Valentine's Day turns into a murder mystery for Callie when the expert brought in to judge the value of books is found murdered- perhaps by a old flame of great aunt Iphy who she hasn't seen for 50 years (and had hoped never to see again). There's more than usual going on in this third installment of a cozy series. You know there's more than one person who didn't like the dead man, that Iphy may not want to see her old flame but she doesn't think he did it, and that Callie will investigate, despite the fact that her love interest Ace wants her to keep her nose out of it. The solution did keep me guessing. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. This will be fine as a standalone .

Callie and Iphy agree to be part of a Valentine's Day event at Haywood Hall, bringing together music, books and sweet treats. When someone from Iphy's past turns up unexpectedly, and then becomes the primary suspect of a suspicious death, Iphy refuses to leave the investigation to the police. Callie, hesitant to leave Iphy to her own machinations, reluctantly gets involved as well.

This is the third book in the Tea & Read series, which I found a little disappointing compared to the previous installment. I loved getting to know a bit about Iphy's backstory, and I would jump at the chance to explore Haywood Hall, but Callie's character has become annoying. I got tired of all of her internal dialogue, arguing with herself over whether she should do this or that, but even worse was the way she jumped to conclusions so often, usually with no more than a few words from another character to support her conclusions. I wasn't surprised when the identity of the killer was revealed, but I wasn't expecting the motive. Given the opportunity, I will read the next book in this series, and hope that Callie spends more time talking to the other characters and less time talking to herself.

A Deadly Valentine....
A Tea And A Read Mystery. What should have been a delightful Valentines spent in picturesque Maine turns into a deadly outing for Callie Aspen when murder rears its ugly head affecting the townsfolk and jeapordising Callie's own relationship. Enjoyable cosy mystery in keeping with the series.

Although I thought this book started a bit slowly, I did enjoy this book. The mystery had lots of twists and turns. It is well-written and an easy to read book.

The character's relationships are continuing to evolve. The one thing that I didn't like was the way that Aunt Iphy totally ignored Callie's intent to stay 'un-involved' without explaining how much she cared for the 'baritone'.

Overall it's a great book on a winter's day.

In Cold Chamomile is the third installment in A Tea and Read Mystery by Joy Avon.

I have read the first two books in the series and have enjoyed them very much. I am sorry to say that with this one it was not the case. It seemed like it wasn't the same series or the characters.
Before Callie was intelligent, strong and inquisitive woman wheres now she appeared weak, insecure and not interested at all. Most of the time she was worried whether or not she has a relationship with her maybe boyfriend and whether he shares the same feelings.
He in turn appeared to be quite controlling and cold. Other characters just served to make things unnecessarily more confusing. All in all, it felt as it was a completely different set of characters.
My opinion would probably be very much different that what it is now if I hadn't read the first two book and enjoyed them so much.

That said the mystery is well presented and quite engaging. It is steady paced as always and develops nicely.

Callie is organizing a Valentine's Day soiree with lots of different things going on. One of the treats is to have an renowned book expert apprise old books for locals. But when he ends up dead things quickly turn for the worse. Callie's aunt Iphy is having her own issues as the man from the past has unexpectedly shown up after many years away. When he becomes person of interest Iphy asks Callie to help him out and find out the truth. Ace as always is very opposed to Callie getting involved. Behind the scenes Peggy and Quinnr are having their own issues.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an ARC of this book. I enjoyed reading this third installment in the series as much as the previous one. I really wanted to know more about Iphy and Sean's past relationship. The event where the murder took place provided a variety of suspects, which was interesting. I would like to see Callie and Ace's relationship evolve, it could be interesting. Also, I feel like Callie is a bit passive. Hopefully she will take the lead a bit more in the next book. In Cold Chamomile is a pleasant read, and is entertaining.

Things were undoubtedly cold in In Cold Chamomile. I loved the cozy mystery and the intricate puzzle it provided, but I was left cold by the characters and their actions.

What I Love

The Cozy plot is masterful with its misdirections and false leads. Red herrings are planted sublimely and led me to a delightfully shocking big reveal. Looking back, I can see that the clues are all there, but the story successfully led me down the wrong path. I love this! As I have mentioned in other reviews, my favorite part of a mystery, especially a cozy mystery, is the puzzle aspect and this story delivers wonderfully,

I love the set up of the plot – a book appraiser, who left everyone sad about the lack of value of their appraised books, is stabbed with a pair of scissors. Appraisers notoriously have that air of scandal about them, so this set up is intellectually perfect. And the character is written in such a way that I did picture a weasley, cunning, little man.

I also loved that the book is so stimulating and smart. As I mentioned before, the puzzle aspect is absolutely masterful and satisfying.

What I Wish

I didn’t include a favorite character section this time because frankly, I did not have one, which is such a disappointment. I couldn’t connect to the characters that I loved in Sweet Tea and Secrets, and the new support characters left me with a blah feeling. Aunt Iphy came across as blindly selfish, and Ace Fauk, who was a bit annoying in the last book, seemed to show progress in this installment only to revert again. The main character, Callie – I wanted her to stand up to everybody that was running roughshod all over her – I badly wanted this. I thought she was a strong female lead in Sweet Tea and Secrets, but In Cold Chamomile’s Callie is unsympathetically weak. The story is set up for a potentially significant change going forward, and I hope that includes a substantial leap for the main characters.

To Read or Not to Read
I enjoyed Sweet Tea and Secrets so much and couldn’t wait to delve into #3, and the mystery aspect did not disappoint. Unfortunately, the characters did leave me with a bad taste, and I hope that they redeem themselves in future novels.

Thank you to NetGalley, Joy Avon and Crooked Lane Books for a digital copy of this book in return for an honest opinion.

This is the third book in the series following Callie and the residents of Heart's Harbor - I haven't read either of the previous books but that didn't cause any issues - the previous murders are referred to in this book but not in any detail.

If you enjoy stories about amateur sleuths helping the local police, then this is a recommended read - Callie and her aunt set out to try to stop people wrongly suspected of murder being sent to prison. As an avid reader who enjoys visiting tea shops and loves dogs, this book ticked many boxes.

I really liked the fun, colourful cover and I thought the book blurb was intriguing. It took me a little time to get into the plot. It’s a bit slow at first. Besides, I felt a bit lost because I lacked information from the previous two books in the series. But, for the rest, it is a standalone piece. It was a nice and easy read, with interesting characters and good twists. It was a bit like watching a Hallmark mystery. A little bit of suspense with a cosy vibe. Not truly thrilling, but an efficient escapist read.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

I randomly requested the first book in this series, In Peppermint Peril, from Netgalley back in 2018. I immediately fell in love with the series.  The Book Tea coffee shop is a place I'd frequent if it were in my area and I love the characters with a fierce passion.  So, I was excited to get into this latest installment.  

While I really enjoyed the story - there were a few twists I hadn't seen coming - the characters were all off their games.  Callie, who is usually pretty self-assured is second guessing everything.  Iphy, who is always a solid bastion of dependability and propriety, is nowhere near any of that.  Deputy Falk, too, is avoiding Callie and acting like a stranger.  It made for an awkward story in an otherwise solid series.

That said, I still enjoyed In Cold Chamomile quite a lot.  There were several suspects and I was kept guessing as to who was the actual culprit.  I love the setting of Haywood Hall, too, because it's like a mini-city all of its own.  I'm hoping that Callie and Ace are able to resolve whatever is going on between them in the next book because I think they're a great pair.  Even when she's annoying him by sleuthing when he's asked her not, they have incredible chemistry.  Despite the issues I had with the characters not being themselves, this was still a highly enjoyable cozy mystery.

Another lovely foray into the murky world of small town living, I really enjoy these carefully crafted and interesting stories based around a tea shop. This is the third book and there was much more 'backstory' about some of the characters which adds depth. The crimes are always intriguing and well planned which keeps your interest until the last page. I'm hoping that someone is made a Deputy in book four...

Haywood Hall is throwing a Valentine's Day event with plant sales, dog adoptions, a concert and a chance to have books appraised by a TV expert! What starts out as a grand day devolves into one problem after another and then the worst problem of all, the TV expert is found dead, stabbed to death with a pair of scissors and the main suspect is Sean Strong, a world renowned baritone and a link to Iphy's past. Iphy and Callie take charge to solve the murder, uncovering clues and putting the pieces together.

Overall, I enjoyed this one, the plot was a real page turner, with lots of suspects and some very surprising twists and turns. Even the ending was a shock I didn't see coming!

I'm not sure if this will be the last book in the series or not (I sure hope not!) but there were a lot of endings in this story. If it does come back (I hope!) I can't wait to see where it goes next!

The Book Tea has been hired to cater a Valentine's charity event at the Haywood Hall in Heart's Harbor so Callie Aspen is busy spreading hearts and flowers everywhere. Aunt Iphy is stunned to see an olf flame while the local librarian is occupied arguing with the book appraiser that she hired. When the appraiser is later murdered, Callie can't understand why a stranger would be a target. Delving deeper into the relationships of the librarian, Aunt Iphy and the old flame, Callie wonders where it will all lead - shattered romances or shattered lives.

I loved seeing Aunt Iphy is the throws of a romance like a young girl, reminds us that we are never too old to love.

Callie Aspen and her Great Aunt Iphy are busy prepping for the big Valentine's event at Haywood Hall, comprised of sweet treats, sweet music, and maybe even some sweet sales after getting an expert appraisal for an old book or antique. The last thing Callie expected to be doing for Valentines was aiding and abetting her Aunt Iphy in a little bit of sleuthing. It was a lovely event until the appraiser winds up deceased and it looks like the mysterious and world-famous baritone singer from Iphy's past is the #1 suspect. Callie thinks the world of Aunt Iphy and there isn't anything she wouldn't do to help, but Iphy is putting Callie in a bad position when Detective Ace Faulk pleads with Callie to trust him and to stay out of the investigation. Maybe if Callie was more sure of where she stood with Ace, then she would be able to resist Aunt Iphy's fact-finding adventures. There is no way that Callie is going to let anything happen to Iphy, not if she can help it, even if Iphy isn't being completely forthcoming about the mysterious Sean Strong. You do not need to have read the previous books in the series to understand how important Iphy is to Callie or how close Callie wants to be to Ace. It certainly pulls on the heartstrings that Callie is having to make a choice between her heart and her heart. Callie has a great way of looking at things and has well thought out ideas. I only wish there were some pictures of Iphy's wonderful cake creations at the end of the book, what a masterpiece those would be to construct. Without giving away the story I am going to say that I can't wait for the next book because I was not quite satisfied with how this one ended. All in all, another excellent TeaBook mystery.

Cute cozy mystery. It was slow to start, but once it got started, it kept rolling. It may have been slow paced, but it had me at the edge of my seat!

In Cold Chamomile has an engaging plot, a few red herrings and a bunch of suspects. I'm a bit torn about the ending though. It ends good for a couple of the characters, but not so much for a couple of others (I will not say who, in order not to spoil the ending for anyone). I also wished a few of the characters were a bit more developed.

4.5 Stars

This is the third book in the Tea and Read Mystery series by Joy Avon.

I really enjoyed this book. The suspense was good, the mystery complex but the ending was not my favorite. I am more of a happily ever after reader. I want it all to work out in the end. And in a way it did, but just not for a certain character. Crestfallen and disappointed were the words that came to mind when finishing this. I hope they can tie it all up nicely in the next installment. I really want my happily ever after scenario fulfilled.

Basic premise: A man comes to town to judge antiques brought in by locals as part of a charity event hosted at Haywood Hall. Also, a stunningly handsome older gentleman, a baritone, comes to town in place of a different man, who has ties to Callie’s Aunt Iphy. Then the antique’s guy is murdered and now Iphy is trying to prove that her old flame, the sweet singing man, is not a murderer.

The mystery and whodunit was dead on. I had no clue who the suspects could have been. Every time I decided I had the killer in sight, the person would be cleared. By the end I still hadn’t fingered the correct person and even Iphy, who had come to her own conclusion wasn’t completely correct in her theory which made me feel somewhat better. The twist at the end in that respect was very nice. The ending I didn’t like was concerning relationships and connections. I don’t want to give away too much here. Just read this and be entertained. Maybe we can lament our character concerns over a beverage at Book Tea once you get to the end.

If you love a good cozy mystery check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

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.

This series just doesn’t grab me. I have tried but I just don’t like the characters. The premise falls flat.

Calile helps her Great-Aunt Iphy run her Book Tea shop. They are helping to organize and participate in a Valentine's event at a nearby manor. Lots happens at this event, including an old acquaintance of Iphy's showing up and book appraiser being murdered. Ace Falk is Callie's boyfriend and local deputy. Callie and Iphy set out to find the real murderer and free their friends whom they believe are innocent. This is a fun little cozy. The characters are engaging and fun. The story is easy-to-read and there are lots of suspects along with a few red herrings.