Joy Avon’s Sweet Tea and Secrets is a solid cozy with an interesting mystery. Although I wish that the writing was a little better and that the characters had more depth, I enjoyed this book. This is the second entry in the series but it works perfectly as a standalone.

Former tour guide Callie Aspen has just moved to Heart’s Harbor where she helps out at Book Tea, her great aunt’s vintage tearoom. While preparing for the Fourth of July tea party, Callie stumbles upon a decades old mystery. Popular 1980s TV star Monica Walker disappeared while on vacation in Heart’s Harbor. Did she run away to start a new life? Or did Monica suffer a much more nefarious ending? When a newspaper editor who investigated Monica’s disappearance is murdered, Callie must solve the mystery before more bodies turn up.

The plot is interesting and well-paced with a few really great twists. Although some of the twists are predictable, I like seeing them unfold. I really like that I couldn’t figure out the killer until right before the reveal.

I like the characters but they sometimes act implausibly and I wish there was more depth to them. Callie is a likeable protagonist but I struggled to connect with her. I also don’t buy her attraction to the reticent Deputy Falk who isn’t particularly memorable as far as potential cozy boyfriends go. I hope that the next book improves on their relationship. I also want more interaction between Callie and her great aunt Iphy because the older woman seems to play an important role in Callie’s life.

I also think the writing could be a bit better because the dialogue is a little stilted and the action sometimes jumps erratically.

Sweet Tea and Secrets is a good and intriguing cozy mystery. While I think the writing and characters could be improved, this a quick and easy read that’ll keep you entertained. I’ll definitely check out more in the series!



🍵 🍵 🍵 ½ teas out of 5!

I was eagerly looking forward to this second installment in Joy Avon's Book Tea Shop Mystery series as I thoroughly enjoyed the first, In Peppermint Peril.  I was not disappointed.  Sweet Tea and Secrets had everything that I had loved in the first, and more.  

First, I really do like Callie Aspen.  She has her unlikable moments, but they don't show themselves very often.  She's smart, she's fun, and she's an animal lover, always bringing her Boston Terrier, Daisy, along with her.  Also, her Aunt Iphy is a hoot, even if she does tend to be a bit meddlesome.  But, considering her age and the fact she lives in a tiny town, I'll give her a pass.  

Second, I enjoyed the double mystery.  Cold cases fascinate me, likely because I'm a total science fanatic and seeing forensics and the like put into play is exciting for me.  That alone was enough to interest me, but when a murder happens while Callie's investigating this cold case, I was definitely hooked.  Although I had pretty much figured out what had happened in the cold case early on, the resolution of it wasn't anything like I had expected, so that was a wonderful surprise for me.  

Sweet Tea and Secrets is an exciting and engaging cozy mystery.  It's a quick read, but enjoyable all the way to the end.  I can't wait to see what Callie, Iphy, Peggy and the rest get up to in the next installment.  A great cozy series for anyone who loves a good cup of tea and a murder or two.

Monica Walker went missing years ago while visiting Heart's Harbor, Maine and Callie, newly moved there to help her aunt, decides she's going to solve the case. This is the second in the series and, if you didn't read the first, don't worry because this one actually gives you a better grounding in who's who and what's what than the first. Callie's got time on her hands, even though she should be working more on organizing the Fourth of July celebration. She's got a nascent love interest in Deputy Falk, who really doesn't want her poking around. There isn't much interaction between books and tea here but it's a good read nonetheless. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This second book in the Book Tea Shop series builds well on the first book in the series, In Peppermint Peril.

In this book, Callie Aspen is back in Heart's Harbor, Maine, and she's got to try to solve the long-ago disappearance of a 1980's actress. Once again, an interesting plot and some terrific secondary characters, including Deputy Ace Falk.

This series shows great promise and I'm looking forward to reading about Callie's upcoming exploits. I'd definitely recommend this series to cozy mystery fans.

This is the 2nd book in the "Book Tea Shop" mystery series by author Joy Avon. I read and enjoyed the first in series and was pleased to see how this next in series would progress. I enjoyed the "Book Tea" shop setting and the likable charcters and small town description by the author .
Thank you for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
In this next in series our savvy protagonist Callie Aspen has "almost" decided she is happy at Heart's Harbor and working at her family tea shop. She left her former life to start over and was hesitant in the first book about her life change but she is fitting in and finding herself ready to stay. She is still questioning the small town life and wondering if its truly for her . Although she loves working at the Tea Shop with her Aunt she is still not sure if this is for her.
Callie is looking forward to throwing herself into the preparations for 4th of July and is to help her Aunt prepare a tea party. 4th of July is a big event in their harbor town . Callie is doing research to come up with a fabulous idea for a theme. She learns during her research that a movie star stayed in town and disappeared . Her body was never found. Callie is surprised to find as she investigates she finds more questions then answers.
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I enjoy the charcters, the sleuth and the setting. I look forward to the next in series. A enjoyable addition to the series and I am pleased Callie will be staying at the Tea Shop !

Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon is the second book in A Book Tea Shop Mystery series.

Callie has finally decided to quit her tour guide job and to remain in a tiny town where her aunt runs a special bakery where every treat has a hidden clue from a book.
As she excitedly prepares Fourth of July Tea party, she also decides to solve a decade old mystery of a celebrity who was last seen in their town never to be heard from again.
Callie starts asking question and soon a person who was trying to help her out ends up dead. Feeling guilty she has no choice but to find out the truth.

I absolutely adore treats from Book Tea Shop. I would love nothing more than to be able to try them out.
Callie and her aunt are down to earth characters put in a realistic situations. I love their little town and well portrayed side characters.
Mystery has gripped me from the start and is very captivating. Many twists and turns keep readers constantly engaged.
Great second book of a lovely series.

Callie Aspen has quit her tour guide job and moved back to Heart's Harbor, Maine where she helps at Book Tea, her great aunt Iphy's tearoom. Iphy immediately enlists Callie to prepare a Fourth of July tea party which will recreate key moments from the town's rich history. Callie is also busy with renovations to the seaside house that will be her new home. Fortunately, handyman Quinn Darrow has offered to do the work.

While persuing the newspaper archives, Callie learns about the cold case disappearance of 1980s TV star Monica Walker. Callie and Quinn question the newspaper editor Joe Jamison for information but he anxiously avoids their efforts. When Jamison is found dead the next day, Callie is convinced his murder is linked with Monica's disappearance. Deputy Falk does not want Callie to continue her snooping and he is also suspicious of newcomer Quinn.

When a sunken boat is found with remains on board, it seems that the fate of Monica has been solved. But DNA evidence throws a curveball into the mix and forces a Heart's Harbor couple to make a reveal a long-held secret. Callie also learns why Quinn has personal motives for finding out the truth about Monica. Falk and Callie set a trap to force the killer to confess.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

***Overall: 3.5-4 stars out of 5***

This title is book two of the "A Book Tea Shop" mystery series, so I was curious how things would go since I have yet to read the first book in the series. I did not have an issue following the characters' storylines that carried over from the first book, although I may go back to read it to have a better understanding of what happened (also, I'm so curious about how Callie and Falk began their relationship!)

Overall, I liked the fact that the book focused on solving a mystery that happened in the past and how a present-day murder may tie into it. It added an extra layer of intrigue to the story and kept me reading the story. There were spots where I did lose interest in the story (mainly in the beginning -- where I found it difficult to get going at times), but I feel like those moments were few and far between. The storyline involving Quinn was especially interesting and kept me guessing! The ending came faster than I thought it would, but it did tie up the mystery nicely.

The only thing I felt was missing was more interactions in the tea shop. I found myself wanting more about Great Aunt Iphy and the "goings on" at the shop, especially since the basis of the series. However, one should not be deterred from reading this book. Like I said above, I plan on going back and reading the first book in the series based on the intrigue/story from book #2...so that should tell you something! It's a cozy mystery that has many of the qualities one would expect of the sub-genre.

I enjoyed this book. It kept me in suspense most of the way although I did guess Monica's secret. I really liked the interaction between the characters. Very well written. #SweetTeaAndSecrets #NetGalley

My first by this author did not disappoint! A delightful easy to read cozy romance mystery. I promise it is worth the read. I found the characters delightful! I loved the small town feel of the book! I look forward to reading the rest of the series! A great book to read on a rainy day or on a trip. Easy to pick up where you left off. Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is the 2nd installment in A Book Tea Shop Mystery. After visiting at Christmas, Callie Aspen has decided to move back to town and work and help out at her great aunts tearoom. Her Aunt helps to find her a cottage to rent and it needs some repairs. She also has to help her Aunt Iphy with the 4th of July celebrations by finding a historic event in the towns history to spotlight. The handyman Quinn who is working on her cottage suggests she look into the disappearance of famous actress Monica Walker who was last seen in Heart's Harbor in 1989. As Callie begins to ask around to the residents who were in town at the time she begins to get conflicting stories. When Callie talks to Joe Jamison the editor to the Herald he admits he has information on the disappearance but refuses to share. Before Callie can get back to Joe he is found murdered. Callie goes to Deputy Falk with wanting to investigate but he seems so much more distant than he was at Christmas time. This was a good mystery and I did not figure out who the murderer was until it was time. Looking forward to the next in this series.

Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon is the 2nd book in Book Tea Shop Mystery series, and another fun addition. Callie Aspen returned to Heart's Harbor, Maine and is now working for her great aunt who runs Book Tea. Book Tea is a vintage tearoom that includes a clue from a book in ever sweet treat sold. Callie is second guessing herself about moving to Maine, but she is keeping busy with planning the 4th of July tea party. For the party they are recreating moments from the town's history, and come across a famous missing persons case. This book kept me reading through all the twists and turns of the book. What really happened to the missing actress in 1980's? I can't wait for the next book in the series. If you love cozy mysteries, give this book/series a try. 

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Crooked Land Books. Thank you.

Callie Aspen has finally decided to return to Heart's Harbor, Maine to work at her aunt's vintage shop, the Book Tea. In Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon, Callie is worried about her decision to leave her tour guide job for the small Maine town. When she is thrown into a 30-year-old mystery, she finds herself in danger. An exciting mystery with a good dose of tea.

I couldn't put this book down! It was SO good!

Callie Aspen has made the big move from travelling the world to helping her Aunt Iphy in small town, Hearts Harbor. She is hoping that Fourth of July will be less deadly than last Christmas. She is doubting herself that it was the right decision and the fact that Falk (handsome policeman) seems less than thrilled that she is in town isn't helping her doubt.

Aunt Iphy rented a cottage for Callie, but it needs some TLC, in comes out-of-towner, Quinn, only too eager to assist. Callie is put in charge of finding something interesting to present at the Fourth of July celebration and Quinn wants to help too. They enter the library, search the archives, and stumble on an old mystery about a missing celebrity that was never solved.

Was it really a coincidence that Callie "stumbled" upon this cold case? When someone is murdered shortly after she was asking questions, she can't help but feel responsible and wants answers.

There are a LOT of secrets that come to light in this book. I was able to figure out the one of the 'who's' in the puzzle, but not the why and not everything. I certainly didn't see the ending coming and even MORE secrets were revealed. This story was so thrilling, I couldn't read fast enough.

Highly recommended. 5 stars.

I voluntarily reviewed this book on Netgalley. I will post this review on Amazon and Barnes and Noble when book is published.

Regular Gentle Readers of this blog know that I like to do theme reads and holiday reads periodically. I couldn't find a Memorial Day mystery, but I did find a new July 4th-centered mystery. It had a dog on the cover, and it was located in a book-themed tea room in Maine. I love dogs (see blog title)! I love tea (see blog title)! I've been wanting to visit Maine for years!

Well, it was a light read, and that's probably the best thing I can say about it. This is the second Callie Aspen mystery, and while there were references to her first visit to Heart's Harbor (could there be a worse town name than Heart's Harbor? The saccharine level is sky high.), I don't think it's necessary to have read the first to begin the series with this entry. So I give the author props for that; it's very annoying when there are so many references to the first in a series that the second makes no sense.

I found the book disappointing on several levels. The immediacy of some of the relationships (the handyman works on your house for an afternoon and is able to establish a rapport with your kids after 20 minutes of soccer such that you'll let him toss them in the air while playing alone with them? And then you say your kids "love him?"), the basic plot device that people would remember such minute details from a local event 30 years ago in which most of them had little involvement (and that a hotel would have registration information from 30 years ago readily available), and the unprofessionalism of the policeman/hero (he tells Callie to go ask the chief suspect to provide DNA because he can't leave the scene of a boat wreck--despite other officers being there; and then asks her to tell said suspect the DNA results because "I don't want to tell him myself as our relationship hasn't exactly been...friendly." Are you kidding me? That's your job, you idiot!) made the mystery of what happened to Monica Walker (which I figured out by Chapter 4) annoying as well as dull. And by the way, Ace, that final gesture to Callie? Much more suited to a housewarming party and not a fireworks display.

No great thought has to go into reading this book which, I guess, makes it perfect summer fare. The answer to the mystery is easily deduced by even a casual mystery reader, so aficionados who like complicated puzzles should steer clear. An uninspired mystery, juvenile relationships, and clear disregard for the intelligence of any reader who has ever read a mystery or watched a police drama means I can't really recommend this book unless the reader deliberately wants something they do not have to focus on, or lives in Maine and must read every book ever written that takes place there. As much as I dislike giving poor grades, I'd rate it a D.

Also, there were typos and grammatical errors in the Kindle version I read.

Callie becomes involved in an old missing persons case. I love the idea of tea and books. This is a delightful read and can be read as a stand alone., but I know readers would enjoy reading book one as well. The characters are easy to get to know and I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.

Fun book, but could have been better.

Editors do several important jobs in a book. They pick up all those annoying typos and - really good ones - help writers structure the book, taking out unnecessary text, helping with the internal logic of the book, catching duplicate phrases, and help the book and help tighten up the book overall. In this book, it had plenty of the former - I think I only noticed one or two typos - but really needed some of the latter. There were several scenes where Callie just wasn’t logical. (Dashing into a murder investigation scene? Getting mad at someone camping because someone else had told her he was at the hotel, not camping like he had told her? Just. . .odd). It felt like every third page she was wondering if she made a mistake moving or misunderstanding Falk's emails. And then she'd emailed him several times, but never found out his first name? There were lots of minor inconsistencies like those that kept pulling me out of the book. If they had been mentioned once, I wouldn’t have noticed. And I think a good editor would have realized that and removed some of those references. I didn’t read the first book, so maybe if I had I wouldn't have noticed?

There were some nice bits too. I’m always a sucker for dogs in a book, so I adored Biscuit. I liked her aunt and the other town people, although I would have preferred to get to know them better. Overall a good book, that could have been a great one.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.com and voluntarily chose to review.

I wanted to enjoy this book but for a number of reasons I did not.
I figured out whodunit very early on, along with the twist.
I did not like the protagonist and felt it was odd that she would try to solve a cold case and have it tie into the Fourth of July celebrations.
The premise was promising but just did not live up to my expectations.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Loved all the twists and turns and unexpected reveals. Very interesting subplots. The only thing that bothered me was that sometimes the author seems to forget that Callie has the dog around, as it isn't mentioned for pages. She takes Daisy and Biscuit someplace and leaves, but it doesn't say she takes Daisy with her, and nothing about her in the next scene. Then all of a sudden the dog reappears. As a dog lover, this bothers me, but it's minimal. It was still a great story and a fun read.

I loved this book just as much as I did the first one in the series. The characters are a ton of fun and the story was well written. If you enjoy a fast paced mystery full of quirky characters this book and series are for you.