Phoebe inherits her late aunt’s book and tea shop and mansion in the quaint town of Raven Creek. Though I haven’t yet read the first installment of A Witches’ Brew Mystery, I didn’t feel I missed need to know information from the first. However, Death by a Thousand Sips was so fantastically written that I can’t wait to get my hands on the first.

I’m not usually one to read books with witches in the mix, but I thoroughly enjoyed following along as Phoebe set out to create her own special teas. Though Phoebe is a fictional character, I was quite proud of her for creating an identity for herself separate from her late aunt. I love every time a character comes into their own and it was certainly inspirational.

I just loved how large of a glimpse I got of Phoebe’s business, her town and herself. I love when cozy mysteries are rich with meaty descriptions; this book did not disappoint. There was an absolute perfect balance of dialogue and description. I couldn’t be happier with this read. It made me feel cozy, it really just brought me to that feeling good spot. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Phoebe Winchester moved to Raven Creek, Washington, about seven months ago to live in her deceased aunt's house and take over the running of her café/bookstore. Much to her surprise, Phoebe has discovered that she's a witch! But despite all of the changes and strange things that have happened over the past year, Phoebe has a business to run. When she finds out about an estate auction coming up that offers a huge collection of used books, Phoebe decides to go but she ends up finding a lot more than old paperbacks.

I really enjoyed this book. There was quite a bit of investigation, which involved her putting herself into some exciting situations but never into the TDTL category. We also get to know Rich a bit better, he seems like a good guy so hopefully they can work things out. Rich seems to be the main love interest, though Phoebe observes early on that she would go out with Leo if he asked so I hope that this doesn't become a weird love triangle.

There were a few things I was disappointed with in this book. Phoebe seems to have lost a bit of her spunk. In the first book she was a bit snarky and sassy and while she had her charm in this book, she seemed a bit more watered down. I also felt the murder happening outside of Raven Creek took a little something from the atmosphere of the story and I missed the shop employees, though they're in this book we don't see much of them.

Overall this is a series definitely worth reading, especially if you like paranormal cozies (and even if you don't, because the paranormal angle is not emphasized and isn't used as a crutch to solve the murders).

Thank you to the author, publisher, and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Review.

Death by a thousand sips (A witches brew mystery #2)
By Gretchen Rue

Description

Cozy mystery with a pinch of magic
Amateur sleuth
Small town

Pheobe discovers a body, (well technically her cat Bob discovers it first) while being at an estate auction. She feels she needs to do some amateur sleuthing to find out who the killer is, so she's no longer the main suspect.

It's a cute cozy mystery or anyone who wants a light fun hearted read.

I give this book 3 1/2 stars

Thanks, NetGalley for me giving me a digital ARC of this book.

#netgalley #deathbyathousandsips

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advance copy of the e-book!

While this was part of series (book 2 I think), I did not feel that I missed anything by not reading the first one. The author does a good job of referencing the elements from the first book to seamlessly weave into this second book, without leaving the reader wondering... This was a cozy fantasy of the low stakes variety - definitely an easy and enjoyable read. The story centers around a murder mystery involving the main character accidentally stumbling on a dead body at an estate auction... apparently not her first encounter with this type of situation (referencing the first book here). Our main character has certain special abilities which she is slowly embracing and it was fun watching her on this journey of self-discovery in-between her sleuthing adventures with a certain PI - cue slow-burn romance... The secondary characters are all very entertaining - from the regular bookstore customer who visits the shop for snooze-sessions to the family friend who mentors the main character as she discovers more of her abilities. My pick for the best character? Easy... the Cat of course!!! I would highly recommend this book if you're looking for an uncomplicated, heartwarming and endearing read - a hug between the pages, if you will :)

This is the second book in this paranormal cozy mystery series. It follows Phoebe Winchester who has inherited a n old victorian home and a tea shop/bookstore from her aunt after she passes away. She also discovers her Aunt's teas were more than tasty, they were magical! Phoebe herself has also inherited the ability to charm her teas and the unique trick of being able to stop time in a crisis. In this book she attends an estate sale where she plans on buying used books for her shop. She wins the auction and finds a dead body, it was a busy afternoon.

Finding the body makes her a suspect and Phoebe sets out to clear her name with the help of her ex-cop/private investigator/sort of boyfriend. Lots of action and twists ensue. Fun, entertaining and enjoyable!

This book had all the makings of a Hallmark Murder Mystery. You’ve got small town vibes, a witchy bookstore owner with a penchant for solving murders, and quirky side characters. This book has so much charm that it was impossible not to like. Add in mystery and murder, and you have a really enjoyable read. Phoebe is a witch who stumbled up on a dead body at an estate auction. To keep herself off the suspect list, she decides to do a little sleuthing. Which I turn puts her in the crosshairs of the killer. Will her curiosity get the best of her, or will the police catch the real killer before it’s too late? If you’re looking for a fast paced, cozy, murder mystery, I highly recommend this book for you!

Phoebe Winchester has inherited a large mansion and a tea shop/bookstore from her aunt. She loves her new home in the small town. As part of her job, she attends an estate sale where many used books are being sold. But the auction doesn't go as planned. It's that part about Phoebe finding the dead body of the manager of the auction that creates a bit of a problem.

Phoebe is a suspect. That alone makes it in her best interest to find the murderer. But, bigger than that, there's Phoebe's natural curiosity. Along with her ex-cop/private investigator boyfriend, she sets out to solve the mystery.

Gretchen Rue has written a nice little cozy mystery here. The plot is a good one, with a nice little twist for an ending. Her characters are well developed. My only beef is that she goes down a few too many rabbit holes with lengthy descriptions of her recipes, the plants in her garden, and numerous other distractions. I found myself skimming over quite a few sections to get the mystery train back on the tracks. But that aside, this book is a good read.

This is the first book of the series that I’ve read and I really enjoyed it. I loved the premise of inheriting a book shop, a house, a cute cat who was a character in their own right, witchy powers and a whole new life at the same time. This was a good Sunday afternoon read that I read in one sitting.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and give an unbiased review of an ARC.

inheritance, tea-shop, bookseller, divorced, baker, small-business, small-town, magical-twist, cozy-mystery, cat, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, murder, auctions, amateur-sleuth, private-investigators, series, paranormal, recipes, friendship, friends, romantic*****

This is a lovely cozy combining amateur sleuthing with a bit of witchy magic. I loved it and do think that it can easily stand alone.
I requested and received an EARC from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Canadian author

Very fun cozy and a great follow up to the first in the series, which I also enjoyed. I love some details for visualization but this seemed overly bogged down with minutia that I found myself just skipping over about halfway through the read. Love the characters in this series and am enjoying the rescue cats - as long as they don't get put into dangerous situations :) I was so happy to see recipes for the great food in the book were provided. Fun series that I am looking forward to next installments.

I gave Death by a Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue 5 stars.

This is the second book in the Witches' Brew Mystery series and even if I really liked the first book, this was even better. Phoebe is learning more about her magic abilities and working on her book and tea shop to make it a more profitable business, something I really like reading about in cozy mysteries. I am a huge tea lover, so this fits me perfectly!

The mystery was good and even if we didn't get that many red herrings this time, I didn't solve the mystery until the end.

This was a really great second book and I can't wait to learn more about the magic and see what will happen to the store, The Earl’s Study. I also have to mention the cover, love that they included the first book in it, Steeped to Death. :)

This book comes out 05 Sep.

Thank you Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqS1x1TrTVw/

A quick read that grabs your attention. Great story plot. Wonderful fun characters. Loaded with twists and turns. See if you can figure this one out because was a delight! Thanks #netgalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

This is the second book in this series, which I read in one day. The setting for the story is in Washington, and Phoebe is a hereditary witch who has just moved to town and is learning her powers. The mystery aspect is very good, well written and thought out. I’d absolutely recommend this to anyone.

This second book in the Witches' Brew Mystery series is an enjoyable cozy. I typically don't like witch-related mysteries but that part is minimal (and, in fact, fun to see her learning about witchcraft) and didn't detract one bit from my enjoyment of the book.

Phoebe Winchester took over her Aunt Eudora's bookstore/teashop as well as her mansion after the aunt's death. In this second book, Phoebe is at an estate sale buying books when she, or rather her cat, Bob, discovers a dead body.

With help from her friends in town, Phoebe gets to the bottom of this.

An interesting, clever plot and some wonderful characters in this one. I hadn't read the first book so I immediately picked up a copy of that so I can fill in the gaps and I'm eager for more books in this delightful cozy series.

Been sick, so this book and others kept me entertained during recovery. So glad to see Phoebe back, but the chaos continues in this installment filled with magic, found family, and plenty of twist and turns to keep it interesting. Waiting impatiently for the next installment.

I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.

When I was deciding on my next read I looked over my pile of review copies and promptly picked up this one, which was literally the one with the most far away due date, but I knew I wanted to read this book. And I was correct, this book was like the perfect fit my reading mood and I thoroughly enjoyed this second Witches' Brew book.

Phoebe is a bit more settled in her new house, she's gotten the hang of the day to day work at her bookstore and café and she's doing well settling into the small town. I liked how this book takes place months after the first book and I enjoyed seeing how Phoebe was doing now. This book had such a cozy vibe and I really enjoyed reading about Phoebe's daily life, her work, her house and her cat Bob. She also is a witch and there's some magic sprinkled throughout the pages, which I think worked well here. I liked the ways it popped up here and there and how she used a spell to help with the mystery.

The mystery had me pretty stumped, I couldn't figure out who had done it and the clues take some time to accumulate. I felt like I was missing something and even though Phoebe knew she was getting close, I felt like I wasn't close at all to figuring it out. I had fun seeing it all play out and how Phoebe gets involved. I liked how she was mostly smart about investigating, gets backup when she can and when she gets into trouble tries to be more careful. Even the final confrontation she handles pretty well even though I thought that wasn't the smartest plan to go there alone. I did find the reveal a bit anti-climactic, there was a twist, but I didn't really like it. And the showdown is not as exciting to read as it's a similar scene that I've read a few times in other cozies. I also felt like she didn't really figure it out until the murderer revealed they were the murderer.

I enjoyed being back in this town and reading about the characters I met in book 1 more. The daily life scenes are definitely my favorite part of this book and it's so fun to read about Phoebe. The cozy vibe is present everywhere and I liked seeing more of Phoebe's friends, employees and even acquaintances.

To summarize: This was an awesome sequel! It fit my reading mood perfectly and had the perfect blend of cozy vibe, fun daily life scenes and an interesting mystery. I really like how cozy this book feels, I enjoyed reading about Phoebe, her store and the town and the comforting cozy vibe it all had. I enjoyed the mystery, but it did have me stumped. I didn't really have any guesses about who had done it as it felt I was missing something. I liked seeing it all play out, but I found the ending a bit anti-climactic and didn't enjoy the twist as much. The daily life scenes are probably my favorite of this book. There's a touch of magic as well and I liked reading more about Phoebe's magic. I like the small town vibe and the cozy book and tea shop Phoebe runs. I already look forward to my next visit to this town!

I very much enjoyed this book. It has everything that you could ever possibly want in a great cozy: paranormal qualities, hints of romance, danger, a mystery with a lot of red herrings, fur babies, comfort food, books, and great friends. Now, this is the first book that I have read by Gretchen Rue, but it certainly did not disappoint.

I loved reading Phoebe's back story and all about the wonderful woman that her aunt was. The townsfolk could have made her life a living hell, yet they embraced her and welcomed her with open arms. Yes, it helped that she had visited for summers since she was a kid but still. It really made me feel that this place really was a welcoming oasis in which Phoebe found solace.

I loved the bookstore and the baking, and I especially loved Bob! What a character all on his own! I love it when animals are in the stories, and they placed in such a valued role. Everything about this book was charming, from beginning to end. I had a blast reading this book.

I absolutely recommend this book. And a huge thanks to Netgalley, the publishers, and to Gretchen Rue for the ability to read her heartfelt book. All opinions are mine and completely honest.

I don't usually read mysteries, but this cover drew me in like a siren — and the book pays it off delightfully! I didn't read the first Witches' Brew Mystery, but there was a super quick summary in the first chapter that caught me right up.

Phoebe Winchester is the owner of a bookshop/teashop, and a Victorian mansion, both of which were left to her by her witchy Aunt Eudora. It's been less than a year since she solved her first murder mystery in Raven Creek, and now she's back at it! When she discovers a body at an estate sale, where she went to fill up her book stock for her own shop, she knows she's gotta hop on the case. At the very least she needs to clear her own name; her neighbors are starting to gossip about the Jessica Fletcher-number of corpses that keep popping up when she's around. Oh, and did I mention that Phoebe has magic? New magic, yes, but magic! So she's learning to use that while also learning to be a detective.

Gretchen Rue's writing is conversational and fun. Phoebe is easy to love. The book is a nice balance of whimsy, mystery, and romance. Best of all, the cat from the cover is a main character!

This was a solid follow up in the Witches' Brew series. I enjoyed the first one and was glad that the second one continued strong.. I love the cat, Bob. Of course, he is important to the story. This is a cozy mystery that is just a bit paranormal. It was an enjoyable read, well written, and well paced. The first one is worth picking up if you missed it.

I truly enjoyed this new book to the "Witches' Brew Mystery" series. After hoping a second book was coming when I read the first book, this didn't disappoint. It's not an overwhelming witchy cozy mystery, as some can be. It's just a touch of witchy with a lot of cozy. No overly romantic moments but just the right amount of "aw cute."