Can't Spell Treason Without Tea
by Rebecca ThorneGenres: Fantasy & Magic
Published on September 15, 2022
Pages: 452
Format: eBook Source: Kindle Unlimited
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.
This book was delightful! The most powerful mage in the land fell in love with a guard for a fairly evil queen. They have been keeping their relationship quiet. The mage keeps suggesting that they run away together and open a shop that sells tea and books. The guard knows that isn’t practical. But when she gets injured foiling yet another assassination attempt, she’s had enough. She takes off.
“Run away with me, the mage had said, her eyes alight. You like tea. I like books. Let’s open a shop somewhere remote and forget the world exists.”
It is probably too much to imagine that the Head Mage can disappear and that the queen is going to let her top guard go without a fight. But they are going to try to make a life in a backwater town where no one knows who they are.
This book is very reminiscent of Legends and Lattes and the author does mention it as an inspiration. If you like that mix of fantasy and coziness, you’ll love this book. The story revolves around the women trying to make a life together in a town that is hostile to outsiders. There are dragon attacks occasionally so people are on edge. Bounty hunters keep showing up to look for the guard. In the middle of it all they are trying to renovate a former bandit stronghold into a tea house/book store. This is a good book for curling up in front of a fire with a warm cup of whatever you fancy.
