There’s just something about a cozy fantasy tale. Some worldbuilding, a little bit of peril, and a lot of slice-of-life moments in which you get to know the characters: it’s just a good combination. Throw in a sapphic couple, and you’ve got me locked in.
Rebecca Thorne’s first Tomes & Tea book, then, had me intrigued from the moment I saw it displayed in a cozy fantasy feature at my favorite indie bookstore. Then, my wife read it and insisted I bump it to the top of my TBR list, and her recommendation did not disappoint.
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea follows Reyna, a Queensguard, and Kianthe, the Arcandor: an all-powerful elemental mage who serves the states of the realm (think Avatar: The Last Airbender). We meet the pair a couple of years into a secret relationship, carefully keeping their connection from Reyna’s Queen. Reyna and Kianthe have fantasized often of leaving the world behind to start a bookstore-slash-tea shop on the edge of the world, but to leave the Queen’s service would be treason, so it’s just an escapist dream… until Reyna reaches a breaking point and decides the risk of fleeing is worth the possibility of happiness with Kianthe.
They don’t quite find the edge of the world, but they find a suitably remote town bordering Dragon Country called Tawney, where they hope to escape the Queen’s forces for at least a while. Add a conveniently abandoned barn and a few unexpected connections in town, and they’ve got everything they need to set to work building their dream. Before long, the barn is fixed up and their shop is open, and they are swiftly integrated into the community.
Everything isn’t sunshine and rainbows, though. The town is plagued by frequent Dragon attacks from the north, and soon it becomes clear that the Queen’s spies have tracked Reyna down much more quickly than she had hoped. For a time, they manage to evade the spies and seek answers on the Dragon issue, but ultimately both issues come knocking and Reyna and Kianthe are forced to send themselves into dangerous situations to face them. Luckily, they have new friends to support them when they run into some pretty major roadblocks.
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is a fun story which showcases a compelling world and offers readers connection with relatable characters. I am eager to follow up on the threads that were left unwoven to set up the rest of the series. What luck that I already have the second book, A Pirate’s Life for Tea, waiting on my bookshelf!
Mik (they/them) is an aspiring author of sapphic sports romance and an avid reader of almost any genre… although a horror novel has to sound really compelling for them to overlook their scaredy-cat tendencies. They live in the western United States with their wife and two dogs, and enjoy participating in community choir and doing all manner of crafts in their free time. You can find them on The Storygraph.
