I received a copy from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in this series and while you don't need to read the first book first, I wish I had read it before reading this one. I felt a bit behind in the characters and their relationships. I feel like it also influenced my overall impression of the book/series.

This was a good mystery. I also enjoyed the settings of both Cape Cod and "Tea by the Sea."

I would recommend this book.

Murder in a Teacup is the sophomore book in the Tea by the Sea Series by Vicki Delany. This book stars Lily as a tearoom owner and granddaughter to Rose the bed and breakfast owner. When a guest dies after drinking tea at Lily's tearoom the two are on the case to clear their good name. I enjoyed getting to visit these characters in Maine again.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. While the second book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. This is a fun cozy series and one that anyone who loves cozies with family, food and the sea should enjoy. I’m excited to read this second book and it lived up to the promise of the first in the series. Lily opened her tearoom, Tea by the Sea, on the grounds of her grandmother, Rose’s, historic home B&B. Knowing that the B&B was necessary for her grandmother to keep the property, Lily also does double-duty as the breakfast maker for the B&B. When Rose’s dear friend, Sandra McHenry, arranges for her extended family to rent rooms at the B&B, Rose and Liluy have no idea of the turmoil about to engulf them. Sandra’s granddaughter, Heather, inherited a fortune when her elderly husband died unexpectedly. As a result, Heather is funding the extended family’s stay at the B&B and they’re taking full advantage of it. When Heather’s brother in-law and his wife arrive, the McHenrys are not pleased and tempers flare. When he later dies at the B&B after eating at the tearoom, Lily and Rose know they have to solve the crime before their business is closed for good. Ms. Delany’s skills in writing are in evidence with this latest story and it’s one everyone should enjoy.

culinary, amateur-sleuth, Massachusetts, bed-and-breakfast, small-business, small-town, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, situational-humor, family-dynamics, friendship, animosity*****

This is not an unbiased review because I really loved the earlier book and was waiting for this one.
Come for a good cozy mystery and stay for the zany characters! The publisher's blurb is really good so no need to repeat that other than to emphasize the characters and the great storytelling.
I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Murder in a Teacup was such a wonderful cozy mystery.

In this story, Lily has her hands full when Ed is found dead. Who poisoned Ed? So many possibilities. And, that is what makes this book such a great read. Twists and turns and unexpected ending.

Highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great cozy mystery.

This is an extremely well done mystery with charming characters in a charming setting. I highly recommend it.

Lily's grandmother Rose's old friend Sandra from Iowa is visiting with her entire family with her extremely wealthy granddaughter Heather footing the bill. Sandra's family is ungrateful and bicker constantly and when Heather's ex brother in law Ed and his wife join the family reunion, things get even uglier.as there is some hostility between Sandra's family and Ed. Between their stay at Rose's B &B and their visit to Lily's tea room the family is shown to disadvantage over and over.

Ed is trying to lose weight so he brings his own "tea" to the tea shop and when he is later poisoned by that tea, fingers point to Lily and her employees and then members of the Sandra's family and Ed's wife.

When an arrest is made based on an anonymous tip, Lily feels that Detective Williams is trying to take the easy way out and feels his partner is more apt to dig deeper. Unfortunately, Detective Redmond is not allowed to interfere in the case so Lily and her friends take on that task with as much assistance as Redmond can provide.

The resolution was a complete surprise to me but in hindsight you can see the clues were there. And the method in which they capture the killer is thrilling with a touch of humor.

I received an ARC from the publisher but the opinion expressed is my own.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of MURDER IN A TEACUP (Book 2 of the Tea by the Sea Mysteries), by Vicki Delany, in exchange for an honest review. Lily Roberts continues to help her grandmother Rose by providing breakfast to the guests at Rose’s B&B. Lily must then rush to her tearoom, put in a full day’s work, and then stay late to restock before returning home for a few hours respite. When the B&B hosts Rose’s friend Sandra McHenry and her family, Lily becomes involved with the family’s activities out of courtesy to her grandmother. As such, Lily witnesses the unpleasantness of the family’s drama. When one of them is murdered, the lazy and incompetent senior Detective Chuck Williams acts precipitously and arrests someone on flimsy evidence, which means the rest of the family is now free to go home. Concerned the actual murderer may get away, Lily attempts catch a killer before the whole family flees?

I liked this book and the previous one. I recommend the book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, coastal settings, B&Bs, tearooms, baking, tea parties, and family drama.

#MurderinaTeacup #NetGalley

Rose’s old friend and her family visit the B&B for a week of family togetherness. Little did the family know that Heather invited her brother and sister in law to join them. To say two families don’t get along is putting it mildly, but when the brother in law is poisoned, it looks like someone had more than a family reunion planned.

Now Rose, Bernie and Lily are trying to figure out who the most likely murderer is and get the family on their way home before their next group of guests comes to stay. How far is the killer willing to go to throw someone else under the bus? The ladies hope they won’t find out personally and will stop at nothing to uncover the iller.

The second in this series, it is another must read on my list from this author who also writes under Eva Gates as well. I enjoy all of her series and she is a prolific writer with several series you will want to explore as well if you enjoy this one. I’m never disappointed with any of the books from Vicki/Eva.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of Murder in a Teacup by Vicki Delany in exchange for an honest review. Lily Roberts is busy baking scones, tarts and delicate pastries in North Augusta, Massachusetts. Lily bakes everyday for her tea room, "Tea by the Sea" on the property of her grandmother's bed and breakfast. A good friend of her grandmother's comes to visit, along with family. The granddaughter, Heather, is paying for the whole trip. There is a lot of friction in the family, and they all take advantage of Heather's money. Then Ed, Heather's brother in law, dies.
This was a great story! Now I need to read the first one of the series. The scones Lily makes sound so good, I would love to have one now.

I received this book for an honest review

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this story. An amazing cozy I wish I had read the first one before this but I caught up quickly and i really enjoyed it.

Murder in a Teacup is the second book in Vicki Delany's Tea by the Sea Mysteries series. I've read the first book as well as three of the author's other series, all of which are wonderful books filled with great characters and charming settings. In this new series, we're swept away to the Massachusetts coastline where Lily Roberts has returned with her grandmother, Rose, to run a B&B and tea shop. Rose's friends from the Midwest are visiting this week, and one of them is murdered. Whodunnit?

Delany's an excellent storyteller. From the first few chapters, you're immediately drawn into a family of eight who have major communication issues and personality disorders. Each has an argumentative one of a different shade, and alliances aren't very clear. Rose's friend Sandra attempts to control her children, grandchildren, their spouses, and two great-grandchildren. Heather is hoping to bring the family back together after her husband passed away, but when her in-laws also show up, there is definitely gonna be a showdown. Someone, or maybe a few, has something to hide. And we need to uncover why poison was put in the victim's teacup. Poor Lily is forced to close shop again... and the local police can be quite difficult to manage.

This is a prime example of why cozies can be such delightful reads. Whether you prefer the difficult family, the lush setting, the comical relationships between the main characters, or solving a murder, you get a bit of everything. This murder was mostly straightforward in terms of solving family secrets, but there was definitely a shocking twist. I 100% admit I was wrong in identifying the killer, and when it all unfolds... clearly, we weren't meant to solve this one on our own. We're meant to watch the characters have a go at it, and even they were stymied with the reason why. I mean this in a good way, because it's not predictable, and it makes you think about the possibilities of this happening in reality. I cannot say anymore because I don't want to spoil anything. That said, discovering the killer's identity and his/her motivation, is a nice surprise... and it will make me open my net of analysis in the future.

I'm excited to see where this story goes. There are a few couples lining up. I see the potential for a Lily / Rose family mystery coming together. And I am learning about teas and flowers, so it's a big win for me. 4.5 stars. Bring on some more!

Kindle Copy from Net Galley and Kensington Books.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

Lily’s grandma friend pays her an unexpected visit which includes an unpleasant family reunion of her grandma’s friend. Her tearoom becomes a hot spot with bickering during afternoon tea leading to poisoning of one of the guests.

It just what Lily needs bad press with a death poisoning and her tearoom is a scene of the crime. No one else got sick and the victim always brought his own mixture of herbal tea. Who could have spiked his tea as Lily will find the answers to save the reputation of her business?

It is a picture perfect setting for murder. A charming cozy read.

4.5 stars

Lily Roberts is a restaurant chef👩🏻‍🍳 and owner of a tearoom called Tea by the Sea which is on a bed and breakfast property called Victoria-on-Sea owned by her maternal grandmother Rose Campbell. Lily moved to Cape Cod from Manhattan to help her grandmother run her B&B and stayed back to open her tearoom.

At Victoria-on-Sea Lily offers her guests a traditional full English breakfast every day along with cereal and yogurt, pastries and fruit 🍳 🥞 The B & B consists of eight rooms and suites.

Rose is expecting a longtime friend named Sandy and her family who are coming on a vacation: Sandy’s son Brian McHenry and his wife, Darlene. They are Heather’s parents; Heather’s brother, Lewis, his wife, Julie-Ann, and their two children.

Heather married her part-time college teacher Norman who was twenty years older than her. He had a small internet start-up company which he later sold to a huge computer conglomerate for megabucks and was kept on by them as a consultant. Unfortunately, he lost his life while crossing the street outside their apartment building.

While at breakfast, Lily couldn’t help but notice some tension between the McHenry family. Not to mention how Heather’s family all treat her like their personal ATM: they expect her to take them shopping, spa, fishing trips and so on.

The last guests who were expected to arrive the previous day finally show up. Ed French and his wife, Trisha. Turns out Ed is Heather’s former brother-in-law and Heather had invited them.

Heather and her family—including Lily’s friend Bernie who’s a writer—are scheduled to have the Royal Tea at Lily’s tearoom the next day.

Later that evening, after the tea, one of the guests takes ill and is taken to the hospital. Later he’s reported dead.

Moments later, the police storm into the B & B kitchen and slap Lily with a search warrant. The police suspect Ed was poisoned. Earlier Ed had given one of Lily’s staff his herbal tea—which he brought with him—to make it for him. They think his tea was poisoned.

With her tearoom temporarily closed, and the police are not close to identifying who poisoned Ed, Rose decides to do some digging of her own with the help of Lily’s friend Bernie.

Some recipes served at the B & B include bran muffins, Edna’s jam and preserves—Edna is the breakfast assistant; scones made with fresh orange zest 🍊and served with clotted cream and Edna’s orange marmalade. Darjeeling-poached chicken, curried egg salad, cucumber with cream cheese, and thinly sliced roast beef served with fresh arugula.
Pastries include coffee cake 🍰, pistachio macarons, strawberry tarts, mini coconut cupcakes, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and buttery shortbread 🧁 🥥 🍫 🍬 🍭 .

Fun mystery filled with beautiful descriptions of Rose’s B & B and other furry characters. Éclair, Lily’s Labrador 🐕 , and Rose’s cat Robert the Bruce 🐈

Included in this book are recipes such as Chocolate Chip Cookies, Shortbread Cookies, and Curried Egg Salad Sandwiches

Definitely recommend this cozy mystery. Thank you to Vicki Delany, NetGalley, and Kensington for the ARC of this book.

Murder in a Teacup is the second installment in this new series by Vickie Delany.
Running her tea shop, Tea by the Sea, Lily Roberts is looking forward to meeting her grandmother’s oldest friend. Lily doesn’t want to be involved in another murder investigation, so when a death occurs, Lily hopes it’s just natural causes, but unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Before long, Lily and her grandmother Rose are caught up in the antics of a dysfunctional family, where money seems to be the only thing they want.

I liked this book very much. The characters were easy to relate to, and the story itself was interesting. I was shocked at the ending, I never guessed that’s how it would end. I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

#MurderinaTeacup #NetGalley