This is book 5 in the Tea by the Sea Cozy series. I did not read any of the previous books in the series but had no trouble following the story or the characters. Members of the Greenhaugh and Hill families are staying at Lily’s grandmother’s bed and breakfast, and now they’ve gathered at Tea by the Sea to sip some delicious blends while they shower bride-to-be Hannah Hill with presents. But the last package Hannah unwraps contains a beheaded Raggedy Ann doll and triggers a bloodcurdling scream. A doll like this was the last gift from her father before he died long ago, and she’s chilled to the bone.Lily senses that the shocking anonymous gift just might be related to other tensions she’s picking up on. The mothers-in-law have been sniping at each other—and then Lily, out walking her dog, overhears the groom’s father, Ralph, offering his son a very sizable bribe to call off the wedding. She’s relieved when Greg angrily turns him down, but with so many people steamed at each other, can this event possibly go smoothly?

4.25⭐ Feel like I have been missing out. Just finished this delightful cozy mystery and realized that it's fifth in this series. While I had absolutely no difficulty in understanding all the characters and their relationship to one another, I am sure there were nuances I might have missed. It's just they were all such interesting characters, I wanted to know more of their back stories. Lily, at her teashop and bakery, and her grandmother, Rose, at her luxury B&B, are hosting a wedding party and pre-wedding events, when things go away. While the bride's side are warm and personable, the groom's family is toxic. Well-paced and well-written.

* I knew who the killer was the second they entered the story and I am not going to lie, that was very disappointing.

* By the middle of the story, I knew the "why" of the murder and that too was disappointing.

* Much like my complaint of book four, this book too suffers from over-dramatic writing [which is then hugely amplified by the narrator], which led to eye-rolling and moments of frustration.

* While this technically has nothing to do with the book, it is still important IMO and deserves to be in the review; the narrator/narration was also VERY frustrating [was Mackenzie from Boston? England? Both? Why switch mid-book? smh] and I know her inability [this time; I have listened to her before with little issue] to keep an accent/voice made for an even more frustrating read for me [given my previous listens of her narration]. To be completely fair, I cannot even imagine trying to narrate a book with as many characters as this book had and I give huge PROPS to anyone who does narration, but when you have certain expectations as a reader, it is jarring to get something different

* The reveal. Really?? ::eyeroll::

** I still love Lily and Co. and the time spent with them at both the Inn [I ADORE Edna and wish we would see more of her] and the Tea Shoppe is lovely [even when Lily is working her fool head off]. I honestly love how Rose has mellowed some and isn't the abrasive, put-offish character she initally was; her snark is still fantastic, but her mellowness is also fantastic and I think the author has found the best way to write Rose now. I am not a huge fan of Bernie, but she was really okay in this one [though I doubt she will ever truly finish that book LOL].

** ALL. THE. FOOD. Great Googly Moogly these books make me so hungry [I would do some serious damage for a truly spectacular gluten-free scone] and I want it ALL, even the salmon, which I absolutely do not like. ::GRIN::

** The premise of this book/mystery was good and some of the family dynamic was fantastic and unexpected. The shenanigans at the shower was both interesting [the why] and horrifying all at the same time and I really enjoyed that there was an explanation at the end about it all and that there was a solid resolution. That was very satisfying [especially after that reveal...].

** I really like how the book ended and set up book six without it being a cliffhanger. Just enough information to intrigue the reader and leave us wanting book six now and waiting not so patiently.

Overall, this was a decent read that didn't work fully for me, but it didn't make me want to quit the series and I will take that as a win.

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

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

Victoria-On-Sea is an elegant B & B on the waters of Cape Cod, in North Augusta, Massachusetts. Rooms are decorated as if Queen Victoria might come at any moment to visit. Rose, an Englishwoman who lived in Iowa all of her married life, purchased it and moved after her beloved husband passed away. Her granddaughter, Lily, runs Tea by the Sea on the same property, offering English style tea services. The B&B is booked for the season, and the tearoom, only in its first summer, is doing well. They have a head for business, a heart for their guests, and wisdom to help solve the occasional crime.

One set of current guests at the B&B includes a foursome of bridge players who came on a long weekend getaway. They soon realized they shared the B&B with an obnoxious family staying there for the wedding of their son. One bridge lady would hide under stairwells and out of the way corners to listen in on what she probably considered better than reality television!

The synopsis above, (from Amazon), highlights the cruel gestures that ended in murder on what should have been the best weekend of Hannah and Greg’s life! Hannah, the bride to be, and her mother, Judy, were at a hotel in town. The wedding was set for Saturday. Their families shared a past that most people were happier to not know. Greg’s parents, Ralph and Sophia, strongly disliked each other, and carried a long-time grudge against Hannah’s mother, Jenny.

Hannah’s bridal shower was held outdoors at Tea by the Sea. After most of the gifts were opened, husbands, groomsmen, and boyfriends joined them to have desserts and champagne with the ladies. There was one large package left that didn’t have a gift tag. Greg and Hannah opened it together. Inside was a decapitated Raggedy Ann doll, with both portions inside the box. Hannah was horrified and, weeping, left the shower early. Greg’s mother, Sophia, ordered them to return to the shower but Hannah was too upset.

The next morning, Ralph was found dead, lying fully clothed on top of his bed. Later, it was determined he had been poisoned by a huge overdose of one of his meds. Their suspect, thanks to Sophia, was Jenny.

When the lab confirmed that Ralph had been poisoned, the police sent techs to go through the suites his family was staying in. The bridge ladies watched from their doors to see the crime scene techs in the hallway. Karen, who one of the detectives called a crime scene groupie, kept making excuses to leave her room and listen in on the police.

Hannah and her mother Jenny were quickly brought up to date on what happened. Rose, Lily, and Bernie, Lily’s best friend, all liked Jenny and Hannah, and didn’t want Jenny arrested for something they were certain she didn’t do. Greg even contacted his family’s attorney to help when Jenny was questioned.

Lily and Bernie did all they could, and gave Amy, one of the detectives, any information they learned. Amy found them to be helpful in past murders. She didn’t want them getting hurt, but would take what they learned. Even Rose joined the investigation, as she could easily converse with others, showing genuine interest rather than being nosy.

The killer’s identity was somewhat surprising! I had been suspicious of the person several times, but did not have sufficient information for the right conclusion until almost the very end. I love the secret room in the B&B that has Rose and Lily have made good use of since the beginning! I am looking forward to the next mystery, as well as seeing the blossoming relationship between Lily and Simon. He has a job arranged in England for the winter, and for now has the joy of being the English gardener at Victoria-on-Sea, the most beautiful and visited gardens in North Augusta. I highly recommend this delightful cozy mystery with the best of an English-style B&B, gardens, and tea room.

Vicki Delany continues her Tea by the Sea series with Trouble is Brewing. Lily is serving tea for a wedding party that are staying at her grandmother's B&B. The family of bride and groom are very antagonistic and then the groom's father turns up dead. What could go more wrong?
A good but not distinguished cozy not quite up to the rest of the series. Still a fun read.

It has been awhile since I had read this series so it took a bit to remember the characters but once I did I enjoyed it very much . Vicki Delaney is one of my favorite cozy authors and an automatic read for me

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher

This is the fifth book in the Tea by the Sea Mysteries and I have read all of them except the first. Not sure how I missed that one but I will make a note to read it when I have the opportunity.

Trouble Is Brewing opens with Lily hosting a wedding shower at her Cape Cod tea room. It is not a particularly friendly event as the happy couples' families are from very different life styles and do not get on well. An unpleasant surprise wedding gift causes the event to end suddenly. Later there is a murder at Lily's grandmother's bed and breakfast and of course Lily becomes involved in the investigations.

I enjoyed the mystery and was pleased to see Lily and Amy, the police officer in charge, sharing information. It was also nice to see Simon and Lily's romance developing steadily. Vicki Delany writes well and I enjoy her books very much, including this one.

This should be one of the happiest days of Hannah Hill’s life, as Tea by the Sea is hosting her bridal shower in their Outer Cape tearoom. Instead it’s a Hatfields vs McCoys (or Capulets vs Montagues) situation, with the groom’s family detesting the bride and her mother. Hannah’s Boston Brahaim future mother-in-law Sophia Reynolds is not shy about her disdain for her son’s choice of a “lower class” bride and dislikes Hannah’s own mother Jenny even more. This is ironic considering that Sophia’s mother-in-law seems to hate Sophia as well, ensuring for an awkward bridal shower and an even more tense upcoming wedding. After overhearing the groom’s father attempt to bribe his own son into canceling the nuptials, Tea by the Sea owner Lily Roberts is prepared for the worst, but even she was not expecting to find the elder Ralph Reynolds dead. While Sophia is the first to accuse Jenny Hill of murder, Sophia’s mother-in-law Mrs. Regina Reynolds is just as quick to point the finger at her daughter-in-law.

While Lily loves her quiet life running the tearoom and preparing breakfasts for her grandmother’s B&B, Lily’s best friend Bernadette “Bernie” Murphy is more than ready to jump into an investigation of the two rivaling families. The tearoom’s gardener Simon - who also happens to be Lily’s boyfriend - is busy fending off Sophia’s daughter, a predatory Mean Girl who ignores her own musician boyfriend. As Lily and Bernie soon learn, Jenny and the late Ralph Reynolds had a romantic past together, one he never got over and led to his hatred of her entire family. While Lily admirably tolerates McKenzie Reynold’s obnoxious condescension and lechery towards Simon, Lily is less willing to allow a murderer to ruin her young guests promising matrimony.

This third in the series mixes descriptions of Lily’s’ delicious bakery confections with her compassionate questioning of the bride’s and groom’s families. Bridge playing guests vicariously witness the shenanigans, especially when Bernie throws herself into the investigation on the pretense of it being fodder for the book she plans on writing. The former forensic accountant may not have settled on just exactly what’s writing, but it wouldn’t be a shock if it eventually becomes a mystery centered around a female detecting duo. The Cape Cod and tearoom settings are charming and especially cozy, and readers will be enticed into planning their next vacation for the coast as soon as possible. A tantalizing tease at the end of novel hints at a trip overseas though, promising an intriguing twist on the classic gothic mystery.

Every time I read a book in the Tea by the Sea mystery series, I want to go and visit the B&B owned by Lily's grandmother, visit the tea house, and walk through the gardens. Vicki Delany does a fantastic job of bringing this location to life and making it inviting, despite the number of murders that occur here.

This was another fun mystery in the Tea by the Sea series. Vicki Delany kept me guessing until the end. Looking forward to reading the next book in this series when it has been written and released.

Trouble Is Brewing is the 5th installment of the Tea by the Sea cozy mystery series by Vicki Delany. It's set in the Cape Cod area and follows Lily who run a charming tearoom, her best friend Bernie, who is trying to write a novel, their handsome English gardener, Simon and Lily's grandmother, Rose, who owns a B&B on the same property as the tearoom. When Lily isn't busy with her tearoom, and making breakfast every morning for the B & B, she's trying to help her friends and local police solve mysteries. A nice read to go with your cup of tea.

Trouble is Brewing is the fifth book in the series (A Tea by the Sea). Each story takes place around a B&B and tea house. They are owned by two of the main characters, and the businesses are right next to each other. The descriptions of Rose’s B&B Victoria-on-Sea and Lily’s tea house are wonderful. I enjoy hearing the descriptions of the food & tea served at both places.

The mystery provides plenty of interesting suspects, which keeps things challenging. One of the best parts of this book, and series, is how the author not only introduces us to a new group of characters (for whom the murder mystery revolves around) but describes each person so well it feels like they’ve been around the series for a long time.

This book (and the series) is well written. The pace is perfect. I’m looking forward to the next in the series!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for this wonderful ARC. I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I’ve posted this review to my Goodreads, Bookbub, & Amazon accounts.

Vicki Delany's books are wonderful and this is a series I haven't read - but the book was still delightful and I look forward to more books in the series.

Just another lovely addition to one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I would love to just drop everything and open a tea shop by sea - crime and all. 🫖☕️

Trouble is Brewing is the fifth cozy mystery in the Tea by the Sea Mysteries series. When a bridal party descends on the Tea by the Sea tea shop and mysterious gift is found it sets off a wave of uneasiness through the crowd. No one wants to find a doll head wrapped up in a package for their wedding shower, but that’s exactly what happens. The shocking gift has the already taut tensions rising amongst the guests and it all culminates in a murder. Lily Robert’s is no newbie when it comes to murder and with the help of her best friend and grandma they unravel the case until they’ve discovered the killer.

I am always glad to visit Tea by the Sea again and see what craziness is in store for Lily and the gang. Tea by the Sea is the type of place I’d love to visit and I love living vicariously through the setting in this book. I enjoyed this take on a mystery with the family drama unfolding in front of us. This was a fun and intriguing cozy mystery that pulled me in from the beginning and kept me guessing until almost the end. The different layers in this mystery and the suspects was intriguing and kept this mystery interesting. If you haven’t read the other books in this series you could read this one as a standalone without a problem. If you are looking for a fun cozy mystery with a great setting and fun, quirky characters this series is worth a read!

This book has complex characters. I felt like the family drama was happening right next to me. I was very surprised by who the killer ended up being, ,I’d had no clue. #TroubleIsBrewing #NetGalley

Princess Fuzzypants here: There are books that take the reader away to wherever they are set and elicit strong emotional reactions. I find myself swept away to a wonderful B&B and Tea House. I have no difficulty picturing the house and grounds and I am ready to book a trip and scarf down scones each time. It is a gorgeous spot for Wedding Shower. Lily and her team have outdone themselves. The grooms wedding party are ensconced in rooms at the B&B. it should be a glorious celebration.

Things turn dark when a mean “joke” is played on the bride to be. There is a lot of rancour between the two families and even within the groom’s family. Dysfunctional does not begin to cover it. When the groom’s father ends up dead, there is no lack of suspects including his wife and his mother. Lily, Bernie, Rose and Simon all take part in tracking down the killer and the motive. Even the police begrudgingly admire the work the team does in nailing the guilty party. It is a corker of a story with all sorts of twists and some very cool detecting. The interpersonal relationships are wonderful and they make a strong counterpoint to the vitriol that bounces around the groom’s family. Five purrs and two paws up.

This series is just tons of fun to read. It’s exactly what you want from a cozy - quirky characters, a vibrant setting, and well paced mysteries. This latest installment features a wedding party gone awry when one of the members ends up dead. There were plenty of suspects in the unpleasant crew, with Delany providing serious red herrings. I’m really looking forward to the next book in the series. The ending teased something exciting!

Pro
* I feel like tea by the sea and the B&B are home now
* Tea service and pastry details are superb, as usual
* Rose is fun, as usual
* I always appreciate that Lily actually does her job instead of (like many cozy main characters) putting sleuthing before her responsibilities.
* The mystery is solid.

Con
* At times feels like just the basic cozy framework.
* Current trend of police info-dumping to amateur sleuths about active cases

Trouble Is Brewing is a delightful cozy mystery, which is set on Cape Cod and follows Lily and her friends as they run a charming tearoom and B&B while also solving local mysteries. In this installment, Lily is hosting a bridal shower for Hannah at Tea-by-the-Sea. The celebration is going smoothly until the bride opens a package revealing a headless doll. Unfortunately, the doll is the least of the day's problems; that night, the groom's father is discovered murdered. With the two families at each other's throats and a B&B full of guests, Lily has her hands full.

Trouble is Brewing is an excellent cozy mystery. I absolutely loved the setting. I felt as if I was there sitting on the tearoom's terrace among the gorgeous flowers with the ocean waves crashing in the background. The characters are quirky and fun. I particularly enjoyed Bernie and Rose! The mystery was intriguing and kept me guessing until the end! I cannot wait to follow Lily and friends in their next adventure! I will also be trying numerous of the recipes provided at the end of the book.

A great addition to an incredible series! Wonderful characters in an incredible setting. This book will keep you guessing until the end.