Review – Alchemy and a Cup of Tea (Tomes and Tea, Book 4) by Rebecca Thorne (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Length: 316 pages
Publisher: Bramble
Release Date: August 12, 2025
ASIN: B0DDJDGP4J
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Tomes and Tea series
Source: Borrowed ebook from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“On the night of her kidnapping, all Reyna wanted was a relaxing cup of tea. She didn’t expect to be dropped in a hidden prison cell, but what the hells. She’s flexible.
With appropriate fanfare, Kianthe “rescues” her wife…but Reyna’s actually a terrible damsel in distress. Even worse, Reyna’s cell was booby trapped with a mysterious alchemy circle. What does a radical alchemist want with the Arcandor’s wife? And why did they think they could get away with this?
While they investigate, another problem surfaces in their hometown. Word of New Leaf Tomes and Tea—and its celebrity owners—has finally spread. Tourists are everywhere, harassing the locals and ruining the charm of Tawney. As their friends struggle with the sudden influx, Kianthe and Reyna have to face a bigger conundrum than rogue alchemists: the fact that closing their bookshop might be the only way to save their town.
Things can’t just be simple, can they?”
Series Info/Source: This is the fourth, and final, book in the Tomes and Tea series. I borrowed this on ebook from my library.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this final book in the Tomes and Tea series. I actually thought that the series was going to end at book 3, but this book did a good job of wrapping up some of the loose ends left after the 3rd book.
Reyna has been kidnapped and that really isn’t a huge deal because she is more than capable of freeing herself. However, the alchemy circle she finds in her cell is a big deal. Kianthe is called to deal with a weakening of the Stone of Seeing and an alchemical circle is found there as well. When they return to Tawney to talk to Feo about the alchemy, they find the town in chaos. Tawney has become a huge tourist attraction since both Queen Reyna and Arcandor Kianthe make their home there. As Reyna and Kianthe try to figure out what is happening with these alchemical circles, they also must help the town figure out a way to embrace its new popularity.
I continue to really enjoy the characters here, and it was intriguing to delve into some of the alchemy in this world. Reyna and Kianthe continue to struggle to balance a peaceful life in Tawney with their responsibilities as world leaders. I enjoyed that we got to spend more time with the dragons in this book and learn more about dragon magic as well.
A main theme in this book is a small town struggling to become a popular tourist attraction and the growing pains that come with that.
This wasn’t my favorite book of the series. Largely because it felt like it was just tying up a lot of loose ends from the first three books. Even the major plot point around the alchemical circles seems to be addressing that imbalance between alchemy and elemental magic that has been a theme throughout the series. I also think that the characters felt a bit tired here, they are all dealing with the consequences of the first three books and there seemed to be less coziness and excitement and more plodding along trying to solve problems and keep some semblance of life/work balance. I guess it felt a bit too real life to me and didn’t have as much fun escapism as the previous books did.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this final book in the Tomes and Tea series. This book wraps up the loose ends from the previous book and leaves our characters in a decent (but fairly realistic) place. I would recommend this series if you enjoy cozy fantasy with a bit more action and politics than your typical cozy fantasy. I will definitely keep an eye out for future books that Thorne writes.
