Can't Spell Treason Without Tea: A heart-warming cosy fantasy - Legends & Lattes but with tea! (Tomes & Tea)

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It also centers two women so deeply committed to each other and to their dream in a way that just made my heart feel full.

I’m definitely having a good time with cozy fantasies this year, so I couldn’t resist when the author offered arcs of this book. It leaves off with a bit more story still to come, so I really look forward to the next installment. the stakes should be low, the conflict should be mundane (but important to the characters, and by extension, to us), and there should definitely not be multiple near death experiences.The lands in general and the specific town of Tawney made for an interesting setting with good world building. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. Reyna is repeatedly referred to as 'the ex-guard' even when her former profession has zero bearing on the current scene, and this is one of those things that once I notice an author does it, I can't stop noticing it. I am so excited to get the second book and excited to see how the story continues to evolve and grow.

Kianthe and Reyna are such characters, and their interactions are full of wholesome love (and terrible puns) and I love every second of it. While this is cozy there were exciting things that happened throughout the book and problems that needed solving which kept me invested and turning the pages. the book can’t decide whether it’s cosy or high-stakes, and though i was intrigued by the premise of a vengeful queen she wasn’t actually present much.

What follows is a tale of mishaps, mysteries, dragons, and a murderous queen throwing the realm's biggest temper tantrum. I do intend to give the second book in this series a chance, as I believe in authors improving their craft as they go and wonder if a book with a non-established couple may fare better for me, but I am still extremely disappointed with this one. The setting is solid, the romance feels real, and the magic system with its mystical creatures are filled with whimsy and familiarity. so to sum it all up: definitely not a cozy fantasy, the non-cozy plot doesn't even go anywhere in the nearly 400 pages, the characters are boring, and the worldbuilding is lazy (all in my opinion, of course).