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Tea With an Outlaw
In a magical kingdom where every petal holds a spell, one rebellious flower mage must choose between the safety of an arranged marriage and the danger of an outlaw’s quest.
Elvina is a rebellious young villager who wants to learn the secrets of flower magic, but instead her parents are forcing her into an arranged marriage. With the arrival of an outlaw warrior, Orlando, interrupting the quiet life of her sleepy village, Elvina is drawn into the search for a miraculous flower that could save the kingdom, and her beloved forest.
Elvina knows she can count on her best friend, alchemist-in-training Kendi, even if Kendi’s magic doesn’t work exactly in the ways she intends. She has also become successful at summoning flower spirits with god-like powers and whimsical attitudes. But Elvina can’t trust her own heart when she falls for Orlando, who is clearly too attractive and charming to be true to just one woman.
Despite a mysterious war mage stalking their every move, royal men-at-arms chasing them, and Elvina’s parents trying to tame her wild ways, Elvina must fight to protect the forest, even if it makes her an outlaw.
Elvina is a rebellious young villager who wants to learn the secrets of flower magic, but instead her parents are forcing her into an arranged marriage. With the arrival of an outlaw warrior, Orlando, interrupting the quiet life of her sleepy village, Elvina is drawn into the search for a miraculous flower that could save the kingdom, and her beloved forest.
Elvina knows she can count on her best friend, alchemist-in-training Kendi, even if Kendi’s magic doesn’t work exactly in the ways she intends. She has also become successful at summoning flower spirits with god-like powers and whimsical attitudes. But Elvina can’t trust her own heart when she falls for Orlando, who is clearly too attractive and charming to be true to just one woman.
Despite a mysterious war mage stalking their every move, royal men-at-arms chasing them, and Elvina’s parents trying to tame her wild ways, Elvina must fight to protect the forest, even if it makes her an outlaw.
- GenresFantasy
251 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 5, 2026
About the author
R.R. Orange
2 books8 followersR.R. Orange is an author who has written books in many different genres but finally found her home at the intersection of fantasy, mystery, and romance.
When she is not writing, she is probably walking her whippet.
When she is not writing, she is probably walking her whippet.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is the third book I've read recently from Netgalley with "tea" in the title, none of which were all that cozy, and none of which I thought were particularly good, though this is the best of the three for my taste. It's more YA than I was expecting, in the sense of being quite simplistic and also focusing on the concerns of young adults, and the narrative arc seemed off even for that.
The protagonist is a young woman who's about to turn 18. She lives in a society where parents typically make decisions like who their offspring will marry, but rebels against this and wants to make her own decisions, like not marrying at all and becoming a flower mage instead. The problem is, she isn't as good at making decisions as she thinks she is, though the ones she makes are, it turns out, often better than if she had obediently gone along with her parents. She flip-flops around on some of her decisions, too, right up to the end of the book.
The outlaw of the title is a young nobleman, loyal to the young queen, who is being pursued by the Queen's Guard on the orders of a royal advisor who is trying to kill the queen with surprisingly slow-acting flower magic.
I say "surprisingly slow-acting" partly because the flower magic is quite powerful - in fact, all the magic is quite powerful, but it isn't Sandersonian (the reader doesn't know in advance what it can and can't do, so there's always the possibility that it can be used to resolve a situation in a way that's unexpected and unforeshadowed, and therefore less satisfying to the reader). The setting is partially fantasy Italian, though among all the Italianate names there are a couple of minor characters called Edith and Brian for some reason, and several of the more major characters have what seem to be made-up fantasy names.
The protagonist helps the outlaw to escape and joins his quest, along with her best friend the 17-year-old highly-skilled alchemist, who at one point casually whips up a teleportation spell because, after all, how hard can it be? They (and a couple of other villagers, aided sometimes by a local witch and the protagonist's flower-mage mentor) run around on the advice of various creatures, picking up magic and using it. I'll put the disappointing part in spoiler tags, but it has to do with narrative expectation. I got strong "the real treasure was the friends we made along the way" vibes, and it just wasn't satisfying to me. What should have been difficult was easy, and what initially seemed important turned out to not be that important, and the protagonist didn't seem able to stick to a decision.
I gather that the author is not a native English speaker, but it doesn't show too much. There's the odd idiom that is slightly off, and some of the dialog punctuation doesn't quite follow convention, but I often see far worse from native speakers.
The protagonist is a young woman who's about to turn 18. She lives in a society where parents typically make decisions like who their offspring will marry, but rebels against this and wants to make her own decisions, like not marrying at all and becoming a flower mage instead. The problem is, she isn't as good at making decisions as she thinks she is, though the ones she makes are, it turns out, often better than if she had obediently gone along with her parents. She flip-flops around on some of her decisions, too, right up to the end of the book.
The outlaw of the title is a young nobleman, loyal to the young queen, who is being pursued by the Queen's Guard on the orders of a royal advisor who is trying to kill the queen with surprisingly slow-acting flower magic.
I say "surprisingly slow-acting" partly because the flower magic is quite powerful - in fact, all the magic is quite powerful, but it isn't Sandersonian (the reader doesn't know in advance what it can and can't do, so there's always the possibility that it can be used to resolve a situation in a way that's unexpected and unforeshadowed, and therefore less satisfying to the reader). The setting is partially fantasy Italian, though among all the Italianate names there are a couple of minor characters called Edith and Brian for some reason, and several of the more major characters have what seem to be made-up fantasy names.
The protagonist helps the outlaw to escape and joins his quest, along with her best friend the 17-year-old highly-skilled alchemist, who at one point casually whips up a teleportation spell because, after all, how hard can it be? They (and a couple of other villagers, aided sometimes by a local witch and the protagonist's flower-mage mentor) run around on the advice of various creatures, picking up magic and using it. I'll put the disappointing part in spoiler tags, but it has to do with narrative expectation. I got strong "the real treasure was the friends we made along the way" vibes, and it just wasn't satisfying to me. What should have been difficult was easy, and what initially seemed important turned out to not be that important, and the protagonist didn't seem able to stick to a decision.
I gather that the author is not a native English speaker, but it doesn't show too much. There's the odd idiom that is slightly off, and some of the dialog punctuation doesn't quite follow convention, but I often see far worse from native speakers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A nice, easy whimsical read centered on the idea of finding one's true desires amid the cacophony of magic, dashing outlaws, steadfast friends, and gray-coded villains.
Once the plot starts to pick up as all the main characters are introduced, it doesn't let up - our band of unlikely heroes tackle one obstacle after another in a minimally high-stakes situation that is fast-paced; despite this rigorous pace, there was still breathing room to process everything that is happening. A fun romp, I would almost dare say.
Our main character is stubborn, brash, and rebellious, a strong female lead who still holds girlish charms of deep care for her friends while gallivanting on adventures to save the queen utilizing her flower magic to assist her in her search.
I quite enjoyed the read!
Highlights:
* flower magic and mischievous flower spirits
* Kendi, the voice of reason always
* who wouldn't want to go on a magical adventure with a dashing, handsome outlaw?
* I want the recipe for those lavender biscuits
Thank you to NetGalley, the author R.R. Orange, and the publisher ARC provided by Xpresso Book Tours | Swords and Scones Publishing for giving me an eARC to read and review.
Once the plot starts to pick up as all the main characters are introduced, it doesn't let up - our band of unlikely heroes tackle one obstacle after another in a minimally high-stakes situation that is fast-paced; despite this rigorous pace, there was still breathing room to process everything that is happening. A fun romp, I would almost dare say.
Our main character is stubborn, brash, and rebellious, a strong female lead who still holds girlish charms of deep care for her friends while gallivanting on adventures to save the queen utilizing her flower magic to assist her in her search.
I quite enjoyed the read!
Highlights:
* flower magic and mischievous flower spirits
* Kendi, the voice of reason always
* who wouldn't want to go on a magical adventure with a dashing, handsome outlaw?
* I want the recipe for those lavender biscuits
Thank you to NetGalley, the author R.R. Orange, and the publisher ARC provided by Xpresso Book Tours | Swords and Scones Publishing for giving me an eARC to read and review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I will say if you are looking for a YA fantasy novel what will have you laughing then Tea With An Outlaw is a novel you should definitely consider checking out. I have to admit I wasn't sure what to expect before I started reading this book but with each passing chapter I found myself hooked and was amazed with how the story turned out. In a way our Herione is a lot like Merida from Brave.
We are introduced to Elvina who longs for a lige outside of her village. Rather than resort herself to an arranged marriage she decides to leave and go looking for magical flower that could make or break the future of her home. Along the way she meets the aquaitance of several dashing characters. However, will these interactions just be a distraction for the life her parents want her to lead. Will she able to forge the life she so rightfully wants for herself?
We are introduced to Elvina who longs for a lige outside of her village. Rather than resort herself to an arranged marriage she decides to leave and go looking for magical flower that could make or break the future of her home. Along the way she meets the aquaitance of several dashing characters. However, will these interactions just be a distraction for the life her parents want her to lead. Will she able to forge the life she so rightfully wants for herself?
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was such a light hearted, whimsical read, which I didn't expect from a fantasy book. I do feel that certain plot points were resolved quickly and the group of friends were way too trusting.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First of all, thank you, NetGalley, for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The title and cover immediately gave me strong Robin Hood vibes. It was an entertaining read overall, though I don’t see myself picking up the sequel.
The title and cover immediately gave me strong Robin Hood vibes. It was an entertaining read overall, though I don’t see myself picking up the sequel.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This lighthearted and enchanting read charmed me immediately. If you combine love, magic, and whimsy, then the resulting substance is probably this book. I especially loved Elvina with all her brashness and biscuits.
Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for providing me an ARC to review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for providing me an ARC to review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews