A cozy little mystery to accompany your cup of tea.

I was initially drawn to the premise, as I love a good mystery/thriller. While it’s a perfect mystery for someone who wants a lighthearted read, this book was not for me.

It was hard to be attached to the characters and their storylines. There was a lot of telling rather than showing with the main character being a little too good at everything. Her incredible intuition on human nature felt like a cop out when it came to the storytelling.

The story also felt like too much and not enough was happening all at once.

All in all, not the worst book I’ve read but this author’s writing style is not for me. Would recommend to friends looking for a change in genre when they’re going on vacation.

Lily Roberts is enjoying herself as she caters a bridal shower at her tea rooms, Tea by the Sea. Things change when an unfortunate gift ends the afternoon prematurely, and she later overhears an unsettling conversation between two members of the groom’s party! Now Lily is looking forward to the wedding being over so everyone can leave her grandmother’s B&B, Victoria on Sea, and things can return to their tranquil norm.

When a body is discovered in one of the bedrooms Lily tries to keep away from the investigation but with her grandmother Rose, and best friend Bernie, keen to find out what happened that proves difficult! Then, while walking her dog Éclair, with boyfriend, Simon, they discover another member of the party has been attacked and Lily is reluctantly drawn in before the reputation of both businesses suffer negatively and someone else dies.

The fifth book in Vicki Delany’s cosy series doesn't disappoint and I enjoyed it very much. The every day workings of the tea rooms and bed and breakfast add a lovely cheerful realism to the more nefarious activities and I am always delighted when a new title is announced. There is mention here of a possible forthcoming trip abroad which I hope will be when the next installment will be set. Fingers crossed!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Publishing, but the opinions expressed are my own. This was an easy fun read which I happily recommend.

Lily Roberts owns Tea by the Sea, a teahouse in Cape Cod, which stands at the front of her grandmother's Victorian B&B, the best in their town of North Augusta. The B&B is full up of guests, most of them belonging to the Reynolds family who are there to celebrate their son Greg's marriage to Hannah Hill. Perhaps celebrate isn't the right word...

When the bridal shower is held at the tearoom, everything seems to be going splendidly until Hannah opens her last gift, which is a beheaded Raggedy Ann doll, which causes her to let out a scream. Prank or warning? At any rate, the shower is ruined, and Greg and Hannah retreat to the B&B so she can collect herself. But does that stop accusations from flowing? Not at all. It's well known that the Reynolds family does not like the Hills -- Hannah and her mother, Jenny -- but why? Finding out the reason isn't any of Lily's concern. Not until patriarch Ralph is murdered, and his mother and widow are accusing each other, and Jenny, of the crime. Not until her beloved tearoom and the B&B might get a negative reputation. Then Lily, her best friend Bernie, and grandmother Rose go into action. Hopefully, their investigation won't get any of them killed...

This is the fifth in the series and I have read them all. I also have loved them all. The idea of a teahouse near Cape Cod sounds delightful. The food and tea sounds delicious. I love that the author can pull us into the story and make us want to visit. It's a talent, to be sure. We also have the lovely descriptions of the gardens, the B&B, and, of course, the tearoom, which are pleasant to read about.

The murder, which occurs near the front of the book (gratefully) gives us plenty of time to search for suspects and rule out those who had no reason to want him dead. Those people are few and far between. It turns out that Ralph not only had skeletons in his closet, some of them were walking around causing trouble to everyone. But that doesn't make someone a killer, does it?

There are plenty of twists and turns in this mystery, and a few red herrings along the way to keep things interesting. We follow along with Lily and Rose to try and put things together, and it's a fun way to spend an afternoon. I discovered the murderer right around the same time as Lily, but I still needed the motive -- which was given admirably -- to complete the tale. This is a wonderful cozy to read, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I am looking forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

Thrilled to be able to read a fifth book in this very cozy and comfortable mystery series.

We are back in Lily Robert’s Cape Cod tearoom, and the familiar characters are all back, and some are featured more prominently. Her grandma Rose, and her friend, the wannabe mystery writer Bernie are actually big helpers when it comes to trying to solve the murder in this book.

What a nasty family is visiting Rose’s B & B! Vicki Delany is brilliant at introducing very strong and nasty characters in her books, and she does it so very well. You learn so much about each of them, and you can pick your favorites, and take sides as you read along.

I suspected someone who had something to do with the killing, but there were also many characters that could have done it. It ended up that I was right to suspect this person, but the “why” was a total surprise…As with all of Ms. Delany’s (a/k/a Eva Gates) mysteries, the endings are very well done, and all the details are revealed in a very plausible and believable way.

I strongly recommend this book to any mystery lovers.

Thank you to Vicki Delany for writing her four mystery series, and to Net Galley and to Kensington Cozies for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book and post a personal review.

Lily Robert's tearoom is hosting a bridal shower - the groom's side is staying at her grandmother's while the bride's side is at a different location. Things are tense - the father of the groom and the bride's mother have a history. When the groom's father is discovered dead in his room, it's determined that he was murdered. What member of the bridal party had reason to kill him? Secrets and accusations abound as Lily seeks to discover the killer.
#TroubleisBrewing #Kensington #NetGalley

Lily Roberts is hosting a bridal shower at the b&b . The families are very different and the descriptions of the differences in the families are a little mean. The groom's side of the family is rich and the bride's family is not.

The bride Hannah opens a present that is quite horrifying for her. Lily overhears the groom's dad Ralph offer him $100k to call off the wedding. The next morning Ralph is found dead in his room. Lily decides to investigate.

I found the mystery well done. I had no idea whodunnit until the end. Overall a nice addition to this series.

Another fantastic book by Vicki Delany in her Tea By the Sea Mysteries. This time we find Lily hosting a bridal shower for a couple, but not all is sunshine and roses when the dysfunctional families on both sides show their true colors and someone pulls a horrible prank ending the shower. A short time later one of the frooms family members is found dead and thinks at the B and B turn upside down. Although she resists at first, it falls to Lilly and her trusted friends to figure out what happened. I really liked the story and the characters are some of my favorites. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book. Thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I loved it and ate this up. What a fun cozy easy mystery read that I throughly enjoyed. I have been in the mood for cozy mysteries and this was exactly what I needed.

I absolutely love the Tea by the Sea series featuring Cape Cod tea shop owner, Lily Roberts and this fifth and latest installment certainly did not disappoint.

In this one, the tearoom is hosting a bridal shower and, naturally, many in the bickering family of the groom are staying at Lily's grandmother's B&B as well.

This series has one of the greatest cast of characters of any of the cozy mystery series I read and these colorful characters, including Lily's "author" friend Bernie, Lily's grandmother, Rose, and Simon, the British garden and Lily's love interest. These supporting characters really add to my enjoyment of these books.

Very highly recommended to those who love cozies!!

Lily is hosting a wedding shower for a sweet bride-to-be but quickly realizes that the bride and groom come from messy, complicated family situations. When the groom's father is found murdered, Lily is relieved to find that she doesn't feel like she has to get involved--she'll leave this messy family to deal with things themselves--but when Lily feels the sweet bride's mother is being railroaded by the in-law's family and the police will have no choice to do the same, she can't help but launch her own investigation.

While I really enjoyed the characters in this book--the complicated bride and groom's families was a lot of fun to read about and read between the lines of conversation with Lily--I found the actual mystery to be very underwhelming. I knew the murderer and guessed their motive right away because it felt like they were being very obvious from the beginning. When Lily failed to see this, it became increasingly more frustrating the more interactions Lily had with this person, and it detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book. I'll continue reading the series as Delaney is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors, but I hope future books will be more twisty and the investigation more interesting like the previous books!

I love a good tea shop cozy mystery and Vicki Delany’s Tea by the Sea Mysteries definitely fits the bill.

Lily, Bernie and Rose are back again to solve another mystery. Lily owns a tea shop next to her grandmother’s, Rose, B&B. The setting is always delightful and it makes me wish I could visit there.
Lily hosted a bridal party and the grooms side was staying at the B&B. The father of the groom turns up dead in his room and the ugly secrets start to emerge.

Vicki did an excellent job sprinkling in clues on who the killer was. I had my suspicions and I was right! The back story of the characters is also great to follow.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, opinions express in this review are completely my own.

Tea by the Sea Mystery #5

If I want a cozy mystery I know I will be well serve reading any of Ms. Delany’s stories. Her tales are simple, well written and not taxing for those like I needing a pause from action packed thrillers that take your breath away. I did not read the precious books in this series and in no ways felt lost. The author smoothly blends in every player like you have known them forever.

The story in a few words:

The Reynolds and the Hill family are gathered at Tea by the Sea for Hannah Hill bridal shower. While sipping delicious tea the families shower her with presents ...until the last unwrapped gift contains a beheaded Raggedy Ann doll and triggers bloodcurdling scream....Then all hell breaks loose....even a murder.....

More thoughts:

This is a delectable tall with an English flair to it. Put together a party, a murder, waves crashing on the beach, add a sleuth and toss in sweet bake goods as a bonus the result is a clever story to enjoy while sipping Earl Grey and loosing yourself in another world....

Vicki Delany has provided us with a cute cozy mystery.

TROUBLE IS BREWING is the fifth book in the Tea by the Sea Mysteries by Vicki Delany. From the darling cover to the opening chapter to the memorable characters and captivating plot, this newest release kept me glued to the pages. Protagonist Lily Roberts, owner of the Cape Cod tearoom Tea by the Sea, seems to have a no-nonsense air about her. She’s capable and concise with her baking and running her business, yet does everything she can to help her feisty grandmother, friends, employees, and guests. She also has a dry sense of humor that made me chuckle whenever it appeared. I also love the supporting characters, especially her grandmother, Rose, and her best friend, novel-writing Bernie (who is another great source of humor). And who can help but swoon over Lily’s love-interest, scone-baking gardener Simon with his British accent? I’ve enjoyed seeing their relationship progress, and I loved seeing more of him in this book.

What could be more picturesque than holding a bridal shower at a seaside tearoom? Lily finds herself catering the shower and assisting the bridal party who are staying at her grandmother’s B & B. Instead of hearts and kisses, it appears the groom’s family is quite dysfunctional and it doesn’t take long for their irksome behavior is turned toward the bride and her mother. The theme of the Montague and Capulet families is woven throughout and it’s no surprise when a murder occurs. Honestly, I was expecting someone else to be the victim, and I was even more intrigued to find how, why, and who. I like Lily is a reluctant amateur sleuth, and it’s Bernie and her grandmother who drag her into investigations. Once she is on board though, Lily is methodical in asking questions and digging for the truth. Bernie, with her computer expertise, helps find background information to aid in the sleuthing. As the clues are uncovered, they find more suspects than they know what to do with. Ms. Delany writes a tightly plotted mystery that builds up suspense, then delivers a worthy reveal. If you want to escape to a seaside locale with charming characters and a challenging mystery to solve, Trouble Is Brewing is the perfect book to pick up.

With Lily baking so much for both her tearoom and her grandmother’s B&B, there are lots of yummy foods mentioned throughout the story. There are a few recipes at the back of the book to satisfy your appetite, both sweet and savory.

I really enjoy this series with Lily's tea room and her grandmother's B&B. I am rather surprised that as this is book 5 it is still set in the same first summer. A lot has happened in that first summer! Anyway, in this book a family has come to have a wedding. the two sides have many issues between them. The father of the groom ends up dead. Lily becomes involved in solving the murder because it is at her business. There are a lot of negative feelings on both sides of the families and altercations happen because of it. I had a person pegged early on as the murderer and was correct but the story along the way was enjoyable and well written.

This one had everything from upscale British afternoon teas and a growing romance to dysfunctional families, lying and cheating, and scorned lovers. And, oh, lots of food talk and some delicious sounding recipes at the end, all with a bit of the Tea by the Sea touch. I've grown to really like Lily, marveling at how well she keeps herself on an even keel when it surely must feel like the world is whirling around her at times. Her sleuthing buddy Bernie (Bernadette) is a hoot, albeit a bit of a a scattered one. Actually, I think Bernie is more the enthusiastic sleuth of the series than Lily although it's frequently Lily who finds herself in danger at some point. I wonder if Bernie will ever finish writing that book, even with best selling Matt trying to help. As noted, she is scattered. She's also brilliant with finances and computer searches, both of which come in handy in this installment. And, did I mention there's romance? Lily isn't quite ready to admit it but, hmm, jealous much Lily, at McKenzie's flirtation with Simon? Sounds like we'd all be lucky to have him as our gardener.

So, on to the mystery. The first chapter sets up the tension perfectly. I won't detail the plot, the blurb does an excellent job, but it centers around the murder of Ralph Reynolds, father of the groom-to-be whose family has hired Lily and her shop to host a pre-wedding party for Greg and Hannah. You'll love Hannah and Greg. Ralph? Not so much. Actually, Ralph's whole family seems to be....well.... dysfunctional, for lack of a better word, though it's simply difficult to like any of them aside from Greg, who seems to be a gem. They appear to look down on Hannah's family, for reasons you'll discover as you read. As the book notes, definite vibes of the Montague and Capulet families. So, why are they arresting Hannah's mother, well, taking her in for questioning? If nothing else, why all the police activity about grandmother's B & B, where the Reynolds' party is staying? It's definitely keeping the other guests entertained, I'll admit. Why is Simon suddenly locking the garden shed? More amazingly, why is detective Amy so willing to work with Lily, not against? That's a definitely plus in my book as there is usually more of an adversarial quality to most police/amateur sleuth relationships. Why are people so willing to trust and talk to Rose? Who... oh, enough teasers. Read the book.

Seriously, if you enjoy cozy mysteries with strong, distinct characters, a bit of romance, lovely settings (you can almost head the lovely tinkling of the tea cup chimes hanging in the trees), a fun dog, named Eclaire, and a bit of an arc of redemption at the end, this one is for you. The tea room adds a touch of Britian to the setting, too, as does Simon's accent. Ah, how many of us ladies are suckers for a British accent? Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonPublishing - #KensingtonCozies for inviting me over for tea. I'm psyched to imagine where my next virtual invite seems to hint it'll taking us. Now I think I'll go brew up a cup of Earl Grey.

"Trouble is Brewing (Tea By the Sea Mysteries #5)"
by Vicki Delany kind of picks up right after the last one. At least it all seems to be over the span of the same year so far. That's a lot of murder cases for one property in such a short time. At least the characters acknowledge it a little. This time it's the sudden death of a groom's father that happens at Victoria-on-Sea.

There's some complicated family history going on between both the Bride's side and the Groom's side. I almost expected a secret love child reveal, didn't happen though. However, never ignore a busy-body. They always have something interesting up their sleeve.

In Trouble Is Brewing, Lily’s tea shop is hosting a bridal shower. The groom’s family is staying at Rose’s (Lily’s grandmother) B&B, but the bride’s family is staying at a more moderately priced hotel. The shower is a huge success until the final gift is opened and a doll’s head rolls out!
Later, Lily overhears the groom’s father attempting to bribe his son out of marrying the woman he loves. The groom’s parents hate each other, the grandmother and mother hate each other, and everyone seems to hate the bride’s mother. This is not a fun family. When a death occurs, Lily and her friends are drawn into the investigation and eventually track down the true assailant.
I did have a suspicion as to the solution, but it was still an enjoyable read. As always, I love the setting and the characters and I’m excited to read the next in the series.
Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was okay, but I figured who murderer was almost as soon as that person appeared. I enjoy the characters and it’s fun to catch up with them.

Another fun entry in Delany’s Tea Shop series. This one is filled with family secrets and lots of red herrings. As always, the teas are described in delicious detail and recipes are included.

Trouble by the Sea is the 5th book in the Tea by the Sea series. It takes place in the town of North Augusta on Cape Cod. Lilly Roberts is the main character who owns and baker of Tea by the Sea tearoom. She lives in a cottage on her grandmother's Rose Campbell's property. Rose owns Victoria-on-Sea a B&B known for their gardens. Simon is the gardener who takes care of them as well as dating Lily. Bernadette (Bernie) Murphy is Lili's friend who lives close by who use to be a forensic accountant at a major manhatten criminal law firm. She is trying to write a novel. She is dating, Lincoln Badwell, an international best selling true-crime author. Cheryl and Marybeth, mother and daughter worked for Lily at the tearoom. Edna Harkness works at the BI&B as kitchen assistant and breakfast waitress. She is married to the newspaper editor.

The Reynold family has rented rooms for their son, Gregg's wedding. He is engaged to Hannah Hill. They had met at a party at college and fell in love, She and her mother, Jenny Hill are staying at a motel. Jenny use to date and was engaged to Ralph Reynolds before she married her husband, Max. Max worked for Reynold's Tools before his death. Sophie Reynolds was having and paying for a wedding shower at the tearoom. The Reynold's are very weathy and the Hills are not. Sophie and her husband were not happy that Gregg was marrying Hannah, Also at the B&B were her husband, Ralph, daughter McKenzie, son, Ivan and her mother-in-law, Regina Reynolds. She is really the owner of Reyhold's Tool. Her grandfather starhted it. She is the one with the money. Regina and Sophia dislike each other. All was going well with the shower until the last gift was opened. It was a raggedy ann doll with her head cutoff. All havac ensued. Hannah upset that she left the party. Her father gave her the same doll just before he died when she was 10. She loved the doll and put it away when she went to college. Dave is the best man who works with Gregg. Samantha Dowling is there as maid of honor. She is staying at the motel with the Hill family.

The next day Ralph did not come down for breakfast. Sophie was concerned so she asked Lily to open his door and they found him dead. Lili called 911 to report the death. Amy Redmond Chuck Williams both detectives arrived. Lily has had dealings with both of them before.
Ralph died of a heart attack which the pathologist thinks it was brought on by the drug Digoxin. It was found in the liquor bottle by his bed. Because of his death the wedding has been cancelled.

The other guests at the B&B are four woman who are there on a bridge getaway. Williams and Redmond keep going back to the inn to question the family. Regina has accused Sophia of killing her husband.

A lot is going on to put all down on paper, I will let the reader enjoy the book to the surprising ending of who killed Ralph and why. The ending of the story is Rose gets an invitation from Elizabeth, the dowager countess of Frockmorton for her 100th birthday. She misses all that worked for her and wanted to see them again. Rose tells Lily about it and asks her to join her. Simon will be back at Englandl over the winter. His town is close to where the birthday will be celebrated, Castle Thornecroft.

I enjoyed this story with all of it's twists and turns. I look forward to the next adventure that Lily. Rose and Bernie go on. Will it be when they go to England?

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for this ARC.