A Pirate's Life for Tea (Tomes & Tea Cozy Fantasies, #2)

by Rebecca Thorne

"You asked for this, Rain. Let's go capture a pirate."

While searching for stolen dragon eggs, newly engaged couple Kianthe and Reyna find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a swashbuckling love story.

On one side is Serina, a failed farmer turned river pirate. Her booty? Wheat, grains, and the occasional jar of imported tea leaves. It's quite the embarrassment to Diarn Arlon, the powerful lord of the Nacean River, and he'll conscript anyone to bring her to justice. Especially Kianthe, the elemental mage who just crashed his party, and her somewhat-scary fiancée.

Begrudgingly, the couple joins forces with Bobbie, one of Arlon's constables--who happens to be Serina's childhood friend. Bobbie is determined to capture the pirate before anyone else, but it would be a lot easier if Serina didn't absolutely loathe her now.

As Kianthe and Reyna watch this relation-shipwreck from afar, it quickly becomes apparent that these disaster lesbians need all the help they can get. Luckily, matchmaking is Reyna's favorite past time. The dragon eggs may have to wait.

• ISBN13: 9798986692432
• Publish Date: 20 February 2023
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Imprint: Rebecca Fornwalt
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 456
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

A Pirate's Life for Tea is the second book in a cozy fantasy series by Rebecca Thorne. Originally released in 2023, this reformat and re-release from Macmillan on their Tor/Bramble imprint is 368 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a lovely, immersive, well written cozy fantasy with F/F romance. A former royal mercenary and a high ranking magic user diplomat just want to be together, to have a cozy bookstore with a big fireplace, tea and baked goods and nothing is going to stand in their way if they have anything to say about it. They got that in book one and now they're on a mission to save their hard-won independence and their town, and that means more diplomatic missions.

It's full of magic and world building and if the characters are maybe a tiny bit tropey, well, that's why readers *love* cozy fantasy. Inevitable comparisons will be drawn between this series and Travis Baldree's wonderful Legends & Lattes, and while it's true they share a niche genre, this series is not at all derivative and readers who enjoyed L&L will likely enjoy this one as well. 

It's full of warmth and humor and the author is unapologetically LGBTQIA+ friendly, here's a quote: 

"To the people who gave me one-star reviews because the first book "had lesbians." I doubled the lesbians in this one. Just for you."

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 13 hours 5 minutes and is capably read by series narrator Jessica Threet. She has a well modulated voice and does a surprisingly good job of the disparate fantasy acents. Her voice is a tiny bit sharp to actually fade into neutrality during the read, but it's not at all intrusive and there aren't any accents that come across as patently fake or forced. Sound and production quality are very high throughout the read. 

Four and a half stars for both the book and audiobook. Highly recommended for fans of cozy fantasy. There -are- violent scenes with battle descriptions. There is some light sexual content/PDAs, but nothing NSFW. With two books out and a third due out in late first quarter 2025, it would be an excellent choice for a series binge or buddy read. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.