A Pirate’s Life for Tea

The second in Thorne’s sapphic cozy series (after Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea) sees Kianthe (a powerful mage) and Reyna (an ex-Queen’s guard) on the hunt for the dragon eggs that are key to the safety of their hometown. They travel to the Nacean River area to visit Diarn Arlon, the local ruler. As happens whenever Key and Rain go adventuring, lots of interesting characters, with stories of their own, somehow get involved, and the couple must conspire to save the day. In this outing, the pair meet Bobbie and Serina—one a constable and the other a pirate—who are suffering through their mutually caused broken hearts. Also on deck is the Dastardly Pirate Dreggs, a famous figure who takes an interest in Rain and Serina and has their own plans for Arlon. It is all charming, pun-filled, gentle, and deeply affirming. Thorne spins out the story at an easy pace, creating a feeling of calm and ease, even as a tumble of angst and misadventures fill the plot.