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!

Lily's Cape Cod tea shop is hosting a bridal shower. Hannah Hill is marrying Greg Reynolds. The two families could not be more different - Hannah is a teacher while Greg's family owns a business and appears to have endless funds. The Reynolds group is staying at Lily's grandmother's B & B while Hannah and her mother are at a less expensive hotel. The bridal shower ends on an unexpected note when a beheaded Raggedy Ann doll falls from the beautifully wrapped box with no card. Hannah screams and leaves the shower . Her soon-to-be mother-in-law insists the shower continue, dismissing Hannah's reaction as an over reaction.
Not long after, the groom's father is found dead in his hotel room. What at first appeared to be a heart attack is declared murder and the police focus on family members of the bride and groom since there's no love lost between them.. Despite her resolve to not get involved, Lily, Grandmother Rose and friend Bernie soon find themselves considering motives and digging for information. Bernie's computer research skills, uncover secrets that the Reynold's family haughty, snobbish front would like kept quiet.
This is #5 in the Tea By The Sea Mystery series. It's quick read that bogs down a bit when the amateur detectives are considering possible motives but regains momentum once the clues start to come together.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for the ARC.

3.5 stars

The pleasantly readable latest entry in the Tea by the Sea cozy series. Formally trained pastry chef Lily has left the high pressure restaurant world in the big city to operate a tea shop next to her English grandmother's New England coastal B&B. She still works hard, but she is her own boss and enjoys her life. She has a great work crew, and her best friend Bernie lives nearby. She has made a nice life for herself and is content.

But, in the way of cozies, troublesome dead bodies keep popping up. This time, a family has booked the B&B prior to a wedding. Unfortunately, the two families are awful. The bride and groom are a lovely young couple but the other family members are toxic. The groom's parents have an unhappy marriage and his mother and her mother-in-law hate each other. The groom's whole family is snobby and entitled and looks down on the bride's mother. So, the pre-wedding week is quite unpleasant, capped off by the apparent murder of the groom's father.

Lily and Bernie begin by saying they have no intention of investigating, but they can't stay uninvolved and are soon diving in to check out suspects. The tea shop characters and Lily's work life are nicely drawn with some delectable descriptions of her fancy high teas and their presentations. We raise an eyebrow at how much information is shared by the local police, but that's what makes the cozy world work. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Two families gather at Cape Cod for a wedding with the groom's family staying at Victoria-at-Sea, the B&B Lily's grandmother Rose owns and where Lily makes the breakfasts before going across the lawn to her tea room. An incident at the bride's shower at the tea room puts a damper on the day two days before the wedding. The next morning the groom's father is found dead in his room. No one in his family seems to get along with each other, and none seem that broken up by his death, with his wife accusing the brides mother of doing the deed. Lily, Rose and their friends end up helping the police sort out a very strange reason for the murder and get an arrest of the right person.

An engaging and pleasant addition to a charming series. Family issues. A bridal shower. Lots of yummy food and tea. A smidgeon of romance and hint of England. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Another great addition to this series. I love the characters and all their banter. This mystery had a few more suspects and motives than some, and made for an interesting read. I love the way the amateur sleuths figured things out. Very clever!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“Trouble is Brewing ” by Vicki Delany the 5th instalment in the “Tea by the Sea Mysteries”. I’m never disappointed when I pick up one of Vicki Delany’s books. Lily Roberts’s Cape Cod tearoom is hosting a bridal shower—until a gruesome gift sends the guest of honor running in fear . . .
I found myself engrossed in the story and reading in couple days. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and delectable food.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and kept me guessing till the very end. I love the main character of Lily, her grandmother Rose, Simon, and her BFF Bernie.

I won’t go into detail about the mystery as the book blurb does a wonderful job of it but I will say if you like afternoon tea, the seaside, and a great mystery then this series is for you. Includes recipes at back of book ... yummy

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.