Audiobook Review – Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea (Tomes and Tea, Book 1) by Rebecca Thorne, Narrated by Jessica Threet (4/5 stars)
Reading Level:Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 11 hours and 26 minutes
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: May 07, 2024
ASIN: B0CL19ZGC5
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Tome and Tea series
Source: Audiobook for Review from NetGalley
Rating: 4/5 stars
“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.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Tomes and Tea series. I got a copy of this in audiobook format from NetGalley to review.
Thoughts: I liked this book. It was a fun, cozy fantasy with traditional swords and sorcery types of themes. This definitely has similarities “Legends and Lattes” but I think it has unique aspects of its own as well.
The story alternates between Reyna and Kianthe. Reyna is the personal guard to a cruel tyrant queen, while Kianthe is the most powerful mage alive. They both have a lot of responsibilities and they both dream of running away together to find happiness and peace. Then Reyna decides she has had it and they do exactly that. Unfortunately, you can’t just leave everything behind. Reyna ends up dodging spies, while Kianthe has a responsibility to help those with her enormous power…and the remote town they choose to live in has a bit of a dragon problem om top of all of their other problems.
I enjoyed all the characters in this book. This is one of those happy, cozy books where even the “bad” guys end up having redeeming qualities (well most of them do). There is a wonderful community here. I also loved watching Reyna and Kianthe get to grow and understand each other (and themselves) better. There is a lot of humor in here too, which I really enjoyed.
This is decently written and I thought it was a fun, light fantasy read. There’s nothing surprising or ground-breaking here but it is a very nice and pleasant read that will leave you entertained and happy.
I will mention that I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was okay but not great. The narrator had trouble keeping character voices straight and would accidentally forget to switch voices or use the wrong voice at times. This wasn’t too disruptive to the story but did add confusion at times. When I read the second book in this series I plan on reading it in written format and not listening to it.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and plan on continuing the series. I would recommend to those who enjoy humorous, swords and sorcery types of fantasy reads with some romance. This has a happy, cozy feel to it but also has enough action, humor, and intrigue to keep the plot moving forward at a good pace.
