Good start to a new series. This one has a lot of the tried-and-true cozy tropes: inheriting a business, suffering through a breakup, meeting handsome new stranger… (all of which can be found in the author’s other series). There is an added paranormal element in this that didn’t work for me. I did like the gemologist aspect, something I don’t really see in cozies so this may be what gets me to read the next one. Enjoyable but maybe I’ve hit my limit with cozy mysteries.

Narration is well done, no issues.

Honestly, I was attracted to Steeped in Secrets based on the sweet cover and clever title but this manner of book selection can be risky. Lucky for me, Lauren Elliott did a great job of creating the classic Cozy mystery with a delightful setting, Bray Harbor, a woman with an imploding life, Shay Myers, an unexpected inheritance and a chance to start over. To pull at the Cozy heartstrings, add in a delightful canine sidekick, and perhaps some psychic powers, and the whole thing is a great set up for a quick read. I was happy to discover this is book one and hope to see the series continue.

Lauren Elliott brings her new Crystals & CuriosiTEAS mystery series to the reader with Steeped in Secrets. As the story opens, Shayleigh Myers has just returned to her hometown of Bray Harbor, California after sixteen years away. Looking around, she finds that while much has stayed the same in the town there have been some significant changes as well. The reason that she has returned to town is because Bridget Early, the owner of the local tea shop, has passed away and left her entire estate to Shayleigh. Shayleigh now has to make a decision as to whether she is going to keep the shop or sell it. During her walkthrough with the local realtor, Shayleigh is surprised to discover that the top floor of the shop has been converted to a greenhouse where many of the ingredients for the teas that are produced in the shop are grown. Even more surprising is the discovery of a body on the roof of the greenhouse.

The author has done an excellent job of creating a group of characters with a rich and diverse history and has seamlessly woven them into the fabric of the town using Bridget as the common thread. As the story twists and turns, the reader is taken along on Shayleigh's voyage of self discovery as she unearths little secrets and mysteries surrounding Bridget and her life that end up leading to a life-altering revelation for Shayleigh herself. Within the various subplots of this story, many suspects and motives are examined and ultimately the revelation of both the motive and the culprit behind not only the death of the man on the roof but also that of Bridget's own death come as a total and complete surprise. I can't wait for the next book in this series as I am anxious to know what the future holds in store for all of the characters this book has brought to life.

The narrator of this audiobook has managed to create a diverse set of voices so the listener can easily distinguish between the individual characters dialogue as well as the descriptive text. She also reads at a comfortable speed throughout to move the story ahead. I particularly enjoyed this narrator as she included a great deal of variation in pitch, speed and tone to further set the scene within the scope of the writing.

I received an Audio ARC of this book from NetGalley and Tantor Audio and am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is the first installment in a new cozy series by a great author! The characters are all interesting and the main character has a profession I was excited to learn a little more about. As always with this author, the book was heavy on the fantastic details that make a cozy feel..well, cozy!