I know you're out there. All those readers who helped make Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes the biggest thing to hit fantasy fiction last year. If you're one of the many (like me) who ended that book with a sigh of delight and immediately began searching for other cozy fantasy to sustain you? Then look no further than Rebecca Thorne's entry into the sub genre, which has much (a lot, actually) in common with Baldree's novel.
Palace guard Reyna is burned out risking her life protecting a ruthless (evil?) Queen Tilaine, so when her mage girlfriend, Kianthe, suggests once again that they run off together and open a tea/bookshop? This time Reyna decides to say yes. The two decide they'll start their new life in a remote border town and build the business and life they've dreamed about. Once settled in their new town they meet an eclectic group of inhabitants and are drawn into their relationships and dramas (some more serious than others).
Though the pacing is sometimes a bit uneven and some elements of the story have higher stakes (which are less cozy), still I found myself enjoying this on a, still!, cold Sunday afternoon while sipping a cup of tea. So if you're looking for something to tide you over until Baldree's next one, Bookshops & Bonedust (due out in November), this may fit the bill.