In Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne, Reyna is a guard in the queen’s castle, but is growing tired of being beaten down and put in danger by assassination attempts all the time. Moreover, she’s sick of hiding her relationship with Kianthe, the realm’s strongest mage. So when Reyna is briefly held hostage by yet another would-be-assassin, she decides that enough is enough, and she and her girlfriend flee. They find themselves in the town of Tawney, far enough away from the queen that they might get away with it, but not so far as to be in dragon country yet. There, they decide to open up a bookshop/teashop, but several obstacles stand in their way, and they soon realize that their dream might be impossible to achieve.

This is the most Legends & Lattes thing I’ve ever read, short of reading Legends & Lattes itself.

Firstly, I quite liked the setting! It’s a rather typical fantasy setting, rife with royals and dragons, magic and adventure reminiscent of Dungeons and Dragons. But the nature of the queendom—mainly the unhinged, selfish queen—is pretty interesting, and serves as a decent conflict that Reyna and Kianthe have to deal with. And as for Tawney, it’s such a lovely place, full of a quirky, fun cast of characters. I would move there, threat of dragons or not. They don’t scare me.

Speaking of dragons, there were some exciting scenes featuring them! I liked the slight twist on why they were pillaging, and how it contributed to the overall plot. Because honestly, somewhat unlike its closest comp title Legends & Lattes, there is a decent amount of dramatic plot going on. From the queen and the dragons to bandits and other mages, there’s a lot happening. However, it doesn’t feel rushed or random, which is pretty impressive. Thorne is a decent writer!

And as for the characters, Reyna and Kianthe are believably complex and flawed, without being annoying or unlikable. Their development progresses at a good pace, and I liked seeing how they both grew over time. But there’s also the promise of more to come in the sequel, which I liked (especially since it will be published soon). Plus, book two will feature pirates, as if Thorne has a list of things I like and is working her way through all of them!

Also, I read this as an audiobook, and it was great. The narrator Jessica Threet does a good job, especially in distinguishing between the accents of the two main characters. Of course, I say that as an American, so I actually have no idea if her English accent is any good. It worked for me, though.

In the end, Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is super cute! It’s pretty low stakes, but the conflict that is present is well written. The main characters are charming, and the antagonist is sinister in an entertaining way. This may not be the deepest story, but it still has good themes about learning to be vulnerable and serving one’s community. Under the fluff, it’s full of earnestness and heart, and I’m looking forward to reading the next installment!

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea will be published on May 7th, 2024!