In Vicki Delany's "Tea with Jam & Dread," the sixth installment of the Tea by the Sea Mysteries, readers are in for a brewing storm of intrigue and suspense. The ancestral Thornecroft Castle, now transformed into a luxury hotel, becomes the backdrop for a centennial celebration filled with family drama, sparkling jewels, and a dash of murder.
This story is a birthday bash with a twist. Lily Roberts, the savvy owner of Cape Cod's Tea by the Sea, is invited to accompany her grandmother Rose to the 100th birthday party of Elizabeth Crawford, the dowager countess of Frockmorton. The castle, where Rose once worked as a kitchen maid, is closed for a week to host this grand event, much to the dismay of Elizabeth's grandson, Julien. His frustration over the party's cost is just the beginning of the family squabbles that Lily overhears.
What can get more intense than a combination of Jewels and Jeopardy? The story takes an intriguing turn when the infamous Frockmorton Sapphires, which have remained hidden since the time of Elizabeth's husband, are unveiled by none other than Elizabeth herself. These precious gems have been treasured by the family for centuries. Whispers suggest that these sapphires might soon change hands, causing further tension among Elizabeth’s heirs. But the real tea is spilled when the jewels mysteriously disappear and a guest dies from an allergen-laden sandwich, leading Lily on a quest to uncover the truth behind these sinister occurrences.
From the very first sip of Vicki Delany's "Tea with Jam & Dread," I was steeped in a well-crafted mystery that had me hooked from the get-go. The sixth book in the Tea by the Sea Mysteries series, it transports readers to the grandeur of English nobility, where murder and stolen jewels brew a perfect storm of intrigue.
Vicki Delany's knack for painting vivid scenes is truly a delight. Whether it's Bernie’s picturesque view of Halifax or the cozy confines of the White Hart Pub, the settings are so beautifully depicted that I felt as though I was strolling through them myself. The characters, too, are brought to life with such clarity; their physical descriptions are so vivid that they practically leap off the page.
One of the highlights for me was the dialogue. The playful banter between Lily and Bernie is charming and engaging, providing a delightful contrast to the more intense exchanges with characters like the suspicious Julien. The conversations not only advance the plot but also add depth to the characters by weaving in their pasts, enriching the story with multiple layers.
This cozy mystery strikes the perfect balance, offering just the right amount of romantic interest, intriguing mystery, questionable characters, and vividly descriptive writing. I found the pacing to be mostly relaxing, subtly engaging me throughout, though it occasionally quickened with bursts of excitement. However, at times, I struggled to keep track of the myriad characters, but the "Dramatis Personae" at the beginning was a lifesaver, helping me navigate the intricate web of relationships. This did slow my reading pace, but it might not be an issue for everyone.
When the murder unfolded amidst a party brimming with potential suspects, the mystery deepens, keeping me on my toes. I found myself constantly revising my theories on the culprit's identity, and I must admit, I was nowhere near close to guessing the clever and satisfying conclusion. Vicki Delany has penned a cozy mystery that is both enjoyable and expertly crafted, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.
Book Rating:
Originality: 5.0/5.0
Plot Structure: 5.0/5.0
Pacing: 4.0/5.0
Dialogue: 5.0/5.0
Personal Enjoyment: 4.5/5.0
Cover Design: 5.0/5.0 (Not averaged in the overall rating.)
Overall Rating: 4.7/5.0 (Rating will be rounded up due to platforms not allowing partial ratings.)

Lily, Rose and Bernie are in England to celebrate 100 year old Countless Thornecraft. When her grandson dies after eating a nut powder in the tea sandwiches Lily made, she comes under suspicion. Simon and Matt join in the work to solve the crime. I love how these characters work together to solve mysteries! A well told tale with an added mystery of missing jewelry. A good read and fun to see them in a new setting! Looking forward to the next installment.
I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review. #vickidelany, #kensingtonbooks

This was such a cute, fun, and cozy read! I haven’t read the previous books in the series, but I had no trouble jumping into this one, it works well as a standalone, and I quickly got the vibe of the characters and setting.

The story takes Lily Roberts from her tearoom in Cape Cod to a grand old estate in England for a 100th birthday celebration that, of course, turns into a murder mystery (and a missing jewel caper too!). I loved the mix of family drama, upstairs-downstairs tension, and the charm of British tea culture. It definitely gave me Clue-meets-Downton Abbey vibes in the best way.

The mystery kept me guessing, the pacing was light and breezy, and the setting was just delightful. If you’re in the mood for a cozy mystery set in England, this one is a great pick.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Lily is off to England this time. A jewelry heist, A dead party guest. All add up to another great read from Vicki Delany! Great characters, good setting and a solid mystery. Thanks#Netgalley and #Kensington for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Tea with Jam & Dread is book 6 in Vicki Delany's Tea by the Sea cozy mystery series, but it's easily read as a standalone.

Lily, her grandmother (Rose), and best friend (Bernadette or Bernie) are off to England for the 100th birthday of Lily's grandmother's former employer, Elizabeth . Unfortunately the celebration is cut short when the birthday girl's grandson dies, and the famous family jewels are stolen.

Tea with Jam and Dread has a huge cast of characters identified in the Dramatis Personae that the author included in the front of the book. Luckily, even though there are a lot of characters, it wasn't too difficult to keep most of them straight so I didn't have to keep referring back to it.

There is tons of drama within Elizabeth’s family, so unsurprisingly there is no lack of motives or suspects for the murder. What’s not clear to either the investigators or the reader, is if the murder is in any way related to the jewel theft, and the author was able to keep me guessing to the end of the book.

My only problem with the book was a scene near the end of the book that really didn’t make sense to me in how it played out. The actions of one of the characters in the scene seemed to contradict each other, with no real explanation. It was just weird.

That said, I enjoyed Tea with Jam & Dread, and think most lovers of cozy mysteries will enjoy it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

this was a strong sixth entry in the Tea by the Sea Mysteries series, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the previous five entries. Vicki Delany has a strong writing style and I enjoyed getting into these characters. It uses the mystery element that I was wanting from the previous books and thought worked overall in the mystery genre. It left me wanting to read more from Vicki Delany and this world.

3.75 stars

The latest Tea by the Sea entry, featuring former pastry chef and current tea shop owner Lily, her best friend Bernie, and her ex-pat English grandmother Rose. As a young girl, Rose worked in the kitchen at stately Thornecraft Castle. She left, married an American, and moved to the U.S. but has fond memories of her days below stairs. The grand family she worked for still owns the castle, now a luxury hotel, and Rose and family have been invited back for the 100th birthday of the late Lord's Lady Elizabeth. Despite the difference in station, Rose and Elizabeth were close many years ago.

Lily also is looking forward to seeing her boyfriend Simon, a British gardener. The celebration is married by family inheritance machinations and the death of a particularly nasty family member. Because the victim died of a food allergy and Lily was helping in the kitchen, she is involved from the beginning. She, Bernie and Rose can't stop investigating on their own.

A fun mystery, a bit of romance and a glimpse into the old days of the aristocracy. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Vicki Delany knows how to write a delightful enjoyable cozy mystery! This one take your to the nobility in England. Murder and stolen jewels. Family angst and party celebrating the matriarchs 100th birthday! What could go wrong? I could not put this book down!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fun cozy mystery novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

I sure was happy to see Lily and Bernie back! I learned to love them along with their great adventures/mysteries.
This one was no different. I loooooove road trips! That's why I enjoyed this one so much.
Well written mystery and excellent writing that drew me in from the beginning! I simply couldn't put this cool story down!
Wonderful characters and plot that sometimes had me shaking my head and snickering through others.
5 stars for a wonderful adventure!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

I really enjoyed this road trip with Lily, Rose, and Bernie! I am not always a huge fan of road trips, but in this case, it works. Lily and Bernie accompany Rose as she returns to the estate in England, where she worked as a cook before her marriage. The Dowager Countess of Frockmorton has reached her 100th birthday and has included some of her former servants from Thornecraft Castle to come to the grand celebration at the Castle House and Hotel. I am very grateful to the author for supplying a cast of characters at the front of the book because, believe me, there are a lot of characters, family, staff, party guests, neighbors and Yorkshire police. Our party takes a wild turn when the next in line to the title , the birthday girl's grandson, gets food that he is severely allergic to and dies. The question is, who and why? Was he trying to ease his grandmother out of the picture and take over the estate? Was it his soon to be ex-wife? Was it an old feud with a neighbor? To add to all the excitement, the Frockmorton Sapphires worn by the Countess for the celebration are missing! You know Lily and company will not be able to stay out of the search for answers. It's definitely a great road trip and mystery. Thank you to #Netgally, #Kensingtonbooks, and the author for an opportunity to read. #TeawithJam&Dread #ATeabytheSeaMystery #VickiDelany #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreaders

Lily’s grandmother Rose has been invited back to the castle where she served as a maid as a girl. Lily and Bernie are going along with her for the dowager’s 100th birthday party and to see Yorkshire. Simon is in England for the winter, so he and Lily will be able to see each other again. During the birthday celebration, one of the dowager’s sons dies from an allergic reaction. There are numerous suspects, including Lily, who had opportunity and some with motives. When the famous family jewels also go missing, the plot deepens.
It was fun to read about a modern family in the aristocracy. Some care about the title; others not so much. This was a good mystery with just the right amount of romantic interest and likable characters.
Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Lily Roberts owns and runs an English tearoom in Cape cod. Her grandmother Rose is invited to
attend a party for Elizabeth, the dowager countess at Thornecroft Castle in England where she had
worked as a kitchen maid before moving to the US. Lily, Rose and Lily's best friend Bernie travel to
England to attend the party. In order to maintain the castle's upkeep, it is now a hotel managed by
family members, some who disagree with Elizabeth's choices. When the heir is killed and the famous
Frockmorton Sapphires are stolen, the three wonder if the two events are connected. and are
determined to find the culprit and help Elizabeth safeguard the castle's future.
#TeaWithJamDread #KensingtonPublishing #NetGalley

Rose has been invited to a grand party in England so Lily, Rose and Bernie are on an adventure. They will be visiting Thornecroft Castle for the 100th birthday of Elizabeth Crawford, dowager countess of Frockmorton and Rose's former employer.

The castle where Rose once worked is now a luxury hotel where Elizabeth still resides. The hotel will be closed to the public for a week so it can house all the guests that have been invited to the party.

It doesn't take long for Lily and Bernie to overhear the grumblings of Elizabeth's grandchildren, especially Julien who is already making plans for what he will do when the castle is under his control. Unfortunately for him, he will never have that chance since he is murdered at the birthday party.

Everyone at the party is a suspect, of course. Especially after the Frockmorton Sapphires disappear on the same day. The family jewels are worth millions and are rarely out of the safe. Are the murder and the theft connected? That's what Lily, Rose & Bernie are determined to find out before they leave Yorkshire for home.

I love this series and this author. This was a great read. Can't wait for the next one.

The tension and terror begin early with the trip through the roundabouts. I've heard tales of these traffic aberrations, plus Lily must remember to drive on the other side of the road.
There's so many suspects when the murder occurs- a whole party full of people. As Bertie observes “The very opposite of a locked-room mystery." And then when the family jewels go missing as well, everyone wonders if it was a planned distraction or a crime of opportunity. Even with two possibly connected, possibly separate crimes, the story did move a little slower-more time spent going over the events than investigating. But I liked the solution in the end, everything came together and made sense.
I particularly enjoyed getting to see the place and people that Rose talked about for the last five books, and get this glimpse into her past. I do hope Elizabeth can make a trip to Cape Cod. Keeping track of the family members was a lot, and I think a family tree in addition to the list would have been helpful. As always, I liked seeing the recipes at the end. All sounded good, and it's neat hearing about the story and history behind the coronation chicken.

Lily and her grandmother Rose, along with Lily's best friend, Bernie, are in Yorkshire to celebrate Rose's previous employers 100th birthday. Elizabeth, dowager of Frockmorton, has invited them along with other family members & friends to the celebration. At the dinner, Elizabeth's grandson has an allergic reaction and dies. Once it is decided that he was actually murdered, our friends spring into action looking into the details. Lily is actually considered by the local authorities as a suspect, having helped with the food prep prior to the dinner.
Twists & turns of who could have done it (there were a few), along with the prize family jewels missing. Eventually the culprit's are found and the girls head back to the Cape.
A quick, easy read, always a delight. Thanks to NetGalley, Ms Delany & Kensington Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Tea with Jam & Dread is the next installment of A Tea by the Sea mystery series and follows Lily, Rose, and Bernie as they travel to Yorkshire to visit Rose's former employer and friend - the dowager countess of Frockmorton. While celebrating Elizabeth's 100th birthday, Lily takes the opportunity to help with preparations in the kitchen in hopes of learning new recipes to take back to her tearoom. The actual birthday celebration is full of delicious food, aromatic teas, and pleasant conversation. However, things soon go downhill when one of the guests has a fatal allergic reaction. Just as the police and emergency responders are leaving, it is noted that the priceless Frockmorton sapphires have gone missing. Are the two events related? Was the guest intentionally targeted? Lily soon finds herself once again wrapped up in a potential murder investigation.

Tea with Jam & Dread is a delightful cozy with two intriguing mysteries. All of the usual characters, including Simon and Matt, are present in this book. I absolutely love Bernie and find her and Rose's shenanigans highly entertaining. While I thought it was a bit difficult to keep track of everyone in Elizabeth's family and how they were related, I still found the mysteries entertaining. I loved the descriptions of the villages, pubs, and British food. Tea with Jam & Dread is a great cozy with fun characters, a charming setting, and a puzzling mystery.

We're off to jolly ol' England in this installment of the series. Well, not so jolly. Not only is Elizabeth, a countess nearing 100 years-old, who has opened up the Thornecroft Castle estate as a luxury hotel, dealing with family drama, but there's a murder. Needless to say, long time readers won't be surprised to discover Lily Roberts in the middle of it. There with her grandmother Rose, a former kitchen maid at the estate who'd become Elizabeth's friend, and best friend Bernie/Bernadette, she offers to help out in the kitchen. While a kind offer, it puts her on the suspect list. To complicate matters, priceless family jewelry goes missing. Are the crimes connected?

I won't detail the plot but will note that I very much appreciated the cast of characters included at the front (and British recipes at the end). This one has a large cast and, quite frankly, even after finishing I'm not quite sure I have the family connections quite straight. As a result, the pace seemed leisurely at times as the various characters were introduced, many basically just passing through while others played a more active role. It was interesting that one character was part of a movement to do away with the nobility and status ranking, so to speak, as we heard others talk of the role such things had played in their lives and, yes, the personality of the victim. The usual cast, Rose, Bernie, and Lily were joined by Matt Goodwell, Bernie's boyfriend, a writer doing research in England, and master gardener Simon McCracken, Lily's romantic partner. .

Bottom line, I like these characters and it seemed like Lily was taking a bit more of the lead in the investigation this go-usual this round rather than following and being prodded by Rose and Bernie. For long time readers, enjoy getting a glimpse of the England Rose so fondly remembers, not to mention enjoy Lily's panic over not just roundabouts but driving on the, to her American mind, the wrong side of the road. Fortunately Simon eventually takes on the driver role or we might have gotten some insight into British hospital care. Lots of family drama and angst, spurned romances, and lively children running about. While the final reveal seemed to just happen, it was satisfactory and wrapped up the case nicely. Thanks #KensingtonPublishing- #KensingtonCozies for allowing me this early peek at the goings-on in Lily's life. How delightful to get this glimpse of Rose's past, in particular, and the aristocratic life of some in England, not to mention their police procedures. The quick glimpse of the barn activity was a bonus. Long nail file, indeed. Grin.

England Countryside, good friends, murder and mayhem.

Reading a book by Delany is always a treat. We learn more about Rose and her home in England before she moves across the pond. Rose is invited back to Yorkshire to help celebrate the Dowager Countess' 100th birthday. What is supposed to be a special homecoming and treat turns into murder when The Dowager Countess' grandson, the Viscount, is killed.

So many suspects. I did not see it coming, although in hindsight I guess the clues were still there. I was enjoying it so much that I wasn't paying attention.

We're off to jolly ole Yorkshire England in this one. Lily, Rose and Bernie are off to help Lady Elizabeth Frockmorton celebrate her 100th birthday at Thorncraft Castle House and Hotel. Rose had been a maid to Lady Frockmorton before marrying and going to America.. They had come to celebrate not witness a possible murder and the theft of some very precious jewels but that's exactly what they got. And worse Lily might just be the prime suspect in the murder as the victim died from an extreme allergic reaction and she was handling the item where that allergic item was in.!!! Can Lily clear herself without becoming the next victim ? And the theft? Could it had been an inside job to finance a failing family home / hotel? You'll never know unless you read the book. It's great!