Although I found Vivian's desire to do right for a deceased man she feels has been falsely accused of a crime, I also wanted to shake some sense into her a few times. It started innocently enough, seeing a Big Ben souvenir in a photo of the deceased's home and realizing it's one her shop sold. Her goal is simply to find the person who bought it, thinking perhaps they cared about the dead man, a loner who seemed friendless, and gave it to him. She wants to inform them of the death. Vivian is obviously someone who wants to think the best of others, even when she has little evidence to support her conclusions. It escalates from there. At some point she switches gears, from innocently wanting to do the right thing, probably without realizing it, into sleuth mode.

True, her thought processes are good, leading her to the most likely suspects. However, she puts not just herself but her loved ones and friends, not to mention her smart, adorable dog, in danger, too. In the process, the side stories show her growing attachment to Felix, an adorable, smart dog, and Hal. Ironically, she seems to find it easier to open herself up to danger than to loving again. Will Hal win her over? Her dog already adores him. How about her Tearoom workers? Will they be harmed because of Vivian's innate need to try to make things right? Heck, will the detective in charge find his way past his own past loses to not only find the killer but find happiness, too? Will the killer's girlfriend be the death of Vivian?

How does Vivian get out of this mess? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out. It's an easy, entertaining read with just enough romance and intrigue to satisfy most, not to mention a cute dog.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the ARC. This was a new series for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I love this series, and this book was the best yet!
When a loner is found murdered, Vivian is determined to find out what happened to him, and if he has any friends who can bury him.. It seems that the Portland police are convinced that the dead man was part of a gang of diamond thieves and killed during a dispute between them. But Vivian, and in turn Jenna and Gracie, are working hard to clear his name, so he can rest in peace . In the mist of all the mystery and sleuthing, romance is brewing all around the tea room.
Love the characters, their easy banter, and the plot flowed easily from scene to scene.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In Too Steep by K. Kinsbury, published by Crooked Lane Books, is the second stand-alone in the Misty Bay Tearoom Series.
Vivian, the tearoom owner is out finding the murder of a beach comber. But what about Hal, the man she justb opened her heart to?
A cozy mystery of its finest. An unputdownable, suspenseful, delightful read, 4,5 stars.

Blurb:It seemed like a simple case: the murder of Lewis Trenton, a beachcomber who lived alone in a cabin in the Oregon hills. But the newspaper article piques the interest of Vivian Wainwright, owner of the British-style Misty Bay Tearoom. The photo accompanying the article shows Lewis’s cluttered living room, and on the shelf is a replica of Big Ben. Vivian is sure she sold the clock a week before in her shop. Who could have given the replica to Lewis?
Unable to keep from doing a bit of sleuthing, Vivian hunts down the replica in a local thrift shop, noticing that the base is missing, rendering it worthless, but just as Vivian is about to throw it in the trash, a sparkle catches her eye. It’s a diamond, hidden away in a crevice in the clock. Vivian takes the diamond to Detective Tony Messina, who identifies it as part of a jewelry heist in Portland a month earlier. Portland police think Lewis was the fence who sold the jewels, and that he was killed after double-crossing the thieves—but Messina doesn’t believe the story.
What was the true motive behind Lewis’s murder? How did he come upon the diamond? And what secrets can the clock tell—before the killer strikes again?

I enjoyed this book. I haven't read the first in the series, and I didn't have to in order to understand the characters and the storyline. I enjoyed the setting of the tea room, and the author made me want to visit an English tearoom. I really enjoyed the three main female characters and their relationship. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a light mystery.

Vivian Wainwright owns the Willow Pattern Tearoom situated near the Oregon coast. She and her staff of two, Jenna and Gracie have just been involved in a murder investigation and are glad to be back to normal routines. Vivian has also adopted a charming dog named Felix and as a 65-year-old widow is conflicted about her feelings for her neighbor Hal. Vivian enjoys baking the way her English mother taught her, and the store also sells souvenirs from England including a replica of Big Ben. When a beachcomber known around as a hermit is murdered and another Big Ben is involved, Vivian and Jenna and Gracie begin their own investigation to prove the dead man was not a fence for some stolen loot. I like that the characters in the book are different ages and have health and emotional issues that they try to help each other with. I would have rated this higher if Vivian did not break some promises and run off by herself. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first read of this new series (this is book 2) and my first Kate Kingsbury read. Although she is a well established author, I had never read her books before.

Overall 3 stars. I had a difficult time connecting with the characters and found the plot and overall story hard to get into. I'm all for strong women roles, but I found the whole story line to be unrealistic. I know I'm in the minority here, but I just did not feel this book. It was a nice read, especially for lovers of Cozies.... but the risk the main character (a middle aged widower who is risk averse) just left me shaking my head.

I will most likely read the next book in the series, as I believe in giving series a fair shot and this author has been around for a long time. She is a great author. I just feel I missed the mark withthis book.

A cute cozy mystery. I loved the tea shop gang and the mystery get me guessing through the first 75%. I also liked that the heroine and the detective weren’t dating, but that there were different relationships going on. I hated all the weight comments and I thought the ending wrapped things up a little too quickly relationship-wise, but I would recommend this as a quick mystery.

I enjoyed the setting of this novel and appreciated the satisfying ending. I expected more of a tense page-turning mystery from the book's description but this to be a softer, slower, sweeter story. I was irritated with the protagonist and didn't find her to be credible..

Kate Kingsbury’s In Too Steep, the second volume in the Misty Bay Tearoom series, is an above-average cozy that is weakened by repetitive scenes, dialogue, and information.
Like many cozies, In Too Steep features likable characters in a pleasant setting—in this case, Vivian Wainwright, owner of the Misty Bay Tearoom in a coastal Oregon town. Unlike many cozies, however, Kingsbury strikes the right balance between likable and saccharine; Vivian is down-to-earth, pleasant, and caring, but she never crosses the line into a syrupy Mary Sue; the same is true of her friends.
While many cozies suffer from slow pacing, Kingsbury manages to start the mystery early and keep it advancing steadily (although not always quickly) throughout the novel, giving what I would call a ‘comfortable’ pace for a cozy. It might not rocket along like a thriller, but the pace is right for fans of cozies.
The only real issue with Kingsbury’s book is the amount of repetition: characters learn information and then repeat it—and then repeat it again. Or a scene with one character reveals something, and then the same information is given in a second scene, and then in a third. Characters reflect on their feelings toward potential romantic partners—and then reflect again and again. Once would have been enough.
Readers of cozies will find much to enjoy in Kingsbury’s second entry.

Vivian gets caught up in another self investigation when she finds herself inexplicably linked to a murder when she finds a model of big Ben purchased from her shop in the shack of the deceased. What starts on a quest to find a friend so that Trenton wont be buried alone, turns into a murder investigation with the discovery of a $3,000 diamond in the model. Can Vivian find out what happened with the help of her two assistants Jenna and Gracie before it's too late? And can she sort out her feelings for Hal? What a great read!

romantic, law-enforcement, small-business, small-town, theft, diamonds, friendship, murder, murder-investigation, teashop, recluse, amateur-sleuth****

The widowed tea shop owner and the widower with the local store, the divorcee and the grieving cop, the rather flighty employee and the active dog, the murdered recluse and the hidden diamond. These are the basic characters involved in this romantic cozy mystery. Good quick read! No spoilers here, though.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This was part of a series and wasn’t a bad read. However it’s not one of her best ones but was a good story.

Second in the series, Vivian is determined to track down the killer of a local hermit even though she never met him. She and her 2 assistants are drawn to mysteries. Add in a bit of romance and the results are a charming cozy

In Too Sleep is the second in this series. In Hot Water was the first. There are the same characters from the first book that in this book along with the new characters that add to the story, The story takes place in the town of Misty Bay, Oregon. The main character is Vivian Wainwright, the owner of the Willow Pattern Tearoom. The story starts with the murder of Lewis Trenton a recluse who lives in a cabin in the hills He was murdered in a break-in. Detective Tony Messina is frustrated as this is the second murder in a month. Vivian notices in a picture of his living room that on the shelf is the model of Big Ben that was sold in her tearoom. Vivian follows the people who owned it from Stacey Patel who she sold it to and ending up in a thrift store. She buys it and brings it home and discovers the bottom is missing. On exploring the insides she finds a diamond in one of the crevices. Finding the diamond Vivian and her assistants Jenna Ramsey and Gracie Jackson decide to find out who killed Lewis and who the diamond fence is. There is romance, suspense and following the clues to the exciting climax at the end of story.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing what adventure Vivian and her assistants go on as well as to where their romances go.
Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

3.5 The quaint tea shop with mouthwatering pastries and flavored teas that Vivian Wainwright owns gave this book a cozy feel. I thought it was clever the way that the tacky Big Ben clock was pivotal in the book as it switched hands several times to provide a variety of suspects.

Having older main characters was a nice change. While I did like seeing the relationship between Vivian and Hal develop, I thought more time was spent on it than I thought was needed. I would like to have read more about the theft and about the man who was murdered.

In Too Steep is the second book in the Misty Bay Tea Room series. I did not read the first one, but it was easy to see the relationships there were between the characters. If you like Hallmark Mysteries that are light and focus more on romance you will like this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

In Too Steep was written by Kate Kingsbury and is book two in the Misty Bay Tea Room Mystery series. I would recommend starting with book one if you haven’t read it.

Summary: Vivian Wainright, owner of the Misty Bay Tea Room, is reveling in a new romance, but when she hears of a murder at the beach, she can’t shake the feeling that the police have it all wrong. The least she can do is investigate a little and clear the murdered man’s name, right?

But the trail is twisted with breadcrumbs of clues that lead nowhere. Can she and her friends discover the truth before it gets one of them killed?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. In fact after I finished it, I kept wishing I could go back and keep reading it! I am a big fan of mysteries that are fun and interesting, keep me guessing, but aren’t gory or yucky. This book fits the bill, and is perfect to read curled up with a cup of tea, a comfy blanket, and just get immersed in a cozy mystery.

I especially like the characters in this series. They are interesting, relatable, and there are just some great dynamics between the different personalities. I was really reminded of some of my favorite Hallmark Movie and Mystery series with these books, and I have been enjoying thoroughly them. I can’t wait to read the next one!

I would like to thank Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you!

I love returning to Misty Bay Oregon and the beautiful tea shop run by our protagnist Vivian. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. This is the second in series and is a captivating read.

I particularly like that the author features a smart savvy senior protagnist. Vivian is in her 60s and runs this successful tea room and is a good friend and kind person. I love her charcter and the supporting charcters.

A local hermit has been falsely accused of a crime. Vivian steps up to prove him innocent and with the help of her many friends she soon finds clues abound and the mysterious life of the man holds many secrets. I enjoyed this sleuth to conclusion . Vivian is a wise protagnist and good at solving clues. This was a enjoyable next in series and I look forward to the third in series.

Book two in the series, In Too Steep, is a mix between a cozy mystery and a PG romance novel. It seemed like about half the time was devoted to the mystery and half to the romance of the main character, Vivian. Vivian is a mature woman in her 60s who owns/runs a tearoom in the NW USA. Despite being a mature woman, she can't help but get herself into all kinds of sticky and possibly dangerous situations.

In this particular book, she is doing this to honor a hermit who she believes has been falsely accused of a crime. He has been murdered and appears to have no family/friends. The supporting characters (ladies) work with her. There are two of them, one in her 40s maybe and one in her mid twenties. The relationships between the three of them are quite lovely. Vivian also has a sweet dog.

While I tended to get annoyed with the risky behavior of Vivian (she did some not so smart things in the first book too, mystery wise), she is kind and thoughtful regarding her male friend and her employees/friends. I look forward to reading the next in the series, hopefully there will be one. Maybe Vivian can keep her head on straight and not get the two other ladies into danger. She's clearly a role model/mother figure to both of them.

While I do adore my cozy mysteries, I found it difficult to fall in love with In Too Steep. I may have had an off reading week, but for the life of me I just couldn't get into this book. This is a slower read for sure, but it wasn't a terrible read, just not necessarily my cup of tea.
However, Kate Kingsbury described the Oregon coast so beautifully that I could just envision her tranquil setting. I enjoyed the main characters and their relationships with one another as they worked together to solve the murder of town recluse. I was much more invested in their stories as opposed to the actual mystery and I was able to the figure out the killer far too early in the book and after that the story just fell flat. Thank you so much though to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for an advanced eCopy of In too Steep in exchange for an honest review.

I've read Kate Kingsbury's other series and enjoyed it but In Too Steep was not as good. Overall it was a good mystery but it felt very similar to her other books especially the characters.