Tea & Treachery by Vicki Delany 4 stars

This is the first of "The Tea by the Sea" mystery. Vicki Delany is a name I've heard before; she is the author of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery and under her other name Eva Gates she writes the Lighthouse Library series. I have not read any books by her, but since this is the beginning of a brand new series I decided to give it a try. The premise is charming: Lily Roberts is a pastry chef, ex-New Yorker who runs a tearoom next to her grandmother Rose's B&B. The property next door is for sale and a nasty developer wants to build a hotel resort. This would seriously disrupt Rose Roberts peace and quiet, which is the reason she moved to Cape Cod in the first place. Hard words are exchanged between Rose and Jack Ford, the developer. However, when his body is found off a cliff area on Rose's property, she becomes the chief suspect. What follows is a predictable cozy mystery, with Rose asking Lily to help her find the real murderer. This was a very fast read once I got started and since this is the first book, there is a lot of setup and background for the supporting characters. The only thing that annoyed me was the character of Rose Roberts. I didn't like her very much and that may affect my enjoyment of subsequent books.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

Vicki Delany’s new cozy mystery, Tea & Treachery, is the first book in her Tea-by-the-Sea series. Afternoon tea in an authentic tearoom is on my “bucket-list” so I couldn’t wait to start this series. Delany is very good at developing a sense of place and describing the scenery of Cape Cod. However, the plot and character development fell short.
The first half of the book focused too much on baking scones and Lily’s kitchen duties. I didn’t really get a feel for Lily as a character. I had to push myself to stay interested until the plot picked up.
I would read the next book in the series if there is less focus on baking and more focus on sleuthing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lily's grandmother, Rose, runs a B&B on Cape Cod, and Lily, a pastry chef, is in charge of the neighboring tea room. A large home on the adjoining lot is falling apart, and a developer wants to tear it down and build a conference center,.When there is a murder and Rose is implicated, Lily tries to do some investigating with the help of her friend Bernie, and of course, Rose. I look forward to reading more by this author--I enjoyed this fun new cozy series with appealing characters. Thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

"I don't believe anything in this world is more beautiful than a perfectly decorated cupcake."

This is my first cozy mystery, and I have to say, I ~love~ it. This story is atmospheric,  not in a spooky or alarming way, but in a pleasant and welcoming one (never mind the murder).

Pastry chef Lily recently opened a tearoom on the property of her grandmother, Rose's Victorian B&B on Cape Cod. From the sound of the sea, to the smell of baking scones in an old-fashioned kitchen, to the vision of the traditional English gardens maintained at the B&B, the settings leapt off the page. Plus, there's a labradoodle named Éclair that I wanted to take home with me asap. I've been trying to avoid the adjective "cozy," but that's just what it is, ok?

To mess with this idyllic picture, let's throw in the murder of a developer who wants to buy the property next door and build a golf resort. Rose is the feisty, English grandmother I would love to borrow for myself. She's been making noise about what she views as the corrupt attempt to ruin her peace with the development. Unfortunately, her strong and public position on the matter lands her right at the top as Suspect #1.

Along with the help of her enthusiastic and free-spirited best friend Bernie, Lily reluctantly follows along with her grandmother's scheme to discover what really happened. This is a sedate and charming read, perfect to be enjoyed over your own cup of tea (speaking from experience), seaside not included.

A wonderful cozy debut! Likeable characters, a murder mystery that keeps one guessing till the end, a tinge of humour and romance, I absolutely enjoyed reading Tea and treachery.
The suspense is well-maintained throughout the story. Identity of the killer is well-hidden - I couldn't guess until they came face-to-face with Lily.
As a protagonist, Lily is likeable. Rose and Bernie as amateur sleuths brought some humour to the story - especially when Lily's joined them for an outing (read sleuthing) and the poor thing's ignored. It's as if Lily is invisible...
I like the combination of tea and amateur/armchair sleuthing. I am eager to read the next book in this series. Highly recommend to cozy mystery fans.

Lily Roberts has left her life in Manhattan to run a quaint teashop next door to her grandmother Rose's Victoria-on-Sea B&B along the Cape Cod Bay. Lily loves baking traditional and unique treats and serving them with assorted teas to her guests after finishing a shift making breakfasts for the B&B guests. Lily is kept company with her dog Eclair as well as her best friend Bertie who has decided to rent a summer home to work on her debut literary novel. The newly hired gardener Simon may also provide a romantic distraction.

But this idyllic setting may be ruined when developer Jack Lord plans to tear down a decrepit house near to Rose's B&B and build a luxury hotel and golfing facility. Rose is vehemently opposed to this plan and sends a scathing letter to the local newspaper. The editor refuses to publish the piece but Lord finds out about it and threatens to sue Rose for her libelous claims.

Lily gets a shock when she finds Lord's body at the base of the B&B stairs leading to the beach. The local police, headed by veteran Detective Williams and his newly transferred partner Detective Amy Redmond investigate the death. It's clear that Williams is fixated on Rose being the culprit in Lord's murder.

Rose and Bertie are determined to find the truth. They rope in Lily to help in the sleuthing and she reluctantly agrees to leave her tearoom to help.

The reveal of the killer and his confronting Lily seemed a bit cliche but this was still a tasty, delightful debut mystery.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and Kensington with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

3.5/5 stars

I received an ARC copy of Tea & Treachery through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tea & Treachery is the first book in the Tea by the Sea series and it is a cozy, tea house and B&B mystery. Lily owns her own tea room and helps her grandmother, Rose, with the cooking at her grandmother’s B&B. When a murder takes place outside of the B&B, Lily reluctantly finds herself in the middle of the murder investigation.

Overall, I found Tea & Treachery to be an enjoyable, fast paced murder mystery. I liked the Cape Cod setting a lot, as well as the tea room setting. I liked the main character, Lily, but couldn’t really connect with some of the other characters, like Rose and Bernie.

Tea & Treachery is a good cozy murder mystery and I am definitely open to giving any future books in the series a try.

What can be better than a traditional afternoon tea, sipping and nibbling while looking out over the ocean of Cape Cod? In this case, you add in murder.

Lily Roberts is just trying to survive her first season of running her own tea room, Tea by the Sea, and keep up with her spirited, bossy, and blunt grandmother, Rose, who runs the neighboring B & B. Especially since Rose stirs up trouble with everyone wherever she goes. Her recent crusade? Vocally protesting the rezoning of a nearby property, which could then be sold and developed into a hotel. Things get dicey after a particularly heated and public argument between Rose and the developer when the developer is found dead the next day, on Rose's property. With one detective wanting to make this an open-and-shut case of murder, with Rose as the culprit, Lily reluctantly is drawn into finding the real truth. Can she solve the murder, and serve her scones?

A promising start to a new series by fan favorite Vicki Delany, "Tea & Treachery" takes readers to the coast of Cape Cod, tempting them with not only a complicated crime but delicious descriptions of food. (Yay for recipes in the back!) As a reader, I adored Lily, who really does not want to get involved and has way too much on her plate anyway. She gets bossed around a lot, and does a lot of what Rose tells her to do, but refuses to be a doormat; at first, she's mostly along for the ride, trying to make sure that no one does get arrested, but finds herself getting more and more involved, asking questions and creating theories. She's also got a lot of snark and knows how to pick her battles. That being said, Rose and Lily's best friend, wanna-be author Bernie, do take most of the initiative in solving the case, again dragging protagonist/narrator Lily along for the ride, which is unusual for the cozy mystery genre. If Lily had it her way, she'd spend her entire time in the kitchen, actually getting work done. (To be fair, she's one of the few characters who actually does work...)

All in all, a good first case for this series, and I'll be interested to see what comes up in the future.

A wonderful start to a new series. Lily and her grandma are a hoot. A cozy mystery that was hard to put down. Highly recommend this book and author.

Lily has opened a tea shop on a cottage of her grandmother’s B&B. The B&B is an English home which is home to Rose and her guests. Rose and Lily love the setting on Cape Cod. However, a developer threatens their peace with a new hotel and golf course to go in next door. When the developer is found dead on their property and the chief detective doesn’t want to look beyond Rose as a suspect, Lily is forced to search for the murderer.

This is a great start to a new series. The characters are wonderful, the mystery is solid and the solution is a surprise. I look forward to more of this series.

A nice start to a classic cozy series. Lily has moved to North Augusta on Cape Cod to run her tea room and help out her grandmother Rose with her B&B. Rose is under a siege, of sorts, from Jack Ford, who wants her to sell her place so that there can be more development in the town. Then, of course, he's found murdered and Rose is top on the suspect list- except that a lot of people in town don't like him because he was, well, a rat. Lily decides to investigate, even though Rose is kind of a pain. Her friend Bernie, who has also moved from New York, has a lot to say as well. It's a great setting, btw. The mystery is twisty enough and the characters well done even though the scenario is familiar. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to what Delany does next.

Tea & Treachery is a great start to a new series by Vicki Delany. The setting is a Cape Cod tea ship run by Lily Roberts, a trained pastry chef, and a Victorian B&B run by Lily's spitfire grandmother Rose. All is peaceful until a neighbor of Rose's has determined to sell his house to a developer, Jack Ford, who wants to build a resort with golf course on the property. Rose is vehemently opposed to the development and after submitting a letter to the local newspaper stating her opposition, the developer is found dead on Rose's property. Unfortunately Rose becomes the key suspect in the murder, and the detective on the case, Detective Williams, seems determined to prove that she is indeed the murderer, even if he needs to plant evidence. Lily and her best friend Bernie, an aspiring writer, take it upon themselves to do a little investigating and find out that the deceased developer had many shady business deals and many enemies. It's now up to Lily and Bernie, with some help from Rose, to find out who the real murderer is before the detective arrests Rose.

This is a book in which the reader can easily get lost and is the same quality read as all of Ms. Delany's other books. I highly recommend this book to cozy fans, Cape Cod fans, tea shop fans and B&B fans. There are also many recipes and tips at the end of the book - a bonus! I look forward to the next installment in the Tea by the Sea mystery series!

Tea & Treachery is the first book in Vicki Delany's A Tea by the Sea Mystery series. The protagonist, Lily Roberts, runs a traditional English tearoom on the grounds of her grandmother Rose's B&B. Rose, who enjoys the peace and quiet of her neighbor, is furious because the property next door to the B&B may be sold to an aggressive real estate developer who plans to use the land to build a fancy golf resort. Rose is outspoken and hot-tempered and threatens the real estate developer as well as writing an angry letter to the local newspaper. When he is found dead on her property, she immediately becomes the main suspect. With the help of her grandmother and best friend, Bernie, Lily is determined to find the real culprit.

I thought this was an enjoyable and easy read. The setting is charming and the English tea traditions are well-researched. As a tea lover, I enjoyed the descriptions of various teas as well as the mouth-watering pastries and sandwiches that accompany them. The main character, Lily, was easy to like. She was friendly, level headed, and hardworking. I look forward to seeing how her business grows and how the relationships in her life develop, particularly with Simon and the new detective. The secondary characters were well-developed and mostly likable. I wasn't the biggest fan of Bernie and Rose. Instead of supporting Lily, they spent the entire book pushing her around and expecting her to drop everything for them. This didn't affect my enjoyment of the story, however, I hope to see a stronger Lily in book two.
The mystery was well done and kept me guessing. While the culprit wasn't a complete surprise, I enjoyed the action-packed reveal. Overall, this is a wonderful start to a new series and I look forward to my next visit to North Augusta.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A deliciously deadly story that will leave you craving scones and satisfied that justice was met.Cape Cod is setting as Lily runs a new afternoon tea shop and also cooks breakfast for her grandmother’s B&B. AND investigates murder of nasty real estate developer. A hint of romance develops as Lily and best friend Bernie meet two nice, new men. Wonderful supporting characters and intriguing premise.
Hurry up with #2 in series!
Thanks to #NetGalley, #TeaAndTreachery, #KensingtonBooks for advanced digital copy.

The first in a new series. I saw this on Netgalley and requested it due to its description and cover. I really enjoy Ms. Delaney’s series. This series involves an English tea room on Cape Cod. Lily Roberts has relocated from Manhattan to run a tea room next door to her grandmother’s B & B. Bernie, her BFF has relocated to the cape to work on being an author.
I’m not sure how I feel about Rose, her grandmother and Bernie. I guess time will tell.

The aggressive land developer that is mentioned in the description is found dead and Rose is the prime suspect. Lily must figure out who did it to help keep her grandmother out of jail.
The mystery is well-plotted and full of twists. I enjoyed the story and look forward to the next installment.

I was given an advanced reader’s copy. I am not required to leave a positive review.

A new cozy series, Tea by the Sea, centers on three women: Lily, who runs a tea shop and helps her grandmother run her Victorian B & B; Rose, the cheeky grandmother; and Bernie, Lily’s friend who quit her job to focus on her novel. In the course of this debut, gardener Simon and prospective neighbor Matt join the lineup.

In Tea and Treachery, Rose is the leading suspect in the murder of a real estate developer with plans that may put her B & B out of business. While there are other suspects, Lily, Rose, and Bernie begin investigating.

An excellent storyteller, Vicki Delany, creates a strong foundation for this ongoing series situated in Cape Cod. The characters are well developed, the relationships evolving, and the pace comfortable. Ms. Delany’s experience as a successful author works well as she builds another charming destination for readers to visit.

Tea and Treachery is a cute cozy mystery that makes you immediately want to have English tea with all the works: scones, clotted cream and of course, tea.

I love the amount of research that went into the English tea tradition. The mystery party of the book was a bit difficult for me to get into. It may have been because the characters didn't seem developed enough at the beginning for me, so I didn't feel an emotional connection with any of them. However, others may not feel this way and it was overall, an enjoyable read.

Tea and Treachery is the first in a new series - Tea by the Sea Mysteries. I've read several of Ms. Delany's series and this one is starting out in keeping with the author's reputation although I was a bit hesitant at first but never fear, she came through like always and didn't disappoint.

I can recommend this book to all lovers of cozies.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher - Kensington Books and Ms. Delany for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

In this first book of a new series (Tea by the Sea Mystery), Lily Roberts is the proprietor & pastry chef at a traditional English tearoom is Cape Cod. Her feisty grandmother Rose runs the accompanying B&B & her bff Bernie has quit her accounting job to move there & write a novel. When an aggressive real estate agent Jack Ford wants to rezone the land & put in a golf course, Lily & Rose are worried what it means for their business & atmosphere of their quiet area. Rose is particularly heated up & writes a scathing letter, that while not printed in the paper, gets into the hands of Ford, she’s about to be sued for libel. Things get extra complicated when Ford is found dead & Rose is the prime suspect. It’s up to Lily to clear her grandmother’s name luckily she uncovers Ford has more enemies than Rose.


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I really liked this book a lot. I love reading about Cape Cod, especially in the summer. Lily is a good heroine, level headed & calm. I’ll admit her bff Bernie can be a tad flakey & her grandmother Rose is stubborn & bossy (but I think that’s intentional on the writers part). The location & atmosphere of the series has started off on a good foot, I love the tea-room, it’s the perfect setting for a cozy mystery series. I’ll be looking out for the second book when it comes out.

3.75 stars

Charming series debut featuring pastry chef Lily Roberts, proprietor of Tea by the Sea, a Cape Cod shop offering traditional English tea and pastries. Lily's intimidating grandmother Rose runs a B&B next door, along with the lives of anyone in her vicinity.

Rose is furious because the quiet ocean vista adjoining her Victorian home may be sold to a real estate developer who intends to put a big hotel and resort there. She is outspoken and hot-headed and threatens him as well as writing a heated letter to the local newspaper. So, when the developer's body is found by the two properties, guess who becomes suspect number one?

Lily has her hands full baking breakfast for Rose's guests and keeping delectable scones and tea sandwiches freshly provided at Tea by the Sea. Her best girlfriend Bernie, an aspiring novelist, is sometimes helpful and sometimes a flaky hindrance. But the two aren't convinced the local police department is really looking for suspects so they begin to snoop around.

This was a fun read with appealing characters. Warning: the description of the pastries will definitely make you hungry -- and some recipes are included. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.