Trouble Is Brewing is book #5 in the Tea by the Sea Mysteries series by Vicki Delany.

What can go wrong with a wedding where the two families don’t get along? Unfortunately, Lily finds out. She hosts a bridal shower at the tea shop and the families are staying at her grandmother’s bed and breakfast. A disturbing gift and then a murder have Lily investigating. I enjoyed following along the twists and turns of the investigation. Another entertaining addition to the series!

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

Trouble is Brewing is the fifth installment in the Tea By The Sea mystery series. Lily hosts a wedding shower at her teashop. Tensions are high between the Reynolds and Hill family, as the grooms snobby parents disapprove of Hannah Hill, the bride-to-be and her mother as well. When the grooms father is found dead in his room at grandma Rose's bed and breakfast, Lily can't help herself from doing some sleuthing; with help from her best friend Bernie and her spunky grandma Rose. This was an enjoyable book with a good plot, some suspense, plenty of red herrings, and a little romance sprinkled in. I enjoy all the books by this author and look forward to reading the next book in this series.

A wedding celebration is all set to take place with the groom's family staying at the B&B and wedding shower taking place in the tearoom, but something is amiss with odd occurrences happening until finally a dead body is found. Was it natural causes or was it murder. Lily is all set to let the police do their job, but when it looks like the wrong person is going to be accused Rose, Bernie and Lily decide they may have to do a bit of discreet investigation too! The characters are so much fun as they are well crafted that you can't help, but love them and cheer them on. The relationships between the characters are exactly what you would hope to find between friends and family. Although the characters that you aren't supposed to like are also extremely well written as you definitely don't like them either! The plot is wonderfully written with many twists, turns and red herrings. I have grown to love this series so very much and absolutely can't wait to come back to visit this cast of characters again very soon!

This is the fifth in the Tea By The Sea Mystery series and not the first I have read. It is a standalone story but you will lose some of the character background if they are read out of order.

This story reminded me a lot of Romeo and Juliet with the families feuding. I liked the spin on this version.
I would like to see Lily grow more of a backbone and get out of the kitchen and investigate instead of just observe. In this aspect, I prefer Ms. Delaney’s other series.
It wasn’t too hard for me to pick the killer out but I did find the story fascinating.

Netgalley gave me an advanced reader’s copy and I am not required to leave a positive review. I rate this story 3.5 out of 5.

I love this series and it just gets better with each entry. Of course, I love all of the series that Vicki Delany writes…she’s just that good!

If you’re a cozy lover and haven’t read one of her books yet, you do not want to miss out on this author and her work! Grab a copy and settled in along with a pot of tea.

A wedding is in the air. The groom’s family is staying at the b&b and Tea by the Sea is hosting the wedding shower. Should be quite the weekend. Until the groom’s father is found dead. Natural causes or murder? Lily says she is staying clear. But that’s easier said than done when everything happens in front of you. Great characters, wonderful setting, and lots of action. Loved it!

A busy installment in this cute cozy series, Trouble By the Sea is book 5 by Vicki Delany. I like the setting of a tea shop in a cozy New England town, the darling cover is just how I picture it in my mind. Lily and Rose, along with the supporting characters, work well together whether solving crimes or caring for cranky guests. I enjoy my visits in their world---and hope there will be many more in the future.

I recommend this book to others who enjoy cozy mystery and tea.

Thank you to #NetGalley #KensingtonPublishing #KensingtonCozies #VickiDelany for the opportunity to read and review an advance reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
#TroubleIsBrewing #NetGalley #TeaByTheSea

It is always charming to visit Victoria-on-Sea and Lily's Tea-on-Sea. I do appreciate the versatility Ms. Delany presents as a writer in terms of the differences in her series, though I do pick up a little from Lily that I do from Gemma in her Sherlock bookstore mysteries (which if you have not read, you definitely should!).

In this story, family drama unfolds as Lily's tearoom closes for a private bridal shower. The perfectly pleasant event turns dark as a mysterious gift appears upsetting the bride to be. The situation later worsens as the father of the groom makes a celestial discharge from the planet and his mother and spouse are pointing the fingers at each other and marring the happy couple's nuptials, which puts the whole celebration on hold.

There are plenty of shady characters for whodunit (I guessed wrong!). I thought the plot was thoroughly sketched out and had me guessing til nearly the end. Of course the star of this series is Lily's tearoom and her mouthwateringly delicious baked goods. Someday I plan to have a proper English scone as apparently what passes for that in America is outrageous.

My thanks to Kensington Cozies and Netgalley for this ARC.

wedding-madness, pet-dog, family-drama, family-dynamics, family-expectations, family-history, unpleasant-guests, unpleasant-in-laws, unpleasant-relative, caterer, catering, culinary, recipes, cozy-mystery, Cape Cod, small-town, small-business, gardener, amateur-sleuth, bed-and-breakfast, local-law-enforcement, entitled-attitude, wealthy, murder, investigation, friendship, tea-shop, siblings, situational-humor, bribery, poisons****

The families and friends are gathered for the imminent wedding of two thirtysomethings, but both sets of parents and a grandmother are at daggers drawn at the tea party ordered and paid for by the groom's mother. Turns out that the enmity harks back to a broken engagement. So why did someone deliver a wrapped "gift" containing a beheaded replica of a beloved childhood doll? And who poisoned the groom's alcoholic father? And why did all this drama have to happen at Lily’s grandmother’s bed and breakfast? Good story!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#TeaByTheSeaBk5

I like this series. Things progress from book to book. I enjoy the characters and the setting.

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

Rose's Bed and Breakfast along with the Tea Shop is one of my favorite places to read about. The mysterys are excellent. The characters you will love. This one is about a groom's dad being murdered at the BnB. Lots of suspects to keep the reader guessing. Love this series! Thanks #Netgalley and #Kensington for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

What is it about weddings? A simple bridal shower reveals a lot in this cozy where the father of the groom is poisoned! Turns out, he didn't want his son Greg to marry Hannah- there's a long history of bad blood between the families. But murder? That's the question Lily and her pal Bernie set out to answer. It's a nicely twisty cozy with a dysfunctional family at the center. I've liked this series for its setting and characters- and know that each one (including this latest) will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. A good read.

This is not a bad book. It's just not my favorite. I love Vicki Delany's other series quite a bit, but this one just isn't for me. The setting is wonderful, I love the Tea Shop, I think the problem is I can't get invested in the characters. All poor Lily does is work while everyone runs around doing as they will, very occasionally helping her out. It has bothered me in other books in the series that Lily doesn't stand up for herself. At least now she has Simon, who seems to care a bit about her. Her grandmother has mellowed a bit, thankfully, but Bernie is still beyond annoying and scattered. The story is not helped by the fact that the murder centers around a disfunctional and very unlikable family. If it wasn't for the poor bride and groom to be, I would say let them go at it. It's not a bad mystery, but the on again, off again, are we investigating or not is also annoying. The group doesn't do much except "observe," which is probably because Lily can't get out of the kitchens. I think a lot of folks would probably enjoy this series, but it's just not for me. Thanks to #NetGalley and #Kensingtonbooks for a chance to try again. #TroubleisBrewing, #VickiDelany, #bookreview, #bookideas, #retiredreader

I enjoyed the latest installment in this recently discovered series. Family secrets abound in Delany’s newest mystery. The mystery was engaging and the killer came as a bit of a surprise.

"Trouble is Brewing" is a fun, cozy mystery set in a Bed and Breakfast owned by Rose. Her granddaughter, Lily, is the chef that likes to investigate crime scenes on the side. There is a wedding scheduled with the shower being held at the bnb. The groom and his family are also staying there. Before the wedding, the groom's dad is murdered on the property. The wedding is put on hold as murder is investigated. Lily and her friends get involved in the investigation. There are a lot of characters in this book. It's a bit hard to keep up with all of them. Read this book to see who did it! There are a lot of suspects. I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

The Tea by the Sea mysteries series ticks a lot of boxes for fans of cozy mysteries: Lily Roberts had a high-powered big-city career and downsized to a small town family business, she owns a teashop, she is supported in her adventures and sleuthing by friends and family, including mostly stalwart and quirky women, she has a somewhat committed relationship with quite a few uncertainties, and the books are full of local color and domestic details. What's not to like?

This installment centers on a wedding with a highly dysfunctional family sharing a lot of complicated relationships and messy secrets. Lily and the gang can't resist getting involved, and their cooperative sleuthing helps to bring the culprit to justice. There are plenty of twists and turns, and some yummy-sounding recipes, too.

This is book 5 of the series, and the second I have read. Lilly and her grandmother are dealing with a bridal party with Momzilla issues, and as it turns out a lot of baggage among the parents. When things get weird, then deadly, everyone seems to have a motive and become a suspect. With more twists than a roller coaster, this cozy will keep you reading til you finish it!

This series is so good and needs to continue for a long time! I know it's relatively new for her, but she's going a great job introducing characters and having the reader connect to them. I like that it's something different that I read, but this author isn't new to me. She's an amazing cozy writer.

A Bridal tea. Feuding families. A lovely Bed and Breakfast by the sea. A dog named Éclair. A light romance. A murderer on the loose. And intrepid amateur sleuths that are not investigating (but really are). This charming cozy mystery has it all and more. I couldn't put it down.

A terrific addition to this wonderful series.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Vicki Delany for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Trouble Is Brewing coming out July 23, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is one of my favorite writers! I love this series! The bed and breakfast and tea shop setting is a lot of fun. I love Cape Cod. It’s a beautiful place. It definitely feels cozy. There was definitely a lot of family drama with the wedding. Poisonings seem to happen a lot in cozy mysteries. I really enjoyed it though. There was some good character development for Lily. I’m excited to check out the next book!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy tea mysteries!