Can't Spell Treason Without Tea (Tomes & Tea, 1)

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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.

All Reyna and Kianthe want is to open a bookshop that serves tea. Worn wooden floors, plants on every table, firelight drifting between the rafters… all complemented by love and good company. Thing is, Reyna works as one of the Queen’s private guards, and Kianthe is the most powerful mage in existence. Leaving their lives isn’t so easy.

But after an assassin takes Reyna hostage, she decides she’s thoroughly done risking her life for a self-centered queen. Meanwhile, Kianthe has been waiting for a chance to flee responsibility–all the better that her girlfriend is on board. Together, they settle in Tawney, a town nestled in the icy tundra near dragon country, and open the shop of their dreams.

What follows is a cozy tale of mishaps, mysteries, and a murderous queen throwing the realm’s biggest temper tantrum. In a story brimming with hurt/comfort and quiet fireside conversations, these two women will discover just what they mean to each other… and the world.

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Published May 7, 2024

352 pages

Average rating: 6.73

67 RATINGS

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NinjaNeo

Apr 16, 2025

8/10 stars

This wasn't bad. I'm not used to there being so much playful banter between the main characters, a few parts started to drag a bit. Cozy Fantasy isn't meant to be all action, but this was still slower than I'd expected.

Noell

Jan 26, 2025

8/10 stars

It was a cute story with fun characters. I think the beginning was a bit slow so it took a while to get into it - it honwstly felt like a fanfic from the way it'swritten in the beginning - but it did pick up a bit and some fun side plots were introduced. These side plots were less strenuous and centered from a regular fantasy novel given the 'cozy' nature of the story and I personally would have liked more of them. Guess cozy isn't my thing.

Personally, I found the relationship for the main love interest to be a bit too perfect. Surely such relationships exist, but there were points that I would have prefered it take a different turn (ie when one character asked to be alone for a bit and the other immediately invaded their space to comfort them despite what they'd asked.) I would have liked to see them work through things more as it felt like they were always on the same page already, but this could be because the main characters were both quite similar. I often had a hard time remembering who's POV I was reading from because the voices were so similar.

All in all, I just wanted more from this story: more personality, more world, more everything. It felt a bit unfinished.

blewballoon

Nov 21, 2024

8/10 stars

If you liked Legends & Lattes, you will probably like this. The story is basically the same, but with a few tweaks. There are two main characters who are already a couple at the start of the book. There are books and tea instead of coffee. There aren't as many magical races of people; it doesn't feel tied to the D&D universe and feels more like a generic fantasy. I loved Legends & Lattes and I'm happy to have more of a good thing, but I did feel like this wasn't quite the same level of quality. I found the prose to be awkward in parts, especially the dialogue, and even the audiobook narrator seemed to struggle with the phrasing despite trying her best. I also got a bit frustrated with how much the narrative had to repeat and over-emphasize things without trusting the reader to interpret for themselves; a case of telling vs showing. In theory this book is full of stuff I really like, I adore cozy settings and good people, and yet I was cynically annoyed sometimes with the book's tone and wasn't properly suspending my disbelief. Maybe I was just cranky?

Content Warnings:
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, and Murder

JT Penguin

Aug 07, 2024

8/10 stars

This book is super cute! I'm invested in the characters and the plots that were introduced but not resolved yet. I need to see where those story lines end. I liked that this had no spice on page and just implied spice off page. The cutest lesbian couple that I just want to be besties with!

LMahoney

Jul 12, 2024

3/10 stars

This book seemed to be everything I want in a book: fantasy, tea room, book shop, dragons, etc. but it fell so flat for me. It almost felt like a fan-fic for Legends and Lattes and not in a good way. It was like oh no the queen is bad. Then that storyline died till the end. Oh no dragons! Then that storyline ended. Bandits! Same thing. I read the whole thing but will not be doing the second book. The last chapter (before the epilogue) was so rushed. I wish this had been better.

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