation for boredom.”

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

This was such a cozy read. It was a charming, sweet, adventurous fantasy romance.
I wanted to like it more than I did. I didn't hate it. It was fine. It just won't go down in my list of must reads, or even really remember.
The narrator did a good job with it, I think either I just am not in the mood for fantasy or this wasn't the book for me because it didnt hold my attention the way I thought it would. I can't say I won't try to pick up a hard copy, because it is on my shelf so I will try again, but this storyline didn't hold my attention phonetically at all.

Oh how I wanted to love this one! The setting and characters are charming but the actual story was a miss for me. I found my mind wandering throughout the whole audio-book. There is a way to craft a low stakes, slow moving, cozy fantasy, that still remains engaging. Sadly, I do not feel that was achieved here.

***4.0 Stars***

Overall,
A lot of people equate this book with Travis Baldree's Legends and Lattes, Cozy low stakes fantasy. I do not think that I would put these stories quite in the same bucket. For one, there are stakes in this book. It does have a similar vibe of sapphic romance (very PG) and opening up a new shop. With that said the stories are quite different. I will say that if you liked Legends and Lattes you will enjoy this book. The book follows a treasonous guard and a mage who just want to run away together, open up a shop and live quite lives. Along the way they make some friends, have a couple adventures and find a found family where they feel like home.

Narration,
I listened to the audiobook for this story and I can say that it was very well done. I like the voice's for the characters, you could easily tell them apart.

Recommendation,
I would recommend this to people who do enjoy a cozyish fantasy with a bit more adventure. I will also say there are some things that are left uncovered that lead to a sequel. Not every question is answered in this book, and by the end you will not have closure on everything.

I really could not get into this audiobook narrated by Jessica Threet. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the narration (I did have trouble with some of the volume differences). It was actually probably the best thing about this book.

First of all, let me say that I saw the cover and the word "cozy" and didn't go far enough to see that it was fantasy. I'm not a fan of that genre. I figured a good story will still be a good story... Yeah, I could have done with part of the beginning and then part of the end. The middle of the story was just way too long and really wasn't interesting enough.

I always feel really bad when I leave a less than positive review, but I just could not make myself enjoy this.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, Google Play and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Thanks you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Rebecca Thorne for the complementary audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I honestly enjoyed this sapphic cozy romantasy.

Following Reyna, a runaway queen's guard and her girlfriend Kianthe. a powerful mage, as they attempt to create a quiet new life for themselves. They decide to leave the Queendom, settle in a small town, and open a tea shop/bookstore. Little did they know, that settling into this lifestyle would not be so easy.

This book has all of my favorites: mystery, romance, magic, griffins, dragons, clever banter, and strong female main characters. Rebecca Thorne did a bang-up job of writing Reyna and Kianthe's story, I felt like I was watching two friends navigate the new level their relationship has taken and the realization of just how differently they saw themselves as opposed to how their partner saw them. I could see the war interior and smell the shop, with various tea blends and baked goods wafting in the air.

Grab your favorite tea blend, comfy socks, and sweater, and wrap yourself in Can't Spell Treason without Tea!

*3 stars*

This was a fun, queer, cozy fantasy. The world was interesting and the characters had a lot of potential.

I would have liked more chemistry between the two main characters, their relationship felt a little thin and I wanted a little more. The world and magic were interesting but barely explored. The plot was somewhat compelling but I think in the end it was a little too action packed to be cozy and a little too slow in parts to keep my attention. I would have liked a slower plot with more character development and a more fleshed out world. This wasn’t bad, it just didn’t work for me.

The narration was great, each character was pretty unique sounding and I really liked the narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

The title and the cover made this out to appear as the next big thing in the cozy fantasy genre, but I think it’s misleading. The stakes are fairly high!

One of my main complaints with this story is that there was a fairly major plot point that took up a lot of space in terms of conflict, dialogue, and action, but we get zero resolution by the ending. I understand, it’s a device to lead into a second book (and it’s not like this one ends on a cliffhanger), but it was frustrating to have other, last-minute conflicts take over.

One other frustration I had was with the audiobook itself because I couldn’t tell the difference in the two main characters for over 20% of the book. I don’t think it was a problem with the narrator (she was great), but the translation of a written book into audio made it difficult to tell who was who even with different accents. I gaslit myself for a while thinking it was a “me” problem, but I’ve listened to Mask of Mirrors (which has a bajillion characters doing multiple accents, all by the same narrator) and didn’t have this issue.

I don’t think this is cozy fantasy, I had a difficult time with the writing, and there are a lot of weird anachronisms throughout the story that really threw me off. That being said, if you want to like cozy fantasy but need higher stakes, then this might be your jam. It just wasn’t for me.

Thanks for the ARC, but did not love it. Didn't really feel like cozy fantasy...more fantasy. I did like the characters, but found the plot a bit oversold.

An utterly delightful tale! Can't Spell Treason Without Tea is quintessential cozy fantasy. I'm pleased to see traditional publishing pick up another indie title that was instrumental in creating the genre--especially a sapphic one. This was very sweet and fun!

Wonderfully cozy and heartfelt. There were some higher stakes but the relationship between Reyna and Kianthe were perfect. The speak with and of each other with such love and respect. Them building their new life together, creating the ultimate cozy space of books and tea are true life goals.

I really think cozy just isn't for me.
This felt like I was re-reading Legends and Lattes but with Tea this time instead of Coffee.
And I love healthy communication, but this just felt like they were explaining WHY their communication was so healthy the whole time. You don't have to keep telling me, just have them communicate.
I did really enjoy the narrator though. I would listen to other books she had read!

This book is incredibly fun, cozy and entertaining. It was easy to picture and the narration was nice to have in the background while multitasking.
I think it could have been a very well done high fantasy if enough details were added to it and more of the plot line was explored, but as a "cozy fantasy" it was easy to keep track without having to focus too much on it.

i believe this could be the perfect middle point for people who is looking for a cozy fantasy without it being too slow or boring.

Thank you Rebecca Thorne and Net Galley for the ARC of this Audiobook.

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea - 4⭐ -No Spoilers!⁠
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Happy pub day, @rebeccathornewrites ! I was privileged to read this epitome-of-cozy piece through NetGalley and I'm so grateful. Can't Spell Treason Without Tea was a sweet sapphic romance/fantasy that any cozy-lover should not miss! ⁠
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I absolutely loved Reyna and her growth throughout the story from someone who was subservient to someone who really owns their own space. I thought the side characters from Tawney were so cute and funny, I just wanted to live at their little book/coffee shop. It felt like playing the coziest game of DnD every written. ⁠
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I will say that I don't think promos for this book are doing it any favors. I was expecting something with more action, but this was full-on romance (which is excellent for me LOL I wanted MORE!). I was also a little annoyed at some plot repetition. However, these things will not detract from me recommending this to my other cozy-reader friends.

DNF

There is just something about this book I did not like and I was not interested in listening to more to change my mind.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book.

If you read Legends & Lattes and thought "I want higher stakes, more dragons, and more magic but those same super cozy vibes" - you can find it all here.

This book is exactly what it sets out to be, and exactly what you'd expect. Cozy fantasy with light romance, dragons an griffins, and a tea and bookstore. If you want something light to read for spring, something to cleanse your palette after more emotional or angsty books, then I highly recommend this.

The audiobook was exceptionally done, and if you have the choice between mediums I would recommend the audiobook. It as like being read a nighttime story. However, it might be TOO relaxing for some, as it was so relaxed and cozy that I would forget I was reading it and would pick up other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy of the audiobook. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A cute and cozy fantasy following Reyna and Kianthe and there dream of opening a bookstore together. A fun beginning to a series that has more fantasy elements than cozy. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the magic system and the relationship between the main characters.