10 Star Cozy Mystery Series
I love this book! In fact, the whole series is fantastic. I think that this book would stand alone well, but reading the books in order is better. The plot is wonderfully done. The climactic reveal was marvelous. The story has lots of humor to giggle along with and a few emotional spots that made me tear-up. In all, I can't wait for the next episode. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

What a great place Charm, NC is! I would love to visit the shops and the people who live there. What a great relationship Everly and her aunts have. Everyone should be so lucky. Who would want to visit Amelia’s book store? What a fun place! I love the story, especially the giving tree. Do you ever participate in something similar at Christmas? What a great idea Everly had. Love when a plan comes together and everyone is a winner. I hope I get to visit with Everly, Grady, Aunt Fran, Aunt Clara and crew again soon. I hope you get to meet them too. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Oh, this was good! This is the third Seaside Cafe Mystery. Every Swan gets better with each book. Well, she is sometimes a little annoying with her attempts to wheedle answers from Grady.
It’s Christmas time in Charm and they are experiencing crazy weather. Snow for days and days, which is unusual in their seaside town.
The mayor ruins Aunt Fran’s announcement that she is running for mayor and then Aunt Fran finds him dead outside Everly’s Cafe and she picks up the murder weapon.
There is a confusion of gnomes, snow, vandalism and threats to Everly.
I suspected something wasn’t right with the person that turned out to be the murderer, but it wasn’t until the story connected the dots that I understood what had happened.
The way the story ends is quite sweet. I like that the Swans aren’t just the founders of Charm but they go out of their way to do good too. There are some nice thoughts there for thinking about doing good in your own community.

It's the second book I read in this series and I liked this one better.
It's an engrossing and entertaining novel, full of twists and turns and with a cast of quirky and likeable characters.
I liked the style of writing, the lovely setting, the festive atmosphere and how the characters were developed.
The mystery is good and it kept me guessing.
I look forward to reading the next instalment.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This was the perfect cozy island Christmas! Well minus the tons of snow they were getting, because that's not something that Charm, NC normally saw for Christmas. Or as Mr. Waters told Everly, he hadn't seen snow there for forty years. It didn't stop the Christmas bustle though, and the tea shop business was booming. This time Everly had to clear her aunt Fran's name of murder when her opponent in the mayor's race was killed outside the tea shop during their Christmas party.

I kind of had a feeling for most of the book who the killer would be, but a couple of times thanks to good red herrings, I was thrown off the trail. The killer showdown was exciting, and I think Everly would probably give the following advice: Never underestimate the power of peppermint when fighting off a killer! I loved how Everly's Giving Tree wish came true which meant that all the island families would also have a very Merry Christmas, at least dinnerwise. I'm happy with where she and Grady are right now, and I hope the series will continue as they get even closer.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own. This book releases tomorrow, September 24, 2019.

Charm is a whimsical and charming setting for a mystery that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Everly is proof you can go home again, and it can be more than you hoped for. An enjoyable book and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

This is the third book in this wonderful seaside cozy mystery series.. I have read the previous in the series and enjoyed them all. This series has delightful charcters, a beautiful setting and always a well crafted wonderful sleuth that is pleasing to conclusion. This was my favorite of the series so far with a Christmas theme. I love the small fictional town of "charm" that the author has written to perfection. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the ARC. My opinion is my own.

In this next in series our protagonist Everly Swan is finding her business, Sun, Sand and Tea to be very popular with the local and tourists alike. She loves running her fun business with some help from her great Aunt's Fran and Clara who are fun and quirky additions to this series. They are preparing a Christmas party at the tea shop . In this book Clara has a growing holiday gnome collection which lends clues to the eventual crime. Everly has a romance brewing in this book but it does not overpower the mystery and is a just right addition to the series. Lou the seagull is back and as always helpful to Everly.

When her Aunt Fran decides to run for mayor against her nemesis no one is prepared for his murder. Soon Aunt Fran is on the main suspect list as she had words with him publicly.. Now Everly must work to clear her Aunt's name, prepare her annual Christmas party in her shop and make sure her new romance does not fall by the wayside. The excitement builds to a surprising revel of the killer .

I love this series for its endearing charcters, the charming location and well crafted twist and turns that keep me guessing. This is a great addition to this series and I look forward to the next in series.

Merry Christmas from Charm, North Carolina! I liked this book better than the previous one. I enjoyed all the Christmas and cafe scenes. I also liked all of the literary references, including those to Wuthering Heights - Everly loves it, but her friend Amelia does not (neither do I!). Slow start, took me a while to get "hooked," but once I became invested, it grew into a quick read.

Murder isn't always spur of the moment; sometimes it's been long in the planning...


Christmastime in the quaint community of Charm, North Carolina, an island in the Outer Banks, has an unexpected blessing this year:
Snow! And lots of it! But there's plenty of downside too, including a nasty murder and repeated attempts to frame Fran Swan, descendant of the founding family and aunt of protagonist Everley Swan, who operates the delightful Sun, Sand, and Tea shop. Everley refuses to leave the investigation to hunky police detective Grady Hayes, and her determination puts her and Aunts Fran and Clara smack in the killer's angry sights.

“Tide and Punishment” by Bree Baker is the third book in ‘A Seaside Café Mystery Series’, and it was an excellent read. The first one in the series was ‘Live and Let Chai’, although I have yet to read it. but I have read the second instalment - 'No Good Tea Goes Unpunished'.

What highly entertaining mix of mystery and mayhem! This wonderful cozy mystery, set in Christmastime, was both lovely and enjoyable. It made perfect reading for me between other more intense novels. It was funny and quirky with a fantastic plot. The characters were very well drawn by Bree Baker and I especially liked Everly’s great-aunts, Clara and Fran, for their cheering and spirit-lifting moments.

This book was a great package of fun and excitement and although it was longer than most cozies, it was a perfect book to enjoy with a drink of specially blended tea and a homemade cookie or two.

I really appreciated the clever writing from Bree Baker in this novel which kept me intrigued right to the end. The conclusion was a surprise and the author did a wonderful job wrapping up the story.

With its great story and wonderful characters, I would recommend “Tide and Punishment” to all cozy mystery lovers out there who are wanting an easy-to-read weekend or Christmas read. I will be looking out for the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel, at my own request, from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

In a series, the later books can sometimes be of less quality, but not here, so I recycle my review. Great plot and story, interesting setting, very good characters, and most of all: something happening all the time, so that you don't want to put the book down. A little romance is perfect, too.

A Seaside Cafe mystery and book three in the series. Christmastime in Charm and, apart from preparations for the holiday season, there is much activity and goings on in the town especially with Fran having decided to run for Mayor. When her arch rival and opponent turns up dead Fran becomes the obvious suspect. Enjoyable, cosy mystery with an endearing cast of characters and a good of place.

Crime and Christmas in Charm, North Carolina. Not what Everly Swan has on her list of holiday plans. A Christmas party at her business, Sun, Sand and Tea with lots of Christmas cookies is what she has planned, spending time with her two great Aunts, Fran and Clara, yes. Getting involved with a homicide, no way. Well, Great Aunt Fran ends up the focus of a murder investigation when she is found standing over the corpse of her nemesis, the current Mayor. She had declared her intention of running against him in the upcoming election. Then the police put her at the top of their suspect list. Everly is not about to let her dear Great Aunt spend her twilight years behind bars and sets about investigating.
The cast of characters is wonderful, a group of people I wouldn't hesitate to spend time with. The mystery is a very satisfying puzzle with enough red herrings to keep me guessing - I guessed wrong. This was the perfect reading escape and, if you are new to this series, not to worry, it works fine as a stand alone. I'm looking forward to book #4, A Call for Kelp, due out May 26, 2020.

The unusual snowfall was the perfect backdrop for a Christmas party in the coastal town of Charm. Everly Swan welcomed guests to her Sun, Sand and Tea iced tea shop complete with a holiday buffet and lots of cookies. Her Aunt Fran was going to make an official announcement that she was running for mayor but they were all surprised when the current mayor showed up. Things went from bad to worse and someone ended up murdered outside of Sun, Sand and Tea.

The author did an amazing job setting the scene. Her descriptions were so complete you could almost see and feel the winter weather. The plot moved along at a good pace and there was just the right amount of romantic tension.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Charm, North Carolina is not so charming when Mayor Dupree is murdered and Aunt Fran is the prime suspect! Everly, who runs the local tea shop (and bakery) knows she didn't do it, even though she's been at odds with him for YEARS and, more importantly, that one of Aunt Clara's gnomes was the murder weapon. Yep, a garden gnome. These great aunts are a hoot, as are the other characters in this small town cozy. Everly's sorta love interest, Grady, is the detective who is investigating and of course she's going to poke around too. This installment also adds a coupe of characters (no spoilers) you'll hope will be around for a bit. Cozy readers know there's more to Dupree than met the eye and that Everly is going to wander into a hornet's nest (but get out of it safely.). Thanks to net galley for the ARC- for cozy fans.

Series: Seaside Café Mysteries - Book 3
Author: Bree Baker
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Holiday/Tea Shop
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Page Count: 384

Publishing Date: September 24, 2019

From Poisoned Pen Presscomes the 3rd cozy mystery book Tide and Punishment in the “Seaside Café Mysteries” series by Bree Baker. An exciting and enjoyable addition to this fun series. Everly loves her family. She begins to understand how fortunate she is to have the two greatest aunts around. And when one of them finds herself the number one suspect in a murder, she has no choice but to find the real killer before her aunt spends Christmas in prison.

Everly is a wonderful character who is surrounded by more wonderful characters. It isn’t hard to like any of them or to empathize with one or more. The characters in this cozy mystery book are well-rounded, with personalities readers can understand and happily spend time with. The name of the town says it all, Charm. This is a charming series, and Tide and Punishment only adds to the appeal of this series.

Ms. Baker knows how to delight readers, move a plot forward, and keep you guessing. Cozy mystery books can sometimes wander off-topic and take the long way around to get back to the main focus, but this is not a problem with this book or series.

The murderer is found and gets their comeuppance, although not in the way readers will expect. The red herrings splashed throughout the book add more intrigue to the story and keeps you turning the page to make certain everything will turn out alright. The tea descriptions make readers want to give them a taste, and if you are in the south, chances are you will try at least one of them this winter. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery book and am thrilled to recommend it to readers of standalone mysteries as well as cozy mystery series.

ARC provided by NetGalley

Tide and Punishment by Bree Baker is the 3rd book in A Seaside Cafe Mystery Series, and another great addition. It's snowing in Charm, North Carolina, something it rarely does. Everly Swan is busy making cookies, and tea for her cafe. When the Mayor disrupts Everly's aunt Fran's announcement to run for major, with his own announcement, trouble begins. I really enjoy this series, and it is always fun to visit the sea side, and find out what my friends are up to. This is a quick and fun read. It’s a great series and I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I truly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmarks. Thank you.

Everly owns an iced tea and snack shop in Charm, NC, on the Outer Banks. She must discover who is trying to frame her Aunt Fran, a mayoral candidate, for the murder of the current mayor. A cute Christmas cozy mystery.

Everly Swan is focused on baking cookies and hosting a holiday party at her iced tea shop for the Christmas season. Her great aunt Fran plans to announce her candidacy for mayor of their seaside town of Charm, North Carolina but the incumbent Mayor Dunfree crashes the party and insults Fran in front of the guests. Shortly afterward, Dunfree is found bludgeoned to death with a decorative gnome outside the shop. As more evidence mounts that point towards Fran being the killer, Everly is determined to help Detective Grady Hays find the real killer. More acts of vandalism and veiled threats are sent to Everly to get her stop her snooping but the feisty Everly refuses to heed these warnings.

This was a fun quick read and another enjoyable entry in the Seaside Cafe mystery series.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Tide and Punishment by Bree Baker is a light, cozy mystery with some interesting characters and a lovely setting of a fictional town on the Outer Banks. This is the third book in the series, and my first read, but I had no trouble becoming acquainted with all the characters and their relationships to Everly Swan, the protagonist.
The book takes place in the week leading up to Christamas with all the accompanying activity that might occur for a baker who specializes in homemade cookies and specially blended tea. Add to that the extremely rare occurence of a snow storm, an aunt who has suddenly, and uncharacteristically started painting countless garden gnomes and giving them away and another aunt who has decided to run for mayor, and you have an interesting backdrop for the murder of the current mayor, who is “done to death” by a gnome just outside Everly’s cafe where everyone has been gathering to hear the official announcement of her aunt’s mayoral candidacy.
Everly is drawn into the investigation because suspicion immediately falls on her aunt, the mayoral candidate. As she pursues the killer, Everly is stalked by someone who keeps threatening her to stay away from the investigation, and uses the other aunt’s gnome’s to make their point. All of this activity is set against a beautiful backdrop of a small seaside town, glistening in newfallen snow with many of the residents still trying to traverse the streets in their golf carts.
There is a secondary story that is following the growing relationship between Everly and the town’s widowed Detective Hays and at the same time has Everly still recovering from a broken heart courtesy of a cowboy who has returned to the town to run the nature center. Throw in Detective Hays’ son, his high-pressure former mother-in-law who has bought the local mansion and is working to insinuate herself into his life and you have enough multiple threads to keep you satisfied as you try to solve the mystery of the murder’s identity.
Everly’s Aunt Fran falls under suspicion in quick succession, based on little except circumstantial evidence which seem a little contrived, especially in their rapid acceptance as reasons to threaten her arrest. While there are other potential suspects and plenty of clues and red herrings, it seems suspicion falls on her aunt purely as a way to justify Everly’s interest in the case. That doesn’t diminish the enjoyment of the book for what it is, a light cozy read that is easy to pick up for entertainment and is easy to interrupt while going about the day’s other more pressing activities.
My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me an advanced digital read copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. I look forward to reading additional books in the series.