Audience: Adult
Plot: 4.5 out of 5
Characters: 4.5 out of 5
Spice: 0 out of 5

Keywords: Romance, Fantasy, Cozy Fantasy, Sapphic, LGBTQIA+, Political Intrigue, Mystery, Hidden heir, Dragons, Pirates, Adventure

Tea Pairing: Reading Nook Tea by Plum Deluxe — a chamomile, lavender, and rose blend (Reyna’s blend)

I received copies of this book through NetGalley from Tor Publisher, and audio from Macmillan Audio. Thank you! All opinions are my own.

The third installment in the Tomes & Tea quartet takes place several months after the events of book two. The pacing in this book felt relatively quick — with all the events taking place within a week. Reyna and Kianthe are planning their upcoming nuptials, and it’s going to be the event of the year. Everyone is invited — but it’s not all smooth sailing. New friends, and old ones, arrive in Tawney all wanting to wish the couple well. Well, maybe not everyone…

Oh wow! Book three was absolutely amazing. This is probably my favorite in the series so far. Following Kianthe and Reyna on their relationship journey has been an absolute joy. And I can’t wait to see what adventures they’ll have in the final installment of the series. I absolutely enjoyed this book, as well as the audio narration by Jessica Threet. I’ve enjoyed Threet’s performance for all three novels so far. She gives each character their own unique voice and style, and I can really appreciate her commitment to the performance and voice work.

Overall, Thorne has created a sweet, cozy, fantasy series, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys sweet romances, fantasy bookstores, and of course, tea.

This was absolutely my favorite book in the series yet. The DRAMA.

This book was full of a concentrated, suspenseful plot that took this from just a cozy fantasy to a fantasy with a strong plot line and many cozy elements.

I love the breath of the characters in this story, and how developed our main crew is at this point in the series.

I can’t wait for book 4. That cliffhanger was brutal.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️/5

✨ Thank you, Macmillian Audio and NetGalley, for this ALC. All thoughts are my own. ✨

Tea You at the Altar is the third book in the Tomes & Tea cozy fantasy series, and it follows Kianthe and Reyna as they plan their wedding… and possibly a coup. (This review contains spoilers for books one and two.)

I really enjoyed Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, but I thought the second book faltered. While the first book was mostly cozy with a few dramatic scenes, A Pirate’s Life for Tea felt like a series of slow speed boat chases—neither cozy nor exciting. It also didn’t help that Kianthe and Reyna were separated for a lot of the story. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I’m happy to say it returned to a lot of what I liked best in Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea.

Because the plot revolves around planning the wedding and its accompanying political confrontation, there’s a bit of a countdown element, which is fun. It also is a great balance between coziness and epic fantasy: there’s tablecloth colours to pick and allies to persuade.

Similarly, at the same time that Reyna and her allies are trying to decide on a replacement government, she’s also trying to win over her parents-in-law. Kianthe’s parents planned for her to marry a man. They always expected her to end up with her childhood best friend. After being estranged during her magic education, they unexpectedly show up prior to the wedding—with her childhood best friend in tow.

Reyna is initially surprised and even amused, especially because “Female pairings are always preferred in the Queendom.” Still, being rejected and seen as inferior by her in-laws is painful, and trying to win them over and help to repair their relationship with Kianthe adds a whole layer of complexity to an already overwhelming endeavor.

Another fun aspect of the wedding is that it brings together characters from the previous books in a new setting. There’s Bobbie and Serina, of course, who played a major role in A Pirate’s Life for Tea and still haven’t totally settled into their new relationship, often resorting to bickering like they did as kids. There’s also the Dastardly Pirate Dreggs, who is a fun addition.

The lost princess Tessalyn along with her bodyguard are the new additions to this growing cast, and I really liked them. Tessalyn is coded as asexual and aromantic. She also grew up in a culture that values academics above all else, so she brings a different perspective. I appreciated her strength in her own convictions and independence, regardless of pressure from others.

The subplot I found most interesting was Reyna’s questioning of her faith. Until recently, she lived in the Queendom, where its citizens worship a pantheon of gods. Kianthe, like most non-Queendom people, worships the Stars and Stone that she draws her magic from. As Reyna questions more of what she was taught, she also begins to doubt the gods—but there is so much else going on, she doesn’t have much time to think about theology. What comes out of this helps add to the worldbuilding.

I will say that sometimes the cozy and high stakes elements clash a bit and end up with something like a Disney movie villain confrontation, but I think that’s okay. It may be a little overly neat, but you’re not going to cozy fantasy for realism. I also want to warn that this volume ends on a cliffhanger, but we’ll be getting the last book in the series in August.

Book 3 is a wedding!!! This was a delightful read with diverse characters, tons of puns, drama and dragons. This series is cozy but with some added higher stakes elements. Anyone that has been apart of planning a wedding knows how stressful it is. The novel follows our town of Tawney as they rally behind the wedding of the century but there is more to this wedding than most of the town suspects.
We are introduced to new characters and get more adventures with beloved side characters.
The baby dragons are tons of fun in this novel and you really get to see their personalities develop.

I’ve loved the Tomes and Tea series since they were indie, so I was delighted for Rebecca but gutted about the longer wait for book 3 when they got picked up to be traditionally published. But it’s here and it was absolutely worth the wait (and book 4 is coming this year too 🎉)

I adored being back in Tawney and seeing so many of their friends from the previous two books come together, along with some new faces!

Our girls are finally getting married, but of course they can’t do that without a spot of treason. This time they’ve tracked down the Queen’s secret younger sister to dethrone her. Unfortunately, they need to convince her to take the throne first, and that might not go how they planned 👀

The plot was strong, the vibes were cosy, and there were baby dragons! What more could we ask for?

If you’re a fan of cosy fantasy generally or this series specifically, I highly recommend picking up Tea You at the Altar, and I’m eagerly awaiting the finale in Alchemy and a Cup of Tea!

Another wonderful installment in the Tomes and Tea series, if you loved the first two this one is just as good! Everything I loved about the other books is here, with the added plot of the wedding/coup and both main characters coming into their power.

I think this is my favorite in the series this far.
What makes a cozy fantasy great are the characters. Without good characters, I find the genre boring. I can honestly say I love these characters.

***4.0 Stars***

Overall,
Tea You at the Alter is the 3rd book in the Tomes & Tea series. I must say when i picked up the first book in this series I didn't realize there was a plan for more books and more story beyond the first book. With that said, I am loving this sapphic cozy fantasy book. All of the characters are fantastic and have great personalities. This book we are back with the main characters from the first book because its time for their wedding! of course, calamity ensues. The ending of this book and where the characters end up is wild. Did not see that coming. Cannot wait to read more from this author.

Another good installment in the Tomes & Tea series.
A wedding, parents that invite themselves and curious baby dragons make an interesting story.

This third installment of Tomes and Tea was a nice return to the cozy vibes of the first book. Our characters are back in Tawny planning their wedding and simultaneously planning a coup to take over the Queendom. While this book does have a new set of characters and a new romantic pairing, I found them to be more of a footnote than anything else. They did not take focus in the book like Bobby and Serena did in book 2. I also really enjoyed the wedding festivities - the whole cast coming together across all the books - and Kianth's parents finally making an appearance.

The action here also feels much lower stakes than book, despite the fact that they're literally deposing a monarch. Overall, this was a nicely paced and plotted slower read with plenty of cozy elements and just a medium level of action.

The audiobook for this is narrated by Jessica Threet, the same narrator as books 1 and 2. I really enjoyed the consistency of hearing the characters voiced in the same way throughout the entire series. Threet does an excellent job with different voices, accents, and sound effects, so each character sounds distinct, and the voices are unique and engaging.

An a-mage-ing addition to the Tomes and Tea series. Featuring mysteries, secret plots, a wedding, tea and cake, and of course, dragons!

“We all need a push to be brave sometimes”

Tea you at the Altar is the first book I have read in the Tomes & Tea series by Rebecca Thorne, and I can honestly say I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

When planning a wedding stress is bound to run high, but adding in dragons and magic turns it up a notch!

I loved the sprinkling of puns throughout the book. It was a-mage-ing! As well as the normal banter between the characters. It made it seem like you as the reader were part of the group.

The daily problems/tasks although we’re out of the realm that most people would deal with (pirates, planning a coup etc) the addition of others, meeting someone for tea or having a game night, helped bridge the gap of every day to fantasy.

The narrator did a wonderful job with all the different characters and giving them unique personalities and quirks.

The wedding scene was absolutely wonderful I could picture everyone’s expressions and the pure chaos that ensued.

Then the ending! I love a good cliff hanger that makes you want to go out and get the next book immediately!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

I just love this series so much. Just the right amount of cozy and the right amount of drama to keep you interested in the story. The Sapphic romance is fun and refreshing, and our FMC's showed a lot of growth through the series but a lot more so in this book. I can not wait for the next book in the series and I hope the books never stop coming and we get to stay with these characters for a long time.

I think this has been my favorite of the series so far. It was fun, cozy and humorous.
Reyna and Kianthe are getting married! Along with the usual wedding chaos, there are baby dragons, Kianthe's parents are arriving (who Rayna had to talk Kianthe in to even inviting) and there is a plot to overthrow the queen brewing. This book had the coziest vibes, but there was SO much happening.
We get introduced to several new characters. Some old friends of both Kianthe and Reyna as well as a potential candidate to be the new queen. We still get tons of Kianthe and Reyna though. Their bond and relationship is so sweet and loyal. They really do all the can to make the other the best person they can be.
The book itself took me a minute to get into (similar to the second one if I remember correctly). Once I was in though, I was in. I really enjoyed how several of the characters cooked up their plot to overthrow the queen. It was intricate and made sense. While there was action, there were a lot of cozier parts. I loved the characters getting to know one another better and just the chill vibes of some of the parts. One of my favorite parts was when some of the characters had a game night and played this elaborate game of almost Monopoly, but there were stock markets involved and people actually set up their own businesses. It was so funny.
I believe the audiobook is done by the same person who did the other 2. She did a great job. A lot of the characters had different accents, and she did them all so well. They weren't at all garish or overdone.
The epilogue has me so excited to read the next (and final) book. It ended on SUCH a cliffhanger.

Yea You At The Alter by Rebecca Thorne is exactly what it states in the description as Princess Bride meets Travis Baldree. This cozy cute story has us experiencing adventure and a wedding ceremony! I’ve been so impressed with all of these books/audiobooks and this one takes the wedding cake 😂🤣 Perfect to pull you out of a reading slump and a beautiful story to get cozy and lost in.

This is my FAVORITE of the series so far, and thats saying a lot because of how much I loved the first book!

This book sees our favorite heroines planning a wedding... and a coup, surprise! And the balance of romance, antics, political drama, cozy vibes and found family was truly truly immaculate in this one. I loved revisiting Bobbie and Serina's relationship in this one as well, and generally found myself just being completely dialed in to this story as I was listening. The narration is impeccable (as it was in the first two), the humor is laugh-out-loud funny, the romance is cozy and sweet but also really jumps off the page with chemistry somehow all at the same time. I loved the exploration of the world we got through Reyna and Kianthe's plan of connecting with other options for who could lead after their coup, and it also just gave a lot more opportunity for the political structure of the world and the other countries to be explored.

There is supposed to be one more book in this series, and theres definitely a cliff to be mindful of (lol) but the overall arc of this particular book feels very complete, while also leaving something to be excited about in the next book. I definitely will continue to reach for Rebecca Thorne going forward, and can't wait to listen to what happens next!

I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love this series!! If you like cozy fantasy, you have to check out the Tomes & Tea series. It is a staple of cozy fantasy.

No spoilers, but WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ENDING REBECCA!!

I can't wait for the next book to come out. Then I need more series set in this world.

This series continues to walk the line between cozy fantasy and political fantasy. For the most part we are focusing on Kianthe and Reyna's wedding, but that wedding has political implications, so there is tension and planning with that. I mostly liked the way the political implications turned out. The journey to get to that ending was a bit fraught and ultimately made sense. The fact that all of this political maneuvering came to a head during the wedding was fun to read about. The little side tangents that make up the daily life and struggles of Kianthe and Reyna were fun to read about as well.
I might be the only person who had this issue, but I was surprised by the ending because I didn't realize this was a quartet. I think I am curious to see where book 4, but I also liked the part that I thought was the ending. So I don't might decide that this is the last book in my head canon.

Unfortunately this one is a DNF for me. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but have had diminished enjoyment with each additional installment. I don’t think this is a reflection of the series or the writing itself, but more my oversaturation with cozy fantasy at the moment. I am going to attempt a reread in a year or so, because I do think it’s written well, and the characters are likable. Unfortunately, this is a “me” thing right now. I would definitely still recommend this to friends and family looking for a lighthearted, fun read.

This is a pretty damn great installment, as you get the already high stress levels of a wedding, and then decide to throw in a mild existential crisis (do the gods as we know them actually exist??) and a decision to overthrow the shitty Queen who's been breathing down everyone's necks while they're at it. Oh, and meeting your partner's family who may or may not hate you because you threw a wrench into their plans for their little girl. You know. Very normal non stress having things. Thorne has a bit of trouble reconciling some of the inherent issues of cozy fantasy (mostly what these fantasies want is a bougeouise existence) with the whole "can we actually democracy here?" thing, but a deux ex machina manages to fix things for now, and there will be one last book in the series. The narrator does a fantastic job of voicing all the characters (and delivering some truly weapon grade puns), and this audiobook is definitely worth your time.

Ahhh I was so excited to return to the world of Tomes and Tea and the hilarious puns found within.

“Wait. Is there a God of Puns?” Kianthe gasped, bouncing on her toes.
Despite everything, laughter bubbled in Reyna’s chest. “Yes, and I’m convinced it’s punishing me for the wrongdoings of my life.”
“It’s…pun-ishing you?”

Kianthe and Reyna’s love oozes off of the pages of this book and into my ears from the audiobook. But it also seems to uplift and improve everyone around them. They help so many other characters and it is so beautiful. This series is like drinking a warm cup of tea (or my preferred coffee) on a cold and rainy day. It warms me up, both body and soul. I wish to live in this cozy world especially under the new regime.

The audiobook was magnificent. The narrator is so perfect for this series and I hope it does not change for book 4 either.

Tessa is my favorite new character from this book and Kianthe is forever my favorite for the puns and the sass.

“Arcandor, I must be frank.”
Unfortunately, Kianthe had given up all pretenses.
“Well I thought Tilain was a lovely name, but if you say so. Queen Frank has a nice ring.”