Callie returns home for Christmas with her dog, Daisy to stay with her Great Aunt. Her Aunt runs a Book Tea shop where every cake has a connection to a book. She also specializes in cakes for occasions with a personal theme. One of these occasions is a special tea party, at a house with happy memories for Callie, held by Dorothea Finster for an announcement concerning her will. Callie's friend Sheila, is also using the party to announce the engagement of her daughter who doesn't know it is going to happen, but neither does the prospective fiancee!
However, the ring goes missing and a body is found in the conservatory and Christmas is the last thing on anyone's mind.
Callie is determined to find out the truth and let Christmas begin.

In Peppermint Peril was a pleasant read that’s just the thing to get you in the holiday spirit with a fun mystery at its core.

Upon returning to Heart’s Harbor, Maine for Christmas, Callie Aspen is immediately roped into helping her aunt set up a special tea party at Haywood Hall, home of the town’s oldest resident. Lonely widow Dorothea Finster has gathered her remaining relatives, old friends, and esteemed town residents to make a mysterious announcement about her will. However before the announcement is made, a valuable family heirloom goes missing and the gardener is found murdered in the conservatory. Determined to uncover the truth about what happened, Callie and her aunt begin their own investigation hoping to bring the killer to justice in time to save Christmas.

The mystery in this story was interesting and it was the strongest aspect of the book in my opinion. There’s the murder, blackmail, threats against our main character, and multiple credible suspects all of which led to an exciting case. The investigation Callie undertakes is well done and she manages to solve the case in a logical manner. I did have the killer figured out pretty early on which was a bit disappointing as I didn’t understand how the characters weren’t making the connection sooner. Overall though, the mystery element of this book is a good one and I was pretty happy with the way everything was revealed.

Callie is a tour guide for historical locations worldwide and doesn’t get much time away from her job which is why this is the first Christmas in years she’s back in Heart’s Harbor. Callie is the type of person who tends to jump to conclusions which did provide some frustrating situations. She has history with Haywood Hall and the presumed heir to Dorothea’s fortune which she is forced to confront in this book. She does have an adorable Boston Terrier named Daisy who was an absolute delight.

Callie’s Aunt Iphy was an interesting woman and I really liked the idea of her bookish tea shop, Book Tea, where all the items are based off of different books. Deputy Falk is the one assigned to the murder as the sheriff is out of town due to the holidays and he becomes a prospective romantic partner for Callie. His character was a bit confusing as he continuously flips back and forth between trusting Callie and and thinking she’s lying. That does get better as the book goes on but it was a bit annoying at first.

Minor issues with the characters aside, I enjoyed In Peppermint Peril and I’m looking forward to reading more books from this author in the future.

In Peppermint Peril is the first book in the Book Tea Shop Mystery series. Callie Aspen comes home for the holidays to visit her Great Aunt Iphy, who runs a tea shop catering to book themed events, parties and get-togethers. Iphy knows just the right extra touches to add to the baked items and decorations for these parties, wowing her clients every time. In this first book in the series, Iphy and Callie prepare goodies for an Agatha Christie type atmosphere at Haywood Hall. Dorothea Finster, 93 year old owner of the hall, has an announcement about her will that she wants to make. Unfortunately, a murder interrupts the evening before she can make her announcement. Callie finds herself investigating to help Dorothea and childhood friends discover a murderer.

I enjoyed this book! To be honest, the plot was pretty predictable and a bit trope-y....but I like the background theme (I would so attend a bookish themed tea party!!!) and the characters. Aunt Iphy makes constant book references and decorates her baked goods with bookish clues. Callie is intelligent and a pretty good investigator, even when the local police (and the killer) tell her to back off. Dorothea Finster is bound and determined to do the right thing by her family and by her ancestral home. It just made for a fun, entertaining cozy mystery, despite the plot being nothing really new. Sometimes, with cozies, it's comfort reading. This book was awesome fun reading for me on a cold, fall evening with a steaming cup of Earl Grey and my two chihuahuas snuggled up on my lap. :) I love holiday themed cozies!

I'm definitely going to read more of this series. I can't wait to find out what's in store for Callie, Iphy, the tea shop and Haywood Hall!

**I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Callie has just returned home from traveling the world to the small town in Maine where she grew up. Staying with her great aunt Iphy and helping out at Iphy’s tea shop, Callie hosts a special tea party at Haywood Hall, a local manor owned by the elderly Dorothy Finster. But the party goes awry and a man is found dead, stabbed to death in the conservatory. Together with the delicious Deputy Falk, Callie begins to unlock the clues that lead to a killer.

Fall is in full effect, all the stores have their Christmas decorations out, so now was the time to skate into this wintery cozy. In Peppermint Peril is the first in a new series, and I loved this cute lil’ cozy, perfect to get you into a Christmas mood. A very nice, quick read, I sat down on a chilly afternoon and finished it that evening. I enjoyed the plot, a couple of mini-mysteries within the main plot, lots of clues and suspects that kept me guessing, while the warm community of characters made for a cheery setting (murder aside, that is!) I loved Daisy, Callie’s Boston Terrier sidekick, and there were some heartwarming moments that really bumped up the warmth of the season.

And that tea shop! Aunt Iphy bustling around baking up book themed goodies and serving up hot beverages! Heaven. As I sat here huddled in my blanket, I longed for a cup of Snowy Chocolate and A Daily Surprise!

An excellent cozy to get you into the Christmas spirit, In Peppermint Peril is a great way to kick off the Christmas season…any time of year!

This Christmas, Callie Aspen returns to her childhood home in Heart's Harbor, Maine where her great-aunt runs Book Tea, a vintage tearoom where every sweet treat contains a bookish clue. Upon arrival in the fairy-tale snowy town, Callie is drawn into the preparations for a special tea party at Haywood Hall, the rambling house of Heart's Harbor's oldest resident, rich but lonely widow Dorothea Finster. Dorothea has invited her estranged relatives, old friends and the elite of the town to make a mysterious announcement about her will.

Everybody is determined to attend, despite not liking each other or even their hostess. Callie's old friend Sheila complicates things by using the tea party to announce her daughter's engagement. But her daughter isn't sure she's in love with the young lawyer her mother thinks is perfect for her.

Catering to people who each have their agenda isn't easy for the Book Tea crew, especially once a valuable engagement ring goes missing and a dead body turns up in the conservatory. Can Callie and her great aunt use their love of clues to dig into the crimes and show their unhappy hostess and squabbling guests the true Christmas spirit?

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Series: A Tea and a Read Mystery - Book 1
Author: Joy Avon
Genre: Cozy/Tea/career Mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane

In the debut novel for "A Tea and a Read Mystery" series, Joy Avon has managed to delight and entertain, with characters that are well written, fun and truly human. This first book, In Peppermint Peril, has quarks, red herrings, laugh out loud moments, and real emotion. The writing is fluid, with transitions as smooth as glass. There is little in this book that readers will have trouble understanding, and it will leave them wanting more.

Callie is a busy traveler who is determined to go back to her regular life just as soon as the holidays are over, but life has a way of getting in the way. Seeing her hometown, and being with the people she loves has made her long to plant roots and stick around but, she is trying to convince herself that she is happy with her life and there is no need to change it. But circumstance, a new pet, and a possible love interest puts a wrench in her Christmas departure plans.

Secondary characters are likable, even when they are trying not to be. Readers will fall in love with Callie’s Aunt, Iphy. The setting of Heart's Harbor, Maine, although fictitious, makes readers want to take a sightseeing trip. It is quaint with hints of a life that is simple and old-fashioned. The tea house setting is the perfect backdrop for this story, with the love of a good mystery book, the tea house plays on the reader's sense of times gone by and adds a yearning for holidays the way they used to be.

The murder victim starts as a happy memory for Callie, someone she always looked up to in her youth. At first, she is very upset by the death but soon comes to realize that not everyone she knew when she was young is what they seemed to be at the time. The clues to the killer’s identity are all there but are not easily revealed, and other problems crop up along the way. Readers will love the fact that they have no idea who the killer is until the very last pages.

This debut book, In Peppermint Peril has lots of twists and turns, plenty of drama, but it also has compassion and love. This author and the series will continue to evolve as new books are added, and it will be fun to see what becomes of these wonderful characters and what kind of trouble Callie can get into. I highly recommend this book.

ARC provided by Netgalley

Going home isn't ever easy.  It's even harder when your old friend has married the man you once loved.  Callie doesn't let this stop her, coming back to Heart's Harbor to spend the holidays with her great aunt despite it all.  Honestly, Callie handled it well, considering she wasn't really sure what she felt for Stephen in the present day.  She is a great sleuth, however, and made me think of the old show, Murder She Wrote, more often than I'd like to admit.

In Peppermint Peril has a great set of characters and a steadily moving plot.  The players are just shady enough that you suspect them all at one time or another and there were plenty of surprises to keep me going.  Of all the characters, I think I liked Aunt Iphy the best.  Although she's older, she has a great sense of humor and a love of mystery that overflows out of her tearoom and into her everyday life. I would have loved an aunt like her.

This is an excellent start to a new series by a new author.  I'm eagerly awaiting the next in the series, due to releas in the summer.  It'll be fun to see what Callie, Iphy, and the rest have gotten up to in the meantime, as well as whether Callie's budding relationship goes anywhere.  I highly reccommend this book to anyone who loves cozy mysteries.  As an added bonus, for you theme readers, this is set during the Christmas holidays so there's plenty of snow and festivities to go along with a cute mystery.

*Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Callie Aspen returns to Heart Harbor, Maine, for the holidays to assist her aunt in running the Book Tea Shop. A tea party hosted by the grande dame of Haywood Hall turns into a murder investigation and a search for a missing family heirloom. Callie is determined to find the killer and then head back to her travel job in Europe. Greedy villagers and a new will leads her to the killer.

I found this book highly enjoyable. I loved the storyline, the setting and the characters. The mystery kept me guessing and just when I thought I had it figured out I would discover I was wrong again. I definitely will be looking forward to more books in this series.

This was a mostly enjoyable book but I wasn’t keen on the protagonist’s ‘magic advice’ persona. It made the story less organic and believable.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

Callie Aspen, who spends most of her time as tour in Europe, is back home in Heart's Harbor, Maine, spending the Christmas season with her great aunt and the vintage tea room she runs. She is helping her aunt cater a tea at Haywood Hall which is owned by Dorothea Finster. Callie spent a lot of time there when she was a child. She even had a crush on Stephen Du Bouvrais who is presumed to be Dorothea's heir. But Stephen married another friend - Sheila- and they haven't seen each other for years.

Dorothea has gathered quite a crew to hear the reading of her will. The mayor and his wife are there hoping from funding to improve the town. The leader of the town council is also there hoping for money for his pet projects. A new school teacher was also invited and she hopes for some funds to improve the school. Sheila and Stephen, along with their daughter Amber, are also staying with Dorothea. Ben, Dorothea's lawyer and Amber's boyfriend, is also at the party. Also in the house are the housekeeper - Mrs. Keats - and the gardener Mr. Leadenby who used to tell the kids wonderful stories.

Sheila has her own agenda for the tea party. She wants to use the occasion to "encourage" Ben to propose to Amber by hiding a valuable family ring in the cake. Callie's aunt is in on the plan and creates a hollow in the cake that will be filled with the ring. But things don't go at all as Sheila hopes. The ring box is empty and Amber doesn't want to marry Ben. She is much more interested in a young man who is a handyman in town. Amber runs from the room and the next thing we hear is her scream. She's found Leadenby dead from a stab wound in his conservatory.

The murder case falls into the hands of Deputy Falk but Callie isn't going to step aside. The investigation was nicely twisty since many of the people at the party had reasons to kill Leadenby and others are willing to lie to protect others at the party. Callie and Falk have a difficult time untangling all the stories.

This was a nice small town mystery. The characters were interesting. I liked Callie and empathized with her difficult decision about continuing her life as it is or trying something new in a town that feels like home. I liked that she was worried about the dog she adopted after its owner's death. She wanted to find Daisy a good home but knew it would be hard to leave her behind.

The one thing this cozy was missing was recipes. I would love to have recipes for some of the treats Aunt Iphigeneia makes in her Tea Room.

Callie Aspen returns to her hometown in Heart's Harbor, Maine over the Christmas holiday season to visit with her great-aunt Iphigeneia (aka Iphy, for short). Iphy owns the Book Tea, a bakery/tea shop. Callie helps out around the shop.

Because of the snowy weather conditions, Iphy has Callie deliver everything, including the cake, to Haywood Hall for a special tea party being thrown by the owner, Dorothea Finster. Callie used to visit and play in and around Haywood Hall as a kid with Dorothea's heir-apparent Stephen and their friend Sheila, who later marries Stephen. After their marriage, Callie is estranged from Stephen and Sheila until the tea party.

At the tea party, which Sheila tries to hijack by turning it into an engagement party, are the household members and staff, Stephen, Sheila, their daughter, some of Dorothea's old friends and Heart's Harbor's most distinguished elites. All the guests at the party appear to have their own agenda for winning over Dorothea in order to obtain some of her money. So when someone ends up dead, there are lots of options for who could have done it.

I thought the characters were developed and it was a good introduction to the ones I assume will be regulars in the next book(s) in the series. I liked Callie and Iphy. They both seem to be straight-shooters and mostly say what they are thinking. Thankfully Callie kept some things back for a while or I would have been disappointed and felt like the dialogue ventured too far into the unbelievable or I would have just found her kind of rude. In the end, I liked her. As for Iphy, I really wish I could see her baking creations. I loved hearing about them.

The mystery kept me guessing until the end. For various reasons, I felt like it could have been just about anyone at the tea party who may have done it. A few twists and turns to get there.

One thing I really enjoyed in this book was the imagery Ms. Avon paints - of winter in Heart's Harbor and the Christmas decorations put on display by the various inhabitants. She may have inspired me to want to do more decorating this year.

I received an advanced digital copy of In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon from NetGalley and Crooked Lane in exchange for an honest review.

In the first installment of Joy Avon's Book Tea Shop Mystery series, Callie Aspen has returned to her hometown of Heart's Harbor, Maine. She's taking a break from her job as a European historical tour guide, and plans to spend some time helping her aunt Iphy run her book tea shop. One of their first assignments is to cater a small luncheon that's taking place at Haywood Hall, the town's beloved mansion that Callie spent lots of time at as a child when she was friends with the mansion's owner's nephew. The event is meant to be simple-a gathering of friends, family and community members to hear Haywood Hall's owner, Dorothea Finster make an announcement of her new will. However, things turn in unexpected ways when Dorothea's niece-in-law turns the whole event into an opportunity for a man to propose to her daughter-who she has no interest in marrying in the first place. First, the ring, a beloved family heirloom goes missing, and in the chaos of trying to figure out where it went, the estate's groundskeeper is found murdered in the conservatory.

This horrendous crime hits close to home for Callie, as not only was she well acquainted with the victim, but the people suspected of his murder are among those she used to consider her dearest friends. She'll stop at nothing to figure out who committed this terrible tragedy right before the holidays, even it means sticking her nose where it's not wanted, getting threatened herself to leave everything alone, and getting the local deputy's nose bent out of shape for overstepping onto his territory. In Peppermint Peril is a quirky, charming holiday tale that focuses around a murder that will keep you glued to the pages, but is also filled with a lovely setting of a local historical mansion, the beautiful book tea shop, and many holiday tidbits thrown in for good measure.

I enjoyed Callie as a character, and the way she's determined to help her friend's figure out who's behind everything that's going on, but I also enjoyed reading about how she's struggling to figure out what she wants out of life, and where she truly belongs. The supporting cast of characters were all lively, full of small town quirks, and really well developed. It was also a little different to read a cozy mystery where a romance doesn't truly play a part, and I actually enjoyed this as it was different from most of the others I've read. I will say for sure though that my favorite part of this one is the way that Joy Avon literally keeps you guessing right until the end as to who's truly behind everything. Almost every single character is a suspect at some point or the other, and I appreciate that she didn't make the person who done it blatantly obvious, and I was still quite surprised at the end.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed this one, and I look forward to reading more titles in this series in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to advance read this.


I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.

Callie Aspen is taking a break from guiding tourists to exciting and historic places around the globe. She has come back to visit and help out at Book Tea, a vintage tea room where all of the goodies have some sort of book clue in them. And they sound scrumptious! It doesn't hurt that her aunt owns the place!

It's a snowy Christmas time in Heart's Harbor, Maine, where Callie spent so much of her childhood and fell in love with Haywood Hall and it's inhabitants. So it is a treat for her to help her aunt with a themed tea at the Hall at the behest of the owner, Dorothea Finster. 

Unbeknownst to Callie, every guest has some kind of agenda. Is the elderly Dorothea going to read her will? Is the Hall going to be sold? And why is the gardener lying dead with a screwdriver in his chest?

This is the first in the series and I enjoyed each and every character. The pace of the book was just right for me. I can't wait to see what happens next with all of these lovely characters!

Well Done!

Netgalley/ November 13th 2018 by Crooked Lane Books

In Peppermint Peril is a quick and fun read that had me guessing until the very end! I love how this book felt so festive. The characters are top notch as well. I can't wait to see what happens next! If you are looking for a new cozy mystery to try, I recommend starting with this one. Not only is it a fun read but it's perfect for the holiday season!

This book is okay. I did find a few things wrong with the book. I have read many cozy mystery books and I felt that this book was a little off. First off Callie hasn't been back to this small town in like 20 years. Only days after she is back is there a murder and she feels she has to solve it. She pretty much abandons helping her great aunt so she can solve this murder. I know who the killer was and what was in the will in the first chapters. I personally like a good balance between solving the mystery and living the normal life of the town and the main character. In this book it's all about the murder and really not much about what the normal stuff going on. I don't know what it is about this book I just didn't find it as good as I do other cozy mysteries.


*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

Given the subheading of the book, I thought this would be a cosy Mystery. But the setup led me to believe this should probably have been categorised under Drama instead, with long-simmering family politics, feuds and unrequited romances. Not to my taste, sorry.

I truly enjoyed the series premiere, In Peppermint Peril, by Joy Avon. If you're looking for a cozy mystery, with delightfully quirky characters, a twist and turn plot, which keeps you guessing, this is it! I loved Peppermint Peril and it really got me looking forward to the holidays! Wonderful holiday themed cozy mystery!

In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon is a good start to a new mystery series. I really like the main characters, especially Callie and Falk. I thought they were written very well, but I wish we'd gotten to know them a bit more. For instance, why doesn't Falk like Christmas? That's a detail the reader needs to know. As for the murder mystery, I was completely surprised by its resolution. I think the author did a really good job of crafting the mystery so that the reader couldn't easily deduce who the killer was. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. Hopefully we'll learn a bit more about Callie, as well as Falk.

Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

I so enjoyed this lovely mystery, it had a gentle humour, wonderful range of characters an excellent blend of tension and light relief and a great dog - what more could you want from a cozy mystery? The Christmas theme is very subtle and the romance is also gentle and reserved. I warmed quickly to the heroine and her eccentric aunt and was curious about the murder - it's not obvious who did it, and there are plenty of twists and turns.

this is a sweet Christmas story. if you like cozy mystery stories and romance you will enjoy reading the book. love the little dog and the way the older adults where all very spry .