Recently divorced gemologist Shay Myers returns to Bray Harbor, her hometown located in California's Monterey Peninsula. She has recently inherited the shop and cottage by the sea of Bridget Early, a woman she barely knew. Rather than selling the properties, she decides to reopen the shop as a tearoom and live in the cottage. When a body is fond in the shop, her sister urges her to sell. Shay is determined to stay and discover why Bridget left her the properties. Does the body found relate to Bridget's untimely passing? With a white German shepherd named Spirit protecting her, will the murderer be revealed before someone else dies?
First in a new series - a delightful read.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy.

Flat broke and divorced, intuitive gemologist Shay Myers has changed since leaving her artsy hometown of coastal Bray Harbor sixteen years ago. But when she moves back under strange circumstances, old instincts may be the only key to spilling the tea on a deadly mystery.

Even with her life in ruins in New Mexico, Shay feels uneasy about settling into the small seaside town where she grew up on California’s Monterey Peninsula and taking over an estate bequeathed to her by Bridget Early, a woman she had barely known. Her heightened senses—an empathic gift she’s had since childhood—go into overdrive upon touring Crystals & CuriosiTEAS, Bridget’s eclectic tea and psychic shop brimming with Irish lore and Celtic symbols. They reach a boiling point when Shay looks up to discover a stranger’s body sprawled across the shop’s greenhouse roof . . .
This is definitely a different book in the beginning I was not sure about it but after the first 2 chapters, I was hooked! The characters are the best Spirt is totally someone I would want on my team. They keep you guessing through it all. And I love Shay she is my kind of gal. I can not wait to see the next one! Please hurry I need more!

Steeped in Secrets is the first book in this series. It takes place in the town of Bray Harbor. Shayleigh (Shay) Myers s the main character who has come home divorced and broke. Her ex-husband, Brad had taken everything she owned in a swindle of her gemstone and jewelry company. He had a two year affair with her assistant. The supporting characters add to the story. Shay received an unexpected mysterious inheritance from Bridget Early. It consisted of a shop named Crystals and CuriosiTEAS A large white dog named Spirit belonged to Bridget has returned to town. He is known by all the town people. Bridget disappeared and then showed up dead under the pier. While touring the shop Liam Madigan who owns the Irish pub comes into the shop and goes on the tour with Julia and Shay. He and Bridget are both from the same town in Ireland.

In one of the rooms is a huge painting of Titania, Queen of the fairies and the princess fairy. There is something in her hand giving it to the princess. On the second floor is a greenhouse where Bridget grew her teas and spices. In the corner they discover a dead body. on the roof. He is a man named Grady Kennedy a private investigator from County Clare. Liam's grandmother also lives there. They call the police and Frank Burrows, the local sheriff and Dean Philips, deputy and Shay's brother-in-law arrive. He is married to Shay's sister Jen.
Frank immediately arrests Liam as he is out to get him because Liam had been a policeman who sent his brother to prison. Adam Ward is the coroner and her old boyfriend.

Shay is very interested in seeing how the body got on her greenhouse roof and goes to the pub which is next door to her shop. Carman, the bartender is there and takes Shay up to their roof deck. While checking everything out she finds a button that looks like it was torn off of a man's shirt. She will give it to Dean not Frank.

Shay and her sister Jen lost their parents in a boating accident when they were teenagers. Their Aunt came to be with them. When going through the albums Shay realizes that she looks different than the rest of the family. As the story progresses she finds out that she is really Bridget's daughter. This is where the story takes off with much mystery of who she is. The story comes to a surprise ending with Shay happy with who she is and looks forward to her future. This is where the story makes a sudden stop leaving the reader up in the air wondering what will happen next in the series. I look forward to it.

What a terrific first book in a new series from Lauren Elliott! Shay Myers returns to her childhood home in Bray Harbor, California after a bad breakup with her terrible ex-husband. Starting life over in her hometown wasn't what she had planned for her life, but she was drawn there by a recent inheritance which she doesn't quite understand. As she finds out a bit more about the shop she inherited she meets the handsome and charming owner of the pub next door and is instantly drawn to him. The story progresses quickly and is filled with twists and turns, and of course, a dead body! The characters are likeable and very interesting, the setting is somewhere I'd like to visit, and the plot is strong and has enough back story and foreshadowing to have you wanting to read the next installment before you even finish! Bravo to Lauren Elliott for bringing us another terrific series! I can't wait to see what happens next to Shay, Liam, Tassi, Jen, Dean, and of course, Spirit.
*I received an advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The opening chapter was extremely slow and boring but it did pick up a little bit after the dead body at the end of chapter 2. I hated that she was so ungrateful about inheriting a shop and house and then complaining about it. Despite the fact that she was totally broke she still acted like getting this inheritance was a burden. And I hated that the book makes it seem like homeless dogs are cool to have running around where they can hit by a car. No one tried to take the dog or help it. Also I didn’t realize this was a magical fantasy and not a contemporary cozy.

Driving down the main roadway of picturesque Bray Harbor, California is the comfort only a hometown can give a divorcée that has lost everything. Shayleigh's marriage to Brad Myers is over and her home, business, and livelihood as a gemologist and jewelry-maker in Santa Fe are gone. Isn't that reason enough for Shay to return home to discover why Bridget Early, a woman she barely knew in her childhood has bequeathed her beach business, Crystals & CuriosiTEAS and her beach cottage? Real estate agent Julia Fisher is as surprised as Shay when they discover a dead body on the glass roof greenhouse on the top floor of the shop. Shay thought she left her nightmare life behind but suddenly she’s in the midst of a crime scene.

Frequently in fiction, divorcées or widows return to their hometowns and/or unexpected inheritances provide the catalyst for a new beginning. Delightfully, that is where the similarities end in this refreshing opening title to a new series. Twists and red herrings are clever and enchanting from the allure of a pure white German Shepherd named Spirit, a unique blue bottle in an amulet pouch, Irish folklore, the interpretation of tea leaves to the mysteries exposed at every turn as Shay attempts to unravel all the secrets. Add Liam Madigan’s sparkling smile, twinkling eyes, Irish brogue, and his grandmother’s stories and a heartwarming cozy is even more charming.

My sincere thanks to Lauren Elliott, and Kensington Books for my complimentary digital copy of this title, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

#SteepedInSecrets #NetGalley

A start to a new series finds Shayleigh moving back to her old hometown in order to inherit a building she intends to turn into a tea shop. Question is, why and also who exactly is the woman she is inheriting it from? The twist here is that Shayleigh seems to have some physic abilities and quite possibly magic is involved. Apparently a dog is included in the offer, and Spirit has some rather unique capabilities of his own. I am always a sucker for stories with animals. We are introduced to several of the town people, including Shayleigh's sister and husband, a teenage assistant and, of course, the sexy guy. I liked the book but got really tired of the descriptions of her moods and visions and her blushing, mottled skin. I will try the second book that I assume will be coming out to see where this series may go.

Who doesn’t love a cozy mystery with a bit of magical realism thrown in? Set in a small town, Shay Myers returns home flat broke after being away for 16 years and a devastating divorce. To her surprise, she has inherited a crystals and tea shop along with a beach cottage from the town’s eccentric tea reader who mysteriously died and it’s a mystery why. Upon her arrival, when touring her new property with a greedy realtor and her new hunky Irish tavern owner neighbor, they discover a dead body on the rooftop. Something just doesn’t add up. Shay has strange feelings about all this but is determined to stay and figure out any connections to these strange deaths with the help of her sister whose husband is a local cop. But Shay may also be in danger. Lots of twists and turns, red herrings and great quirky but complex characters. Not everyone is who they say they are and it seems as if there are many secrets, some of them deadly. Shay Myers is a formidable character, a bit of Miss Marble but stronger and with a lot of grit. A quick read, I enjoyed this cozy mystery although some of the story telling was a bit fragmented and storylines were left hanging. But, it did grab me and I kept reading to find out whodunit, although there seems to be some mystery left hanging at the end. I’m thinking that there is more story to be told and we will have to visit Shay again in her tea house.

Many thanks to #netgalley #steepedinsecrets #laurenellitott #kensingtonbooks for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is one of my favorite top 3 cozies of 2022 ! Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the opportunity for review. My review opinioins are my own. Lauren Elliot is one of my favorite cozy authors and this is her charming new series based in a tea shop in Monterey California.

Shay is a fabulous protagnist. Smart savvy and kind she is a trained gemologist and has inherited a new age crystal and tea shop from its deceased owner. Shay did not know the woman before her death and many secrets come out after she moves to the beautiful area of Monterey to take over the shop and move into the charming cottage that was left to her in the will. While on the walk through of the business with the realtor a dead body is found and Shay is determined to find out who committed this crime at her business. She is making friends in town and also has enemies along the way as unknown to her a neferious type has plans to buy her property and may have been involved in the murder. Making the acquiantance of the Irish owner of the pub next door she soon finds a friend and their relationship grows slowly as Shay investigates clues with his help . She befriends a young teen who works for her and helps her create a new design and business model for the shop of homemade tea leave blends, tea leave readings and crystal and gem sales. As the shop evolves Shay is pressured further to sell and finds herself in danger.

This was a wonderful cozy with great charcters, a charming location and a fun addition of teas throughout the book. I read this cover to cover as it is enchanting. Well done to the author. I look forward to the next in series. The sleuth was engaging and well crafted with a surprising conclusion . A most enjoyable read.

Even with her life in ruins in New Mexico, Shay feels uneasy about settling into the small seaside town where she grew up on California’s Monterey Peninsula and taking over an estate bequeathed to her by Bridget Early, a woman she had barely known. Her heightened senses an empathic gift she’s had since childhood go into overdrive upon touring Crystals & CuriosiTEAS, Bridget’s eclectic tea and psychic shop brimming with Irish lore and Celtic symbols. They reach a boiling point when Shay looks up to discover a stranger’s body sprawled across the shop’s greenhouse roof . 
 With her new business a crime scene and questions brewing over Bridget’s so called accidental death, Shay fears she’s also inherited the attention of a killer. The terrifying realization sets her on an impractical investigation for answers aided by her sister, an elusive pure white German Shepherd, a strikingly handsome pub owner who speaks in a gentle brogue, and a misunderstood young woman with perceptive talents of her own. As Shay struggles to figure out her true purpose in Bray Harbor and the powerful connection she has with the tea shop, she must trust her judgment above all else to identify a ruthless murderer and save herself from becoming victim number three.
A great cozy mystery that is the first book in a new A Crystals and CuriosiTEAS Mystery series I really enjoyed and can’t wait for the next book in the series totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Kensington Books
I just reviewed Steeped in Secrets by Lauren Elliott. #SteepedinSecrets #NetGalley

I received an ARC of, Steeped in Secrets, by Lauren Elliott. Shay is going back home again, this time to solve a mystery. I really enjoyed Shay and her friends, especially Dean.

Shay Myers has left her home in New Mexico, broken from a marriage that left her nothing and took everything. The reason she is here is because she's learned of an inheritance she's been left by a woman she barely knew, Bridget Early. Bridget left Shay her business and her home, a cottage by the sea. At first wanting to sell, she's changed her mind and decided to reopen the shop as a tea room. But the real estate agent is pushing her, as well as her older sister Jen, to leave -- especially when a body is found above the shop. But Shay is made of stronger stuff, and with the help of a young woman named Tassi, and a stranger white German Shepherd named Spirit, who seems to know what she needs, Shay decides to make her home here again.

But it's not going to be easy, With the pushback from others, and an even stranger gift, she wonders what Bridget was trying to tell her. With the help of the owner of the pub next door, a handsome Irishman, she knows she has to make this work, at any cost. Even if a killer is looking for her next...

This is the first book in the series, and I do love Ms. Elliott's other series, so I wanted to give this one a chance. I am not fond of fantasy books but this book had me enthralled in a very short time. There is so much I can say, but will not so in order not to spoil the book for others.

It is a lot of mystery, a little fantasy, a touch of romance...exactly what it should be to bring the reader into the story. The author takes us to another place, and even another time, and we are drawn into the story easily, and wanting to be a part of it. Oh, how I wanted to see the shop and the garden; but I will have to settle for seeing it through Shay's eyes. A little Irish folklore can go a long way into enchanting a mystery and showing us Shay's future, if not her past.

This is a most delightful beginning to a series, and I can still see it in my mind's eye; wanting to read the next in the series soon. I will definitely be looking forward to it. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

So many secrets, so little time...
Steeped in Secrets is the first book in Lauren Elliott's new Crystals & CuriosiTEAS Mystery series. Once you begin reading you will find yourself steeped in the story! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting these interesting characters and learning about Shay's new adventure when she inherits the CuriosiTEAS shop. Every small town has secrets and when Shay finds herself back in her hometown she discovers a lot about herself and her family that she never would have dreamed of. This is a well planned mystery with a satisfying ending that will have you eagerly awaiting the next book in this series!

I have to say this was my favorite cozy mystery I have read in 2022, and I really need the next book ASAP. What I loved about this book is that there was the main mystery, but there was a mystery going on in the background that I can see it being in the background in the other books in this series. I loved the writing and the pacing of the book was great. I really can't wait to read more from this series and from Lauren Elliott.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for letting read and review this lovely book.

Steeped in Secrets suit le chemin du cozy classique avec succès. Le personnage principal revient dans sa ville d'origine suite à un divorce qui l'a laissé sans domicile, sans argent et sans travail. Elle a fait un heritage qui l'oblige à retourner dans sa ville natale. Elle doit résoudre le problème de comprendre pourquoi une personne qu'elle connaissait à peine lui a laissé un vieux magasin de thé, herbes et divination. Shay est un personnage très attachant. On suit avec intérêt son chemin vers la vérité pas à pas. Il y a , bien sur, un soupçon de romance, l'appui de sa famille, l'encouragement d'une jeune fille qui veut l'aider à faire renaitre le magasin, et un magnifique chien Spirit qui la protège. Il n'y a pas de temps mort. Nous sommes amenés rapidement à découvrir chaque étape vers la vérité. J'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre et attend le deuxième avec impatience, car il y a certaines questions qui n'ont pas encore trouvé de réponse. J'aurai plaisir à accompagner Shay dans sa nouvelle vie avec Tassi, Liam, Jen, Dean et Spirit.

Shay came back to her hometown. A friend left her a business she left her a tea and psychic business after she died.
She later found out it was her mother named Bridget who left her the business and she didn't even know when she knew her well when her mother was alive that tbat was her mother.
Hopefully she can keep things going to keep her mother alive in her heart and keep her business going.

A new cozy mystery series that I can't wait to read more of , it had me smiling and laughing though out the book at the craziness that Spirit got into . And the other characters as well.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. The characters in this cozy mystery are fun and quirky…the story moves quickly…this author is talented in weaving a tale that is difficult to put down…enjoy his book…I look forward to more books by this author.

A great start to a new series by a talented cozy mystery writer. It's a fast read which is great as it was hard to put down. The world building necessary to start a new series did not bog down the story and the paranormal elements were a great addition-believable and not over the top.

Shayleigh Myers has moved back to the town she grew up in after a contentious divorce with a man who ruined her career and her reputation. She has surprisingly inherited a business and a cottage from Bridget, an older woman in town that she barely knew, and doesn't know why. But she feels a strange pull toward the shop. and as she explores it, she feels hopeful that it would be a great tea shop. That feeling is marred when she discovers a body on the roof of the second floor/greenhouse.

There are a few mysteries to be solved. Was Bridget murdered as her young friend believes? Who murdered the man on the roof and why did Bridget leave her property to Shayleigh? All are resolved by the end although the stage is set for another bad character to arrive.

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

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Kensington Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Steeped in Secrets is the perfect introduction to a new cozy mystery series. Lauren Elliot has crafted a meticulous setting with enchanting characters who are flawed, relatable like their readers. The plot isn't overdone, confusing like so many often are. Nor is it predictable, though it's straightforward enough to follow. Looking forward to many from Lauren Elliot and the Tea Shop Mystery series.