Sweet Tea and Secrets: A Tea and A Read Mystery
By Joy Avon
Crooked Lane
June 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

After a brief stay during the Christmas holidays, Callie Aspen has returned to Heart’s Harbor, Maine to make it her home. Now that she’s left her job in Trenton as a tour guide to historical sites, Callie is ready to help her Great-Aunt Iphy run the Book Tea tearoom and settle down in her childhood vacation spot. An additional incentive for her move was Deputy Ace Falk, who forged a connection with Callie after they last confronted a killer in the debut novel of the series, Peppermint Peril. Callie wonders if perhaps she assumed too much over their relationship though, as his responses to her emails were lukewarm and he now seems exasperatingly distant. At least Callie has Haywood Hall’s Fourth of July celebration as a distraction, since she is responsible for catering the tea party and featuring the sweet tea contest winner on a future menu.

As a favor to her new handyman Quinn Darrow – and in exchange for his fostering an adorable for roaming border collie - Callie agrees to research the 1989 disappearance of TV actress Monica Walker. Aunt Iphy had wanted Callie to use her research skills to promote a newsworthy, historical discovery, but she didn’t expect that her early questions would result in a present-day murder. The star of a hit nighttime drama vanished while staying at Heart’s Harbor’s Cliff Hotel, and rumors quickly spread that Monica and her lover had escaped on a boat to start a new life together. In fact, the current Heart’s Herald editor-in-chief and local reporter at the time of her disappearance declared then and now that Monica left on her own, but when he is killed Callie can’t help but believe that someone is attempting to cover up their tracks. Through research at the library and further questioning of those in Heart’s Harbor at the time, Callie learns that while Monica Walker may have wanted to escape her celebrity life and the stalker who accompanied it, her secrets aren’t the only ones being kept in the town.

This second in the series fully stands on its own as it envelopes readers in the unique setting of Heart’s Harbor. A charming teashop with book-themed pastries and confections is irresistible, as are the genuinely engaging and fully-formed inhabitants. Callie and Falk have a painfully realistic relationship, as neither seems willing to risk revealing their feelings through words. Just as Callie is reluctant to admit how much Falk was a reason for her deciding to move to Heart’s Harbor, he seems unable to accept that her move is actually permanent. Indeed, Callie understandably has doubts about the abrupt shift in her life, but she is finding creative ways to incorporate her love of sharing history with her new occupation. A pet portrait artist, not to mention her new Boston terrier Daisy, make this an apologetically pet-friendly novel, and descriptions of teatime treats and sweet tea will appeal to foodie readers. The plot unravels at a steady pace, with multiple twists and swerves delivering a surprising conclusion to even the most experienced mystery reader. Callie’s vulnerability, common sense, and determination to discover the truth make her the worthy star of this entertaining and well-plotted mystery.

Callie has put up her passport and decided to take a chance on change and work with her great aunt in the tearoom. With the 4th of July celebration coming up everyone is talking about history, town history, and a little unsolved history. Callie's curiosity is making someone nervous and not just the attractive Deputy Faulk who sends mixed signals or is it that Callie can't read him like she can a road map or a good book. An excellent follow up to Peppermint Peril, love seeing how Callie is figuring out her place in Heart's Harbor as she figures out where her heart and hopes lie.

I didn't want to leave a bad review anywhere but I just couldn't get into this book. The main character is ok. I feel like her love interest is a complete jerk. I couldn't even make it half way through the book before losing interest.

Callie has decided that the next chapter of her life will be with her great aunt, living in the small town of Heart's Harbor, Maine. Her great aunt can use her help running her tea and book room, Book Tea. Callie was working as a tour guide around the world and based in Trenton. She has now packed up, given up her apartment and has arrived. Time to find new digs. Great aunt Iphy surprises her with a fixer upper cottage with its closest neighbor at the light house. In need of paint, etc. she meets Quinn, a visitor to town who is doing handyman jobs for various locals. When he makes her an offer to do work on her cottage she accepts. Little does she know that it will lead to a decades old missing person case and a very new homicide. Somehow Quinn is involved and the police are quick to take him in for questioning. Because the reason for the investigation of the missing actress all those years ago was to highlight some of the towns history during the 4th of July festivities, Callie does have some reason to do her own sleuthing. Will she be able to stay away from danger or will the killer come after her?
This was a quick read and an enjoyable one. Callie and her great aunt are people I'd like to know. The only shortcoming for me was that both the setting and the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more. The town needed to shine more and I wanted to know more about the main characters. Overall, it's not a major fault and one that, I hope, will become less of an issue to this reader as the series continues. The mystery itself was satisfying with enough twists and turns, etc. to keep me engaged, guessing who dunnit.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was very disappointed in this book. I wanted so much to like it. The idea of the shop with her aunt is a great idea but for me it plays to little in the storyline. Also as with the first book there is too much background detail of characters. The background overshadows the story.

I do not think I will continue with the series. I did not publish my review on my blog or any book sites. I do not publish negative reviews as it is not the author’s fault I did not like the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very heard to tear myself away from it to do necessary household things like prepare a meal for my family!

I had not read the first book in this series, but was painless familiarized with the background within the story. It was easy to learn that our protagonist Callie had visited her great aunt the previous Christmas and decided to give up her job as a travel guide and move to Heart's Harbor and work in her aunt's shop Book Tea. The past was mentioned in passing, but not dwelt upon or rehashed as so many authors do to try to bring a new reader up to speed. This is easily a stand-alone book.

You can gather soon into the story that Callie got to know a police officer named Falk when she visited previously and there was a murder she was helpful in investigating. Once she arrives back in town, her aunt takes her to a cottage she is renting and there she meets a young man who says he is a handyman and can help get the cottage renovated as it has been neglected for years. When I read this, I was a little worried that this might be one of those books where there is a triangle and the woman has to choose between two men in the end. Not to worry - one of these fellows is and remains a friend.

Callie is asked by her aunt to help with a Fourth of July celebration. Callie decides to focus on some of the history of the community. With the help of handyman Quinn she uncovers a news article about a celebrity who visited in 1989 and then vanished without a trace. Did she run away with a lover? Was she murdered? The chief of the local paper was a rookie when this happened and when the two question him, he is reluctant to talk about his reporting at the time. Shortly later he is murdered.

There are various clues scattered through the book. We know that the missing woman got flowers from someone who signed the cards "R." Just over half-way through the book, I started realizing that there were some people we had never considered who had at least one "R" initial in their names. Hmmmm, new suspects for me to consider.

The ending is bitter sweet. Of course we learn who the murderer is, but there are twists that cause grief for characters we have come to care about.

This is a great story and it is told well. Oh, that all books were written like this one!

This was a solid cozy mystery!

I love Callie, and her very real human issues that she displays (self-doubt). I really look forward to seeing how she and Falk work out.

Avon did an amazing job with the back history of the characters in this, the second book (I didn't realize it was at first) of a series. So I didn't feel like I missed anything. The pace of events was great, perfect length, and just when you thought you knew who the culprit was, BAM, surprise. Totally not. Right to the end! I totally wasn't seeing the end coming.

I love small town locals, especially when they are tourist destinations. I grew up in a small mountain town that was very tourist all year round. There is a real community-ship amongst the locals. Every knows everyone. Or at least, they think they do, until someone is murdered.

The supporting characters of Quinn, Peggy, and Callie's Great Aunt Iphy, were all wonderful additions to the mystery of Morgan Walker, and her disappearance in Heart's Harbor 30 years prior to the current events.

I want to read Peppermint Peril now, and find out about what happened at Christmastime in Heart's Harbor!

Thank you to Joy Avon, and their publisher Crooked Lane Books, for giving me the opportunity to read and review Sweet Tea and Secrets.

Great plot and characters in a very well written story. For a second in a series this is very good, and it's no problem reading it as a stand-alone.

I liked the premise when I read it and I was happy to read that you did not have to read the first book in order to understand this one. That part I agree with. This was not a complicated book. At all. It's what I call "mysteryish". This is quaint murder. Strangely, I find that both cheesy (which I do not always dislike) and offensive. Murder shouldn't be cutesy names and clean lines. This books was just blah. I was able to finish, quickly, but not satisfactorily.

SWEET TEA AND SECRETS has Callie making the decision to leave her tour guide job and return home to Heart’s Harbor, Maine permanently to help her great aunt run the tearoom. Throughout this story, Callie is still on the edge of believing she made the right decision one moment and certain it was a mistake to come home the next. Distraction comes in the form of research into a cold case from the 1980s, and perhaps a flirtation with a handsome man. While trying to ferret out information on the cold case Callie does discover that at least one person knows far more than they’re willing to tell. Unfortunately, that person ends up dead leaving Callie with a cold case and a new murder to solve.

As with any Mystery/Cozy Mystery I prefer to say very little about the plot (beyond what might be in the cover description) for I absolutely hate to have a Mystery solved in a review that I read. Why pick up the book if that’s the case, right? So, I can comfortably say that SWEET TEA AND SECRETS will keep you entertained and guessing at who is responsible for a murder in this small town. There are twists and turns, some that I didn’t see coming that will keep you on your toes throughout. There is also the hint of a possible future romance, but that relationship is in its infancy but will be fun to watch play out in future stories. I enjoyed myself and was easily caught up in this mystery to be solved. If you love a good Cozy Mystery then this series might be one you should be looking into.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Very enjoyable cozy mystery. It is the second in a series, but it is not necessary to have read the first one in order to enjoy this one. I did like the first one very much, too. Likeable characters. A few surprises. I look forward to reading the next one.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a cute cozy mystery. Callie is your average genuine amateur sleuth. The other characters are enjoyable as well. The mystery was a bit slow, but picked up. Lots of twist and turns, I didn’t figure out who the killer was. If you love sweet tea like I do, than this book is for you, it has tons of sweet tea recipes. Highly recommend for a 4th of July cute cozy.
Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced digital copy. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Sweet Tea and Secrets
(A Book Tea Shop Mystery #2)
by Joy Avon

Kindle Edition
Published June 11th 2019 by Crooked Lane Books



Goodreads synopsis:
Sleuth Callie Aspen wants to light up the Fourth of July tea party by solving a celebrity’s decades-old disappearance, but her digging results in more fireworks than she expects.

Last Christmas, Callie Aspen left her tour guide job and settled in Heart's Harbor, Maine. Now, she helps out at Book Tea, her great aunt’s vintage tearoom, where each treat has a bookish clue. Though she’s excited to start her new life, Callie worries she may regret having burned her bridges behind her. Fortunately, she finds immediate distraction in the preparations for a spectacular Fourth of July tea party, which will recreate key moments from the town's rich history.

Intrigued to learn that 1980s TV star Monica Walker was last seen in Heart's Harbor before she vanished—allegedly to elope—Callie probes the townsfolk for information. She’s stunned when several locals share contradictory stories about the last day before Monica's disappearance. Did she intend to leave her hit TV series? Was she being stalked by her ex? And why is the newspaper editor who investigated the story at the time so anxious about the cold case heating up?

When one of the talkative townspeople turns up dead, Callie aims to catch the killer. But it’s no picnic: Deputy Falk doesn’t want her meddling, and the locals suddenly know more about the past than they’d been at liberty to admit. If Callie and the Book Tea crew can’t crack the case, they’ll pay a very steep price in Joy Avon's explosive second Book Tea Shop Mystery.



***

3 Stars

I thought this book was decent, good. I thought it was a little convoluted how Callie became involved in the search for a missing 80’s tv star. I wasn’t sure what a missing woman from the past had to do with a Book Tea Shop Fourth of July event. It just struck me as a little odd. And exactly how many recipes of sweet tea can there possibly be?

The mystery of it all got rolling about halfway through and we discover Quinn may have more reasons to look into this missing lady than he is revealing. I wanted to see more between Callie and Falk than what was revealed here. He didn’t really speak to her like a normal woman he might want to date until the last chapter. That is sad. I think an opportunity was missed here. Plus, I felt like mystery wasn’t solved. The bad guy just told them all how he had manipulated them all in the past and today. He basically just confessed. I like my mysteries to be solved by the main character.

Just okay for me. Okay mystery. Good tension but would have liked the suspense to have an edge to it. We need to feel it more to enjoy it, in my opinion. A touch more romance would have been nice too.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

What an interesting story. It was a story line that entertained me and had me going hmmm at times. I love that! I just love Iphy. She’s just so laid back and calm. We all need someone like her in our life. I had to giggle at Callie and Falk, but I have faith in them. There were definitely some secrets being kept by some of the characters in this story. Wonder if you’ll be able to figure out what they are? It was a great book and I can’t wait to go visit with my friends again. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

An entertaining and easy to read cozy mystery. I enjoyed the characters, the dogs (who are great characters themselves), and the overall mystery. I figured somethings out early but the main culprit remained elusive until the end.
This is book 2 in the series. I haven't read the first book but I didn't have too many issues reading this one. I do plan to go back and read book 1 (mostly for series sake...ok, and because I enjoyed book two) and follow along with any future books.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Crooked Lane, via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a welcome book in the cozy mystery genre. I particularly like the characters of Callie and her great-aunt. The small town setting was interesting, although it is common in cozy mysteries. Since I had not read the previous book in the series, I was happy that the author had given an overview of what had been going on. It made it much easier for me to understand the characters and the dynamics between them. I look forward to reading Joy Avon's next book.

Cozy mystery is the perfect escape. Quirky characters, quaint settings, a mystery to solve, and this story has all these ingredients. Set in a small coastal town, on the Maine coast, it features Callie, who has just moved to the town, to her help her great aunt, run her vintage tea shop with a distinctive bookish theme, and a town that has a penchant for murder.

‘Sweet Tea and Secrets’, is the second book in the series, and although the mystery is solved within the pages of this story, reading the first book would be useful, for learning about the setting and characters. I struggled a little with the characters and the writing style, initially. Both grew on me as the story progressed, but the characters come across as two-dimensional, and less believable, spoiling my enjoyment of the story slightly.

Callie is wondering if moving to the small town is really for her, and if giving up the job she loves as an international tour guide is a wise move. Her Great- Aunt, aims to get her settled in, by finding her a place to make her own and getting Callie involved in the 4th July celebrations. She meets Quinn, another new visitor to the town, he is a little mysterious, but a willing partner in the celebrations, they stumble upon a cold case, of a missing person, and then the mystery really takes off. Romance is a feature of this story too, in keeping with the style, it is of the sweet variety, and on the slow burn.

There’s murder. Plenty of suspects and misinformation. I did manage to solve the mystery, but that is part of the fun. It is a little contrived in parts, but again this is part of the style, so not detrimental to the reader’s enjoyment.

In conclusion, it is full of quirky characters, with a decent mystery, I would like to see what happens next in the series.

I received a copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A nice cozy mystery, an engrossing and entertaining book.
It's well written, the cast of characters is likable and the plot is well developed even if some details are a bit unbelievable.
The mystery is good, no plot hole, and it's full of twists and turns.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Callie Aspen has decided to make some life changes and move to Heart's Harbor, Maine. Her great-aunt has found a promising rental home for her but it needs some fixing up. When a handyman just turns up at the home and offers a great deal on the renovations it really seems to good to be true. Callie soon finds out he is using her for more than a chance for employment and she is now involved in a decades old missing person case.

Some of the mysteries in this story were easy to figure out early on but the biggest surprise was not revealed until the end. I feel like we are just starting to know the characters so there is a lot of room for growth in upcoming books. Thanks to Crooked Lane and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and liked this one even more. What starts out as planning activities for a Fourth of July celebration turns into a missing persons cold case, then a murder. With a handy man who isn’t what he seems and townspeople with secrets to hide, Callie has her hands full. The mystery itself is really engaging. Just when I thought I figured things out, another twist in the plot occurred. Another thing I really liked about this book is Callie’s common sense. I get so frustrated when a character goes to talk to a suspect on her own and is surprised when she ends up in a burning building or staring at the business end of a gun. Callie is smart. She works with Deputy Falk and is happy to have him with her when she talks to suspects. I really can’t say enough about this terrific series, and I can’t wait for the next installment.
I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest reviews.