Everly Swan owns Sun, Sand, and Tea Cafe in Charm, North Carolina. When Aunt Fran discovers the mayor's corpse with one of her sister's garden gnome as the obvious weapon and picks it up, she becomes the chief suspect, particularly since she planned to seek his office and had arguments with him. Everly appears to have some sort of relationship with the investigator, but having not read earlier installments, I never quite figured that out. The setting is near Christmas, but there is not much of a Christmas feel to it. Everly puts her nose in places she should leave to official investigators, but they don't seem all that bothered by her efforts at amateur sleuthing in spite of a couple half-hearted warnings. I suspect my main problems with the book stem from not reading earlier installments. I found the book easy to put down. I received an advance review copy through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

Another wonderful installment to the Seaside Cafe Series. It this third book of the series it is Christmastime in Charm, North Carolina and Everly Swan is in her baking glory as she continues to grow her business, start a popular website, and help her Aunt Fran's political career as she has decided to run for mayor against the long-time incumbent, someone her Aunt Fran has disliked for years. At an event meant to announce Aunt Fran's political plans things go awry when the mayor is found dead, with Aunt Fran standing over his body holding the murder weapon.

Everly will not stand for her Aunt Fran being accused of murder, so it typical cozy fashion she attempts to solve the murder (much to the chagrin of her crush Deputy Grady), and what follows is a wonderful cozy mystery filled with Christmas goodies and thrills.

This series continues to get better with each installment. At this point the town is well developed and readers will be able to identify some of the wonderful supporting cast. It is possible to pick up this title as a standalone title, but I definitely recommend reading the previous two titles, not because of continuity, but because they are so enjoyable.

Bree Baker finished this installment at such a great point that I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on the 4th installment!

I loved this 3rd instalment of the Sea side cafe by Bree Baker..
Everly puts on her sleuthing hat on to clear her great aunt Frans name as she is implicated in the murder of the current Mayor.
Brilliant plot ,plenty of suspects as the Mayor was not very popular in the town .
Definitely kept me guessing as to who was the killer..
Roll on the next book can’t wait.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen press and to NetGalley for advance copy for my honest review.

It's Christmastime in Charm, North Carolina and the residents are experiencing an unusual amount of snow this year. Everly Swan has her hands full keeping up with the demand for her holiday cookies and hosting a Christmas party. During the party, her great aunt, Fran announces her intentions to run for Mayor, only to have the current Mayor interrupt her speech to make his own announcement. Later on, he is found dead and Fran immediately becomes the prime suspect. Everly knows her aunt is innocent and sets out to uncover the truth. This was a very enjoyable Christmas themed cozy. It is beautifully written and the plot moves at a brisk pace. I really liked Everly as a main character. she's strong and relatable and I appreciate the fact that she didn't make any rash decisions to put herself or her family in danger. I absolutely adored her eccentric aunts, especially Clara and her obsession with the gnomes. The mystery was a page-turner and it kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending was a surprise but the author did a wonderful job wrapping up the story. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will be reading more in this series. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this book, so much that I bought the first two books in The Seaside Cafe Mysteries, before I finished reading this one!

Everly Swan is the owner of the Sun, Sand and Tea cafe, a gathering spot for locals and tourists. When her Great-Aunt Fran, who is running for mayor, of the Outer Banks island town of Charm, is framed for murder, Everly must use her sleuthing skills to prove her innocent.

I loved the Swan women in this book - Everly who is kind, complex and very relatable and Great Aunts Clara and Fran who are feisty, loving and full of good cheer and humor, except when you mess with Aunt Clara's gnomes! The town's name, Charm, is perfect for the residents and it was a wonderful setting for this Christmas time cozy mystery. With the addition of a possible love interest in Grady, a widowed police detective and Wyatt, the cowboy who broke Everly's heart, the book had the balance of mystery and romance that I enjoy! Of course, Maggie the cat and Lou the seagull added to the mystery and fun!

I don't know if it was planned or not, but the reference to the neighboring town of Duck, another Outer Banks island and cozy mystery setting, made me smile.

Tide and Punishment has everything I love in a book - a "keep you guessing" mystery, strong characters, humor, cozy setting, animals and it's a book you won't want to put down until you've finished it! I'm looking forward to my next visit to Charm!

I received an ARC , from NetGalley, for a fair and honest review of this book.

I have really enjoyed reading this series with the great setting on the Outer Banks and interesting, quirky but likable characters. Everly Swan owns Sun, Sand, and Tea, a fun place to go for a cup of tea, sweets or even a meal but especially at Christmas time. When the mayor is found dead outside her cafe' during a holiday open house, things look bad for her Aunt Fran, who is running against the mayor for office. And the murder weapon is a painted Christmas gnome that Aunt Clara painted. Everly has to find the real murderer but it is not a simple task and things continue to look bad for Fran. Detective Grady Hays is a very special friend of Everly's and the situation creates friction in the relationship as Grady investigates. This is a great mystery to unravel with lots of possible candidates to investigate-nothing a batch of cookies won't smooth the way with, right? Everly can't resist helping Grady with her own sleuthing even when she gets threats. This story has well developed characters, great plot and setting during the special time of hope and giving to others during the special Christmas season. All of this in set with an especially unusual snow storm on the beach during the final couple of weeks before Christmas.
I received a complimentary ARC from Poisoned Pen Press through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.

This is a great cozy and is book 3 in the Seaside Cafe Mystery. I've been looking for ward to reading this story. Everly is getting the tea shop ready for Christmas in small beach town, Charming, N.C. and her Great Aunt Fran is announcing her candidacy for mayor at their annual open house. This is a wonderful mystery with lots of suspects in the murder of the mayor. Captures the life and spirit of small towns for the holiday season. Can be read as a stand alone. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Bree Baker’s Tide and Punishment is an entertaining cosy with great characters, a gorgeous setting, an interesting plot, and delightful Christmas festivities that will fill you with holiday cheer any time of year! This Christmas cosy is third in the series but it is a perfect standalone. This is the first book I’ve read in the series but it won’t be the last. I love this book and my only slight issue is that the plot is a little busy.

It’s Christmas in picturesque Charm and Everly Swan has an overflowing plate. She’s singlehandedly running her iced tea shop, fulfilling holiday cookie orders, and something is steeping between her and Detective Grady Hays. Then, her beloved Great-Aunt Fran wants to run for Mayor against her long-time nemesis, Mayor Dunfree. However, when Dunfree is murdered and Fran is discovered over the body and holding the murder weapon, she’s instantly the prime suspect. Everly must clear Fran’s name before it’s too late!

What a fun and charming cosy! The plot is well-paced with nice twists, viable suspects, and great suspense. I couldn’t guess the killer’s identity and motives until nearly the end. The surprise reveal is great and I love how the various subplots tie together neatly. While Baker handles the plot well, a little too much happens. For instance, although I enjoyed it, the subplot with Grady’s mother-in-law could have been trimmed.

Baker’s writing is so good that I want to move into lovely Charm! The Christmas festivities and traditions are wonderfully described. Everly’s Sun, Sand, and Tea shop is so cute! I adore the book’s warm feeling of family, community, and kindness. It is genuinely sweet instead of saccharinely forced.

The characters are unique and well-developed. I love sweet and relatable Everly. Her relationship with her quirky great aunts is lovely. Everly’s relationship with kind and handsome Grady is well-done. He is the cosy boyfriend I’ve been searching for! Although he discourages Everly’s sleuthing, he doesn’t shut her out and shut down her opinions like so many cosy love interests. I also like Wyatt, the gorgeous cowboy who broke Everly’s heart. He’s a decent character and if Baker does a love triangle, I may root for him too!

Tide and Punishment is an excellent and feel-good Christmas cosy that’ll have you instantly ready for the holidays. I highly recommend this book and I can’t wait to read more in this series!



🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 Christmas trees out of 5!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I found this an easy read, a little too easy, in fact. I have not read the first two in this series, and so maybe that puts me at a disadvantage, but I did catch on to the various characters and their past relationships with each other from previous mysteries. I did not think the mystery was all that compelling, although the surprise ending was indeed, a surprise. The whole premise of a white Christmas on the Outer Banks in NC, is a little far fetched! I live nearby, and have not had a white Christmas. I might try another of Bree Baker’s book and give her another chance,

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Having enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, I knew I would probably like this one, but I can honestly say that this series just gets better and better with each new book! I love Everly and friends, and who can resist a mystery, Christmastime, and a lovely North Carolina setting? I’m so happy to have discovered Bree Baker!

It's Christmastime in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Everly Swan is hoping her home town of Charm will live up to its name. In Tide and Punishment by Bree Baker, it's not long before trouble breaks out. When her Great-Aunt Fran announces her intentions to run for mayor, the current mayor makes his own announcement, then winds up dead. An enjoyable mystery.

An early Christmas present for cozy lovers! This book is just wonderful. Everly Swan is enjoying some unusual wintery weather in Charm, NC right before Christmas. She's not enjoying that her great-aunt Fran is being framed for murdering a local politician. Running the Sun, Sand, and Tea Cafe, baking cookies for all of her customer orders, and making sure the real killer is found has her hoping for a Christmas miracle.

This is the third book in the Seaside Cafe Mystery and I will definitely be going back to read the first two. It is just beautifully written with witty and delightful dialogue. The author really sets a beautiful coastal scene and a winter wonderland of coziness. I tore through this in just a few hours and wish it had been twice as long.

#NetGalley #Reviewathon
#TideAndPunishment

Tide and Punishment is a delightful cozy mystery. Great plot, characters and setting. I look forward to reading more books in this series. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

It’s Christmas in Charm! The more I read this series the more I love the characters, the town and the feeling of community. Everly and her quirky great aunts are fun and likable. The descriptions of the snow and all the Christmas baking made it feel like you were really there with them. Charm is one of those towns that you would want to go to and take in all the shops, especially Everly’s tea shop and The Charming Reads bookstore :) Can’t wait for the next installment. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy to read and review.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

Tide and Punishment by Bree Baker is the third book in the Seaside Cafe series. It was an engaging book from the first chapter where Everly and her Aunt Fran and Aunt Clara are having a Christmas party at Sun, Sand and Tea.

A quickly paced plot that included not only murder, red herrings, several suspects, and a mayoral race but also community ties, kindness and charity during the Christmas season in Charm, NC. The characters are becoming more fully developed now and I enjoyed meeting Grady Hays' mother-in-law. She is definitely a strong independent woman and a force to be reckoned with if she decides to stay in Charm. This is the type of small town setting that I love to visit. I would enjoy meeting these likable characters, visit the shops and get to know them all better.

This author's books are always a joy to read. I really enjoy this series, it seems to just get better and better. Loved the story. Didn't see the ending coming. Really great read!

The third book in the seaside cafe mystery series centers around Everly's great aunt Fran. During the Swan family Christmas party, she announces her plans to run for mayor, only to have the current mayor announce his plans to run for re-election. When Fran is the one to discover the body of the current mayor, all suspicion lands on her. Although Fran has strong motive and also inadvertently picked up the murder weapon, Everly is sure of her aunt's innocence and sets out to find the real culprit. With the holidays right around the corner, the clock is ticking if Everly is to save Fran from a Christmas spent in jail.
The cast of quirky, humorous, and fun loving characters are back in Charm, North Carolina to add a little excitement to your holiday season. I was very pleased when I saw this was a Christmas themed story as I always believed Charm would be a magical place to spend the holidays. The mystery moves swiftly, with plenty of false leads and dead ends to keep you guessing. In addition to the mystery, there is also a budding romance forming between Everly and the local police chief as well as the sudden appearance of her ex to mix things up. The addition of snow was also a pleasant surprise and worked to infuse a whimsical tone to the already charming setting of the novel. I have enjoyed each of the mysteries in this series so far however I believe this newest addition just might be my favorite.

It's another lovely visit to Charm, this time at the holidays. Baker does a good job of bringing in several new characters to Charm in each installment, and also of highlighting different locals, so that there are several viable suspects. Everly is likeable, and the whole town is one I'd like to visit. The past and the present come together in surprising ways, and the issue of progress/change vs tradition is woven throughout. The meaning of community is also a deep theme of the book. This is not to imply the book is an issue book--it's a fun cozy mystery, a delightful and quick read. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely feel good story. It was well written and flowed well. Easy to read and hard to put down. Perfect on these summer nights