After reading some heavier books like A Little Life and The Poppy War, I was ready to ease back into some lighter stories. I fell into The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso and loved it (expect a writeup on that one soon), but what I’ve enjoyed the most is returning to the world of Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne.
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 that boasts more dragons than people, 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.
This is advertised as a cozy book, and while it definitely fits the criteria, I appreciated that there was still a healthy amount of risk in this book without it overpowering the focus of the story: Reyna and Kianthe simply building a new life together. Who wouldn’t want to run away and open a book and tea shop? Sure, there’s a murderous queen hunting me down, but think of the tea and the books!
It’s worth noting that I’m a sucker for hurt/comfort stories, and this one packs in the hurting and the comforting in a way I haven’t really seen since my days drowning in Xena: Warrior Princess fanfiction. There’s fighting, a lingering presence of dragons, violent bandits, and a whole lot of tea.
So grab yourself a steaming mug of tea (I’ve been enjoying my own Winter Wake Up tea), curl up under your favorite blanket, turn on a soothing fantasy ambience video, and read this book.
Note: If you enjoyed Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea, make sure you check out the others in the Tomes & Tea series—A Pirate’s Life for Tea (out now) and Tea You at the Altar, expected to release March 4, 2025.