Cute and well-written cozy series set in CapeCod.

Great characters and a wonderful plot. Who would have thought an adorable Peter Rabbit children's tea set could bring so much chaos? But it does. Missing wills, deceitful and arrogant husband, family drama. and sibling rivalry all work together to make this a cozy you can't put down.

I love Vicki Delany books. And like all her books in a series, they can also be read as a stand alone.

What begins as visit to an antique show to replenish the dwindling tea cup supply at Tea By the Sea puts owner, Lily Roberts in the middle of a family feud that results in murder. At the antique fair Lily is entranced by a charming Peter Rabbit themed tea set that comes in it's own wicker basket. Despite her friend, Bernadette and Grandmother Rose telling her it's impractical Lily can't be dissuaded.
A few day later a woman shows up demanding that Lily sell it back to her. Lily refuses and is intrigued when another woman, Kimberly, also comes with the same demand. Kimberley, is the new bride of Wesley with whom Lily had a relationship with before she moved to Cape Cod to open Tea By the Sea. An awkward situation, to say the least!
Neither woman cares about the tea set but both desperately want what's hidden in the lining of the wicker basket. Rachel and Kimberly are half-sisters whose Mother has recently died and had changed her will on her deathbed. The problem is the will is missing!
When Kimberly is murdered near Lily's cottage not only the police, but Lily, Rose and Bernadette are on the search for the killer.
This is the fourth Tea By the Sea mystery and it's terrific! Multiple suspects, all in search of the will, give Lily and friends a complex and dangerous puzzle to solve.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advanced readers copy.

Love the setting in these Tea by the Sea mysteries that keep me coming back for more. Cute, fun, keeps you guessing.

This was a solid cozy mystery. The setting and tea room details of the Tea by the Sea mysteries are irresistible to me. I also really like the main character, Lily. The side characters I’m not always sure about, but they mostly behaved in this book.

As in the 2nd book, a family brings lots their drama and murder to stay with them at the B&B. But this time, Lily knows the husband of the murderer victim - he is her ex-boyfriend! The scenes with him were painful for me because he is a jerk. Luckily, Lily stands her ground, and her friends have her back.

What I liked about this mystery was that different family members told completely conflicting stories about the family dynamic. The reader has to figure out who is lying. The pacing was good too. Overall, this is a series that I recommend and will continue reading.

This series is cute and fun. It keeps me guessing in this story:
Afternoon tea isn’t just about flavorful brews and delicious treats. It’s also about presentation—fine china teacups (never mugs!), with carefully coordinated saucers and plates. With her fragile stock running low, Lily has an excuse to indulge in one of her favorite hobbies: visiting antique fairs for replacements.

Among other finds, Lily snaps up a charming Peter Rabbit-themed tea set in a wicker basket, perfect for children’s events. But a few days later, a woman named Kimberly marches into the tearoom, rudely demanding to buy it back—then later returns and removes an envelope hidden in the basket’s lining.
Lily is back!! She is just trying to get through her tea services and here is this lady storming in and demanding the tea set she just bought. She handles this well and doesn't really want to be involved but later on at Grandma there is a murder and draws her and her friends into it. They turn things around and solve this with an unexpected criminal.
This book will keep you on your toes.

This series is just a delight. This latest installment brings some folks from Lily’s past back around, as well as some new additions that cause trouble. The mystery itself was nicely plotted and had a few interesting red herrings. It was a bit easier to figure out than some others, but still tons of fun to read!

Another excellent cozy mystery by Vicki Delaney. Lily has moved back to Cape Cod after an altercation with her boyfriend, Wesley, to open a tea shop and help her grandmother run her B&B, Victoria by the Sea. When Wesley’s new wife is found dead at the B&B Lily feels she must help local law enforcement solve the murder, particularly when Wesley tells an incompetent detective he is sure Lily killed his wife out of jealousy. Far from it! I enjoyed the twists and turns of this story and the surprise ending. Most of the characters are likable. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Lily Roberts, owner of the Tea by the Sea tearooms is in the middle of a teacup shortage! Luckily she prefers an eclectic mix of designs and so regularly picks up supplies at antique fairs and yard sales. This time however, she might have bought more than she bargained for when a child sized teaset becomes hot property as its previous owners insist on its return. Sorely tempted to agree just for a peaceful life Lily is horrified when a disagreement outside her grandmother’s B&B results in the death of one of the interested parties!

With the help of best friend, Bernadette, and grandmother, Rose, Lily begins to delve into the history of the family who claimed ownership of the teaset, unearthing an unhappy past, uncertain future, and, even worse, a link to her extremely unpleasant ex-boyfriend! As rumours circulate and accusations fly, Lily finds herself once again in the middle of a murder investigation with danger moving ever closer to those she loves the most.

This was an enjoyable visit to Lily Roberts world which was a quick and satisfying read. There was less going on outside the investigation this time which was a shame but some seriously nasty characters made up for it. There are also recipes included all of which sound yummy.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books but the opinions expressed are my own. This is an easy read, and perfect accompaniment to a lazy afternoon tea.

3.5 ⭐️

Fun quick cozy mystery

Lily is still running Tea By The Sea. One night a body is found on the grounds of the B&B. Old memories are brought up and Lily could be accused of this latest murder.

This is a quick read and easy to get into. It had some great banter between Lily the main character and her side character’s and friends.

The plot was fun and I didn’t realize who the killer of the story was until towards the end of the book. Definitely needs to read the first three of the series but I didn’t feel like I was missing too much by starting on the fourth book.

While I was reading this cozy mystery, all I could focus on was how much I wanted to visit the protagonist’s tea shop, “Tea by the Sea”. The New England setting was familiar, and I kept forgetting that the lovely shop was not a real place. This distraction may have kept me from figuring out who committed the crime being investigated, but I prefer unpredictable cozies anyway. I want to go back and read the first three books in this series because I loved the characters and the Cape Cod setting in this novel so much! I highly recommend this title to fellow cozy mystery lovers.

Murder is brewing at Tea by the Sea is another fantastic addition to this series. This is one of my favorite series right now. Lily is just wanting to run her tea shop and be at peace. That doesn't happen when a shopping trip for more china and it ends up creating a hell of a time. I love all the characters in the series. I really want to go and sit on the patio and have tea!

#SteepedinMalice #NetGalley

Murder is brewing at Tea by the Sea…and Lily is involved full on. A friend from the city and her ex are both suspects, so as much as she wants to wash her hands of the problem, it keeps landing at her front door. A charming setting, though I ado not wish the town was more involved, and down to earth characters make this book a nice getaway.

This was a fast paced, easy read, cozy mystery and a great addition to the series. Lily finds herself in possession of a tea set that has something hidden in it that others are looking for. And, perhaps someone would kill for. Feuding siblings, estranged brother, shady husbands, and lots of misinformation make for an interesting murder investigation. Since Lily seems to be drawn into the heart of the matter, what is Bernie, Rose and Lily to do but sleuth and try to determine who committed the crime, and why?
As always, lots of fun, a great mystery, and some delicious recipes.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This review of Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany is courtesy of NetGalley
#SteepedinMalice #NetGalley #KensingtonBooks #CozyMystery
Rating 4/5
Upcoming publication date: July 25, 2023

Steeped in Malice is the 4th book in Vicki Delany's in Tea By The Sea series. It's the first book of hers that I've read. As an amateur detective, I like that Lily, the main character, when asked by another character to be given information about another character's room number, Lily responds "That would be unethical, not to mention possibly illegal." It's a pet peeve of mine that in some cozies the amateur detective ends up resorting to illegal means to gather information.

Some of the suspects were terrible people that had me rooting for them for a good part of the book to be the murderer. One was a "Karen" while another was a heartless money grubbing womanizer. While I did correctly guess who the murderer was before the great reveal, it was close.

While it's definitely a cozy mystery, it might not fully satisfy foodies looking for more culinary tidbits. Lily was supposedly once a pastry chef at a Michelin starred restaurant but the food descriptions tend to be fairly minimal. She eats coffee cake at one point and it's described as just coffee cake. There are however very picturesque descriptions of the scenery and buildings.

While more enjoyable than many a cozy due to the scenic descriptions, a few things keep it from being perfect. There's an awkward to me scene where the gardener of the inn, interrupts someone at tea and asks if they need fresh flowers in an effort to look at the teaset they are using. There are also two separate sections of the book where Lily tells the reader that she's Rose's granddaughter and looks like her but that her friend Bernie's character matches her grandmother more. And there's some impressively bad math when Lily apparently paid $160 for an item, someone offers to pay $100 for it and Lily's inner thought that it's worth the loss of $100 to get rid of the other person when the actual loss would be $60.

I had been anticipating the opportunity to read this charming mystery #4 in the Tea by The Sea Mysteries series by one of my favorite authors, Vicki Delany. I had so enjoyed the previous 3 books, and knew it would be wonderful to catch up with the protagonist Lily, the tea shop owner, and her grandmother Rose, the owner of the B & B next door. There are also a few regulars that I like to interact with in my mind: Bernie, Simon, Chery, Meredith and Matthew.

In this series particularly, the characters are even more developed, one feels more attached to them, and Rose is hilariously likeable. Bernie, who is Lili’s wannabe writer friend also has been changed a bit, and is more helpful and not annoying. The three of them make a great sleuthing trio!

Vicky truly knows how to write mean and nasty characters, and there are a few horrible ones in this book, which makes the plot so interesting and intriguing. The story has so many twists and turns, and in the end you can hardly suspect whodunnit, since so many could have done it. I did not guess who the culprit is in this book either, and I am glad. I really just want to be surprised at the end when all is revealed, and I was surprised indeed…and all was revealed…no loose strings ever in Vicki’s books. I was very happy for the surprise at the very end, and I think you will be also.

Reading this book out of sequence does not spoil the fun. This book can be read as a stand-alone. I highly recommend this book and the 3 previous ones.

Thank you, Net Galley and Kensington Books, for allowing me to read this book and leave a candid review.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of STEEPED IN MALICE (Book 4 of the Tea by the Sea Mysteries) by Vicki Delany, in exchange for an honest review. Who knew a charming Peter Rabbit-themed tea set could lead to such trouble? A hidden will leads to an old acquaintance of Lily’s showing up and becoming the prime suspect in the murder of the acquaintance’s sister. When Lily’s ex-boyfriend is also involved, Lily inevitably drawn into the investigation. With so many secrets and money involved, there seems to be no end of suspects. Can Lily separate the guilty from the merely greedy?

I liked the book and enjoy the series. I recommend the series to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring tea shops, B&Bs, gardens, and coastal towns.

#SteepedinMalice #NetGalley

Steeped in Malice is a fantastic installment in Vicki Delany's Tea by the Sea Mysteries. Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy, which was wonderful because Ms. Delany is on my top cozy authors list. I read nearly all her series (definitely all the current ones) and think this is the strongest book to date in the collection of four. The Massachusetts setting is charming and close to home for me, plus the relationship between Lily and her grandmother easily draws in reader interest. When Lily's ex shows up, some new personality traits emerge in Lily and it makes her character shine much more. Bernadette is growing on me, and the love interest, Simon, is swoon-worthy. The mystery is tops, giving us 5 or 6 potential killers from the victim's family and close circle, and up until the end, it was potentially any one's game. The culprit turned out to be 1 of the 2 I had guessed, and the second one gets a comeuppance of sorts too. Definitely a winner in the series.

I love the tea shop in this mystery. I thought the plot was solid, although I didn't understand why the will wasn't destroyed as soon as it fell into the wrong hands. I stayed up late to finish the book, which is always a good sign.

Steeped in Malice is the first book that I’ve read in Vicki Delany’s Tea by the Sea Cozy Mystery series but it won’t be the last. I was hooked on this book from the very first page. I loved everything about it – from Lily’s Tea Room, to her Aunt Rose’s B & B, her Aunt Rose herself who is always up for an adventure and not afraid to play the age card when necessary, to her friend Bernie who is writing a novel with seemingly a million plotlines, and her friends Matt and Simon (especially Simon!). The mystery – a family fight over a will turns deadly – with plenty of suspects. I had fun trying to guess who the killer was - while I thought I knew who it was I couldn’t figure out why. Delany’s solution was quite clever if a tad sad. All in all I really enjoyed this book.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Oh, Peter Rabbit, look what kind of trouble you got Lily into this time. All she wanted to do was buy a children's set of Beatrix Potter inspired Peter Rabbit teacups. Who know it'd lead to murder?

Not long after she's brought the tea set home (who knew there are tea cup shortages?) and it into use, a woman shows up claiming the tea set is rightfully hers. The woman, Kimberley, insists it was sold without permission. Assuming it has sentimental meaning, Lily is agreeable to giving it to her but not right that moment. She's busy. Kimberley becomes demanding, attempting to bully Lilly into giving the tea cups immediately, which are at that moment in use at a child's party. Lily gets her back up and refuses. Kimberley finally stomps away after Lily promises to return the cups after closing. I'm a bit fuzzy on how Lily could think someone that nasty about it all could be sentimental over it but, well, nevertheless, she gives it to her later.

Much to Lily's surprise, the woman simply slices open the silk covering in the basket the cups came in and removes an envelope and leaves with just that, even paying Lily $100 as she leaves. Lily is bemused but, again, oddly enough in my mind, doesn't think twice about it. That is, until another woman arrives wanting the box, Rachel, who Lily knew from a former work place. Even then, Lily is determined to stay out of it, even when the women launch into a fight in her shop.

Do you see what's coming? Yep, one of the women winds up being murdered. Again, it was a stretch to me to imagine Lily just ignoring shouting and arguing outside her house given the earlier near fist-a-cuffs, but she does....until her dog, Eclair, a labradoodle, raises such a fuss she does decide to look. She finds Kimberley dead. And that's when the story takes off. And, oh, did I mention Kimberley was married to an obnoxious, stuck-on-himself man named Wesley? No? Well, he is Lily's ex. Ah, complications.

Lily finds herself investigating. I'll admit to not quite figuring out whodunit until the final reveal. Hunches don't count, sigh. So, who killed Kimberley? For a man who has just lost his wife, Wesley seems to be stuck on snidely thinking he can woe Lily back. How about Rachel? Turns out there is a complicated, fractious family relationship between Kimberley, a brother, and her. What is in that envelop Kimberley grabbed and practically ran out of the tea shop with? Should she have taken the tea cups, too? How is Rose staying so grounded through all this? Why is Simon the gardener always hanging around? Is presentation really important for a traditional British tea party? Since I was reading this during the coronation of Great Britain's King Charles, traditional English teas seemed an ideal topic to be reading about.

Anyway, enough teasers. Although, as noted, I had to stretch my belief a few times, this was a fun, intriguing read. 4.5 rounded to a 5. Excellent red herrings and a variety of suspects woven together by a skilled author. Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks - #KensingtonCozies for inviting me for tea. After that ending, can't wait till my next visit.