📚Release Date: 08/09/22📚

📖My Thoughts📖

I really enjoy this book! It was so cute and entertaining, but goodness it made me hungry while being described so many decadent treats that Theodosia and Haley serve up in the tea shop. I especially loved the fact that there was a dog named Earl Grey. This is book 24 in A Tea Shop Mystery series (boy do I have a lot of catching up to do) but I was able to read it as a stand-alone with no issues. This was an easy, fast paced book. There were just a couple things that seemed a little far fetched, but it is a cozy mystery, so I feel as though that’s to be expected. The characters are pretty enjoyable and the story seemed to have a good flow. Bonus points for having recipes and tea time tips at the end!
Thank you Netgalley, Laura Childs and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book! Be sure to add this delightful little gem to you collection when it comes out it August! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“A Dark and Stormy Tea” is the 24th instalment in the A Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs. I absolutely love this series! I have said this before and I will say it again everything about this series enthrals me! The story had me wrapped up in the goings on of protagonist Theo, the Indigo Tea Shop, Drayton, and Haley once again, it was like visiting old friends.

A possible serial killer on the loose sends tea maven Theodosia Browning into a whirlwind of investigation

As for the mystery itself I found it suspenseful, intriguing, and well thought out.

Make sure you have a hot cup of tea and a snack when reading as I’m always hungry when I hear Haley’s menus! Good thing there are recipes from the tea shop at the end of the book.

If you are looking for a light, fun read then this series fits the bill.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley and Berkley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

The book's cover was dramatic, with an mystery vibes that encouraged me to request this book.
I enjoyed reading this book, with the cast of characters and mystery. Laura Child does a wonderful job of blending tea along with storytelling. This book also includes recipes, tea tips, and tea resources. This adds to the charm of the story, and is a fun bonus for readers looking to learn more about tea.

My thanks to Berkley and NetGallery for a digital copy of this book for my review!

This was my first time reading anything in A Tea Shop Mystery series. While I got the feeling Theodosia often finds herself embroiled in murder mysteries, I thought it worked well as a standalone. I was left on the fence about the book in general though.

I find you often have to suspend belief in cozy mysteries, but this felt a bit much. She witnesses the killer leaving a body in the cemetery and yet he doesn’t come after to her to get rid of the witness? Then Theodosia just does whatever she wants, despite being warned by the police not to get involved. Some the things seemed downright illegal and people probably wouldn’t get away with it in real life. Her behavior at times could be somewhat annoying.

Considering her boyfriend is a police officer, I would have expected him to be a little more involved in Theodosia’s life and her sleuthing; instead, other than issuing a warning or two, readers don’t see much of him. He knows what she’s up to and doesn’t seem to try to hard to persuade her to let him and his colleagues do their jobs. Not having read any of the other books in the series, I was left wondering if he’s always been this hands-off, or if he just gave up on trying to get her to stay out of the investigation.

There are a few suspects that Theodosia sets her sights on, but I liked the fact that it wasn’t blatantly obvious who the killer was or what his motives were. I thought that was handled really well by the author.

A Dark and Stormy Tea wasn’t quite my cup of tea. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I liked Theodosia more, because I did enjoy how the mystery of the killer was handled.

This is the 24th book in the series. It was a great story and you do you not have to read the others to follow along.
It was a dark and stormy night, but that was the least of Theodosia Browning's troubles. As she approaches St. Philips Graveyard, Theodosia sees two figures locked in a strange embrace. Wiping rain from her eyes, Theodosia realizes she has just witnessed a brutal murder and sees a dark-hooded figure slip away into the fog.
Overall a great time catching up with the characters.
#ADarkandStormyTea #NetGalley

"A Dark and Stormy Tea" is a cozy mystery. While there were potential clues and both the police and Theodosia actively investigated, it's not a puzzle mystery. You get some motives and that's about it. If you guessed whodunit before Theo's attacked at the end, it's a wild guess as there were no concrete clues that could narrow down suspects. Theo's so annoying in this story. She just did whatever she wanted to, sensible or legal or not. There's a killer strangling women who are out alone on dark, foggy nights? Why, that's the perfect time for her to go out alone, right? Repeatedly. Her boyfriend asked her to be careful and the head detective asked her not to do a certain thing. She nodded but went ahead and smugly did it as if she got a kick out of defying them. Of course, she also felt totally justified in snooping through other people's private property.

There was no bad language and no sex. It's the 24th book in a series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this story, and this book didn't spoil the previous ones.

Looking for a wonderful cozy mystery to get lost in? If so this is the perfect book!
This novel was an extremely intriguing tale.
With wonderful characters, each one complex, flawed yet irresistible; perfect pacing; authentic setting; great plot with plenty of action and a twist I didn't see coming.
A Dark and Stormy Tea is a riveting and compelling murder mystery.
This intense suspense story had me finishing this novel in a day.
Laura Childs did a fabulous job with her brilliant writing style.
Also, I loved awesome recipes listed in the book along with some tea tips.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Berkley,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This is a great addition to the series by Laura Child’s.
Theodosia owns the most adorable tea shop and I always wish I could stop in and visit with some of my favorite friends.
Theo is always finding herself caught up in a murder investigation and she’s always ready to find the killer and make sure justice is served.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#ADarkandStormyTea #NetGalley

A Dark and Stormy Tea by Laura Childs continues the long success of the Indigo Tea Shop series. Ms Childs once again captivates with a serial killer terrorizing the inhabitants during a terrible weather front that provides the perfect setting for nefarious deeds. With Theodosia, Drayton, et al pulled into the terror that is gripping their lovely city, the choice to find and stop a killer is a no brainer for Theodosia who rushes in without qualms to help a distressed mother find her daughter’s killer.

This series never gets old, even as long running as it has been, each story is entrancing and very close to revisiting old friends as you dive into another one of Theodosia’s mysteries. I myself will always keep coming back for more goings-on within the Indigo Tea Sop.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

A serial killer is stalking the historic district in Charleston, creeping through the fog and snuffing out the lives of unsuspecting young women.

I absolutely love this series! The atmosphere that Laura Childs creates with her writing is at times chilling, at times cozy and comforting, and at times heart-pounding. The relationships that Theodosia has with Drayton and Haley are heart-warming, the way she stands up to the villains (both the murderous and the simply uncouth) is fist-pumping, and the atmospheric descriptions of the Indigo Tea Shop and its environs make me want to jump in the car and head straight there (and I've actually gone to Charleston on vacation just so I could see the places Childs writes about in this series - other than the fact that at the time there was not a single tea shop in the city of Charleston, I was not disappointed!)

In this book Theodosia is once again called upon to investigate a crime and she rises to the occasion like one of Haley's mouth-watering rolls. She takes risks and toes the line with her detective boyfriend, Riley, unwilling to sit back and let the investigation run its course without her. The turbulent spring sets the perfect backdrop for murder as the skies pelt the city with icy rain and blankets of fog obscure man's dirty deeds. The next time there's a stormy day, call in sick, brew yourself a pot of your favorite tea, and settle into your comfiest chair with a soft blanket, a cuddly pet, and this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I’ve read the previous two books in this series and enjoyed them along with this one. The only things that I don’t like are when Rose pulls her “I’m just a little old lady” bit. It’s kind of demeaning to woman who may be older and actually have some physical limitations. Also, when Lily goes into the secret room to listen to conversations that are happening in the drawing room, it is such an invasion of privacy. And Bernie constantly changing the plot of her book is getting a little ridiculous. But overall I enjoyed the story and the setting.

Laura Childs has created a wonderful series of cozy mysteries set in and around a tea shop. This addition to the series is quite welcome.
Back are the characters the reader has come to love and Theodosia, tea shop owner and amateur detective extraordinaire, has another mystery to solve.
She witnesses a murder in the shadows. Her investigation reveals that too many people are suspects - and had a reason to murder the victim.
This is a lovely book to read with a cup of tea.

I like all the characters. I find them interesting and/or likeable. The mystery kept me guessing and I love the setting. I do enjoy all of Laura Childs books.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The latest in Laura Childs's Tea Shop mysteries finds heroine Theodosia Browning hurring home on a dark and stormy night. Visibility is so poor that she nearly runs in to a murder. All she can see is a cloaked figure fleeing the scene. Theodosia calls the police, but it is too late to save the victim who is the daughter of the woman who owns the Antiquarian Book Store, right next to the Tea Shop. The killer seems to be Charleston's infamous serial killer Fogheel Jack. While catering teas and planning murder mystery dinners, Theodosia and Drayton, the tea sommelier, compare notes and investigate the murder. Will Theodosia become the serial killer's next victim, or is something more nefarious going on? A Dark and Stormy Tea is a fun, cozy read. It was easy to pick up without having read the series in order but I enjoy all her books. As an added bonus, Childs includes tasty recipes and tea tips. Many thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read the ARC.

Another hit for Laura Childs! I absolutely love this series and it is a huge mover in our library collection among "ladies of a certain age" and even some teens. The characters are so real that I expect to meet them on the street when I visit Charleston. Keep 'em coming! I can hardly wait to hear what our patrons have to say about this one.

Another great read by Laura Childs! I love this series and the characters feel like friends or family. The mystery was great and kept me guessing until the end. Looking forward to the next book!

This is a lovely romp through a rainy southern town. The proprietress of a tea shop finds herself in the middle of a mystery concerning the death of her friend's daughter. After finding the body, she is pulled into investigating even though her significant other, a police detective, would rather she not. Along with her friends who help run the tea shop, she manages to keep her business running while investigating the link to a murder many years ago. This story grabbed and held on as Ms. Childs detailed the intricacies of running a tea shop while trying to solve a murder. Tea, scones, and a delightful murder mystery! Who could ask for more?

Great new entry in a long running series set in a tea shop in Charleston, SC. Includes recipes and tea tips.

Theo, Drayton and Haley are back for another tea mystery. Once again, Theo finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and the tea shop is a central location for all activity. It is always so much fun to visit with Theo and the gang. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

Just thinking today of reading this series over the years. It’s like reconnecting with an old friend and the books never disappoint.. A Dark and Stormy Tea is dynamic and compelling - a bit more graphic then some of the earlier titles in the series. And unlike many cozy mysteries the romantic life of the protagonist is downplayed while her independence is featured..