This is the second book in the crystals and curiosiTeas series and I really liked it.
Shay’s tea shop is doing well but all of a sudden someone ends up dead in her shop after being served tea and Shay’s assistant seems to be the suspect.
New characters are introduced in this book which I know will be in books to follow. Shay’s confidence in her powers is slowly growing and I’m hoping the next few books she will really want to learn about her seer powers.
I was able to figure out who the killer was but even with that I liked the overall story.
And like most cozy books I’ve read there’s a slight romance but who knows if that will go anywhere or not. I’m excited to read the next book in the series.

Murder in a Cup was a great followup to the first book in this new series. I love the premise of the series as a whole and I like how this second book has events that still tie-in to the big series mystery that was briefly addressed in the first book. However I was a little confused by what's going on with Liam's character. In the first book, he was very clearly flirting with Shay and kept saying he wasn't dating Zoey and she was just a friend. But when this book began he was in a full-on relationship with Zoey and she had moved in with him. It was just a very confusing development that seemed a bit out of character. I feel like there should've been a novella between the first and second book to address this. The murder mystery was very interesting. There was no shortage of suspects and it kept me guessing until the end. I really hope there's another book in this series to see what happens with Shay and her friends next.

I enjoyed Murder in a Cup, the second book in the A Crystals & CuriosiTEAS mystery series. I love the underlying mystical parts of the shop and Shay's abilities. The plants that Shay's aunt left in the shop sound fascinating and deadly.

I was not able to guess who the killer was before the reveal but I thought I had it figured out a couple of times. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it is released.

A fun second installment for her new series. I like the tea shop theme with the add-in of plants and a bit of poison! As Shay learns more about her Irish witch ancestors - I look forward to another installment. This is different from Childs’ A Beyond the Page series, but has the same small town vibe with business owners and friends sharing in the discoveries.

“Murder in a Cup” is the second book in the Crystals and CuriosiTEAS Mystery series. Shay Meyers is settling into the cottage and business left to her by her biological mother. Trouble comes to town when her employee Tassi’s father and his girlfriend arrive for a visit. The girlfriend dies from poisoning after accepting a cup of tea from Tassi. Shay receives help from her friend Liam’s Irish grandmother in understanding her heritage.

Interesting setting and characters. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher and/or author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you #netgalley and #KensingtonCozies for the eARC of this book.

In the story timeline, it has been a year since Shay moved back to her home town and her life changed in mystical ways.

In reality - I feel like there's a big change in writing from book 1 to book 2. Maybe not so much in the writing but in the characters. I gave book #1, steeped in secrets 4 stars with a review of good character building. Book 2- kind of takes that away. Shay (our main character) has become overly whiney. After surviving all the murder and mayhem of the first book, I would think her confidence would grow, but out of no where, her confidence disappears and she doesn't trust herself with anything. She's constantly making assumptions about every encounter and situation that comes her way. All the self-doubt doesn't make sense.

We are introduced to Liam's Gran. Moving to America after the death of her husband and now living with Liam and... Zoey? Again, another 180 from the first book. Liam was all gun ho on Shay and that he and Zoey are just friends. Then we find out that Zoey had moved in with him and they're a couple? I don't need a whole lotta of romance with my mystery but the quick change from just friends and the obvious attraction with Shay to living with Zoey and only friends with Shay - again doesn't make sense and throws me out of the story. Gran makes a fine addition to the character line up. But even her presence leaves Shay wishy washy on talking to Gran and learning about her family and heritage. At first she avoids the topic. Then she want's to know everything. Then she want's to avoid it again.

Book 2 also gets a bit more woo woo with the magics and old world mystics. Which is expected and helps move the story along and is the one step forward in character growth.

I wanted to like the story so much more than I did. So I'm going to consider book 2 as a parallel universe to book 1. And wait and see what book 3 gives me! I might sound a bit harsh on "Murder in a Cup" but the over all story was really interesting. I just want to see the characters moving in better direction.

Book 2 of A Crystals & CuriosiTEAS Mystery series finds Shay becoming more comfortable with the tea shop and her new life complete with “inky feelings,” while reminding herself that “when things fall apart, other things fall in place.” This is a great saying to keep in mind because there is so much to book 2 but I don’t want to give any of it away…other than to say timing is everything and it appears to still not be quite right in the romance department (ARGGG).
Suffice it to say, this cozy will have you trying to make sense of the patterns as the plot takes shape, much like the tea leaves that Shay deciphers. There are at least two subplots plus the murder and the story arc involving Shay’s biological father, whom no one wants to meet in a dark alley to be sure. We learn about the Early family history and its magic from Liam’s Gran who is quite the character with her fanciful talk of the Seelie and Unseelie Court. Don’t take Gran for granted or discount her because she is person of great knowledge, and still has a few tricks up her sleeves or rather, in her crystals’ case. Useful tricks and abilities that Shay is going to need if she is to help her young friend Tassi. Between the removal of the poisonous plants, murder by tea, a restraining order, accusations of witchcraft, a conniving cousin, heart palpations, and a large number of suppositions, you will not be bored or able to put the book down. I suggest you find a recipe for Scottish scones; I would suggest the Scottish Scran website, make a few and hunker down for a great read. After the great family history lesson, I can see why Shay was drawn to gemology, and I wonder if maybe she’ll be drawn to the other Madigan.

Lauren Elliott continues Crystals and CuriosiTEAS series in Murder in a Cup. Shay Myers has an Irish witch in her ancestry and blends teas and her seer's abilities in her tea shop. As she does a reading the lady who drops dead is the girlfriend of the father of her young friend.. This father is a lawyer and is trying to get control of his daughter. Suspects abound. The paranormal angle adds some spice. Read and enjoy.

Murder in A Cup" By Lauren Elliott. The second book in the series it's off to a magnificent continuation with characters and the fun and amazing mystery and suspense of who did it. Who is this mysterious lady that has come to haunt Shay and feels she has to get to the bottom of this mysterious women?
An enjoyable fun read with trying to make it seem she is a real witch with all the fun. Looking forward to the next book. Shay's tea shop is an exciting place to be and find out information..

This is such an amazing series! I think this one is even better then the first! I can't wait for the next one!

Shay Myers and her sister Jen are having great success with Crystals & CuriousiTEAS in the quaint coastal town of Bray Harbor, CA Shay inherited the shop from her previously unknown birth mother, and has transformed it into a very popular new age tea shop. Shay is also slowly learning about some talents she didn't know she had, such as reading tea leaves, palms and sensing peoples' auras.

Liam owns the local pub near the tea shop. He's been in Ireland settling the affairs if his late grandfather and has brought his Gram back with him. Shay bonds with Gram almost instantly and a new chapter in her life begins.

When someone is murdered during a group tea reading, it's Gran that helps Shay tune in to her talents to identify the killer.

I love this series of books and can't wait for the next installment.

#MurderinaCup

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Lauren Elliott

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

Shay Meyers is still learning about her biological mother and her own ability to read aura's. She is enjoying running the tea shop she inherited from her mother called Crystals and CuriousiTeas. However, she is worried about all the poisonous plants in her greenhouse. When the one of the members of the group dies, Shay's shop comes under suspicion. The woman died in her shop and the poison may have come from one of her plants. Her shop assistant is the prime suspect as she didn't like the victim, who was her Dad's new girlfriend.

I enjoyed this story. I love learning about the Irish myths and like the characters. It is easy to read and and nice escape.

A great addition to the series. We get to know our characters a little better and the mystery was solid with a few twists. I was kept guessing.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is such a great series, tea, a little bit of witchiness, Irish accents, and solving murders!

This series has something for everyone. I was hooked from the beginning of the first book. Lauren's writing is engaging and the setting and characters are perfect. Looking forward to so much more from this series.

Really good book. Fun read, even if the Scottish accent was a bit hard to decipher sometimes. Good mystery. Kept me guessing! Looking forward to book #3!

I read the first book in this series at the end of 2022 & knew this series would quickly become a favorite. So when the newest installment came out I gobbled it up on release day.

It has all my favorite things in a cozy:
- small oceanside town 🌊
- an inherited tea shop ☕️
- a big dog 🐩
- quirky cast of characters 🫶
- a little magic ✨🔮
- and murder! 🔪

So pick this one up today! This series is a great one to start if you haven’t tried cozies yet!

Special thanks to @kensingtonbooks for the ARC.

It was so wonderful to dive back into Shay’s world of crystals and curiosiTEAS. I actually loved the audiobook narrator so much on the first book that I waited for the audiobook of this one. I think it’s the Irish accents she does for Gran and Liam, I just love listening to it.
Murder in a Cup takes place a year after the events of Steeped in Secrets. Shay seems to have really mastered the art of running a tea shop, but she’s still having trouble with the witchy seeing the future tea leaf reading stuff. Luckily, Liam has brought home his gran from Ireland, and she is excited to teach Shay everything her mother wanted to teach her.
Gran is an absolute gem and really brings in some more cozy found family elements to the story. Plus she’s answering all the questions i still had from the first book. Gran teaches Shay a bunch about Irish fairy lore, and it’s so lovely to listen to on the audiobook.
Once again we’re getting new knowledge of plants and crystals and their properties, and it’s very interesting and helpful to the plot. The mystery itself really kept me guessing once again, though some parts were a little predictable and I find that Shay is often too nice/naieve. But she is also a nice person who wants to think the best of everyone, and I am not that type of person 😅😅
Also Spirit the dog is wonderful and loyal as ever, he’s the smartest character in the book and I love him forever. Tassie is precious and I can’t wait to see more of her character growth.
I will say the ending surprised me a bit, but this definitely felt like a book that’s building the series/plot, like a lot of new information was introduced that I assume we will see more of in the next book(s).
So personally I loved this book. If you like cozy mysteries or paranormal cozies or stories that involve tea and crystals, I think you will definitely like this book. This is one where you should read the 1st book before starting this one, because it answeris a lot of questions and adds more to the plot

I'm really enjoying this series so far! This was a delightful and fun cozy mystery with witchy vibes. It's nice seeing Shay grow into her craft, and the addition of Gran to help her with her magic was wonderful. I'm also getting very invested in the building relationship between Shay and Liam.

The story is well written, entertaining, and filled with plenty of twists along the way. I had an inkling of the identity of the culprit but still enjoyed everything leading up to the reveal.

I highly recommend Murder in a Cup to anyone who likes a good witchy cozy mystery!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Murder in a Cup is a delightful witchy tale by Lauren Elliott, and not one to be missed.

Shay and her sister, Jen, are back for a new adventure. When their employee Tassi's to-be-step-mom is killed at a reading in the shop, Shay has to put all her sleuthing skills to the test, before Tassi is convicted of the crime!

I love this series, which is saying a lot since I really, really love Lauren Elliott's bookshop series. She's combined a paranormal tale with a cozy mystery, intertwining the two seamlessly. A welcome addition to the neighbourhood is Liam's grandmother, Gran, who has come to live with Liam and overs insight into Shay's "talents". I just adore Gran and I can't wait to see what she gets up to in the next adventure!!!

If you like witchy mysteries I can't recommend this series enough! I read a fair amount of paranormal mysteries, and I feel like I'm learning more "witchy" things with this series and I'm here for it!