Princess Fuzzypants here: We all know the holidays can be stressful on families but it doesn’t lessen the stress when it seems there are some conflicting agendas.. The owner of the biggest estate around has invited assorted family and neighbours to a tea party with a difference. She intends to reveal the contents of her will and everyone hopes Santa has come early. Then there is wife of the supposed heir to the fortune who wants to force her daughter to become engaged to the man of the mother’s choosing. In fact, she has Callie and her aunt, who are catering the affair, hide a huge diamond in a cake to make the engagement even more exciting.
The best laid plans can be ruined especially when said ring is stolen and there is a dead body crashing the party. Callie is involved in the entire proceedings not just because of her catering role but she was a childhood friend of the mother and father of the girl, a friendship that ended badly, and she is the one who put the ring in the cake and then discovered the body.
If you think there is enough intrigue already, think again. It seems nothing is quite as it seems and when the quagmire is sorted, there are some major surprises for all the players. It is the first of a new series and while there were lots of twists and turns, I am not sure if I am invested yet in the characters. Perhaps that will come with future books.
Four stars and one paw up.

Don't let the candy cane fool you, although it takes place around the holidays, it looks like this series will be easily read year round. Callie's aunt runs a book themed tea shop and is providing the goodies for a party at the opulent Haywood Hall in Heart's Harbor, Maine. Callie loved the place as a child, playing there with local friends until she stopped coming to visit her great aunt Iphy and school and life intervened. She runs right into those old friends as she arrives at the hall to set up for the party. The reading of a new will is interrupted by the discovery of a body and things twist and turn to a pretty exciting end. I look forward to reading more in this new series.

Good but not quite what I expected. This was my first read by Joy Avon but I look forward to trying book two in this series Sweet Tea & Secrets June 11, 2019.
For me, I expected a book where both the cover and title played up the Christmas angle to be more holiday based. Not just casual mentions that it is the holiday and a special ride at the end. I freely admit this somewhat threw me off in my early enjoyment of the story. Callie between jobs (vacation) goes to visit her aunt Iphy in Maine. Next thing you know we have a murder. The story picks up from this point but (for me) slows down when I start to expect something big is coming. This seeming start-stop along with other personal issue leaves me with no choice but to allocate a 3-star review. It is a solid first book and I can see picking up book two to see the follow-up.

I liked this first book in this new series, the characters/setting are your typical cozy - female protagonist, family members and friends in a small town, a dog, etc...I like the typical in a cozy myself.

Callie is the protagonist and she is visiting her aunt for the holidays, of course a murder takes places and she is determined to find the murderer. There is a handsome policeman investigating the case and a little romance.

At the beginning of the book, the story moved a little too quickly and there was mention of a backstory between characters, but it never materialized enough. Hopefully, in book two, the backstory of Callie and her friends will come to light, like why she is so attached to Haywood Hall in the first plave, other than the fact she spent time there as a child and why Shelia, Stephen, and Callie were friends to begin w ith. Very little of their backgrounds are revealed. 3.8 stars.

I voluntarily reviewed this book on Netgalley.

Tea lovers have a new tea-themed cozy mystery series to enjoy thanks to Joy Avon, who kicks off her Book Tea Shop Mystery series with a delightful Christmas-themed book, In Peppermint Peril.

Callie Aspen has a great career as a tour guide who leads trips to historic venues all over the world. She returns home to Heart's Harbor, Maine, intending merely to celebrate the holidays with her great-aunt, Iphigeneia, who runs Book Tea, a tea business offering book-themed teas. Callie is quickly enlisted to help her aunt set up for a pre-Christmas tea party at Haywood Hall, a historic home whose elderly resident is expected to make an important announcement about her will.

At the same event, Callie's old friend Sheila hijacks the tea and uses it as an opportunity to have her daughter's engagement announced, and the carefully laid plans for the tea soon go off the rails. When the engagement ring goes missing—and missing from a hiding place readers will particularly enjoy—it complicates the event, and so does the dead body found in the home's conservatory.

While the many tea elements of the story will immediately appeal to tea lovers, the mystery itself is fun to solve, as there are so many terrific suspects who might have had it in for the deceased. And Callie Aspen is a character it's easy to root for, so readers will hope to see Callie and her sweet Boston terrier, Daisy, making a permanent home in Heart's Harbor. This book was a well-written, holiday-perfect launch to the series, and I look forward to reading the next installment.

This was a great story. I loved the concept of the Tea and Pastry Shop. Who wouldn't? A nice story with the room for characters to grow. This will be a fun series to follow.

This is reminiscent of a younger contemporary version of a Miss Marple whodunnit, with humour, mysteries galore and a variety of potential perpetrators to keep you guessing! The heroine is Callie Aspen, ably assisted by her great aunt who runs Book Tea, in the village of Heart’s Harbor in Maine. Her great aunt creates special cakes and pastries that have links to book themes and has been asked to cater for a special at Haywood Hall where the owner, Dorothea Finister, plans to reveal the contents of her will. She has invited a variety of friends and relatives to attend and witness her announcement, many of whom are only attending in the hope of being a recipient, even though they don’t particularly like the old lady or the others wh are involved However, things get even more complicated when an heirloom engagement ring goes missing and a dead body is discovered!

This is the first story in a new series and introduces lots of new characters in a very little time, which was confusing at times, so I suspect future stories in the series will have higher ratings from me as I have now read about some of them in this one. There’s plenty of intrigue to keep you guessing and it was an enjoyable read, so may prove to be of interest to anyone who enjoys cosy mystery stories set in a small community.

i requested and was given a copy of this book via NetGalley without obligation and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.

A charming cozy mystery full of books and cheer!

A wonderful small town cozy that will make you feel merry and bright... loved the setting of this lovely teashop with a bookish theme and yummy goodies!

Callie has returned home to small town Maine for the holidays and helps her aunt Iphy out at her teashop... Iphy is a book lover and all her goodies have a bookish clue in them... The teashop is hired to cater the will reading of Dorthia Fimster *Love that name* things go awry at the reading and soon Callie finds herself on the case...

This is the first book in this series and I am curious to see where it goes! I love the setting of the small town and I loved the characters, but I wanted more! More about the teashop, more about Callie’s pass, just more! But as in a lot of series there is always a lot of information to process in the first book so sometimes it’s a little more difficult to develop the characters fully, I’m sure that will come in future books... The mystery was fun although a little predictable, and I enjoyed playing sleuth right along with Callie.... definitely will be picking up the next book in the series, I just noticed that it is on NG!

*** Big thanks to Crooked Lane for my copy of this book ***

I thought this was a good cozy mystery with enough people that had a possible motive to murder. It was a little slow and redundant at times but still an enjoyable read.

In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon is the first A Tea and Read Mystery. Calliope “Callie” Aspen has returned to Heart’s Harbor, Maine to help her Great Aunt Iphy with her tearoom, Book Tea. Iphy incorporates mystery books into her pastry decorations and hosts book themed events. Callie is carting the supplies to Haywood Hall for the tea party being hosted by Dorothea Finster, the town’s oldest resident, a week before Christmas. Callie has fond memories of playing at Haywood Hall as a child plus she vividly remembers the crush she had on Stephen, one of Dorothea’s relatives. Dorothea has invited various relatives and friends to hear an announcement regarding her will. Sheila Du Bouvrais, Stephen’s wife, has her own agenda for the event and insists that Callie hide an heirloom engagement ring in the cake. She is trying to force Ben Matthews, a lawyer, into proposing to her daughter Amber, despite Amber’s lack of interest. When the ring box is removed from the cake and opened, they find the empty. A scream then rings out from the conservatory where Amber has stumbled upon Mr. Leadenby, the gardener and storyteller, stabbed to death. Deputy Falk is in charge of the case since the sheriff is out of town for the holidays. Callie and Iphy join forces to solve this knotty conundrum before Santa slides into town on his sleigh.

In Peppermint Peril we are taken to the small town of Heart’s Harbor, Maine where Callie grew up. After Stephen broke her heart by marrying her childhood friend, Sheila, Callie took a job as a tour guide. Callie has traveled around the world with Travel the Past, but it left her little time to visit home or have a personal life. Callie is quickly confronted by her past when Iphy’s latest catering gig takes her to Haywood Hall. Haywood Hall is a special place to Callie. When I started In Peppermint Peril, I felt like I was dumped down the rabbit hole like Alice. It felt like I started in the middle of the book instead of the beginning. Readers barely get a chance to know Callie and Iphy, when a hoard of other characters are introduced. Callie’s dog, Daisy is an adorable addition to the story. Iphy is lovely woman with a delightful tea shop with mystery book themed pastries. She hides clues on her cakes for the guests to solve. I enjoyed the references to the older mystery novels. Iphy’s creations sounded beautiful and delectable. The mystery was multi-faceted with pointed clues and multiple suspects. Unfortunately, I easily identified the killer early in the story. The why is revealed as the story progresses. The one thing I did not like is Callie jumping to conclusions which led to exasperating situations. She spends a significant amount of time thinking and speculating about the case. Her investigation technique is unique. In Peppermint Peril has steady pacing along with the author’s casual writing style which made the story easy to read. Unfortunately, the book lacked depth. There are details missing on the main characters and the town. The ending felt incomplete. I believe the author was trying to start the series with a BANG, but it fell flat. I am giving In Peppermint Peril 3 out of 5 stars. The series has potential, and I hope the author is more successful in her next A Tea and Read Mystery.

This is book 1 in a new cozy series, Book Tea Shop Mystery. Callie has returned to Heart's Harbor, Maine for the holidays with her new little Boston Terrier to help her aunt run her tea shop. She is a travel guide and has several trips scheduled for after the new year. She's helping set up a tea in Haywood Hall, a house that Callie visited often as a little girl. When the old caretaker turns up dead in the conservatory Callie and her aunt must dig through the clues to clear the shop and themselves of murder. A nice start for this new series, Looking forward to Callie's further adventures as she makes Heart's Harbor her home. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

In Peppermint Peril by Joy Avon is about Callie Aspen, who returns to her childhood hideout, Hearts Harbor, Maine. Callie’s aunt runs a vintage tea room called Book tea. Dorothea, a wealthy customer, caters a special tea in her home to tell her family, friends and town members what to expect in her will when she dies. During the reading of the will, a dead body shows up in the conservatory. Callie has to help solve the murder to protect Dorothea’s secret. This book has lots of drama. The town council gets involved in an attempt to get money. There are good strong characters and a pleasant Christmas theme. A very nice read. Thank you to Net Galley for providing an advanced readers copy of the book.

I loved the cover for this book, so festive and made me want to read this book. I liked the main character and her Aunt, they are very endearing. The storyline was not very original. It has been done a thousand times, so it was hard to really get into this book. I will give the next book in the series a chance, because there are some things I really loved about this book. I would say give this book if you need a holiday read.

Callie has moved back to Maine to help her Great Aunt with Book Tea. A fun tearoom that is filled with sweet bookish clues from beloved mysteries. They've agreed to cater a small party at Haywood Hall for Dorothea so she can make an announcement regarding her will. Unfortunately, several things occur, one of which is murder, that prevents the announcement from happening. Callie has taken it upon herself to find the killer. Will she succeed?

My favorite part of the book: Daisy, the Boston Terrier. I wish she had made the cover of the book. As a Boston Terrier owner, I am a sucker for books with one on the cover or as a character. Daisy doesn't do much but eat and sleep but alas that is the life of a Boston.

As a debut cozy this series has a lot of potentials. I am curious how the town will progress, the direction of Callie and Deputy Falk's friendship and Callie's job at Book Tea. I was disappointed no recipes were shared at the end of the book. As a culinary cozy mystery, I have come to expect them. I would have enjoyed learning more about Iphy's "The Duel". It sounded yummy to eat and look at.

I will definitely be reading the second book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

This new book and series by Joy Avon was a delightful distraction. I really enjoyed this new cozy, set at Christmas and about tea, family and perception, I felt at home in this first in series. I can not wait to see where the next story goes. I really enjoyed how honest the main character is and how she made the best of the mystery, situation and her life. I am going to look forward to reading this series for I hope a very long time. This tea and real mystery book is out now.

This was a very contrived cozy mystery. While I don’t expect Shakespeare when reading a cozy, I do expect some characters I care about and at least a plausible plot. Disappointing.

"In Peppermint Peril" is the first mystery in the Book Tea Shop Mystery series. The setting features the small town of Heart's Harbor, Maine in which our protagonist, Callie Aspen, has returned to in order to help her Great Aunt run the book themed tea party shop called Book Tea. Book Tea has been called upon to host an upcoming party at Haywood Hall, resident of Dorothea Finster, the oldest living resident of town and owner of Haywood Hall. Haywood Hall holds a near and dear spot to Callie as a special place she was close to when growing up in Heart's Harbor. Dorothea has announced she will be letting the contents of her will be known at this party, and as you can imagine, everyone wants to gather and see if they have been rewarded a piece of the pie. While hosting the party, things go awry and a body is discovered - the body of a long standing employee of Dorothea Finster. Join Callie and friends while they look into solving this mystery and discover clues to long held secrets of family and town while Callie develops new friendships and ties to her community, having returned home.

I appreciate this new book series, and would rate it a 3.5/5 stars, if given the option. I believe the beginning of the book was a bit too descriptive for me as my attention was lost at times, but would be very good for someone who is able to be very visual with language when descriptions are so vivid. The style of writing could be comparable to older mystery stories such as Agatha Christie and had a murder mystery dinner feel to the unfolding of the story. By all means, I believe the author did a great job on her debut mystery novel, but the style was hard for me to get past. For example, the author uses a lot of questions throughout her story to set thoughts and possible plots into the mind of the reader. I also didn't feel as if I connected with the characters as much as I have in other mystery stories.

If you enjoy a good mystery story, particularly those of past times, I believe you will enjoy this story! It's also a perfect, quick read for the holiday season!

Callie gives tours all over the world, but this Christmas she's remembering her roots. She's staying with her Great Aunt Iphy who owns and operates a tea shop with a book theme in Heart's Cove. where Callie spent much of her childhood.
A man is murdered as Callie and Aunt Iphy work at presenting the perfect tea party and Callie finds that the police suspect people she loves.
It's a nice story with a lot of characters (which became confusing at times). It seemed that Callie gave advice to just about everyone, without knowing all the facts. That bothered me. But all in all, it was a nice Christmas cozy mystery to read on a rainy day.

This was the perfect cozy mystery for the holidays. I absolutely loved Callie and Falk, and can't wait to see where their relationship goes. I loved the way the mystery unfolded and the slow progression that suspects were eliminated. I wasn't able to guess who the real killer was until right before Callie figured it out. Loved this story and can't wait for the next book in the series!

In Peppermint Peril

by Joy Avon

We’ve got a new cozy mystery series for Christmas and to start out the new year. Joy Avon brings her heroine, Callie Aspen, back from a busy career as a tour guide traveling the world to her hometown of Heart’s Harbor where her Aunt Iphy runs the Book Tea Shop, a delightful place for a cup of something hot and an edible treat containing a book related clue.

Although there are lots of interesting characters, the plot’s the thing as this mystery evolves from a tea party hosted by ninety-three year old Dorothea Finster, mistress at Haywood Hall. Everyone who attends has different expectations and some result in criminal mayhem. There are romances and friendships old and new, a cake with several layers of mystery, a cute rescue dog, and political and financial shenanigans.

Usually I can take or leave recipes at the end of a cozy mystery. In Peppermint Peril doesn’t have any, but in this case I would have enjoyed a recipe for a creation that Aunt Iphy calls “The Duel” because it has “two pastries vying to be the tastiest” on the same plate. Both feature chocolate! One has a light brown base and a beige mousse that incorporates salted caramel. It is topped with a chocolate chip cookie and roasted nuts; is is soft and crispy at the same time. The other has a dark chocolate foundation and fresh raspberries topped with white chocolate. It sounds like a delicious masterpiece of culinary creativity just made for the person who wants a taste of more than one dessert on the menu.

Callie does a lot of talking to ferret out the criminal, and she works in conjunction with local Deputy Falk. He shares more about the case than he should to try to deter her from the dangerous investigation, but Callie just becomes more determined to solve the mystery and refuses to stay out of harm’s way.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #1 in the Book Tea Shop Mystery Series

Publication: November 23, 2018—Crooked Lane Books

Memorable Lines:

The world around her looked like it had come straight out of a fairy tale illustration; trees laced with frost; every stem of grass, every branch and bramble powdered with the snow that had fallen last night and had been scattered by the strong wind.

Still single herself and uncertain whether she’d ever have a family, Callie could relate to the feeling. At times she felt perfectly happy with her life, and then suddenly she felt something missing and wanted to change everything.

Tick-tock. The relentless rhythm of time. Reminding them of a lot of years that had slipped away and all the time that had not been spent with people it could have been spent with.