Part of the duties of owning a tea room involve purchasing new tea services when the old ones can no longer be used, a task that Lily Roberts approaches with glee. When she spots a Beatrix Potter-themed children's tea set at an antiques fair, she can't resist adding it to her shop’s collection. After all, she serves plenty of children at Tea By The Sea, and knows that the little ones will be just as delighted by the adorable cups and plates as she is.

Little does she suspect what a headache this seemingly innocuous purchase will bring her. It begins when a woman barges into the tea room, demanding that the set be returned. A skeptical Lily asks for proof of ownership, forcing Kimberly Smithfield to sheepishly admit that the service was part of a recent inheritance that was accidentally sold off. Lily reluctantly agrees to sell the set back, but Kimberly only seems to be interested in something hidden in the lining of the box the set came in anyway. She snatches that mysterious something away, telling Lily to keep both the money she paid and the set itself.

Relieved to have weathered this tempest in a teacup, Lily is ready to focus on work when an old acquaintance comes knocking. Rachel Morrison is a highly sought after restaurant decorator: the two had met when Lily still worked in New York City’s high-end culinary scene. Tragedy brought Rachel to Cape Cod, where Lily now lives. Rachel’s mother passed away recently, but her final will has gone missing. In its absence, Rachel's half-sister will inherit everything. It's with a sinking feeling that Lily realizes that this half-sister is the obnoxious Kimberly.

The last thing Lily wants to do is get in the middle of a family feud, especially over something as fraught as an inheritance. But when she finds the corpse of one of the sisters and becomes implicated in the murder herself, she realizes she'll have to get to the bottom of things before anyone else gets hurt. How quickly will she be able to solve the mystery, though, when an ex fiance, a bitter rival and an arsonist all show up to make her life a misery?

This has definitely been my favorite so far of Vicki Delaney's Tea By The Sea mystery series, as Lily has to sort through multiple motives and machinations in order to bring a murderer to justice. The plot was nicely layered, with clues neatly obscured ahead of the a-ha moment. It's also a continuing delight to see how Lily appreciates her more laid-back life after the pressures of living in the Big Apple, and how both she and her best friend Bernie still manage to use their contacts in the city to uncover the truth.

There were three recipes for baked goods included here, and I decided to try out this one:

QUOTE
Lemon Squares

Base:
2 cups butter, room temperature
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt

Topping:
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp grated lime zest
3 Tbsp lemon juice
Icing sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together butter, confectioner’s sugar, flour, and salt until well blended. The mixture will look like fine breadcrumbs.

Pat into a 9 x 13-inch greased pan. Prick surface with a fork. Bake for twenty minutes, until the pastry is golden.

Beat together eggs, granulated sugar, flour, zests, and juices. Pour the mixture over the cooked base.

Bake for fifteen to twenty minutes until set.

Cut into squares and liberally dust with icing sugar.
END QUOTE

I love a good lemon squares recipe (as do my children, one of whom couldn’t resist putting his finger into the pan before I could take a picture,) and this is one of the finest I've tasted! The lime in the recipe really cuts down on the tartness without sacrificing too much acid, ensuring that the final product is bright without being puckering. The lime also bolsters the sweetness without making it too cloying, and is an inspired addition to the usual lemons and sugar used for recipes like this. I also liked how the zest was incorporated into this dessert, making good use of all the edible parts of the fruit.

Next week, we head to the Midwest to make a delightfully easy pie while investigating the death of a celebrity at a county fair. Do join me!

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

What an exciting new offering in this series! The setting sounds like one of the best places to be in the summer. The characters greeted me at the beginning and kept me entertained throughout. They are colorful, engaging, and three-dimensional, defined through realistic conversations and actions. The mystery was intriguing and kept me guessing until the end.

Lily’s English-style tea shop, Tea by the Sea, is on the grounds of her grandmother Rose’s, elegant Victorian B&B, aptly named Victoria on Sea. Rose, from England, has an English-style garden that is unmatched in the Cape Cod area. It is cared for by her gardener, Simon, also from England. Lily lives in a cottage on the property. She is a pastry chef who went to Rose’s after abruptly quitting her ex-boyfriend’s Michelin-starred Manhattan restaurant after he came toward her with a knife.

Lily, her best friend Bernie, and Rose went to an antique fair, where Lily sought multiple fine china tea sets to replace those lost to breakage. Her favorite find of the day was a child’s tea set decorated with Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit. The first group of children who used it adored the whimsical set.

A rude woman came into the shop demanding to see Lily, then demanding she give her the tea set. She claimed it had sentimental value and was sold to the antique dealer in error. She expected Lily to take the set away from the children using it to give her, with its lined wicker storage container. Lily told her to return at closing time. She returned, gave Lily cash, grabbed an envelope sewn into the box’s silk lining, and left with only the envelope.

The next day, another woman came in to see Lily, a fine restaurant interior designer Lily knew in Manhattan. Rachel also came for the tea set. She was the half-sister of Kimberly, the woman demanding it the day before. Rachel was upset to have missed it, also claiming sentimental value until learning Kimberly got the envelope.

Lily was preparing breakfast for B & B guests another morning when a fight began in the dining room. Rachel came in and was arguing with Kimberly and Kimberly’s new husband. Wesley, Lily’s ex-boyfriend, was Kimberly’s new husband, staying at Rose’s B &B?

Lily later enjoyed an evening alone with her labradoodle and heard Kimberly outside, arguing with someone. Lily couldn’t tell who the other person was or even if male or female. Kimberly’s voice cut off, and the only sound was her dog barking frantically. Lily looked out and saw Kimberly lying on the ground. She called 911, attempted CPR, but it was too late.

Lily planned to stay out of an investigation that had nothing to do with her or her family. Knowing the police were looking for her, Rachel entered the tea shop in disguise the next day. She told Lily that the box lining hid their mother’s final will; her attorney didn’t have a copy. Kimberly had Rachel taken out of the earlier will. The final, handwritten, witnessed will, dated days before her death, added Rachel back in. Without it, Rachel got nothing. Wesley married Kimberly for the inheritance that would now, due to her death, become his. He began playing games. He told Lily he wanted her back, then told one of the detectives that Lily killed his bride, never having accepted their breakup. Lily, Bernie, and Rose began to investigate.

The plot twists were startling, especially Wes’s financial situation and what they learned from the girls’ younger brother and their housekeeper. The house was worth about twenty million, but there was little actual money left. I was stymied, knowing they had three excellent suspects, but insufficient evidence. I was shocked to find out who the bad guy really was! This series gets better with each mystery, and I was very happy with the ending! I highly recommend this, and the series!

All Lily wanted to do was replenish her supply of tea cups. A simple thing that turned into something much more deadly than one could imagine. Lily stumbles upon a beautiful child. He said, in a wicker basket that would be perfect for children’s tea parties at the shop. Come to find out there is some thing else in the basket in which a number of people want for their own. And then before we know it a murder.

Vicky Delany never fails to give readers and involve mystery and amazing characters. Steeped in Malace is a very involved mystery with a lot going on. Lily calls on the half of grandma Rose, and the two of them put their nose to the ground and figure out who was behind this murder. For me, this one was definitely one of the highlights of the series thus far.

The 4th book in the Tea by the Sea cozy mystery series finds Lily Roberts at the center of a mystery involving a missing will and a large inheritance. In her quest to purchase more teacups for her teahouse, Lily purchases a set that just might contain the hidden will, and chaos ensues as the feuding half-sisters try to outwit one another to claim the inheritance. Adding to this, Lily's ex-boyfriend is in town and has a surprising relationship with one of the sisters.

This was the first in this series that I have tried. It was very hard for me to get into it as I found my attention straying several times, and I found Rose to be extremely bossy to Lily. While I understand it is her grandmother, I was taken aback by how she treated her granddaughter and was hoping the author would consider bumping her off in the next installment. 🔪 Jokes aside, the food descriptions sounded absolutely yummy and I was intrigued by Lily's relationship with Simon. Not sure if I will continue with this series, but I enjoyed my time spent at Tea by the Sea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington cozies for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Pro:
* Good balance between ongoing major character development and the current murder case
* Appetizing tea service and breakfast
* Literary nod to a classic work
* Well-paced

Con:
* I’m ready for Simon to have more of the spotlight
* Audiobook narrator shouldn’t try to do accents

Thank you to Vicki Delany, Kensington Cozies, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the characters and the setting. The mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love this series! Lily Roberts owns a Cape Cod Tearoom located on the property of her grandmother's very sucessful Bed & Breakfast. In Lily's tearoom, presentation is a priority. She serves her tea in fine china teacups (mugs are for coffee) and there is occasional breakage, which is to be expected. Lily enjoys going to the antiques fair for replacements, and this time she came across a beautiful children's Peter Rabbit tea set in a wicker basket. It's a bit pricey, but perfect for her tearoom.

A few days later Kimberly, a very pushy, rude woman comes into the tea room and demands that Lily sell the Peter Rabbit tea set to her immediately. Kimberly insisted that the set should never have been sold, and that it belonged to her. Lily just wanted her gone so she sold her the tea set. Kimberly grabbed a knife and started cutting through the fabric lining in the wicker box. She found an envelope hidden under the lining, pulled it out and left with it. She left the tea set and wicker box with Lily.

Lily's next visitor was Rachel, an acquaintance from Lily's time working in the big city. She was asking about the tea set, too. Apparently Rachel and Kimberly are half sisters. The tea set belonged to their mother who recently passed away. It didn't seem that anyone wanted the tea set, but only the envelope that was hidden inside.

Rachel explained that their mother made more than one will and the sisters suspected that the final will was hidden in the wicker box. Kimberly wanted the final will destroyed so that she remained the main heir based on an earlier will. Rachel wanted the final will published so she became the main heir.

Lily wants no part of this family drama so is very unhappy to find that Kimberly is staying at her grandmother's B&B. She's even more unhappy to find Kimberly's dead body on the B&B grounds.

The final will is missing and the police suspect Rachel for the murder of her sister. Lily, her grandmother and her friends must solve the murder so life can get back to normal.

Delany is truly a master of cozy mystery fiction. I loved this most recent installment of the Tea by the Sea mysteries, and seeing Bernie, Rose, and Lily in action again was so much fun. If you love cozies with hilarious family dynamics, descriptions of scones that’ll have you reaching for your own kitchen to make them, and a mystery with so many red herrings it’s hard to figure out whodunnit, then you’ll love this book!
Delany keeps us guessing throughout so much of the book, but her masterfully planted clues allow readers to figure out the murderer if you remember to look very closely. The mystery itself and the tie in to Lily’s past made this book even more fun to read!

This was a fun, fast-paced mystery. I'm glad Lily wasn't such a pushover in this one and Rose was not so demanding of her. I enjoyed collecting clues along with Lily and her friends and learning more about her through her interactions with her ex-boyfriend, Wesley. The mystery itself was well plotted with plenty of suspects that kept me guessing until the very end. There were some questionable decisions made by Lily but, all in all, an intriguing mystery. Looking forward to the next one.

I have not had a great run with these books [even though I have wanted to love them so much] and the previous one was just so bad [for me] that I was unsure that I would ever read one again. Thankfully, the bestie talked me into this one and remarkably, I am not unhappy that I did.

I have always like Lily and her crew [and even Rose didn't bother me in this one] and they are really shining in this one. The mystery [and story] was very good and I had no idea who the killer was, until the reveal and then I was surprised because I never went in that direction [there were PLENTY of red herrings in this one]. ALL the tea food makes one drool while listening and now I want scones every day! LOL All of this adds up to a really good read right? If only...

My biggest issue with this is the over-dramatic writing. SO. SO. DRAMATIC. Good grief. I cannot even tell you how many times I rolled my eyes at the "extra drama" that was just so not needed and is so excessive that you really have to work at sticking with the story and ignore all the drama [thankfully, this time, I was able to do just that [some of that is due to the really good narrator - even though she read all the extra parts V E R Y dramatically, she was overall a really good narrator] and hence, this book is a very strong 3 stars and I am very happy with that.

Thank you to NetGalley, Vicki Delany, and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Murder, mayhem and munchies the best way to spend an afternoon! The book should come with a warning that you'll be craving tea and scones before the end of the book so that you can be well prepared to set down and read! Wonderful multigenerational cast of characters that quickly become like old friends rather than just characters on a page. I do recommend reading the series in order so you can fully come to understand the characters personalities and quirks, plus it is hours of fun entertainment so why pass it up!?! Lily, our main character, is smart, hardworking, resourceful and a little bit naive when it comes to trusting people. Unfortunately, people who benefited from that naivety in the past are bursting into her present and bringing chaos and murder with them. It's up to Lily, her best friend and her grandmother to untangle the web being woven around them before the killer takes down one of them next! A delightful read wrought with red herrings to keep you guessing for quite some time! The perfect cozy for an afternoon of fun!

Rose rocks! After someone was killed at her B&B, she did something kinda courageous and very cool to help the police catch the killer. I’ve always loved her character and knew she’d just take a little getting used to since she’d not a huggy-type grandma we usually see in cozy mysteries. But her cool level’s pretty much through the roof, lol. Bernie’s an awesome best friend and I think sometimes she figures she (Bernie) gets along better with Rose than Lily does as Rose’s granddaughter. I really enjoy it when those three go sleuthing! Rose just instinctively knows when the girls are up to something, so it’s never a good idea to actually plan to ditch Rose and works out much better if she goes along, as she proved.

I love how the ending was centered around food and friends while the detectives debriefed everyone and answered questions. I couldn’t stand that ex-boyfriend of Lily’s who had the nerve to think she’d still be interested in him, so it was awesome to see him deflated. And the very ending was pretty cute for Simon and Lily.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

This is an excellent cozy mystery that kept me guessing till the end. Lots of plot twists and turns. It was a very good book.

Steeped in Malice is book #4 in the Tea by the Sea Mysteries series by Vicki Delany.

Who would have guessed that something as simple as buying teacups would turn deadly. There was plenty of drama thanks to Lily’s ex-boyfriend being involved. I enjoy the setting and would love to stop by and have tea.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Gosh I love this series. The characters are endearing with a variety of ages. The setting is wonderful on the ocean. And I love tea. This story starts with missing teacups leading to shopping and finding a great and probably impractical children’s set. When an irate woman appears in the tea shop to claim this set, the problem start. Children are already using the set and Lily has become attached. Who is this woman, anyway? Turns out she’s the half-sister of an old friend. But why would she want the tea set? I hope you enjoy this mystery as much as I did.

Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany lets us see what Lily's life was like in New York City before moving. It isn't pretty!

With Lily's past coming to Victoria-On-Sea, can Lily, Rose, and Bernie uncover the real killer?

Lily, Rose, and Bernie
Lily is supposedly our sleuth, but we have three. Rose and Bernie always talk Lily into going along on their snooping around once a murder happens. Except this time, Lily is the one who wants to get involved more than Rose and Bernie. Lily wants to get involved because a child's tea set she bought brings so much drama to her tea shop. Of course, it doesn't help that someone blamed for the death onto Lily.

Lily takes the reins of this investigation and is gung-ho on finding out what happened while running her tearoom. Rose, of course, is curious and wants to see what happens while Lily is investigating. Somehow, Bernie gets invited by either Lily or Rose; sometimes, though, Bernie invites either Rose or Lily to do the sleuthing. Of course, Bernie is still working on her book while trying to keep her focus on what she has already written. Except that doesn't always work out.

I love these three so much as they are such a hoot when they are solving a mystery or trying to gain clues while not trying to throw suspicion.

The Mystery
Lily buys a cute vintage children's tea set with adorable scenes and characters from Beatrice Potter's Peter Rabbit on the tea cups and saucers. After she's done that, a character named Kimberly Smithfield comes barging into her tea shop and demands Lily to hand it over during the middle of a very booked day for the tea shop. Lily tells her no and to come back later, which she does, and takes what she wants. The next day, an acquaintance of Lily's from her time in New York City shows up, named Rachel, who also wants the tea set. Lily tells her that someone else has already taken something from it, which is what Rachel wanted.

Lily, thinking that was it, was happy to see her gone. Of course, that isn't the case, and one of the two sisters gets killed over the will that they were both looking for. While the police are investigating, someone throws Lily under the bus, making her want to solve the case to clear her name. I had my suspicions over the killer, and I was right with my suspicions! Just not the reason why.

Five Stars
Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany is another fantastic book to read. I have to say, though, that Lily, Rose, and Bernie are solving a lot of cases in one summer. Ms. Delany does a wonderful job laying out all the clues and the red herrings. I did almost fall for a red herring, but then I was like, that person doesn't make sense to be it.

Don't forget to look in the back for Ms. Delany's recipes! I always love being able to see them, and I contemplate making them one of these days. They are Gluten-Free Pancakes, Blueberry Muffins, and Lemon Squares.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany.

Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

I enjoy all of the books by Vicki Delany. The Tea by the Sea series is fun and this book is a great addition. I found the characters to be enjoyable and the mystery strong. Both are elements for a good cozy. Add in the charming setting, and this book is a winner!

Steeped In Malice by Vicki Delaney is another in the Tea by the Sea series. Lily, Bernie, and Grandmother Rose are off to an antique’s show to purchase additional cups and saucers for the tea shop. Breakage is an ongoing problem although many chipped cups and saucers are hung in a tree on the patio where they functioned as wind chimes. They also purchased a Beatrix Potter children’s set because Lily liked it. Fairly soon a not-very-pleasant woman came into the tea shop insisting she buy it back, although never offering the amount Lily had paid. Lily told her to come back. All she really wanted was a piece of paper hidden in the lining of the basket the set was housed in. They examined the basket and found the paper. She was sent on her way. Soon, another, more pleasant woman, one Lily recognized, came also want to purchase the set. She explained the other woman was her half-sister and the paper was their deceased mother’s will. It was quickly turning into a mess. To make it worse, the first woman was staying at Rose’s B & B with her new husband who turned out to be Lily’s ex. The man from whom she had fled when she left Manhattan. Very enticing set-up.

This is a wonderful setting, on Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, a historical home, on the grounds of which stood several outbuildings, one of which was the home to Lily’s tea shop. Bernie had fled Manhattan along with her, cashed in all her savings, and was writing a book. It is not going well, as the basic plot (and characters) of the book changed every day. Bernie and Rose had become fast friends and could not be allowed out on their own as they tended to get in trouble. What

fabulous characters, not to mention the lesser characters, many of whom one will not forget. The murder turned out to be the not-so-pleasant sister and it happened right outside Lily’s cottage. Could she have saved a life it she had responding to the noise earlier? It was a good story, with Lily, Bernie, and Rose right in the center of it. It is a good series, one any cozy reader will enjoy.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Steeped In Malice by Kensington, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Kensington #VickiDelaney #SteepedInMalice

It’s always delightful to step back into the world of Lily and her grandmother Rose in the Tea by the Sea cozy mysteries. In Steeped in Malice, it gets personal for Lily when a well-heeled guest is killed.

Wesley, the victim’s new husband aka Lily’s abusive ex-boyfriend, has millions of reasons to be the perp. Wesley tells the police nothing good, or true, about Lily hoping to implicate her in the crime after Lily rejects his romantic overtures. Lily responds by investigating the victim’s life.

While there was nothing particularly notable about Steeped in Malice, it is a relaxing mystery where the perp is easy to uncover. I read this series for the characters, who feel like treasured friends now, and the beautiful Massachusetts setting. 4 stars!

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Steeped in Malice is the 4th book in Vicki Delany's Tea by the Sea cozy mystery series and another great read. I read all of her series and this has to be one of my favorites. If you haven't read this series, now is the time to start. Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.