I'm setting this book aside at 50% because it's not clicking with me. While I'm intrigued by the premise of a gemologist inheriting a tea and crystals shop, I'm just not liking the characters. The protagonist Shay immediately falls for her neighbor, a man who uses a fake accent to attract women. Shay's sister gets mad at her for a ridiculous reason. There's unnecessary friend drama. A character is referred to as "Mr. Fancy-Pants" way too many times. So, unfortunately, the start of the Crystals & CuriosiTEAS mystery series turned out not to be my cup of tea. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

new-series, first-in-series, Irish-lore, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, sisters, murder-investigation, murder, ex-cop, cozy-mystery, dog, urban-fantasy, cultural-heritage, divorcee, inheritance, gemology, small-business, small-town, paranormal, hometown, starting-over, family, secrets, relationships, relatives*****

The first murder was promoted as accidental and resulted in Shay receiving a major inheritance just when she needed to turn her life around. The second murder was definite and was on the very day Shay took ownership of the tea shop. Add in a shady sheriff, a heartthrob of a business neighbor who is ex-cop, and a white Shepard who appears psychic. The characters are so well done, the plot is smooth and riveting, and I never saw the twists coming! Great read
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books/Kensington Cozies via NetGalley. Thank you!

I really enjoyed this a lot more than I first thought I would when I started reading it, but the characters just came to life and drew me in! I liked Shay's character a lot and her backstory was interesting--and about to become even more interesting. It was cool how she and Tassi became friends despite their age difference, but as they were to find out, they had quite a bit in common. Jen was a good big sister but sometimes seemed a touch unreasonable even though she meant well.

I was never really sure whodunit and what a good twist at the end along with a kickin' showdown followed by a full explanation and wrap-up. I just love that dog Spirit and I'm so happy he's got Shay to live with now. He was super in tune to clues and what he knew he wanted people to do to find answers.

When the book was ending, I just didn't want it to. I wanted to stay there and read more about the town and people, especially Shay and Liam. I was extremely happy about one thing in particular that happened after the showdown, and now I can't wait to go back and visit with Shay and all her friends again. Don't miss this new series especially if you like a little magic (there's not a bunch of woo-woo stuff going on if you're worried about that, give it a chance) with your cozy mystery. It releases Tuesday, November 29, 2022.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

A new series.
I,liked the family mystery aspect. I liked the setting in California.
The mystery part was decent.
I liked Elliott’s writing and while the tea perspective was interesting g I was more interested in the gems.
I think the series is off to a good start.

I enjoyed the characters in the book and the magical elements. I'd love to see what else the author comes up with.
The only thing I didn't like were some of the too-often repeated phrases such as mottle monster that the main character uses to describe when she blushes, and the too-often used descriptive words that she has for Liam. after awhile i felt like groaning every time i read them.

Shay Myers left Bray Harbor as soon as she graduated high school, and never went back. That is until her cheating husband took everything from her, including her professional reputation. What was she to do now? Her answer came by way of an inheritance.

Shay knew Bridget Early since childhood, but not well. Bridget owned Crystals & CuriosiTEAS, a local tea and psychic shop. Recently Bridget's body was found after a mysterious disappearance. Shay has no idea why Bridget bequeathed everything to her..... and there would be more questions needing answers.

Shay is touring the tea shop with the realtor charged with handing it over to her when they look up at the glass ceiling and see a stranger's body.

With the help of her sister and her neighbor, Shay sets off to find out who killed Bridget and the stranger on the roof. She also needs to figure out her true purpose in Bray Harbor and the powerful connection she has with the tea shop.

This book was interesting and enjoyable. I always like reading books by Lauren Elliott.

Lauren Elliott writing a new series got my attention. This series, centering on the Crystals and CuriosiTEAS, is off to a great start. Shay Myers had left home and hadn't planned to move back. Life dealt her a bad hand with a no good husband who stole every cent she had, destroyed her business and badmouthed her to her customers. She had worked hard to build her business as a gemologist and now it was gone. Fate offers her a new path when an inheritance comes to her from a woman in her home town, Bray Harbor, CA. Her shop, Crystals and CuriosiTEAS plus a cottage on the beach now belong to Shay. If that wasn't enough of a surprise, the dead body found on the glass roof of the shop is a doozy.
The cast of characters is well developed and there are some interesting twists in various relationships. As for the mystery there is a paranormal theme which includes a white German Shepard named Spirit who belonged to the shop's previous owner and vanished when she died. He has returned now that Shay has taken over the shop. Put it all together and this is great debut mystery. More please.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Welcome to California’s Monterey Peninsula, where life looks calm and idyllic, but there is a sinister murderer in their midst. Shayleigh Myers has returned home to Bray Harbor, after a disaster of a marriage has left her practically destitute. She soon discovers that she has been left an inheritance from Bridget Early, the previous owner of Crystals & CuriosiTEAS. With the help of her sister and young assistant, Tassi, she's hoping to convert the shop into a teahouse. That is, until a dead body lands on her roof and she must find a killer, before her new life is ruined before it has even started.

I absolutely love Lauren Elliott's Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries. As soon as I heard she had a new series, I knew I had to pick it up immediately! Well let me say, this series is even better! Right from the very first page, I was absolutely smitten with Shay, the sexy Irish pub owner next door, Liam, and even sullen teen, Tassi!

The mystery itself had me in a tangled web, that I tried to unravel, but kept getting knotted up even more! The death's of Bridget and the man on her roof, become woven into questions Shay has about her own life, and it was truly a delight to see the final denouement revealed.

If you enjoy paranormal mysteries, this series has been on your winter "must-read" list. Alike to me, you will be turning the last page and absolutely begging for more. I can't wait to take another trip to Bray Harbor, and see what adventure Shay is going to get into next!

Really enjoyed this first book in the series. I loved the magical element to it and the way the characters were introduced was fantastic. Can’t wait to read the next book.

A fun new cozy series by a great author! The story has interesting characters and the main character has a profession that was fun to learn about. As always with this author, the book is fantastic for those who love a great cozy. Recommend.

“Flat broke and divorced, intuitive gemologist Shay Myers has changed since leaving her artsy hometown of coastal Bray Harbor sixteen years ago. But when she moves back under strange circumstances, old instincts may be the only key to spilling the tea on a deadly mystery.”

***

Binge watching Sex and the City hits way different than if you watch it, one episode per week, as God intended. The girls just come off way more sketchy when viewed one episode (and bed partner) after another after another after another.

I think the reason this book didn’t work for me is similar. If I hadn’t just recently read a string of meh fiction, I probably would have read this one with a much better attitude.

First, I had a hard time getting past the Steeped in Exposition dialogue.

“You should ask Stephen.”
“Stephen? Your ex-roommates step-father, who opened up a bait shop two towns over after retiring from the salt mines after an accident left him with a limp in his left leg?”

I fully understand the author is trying to build a whole world in Bray Harbor, but I felt tube-fed.

It went downhill from there.

The town-folk were caricatures (I’m surprised the Sheriff didn’t have a mustache to twirl), the love interest used his fake accent to manipulate women, and the main female character was creepily gleeful, considering her inheritance came from the suspicious death of an old woman.

I didn’t even like the dog!

“What is it, boy? What are you trying to tell me? Timmy’s in the well?”

You know I’m grumpy when I can’t be put in a good mood by a puppy.

Listen, this book is has a 4.5 star rating on Good Reads, so LOTS OF PEOPLE LOVE THIS BOOK.

I’m just not one of them.

3/10

Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Tantor Audio for this ARC.

As a fan of Lauren Elliot’s bookstore mysteries and loving the tea-related title, I was excited to read this, and it did not disappoint!

Gemologist Shay, divorced and broke, returns to the coastal town on California's Monterey Peninsula she grew up in to start over. She has mysteriously inherited a crystal and tea shop from a woman she barely knew, a woman who was the town psychic. Shay's intuitive/empath powers grow once inside her new shop, one overflowing with Irish and Celtic symbols. But before she can learn to read tea leaves, she finds a dead body on the roof and will need her new abilities, a handsome Irish bar owner, and a curious white German Shepard who adopts her to help her discover who the murderer is before she's next.

While there is significant world-building, as this is the start of a series, the book is well-paced. It has all the elements you typically find in a cozy and puts a fun spin on them while still delivering a solid mystery. The included recipe is for an herbal tea blend. The paranormal elements are threaded throughout but do not overtake good old-fashioned sleuthing. The romantic interest is swoony with an Irish brogue. The animal companion, Spirit, is an elusive white German Shepard with intuitive powers.And while some secrets come out in this installment, several others will only be resolved in time and will keep me rooting for Shay. Such a promising start to a new series that I look forward to book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley KensingtonBooks and Lauren Elliot for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this first installment in Lauren Elliott's new cozy mystery series! It has just a touch of paranormal, and the dog, Spirit, is one of my new favorite animal companions. I really liked Shay, our protagonist, and found her to be endearing and very relatable. I loved following her journey through learning why she inherited a shop and a beachfront cottage and while she was solving the mystery. It was well paced and plotted, and I cannot wait for the next book!

Good start to a new series. This one has a lot of the tried-and-true cozy tropes: inheriting a business, suffering through a breakup, meeting handsome new stranger… (all of which can be found in the author’s other series). There is an added paranormal element in this that didn’t work for me. I did like the gemologist aspect, something I don’t really see in cozies so this may be what gets me to read the next one. Enjoyable but maybe I’ve hit my limit with cozy mysteries.

The first in a new series and definitely going to be a must-read series! I loved the characters, their interwoven histories and new connections. A great mystery that unfolded in a manner that had you leaning towards one or more guilty parties, but not exactly sure which one was the actual guilty party until the end. It was wonderful how the author layered multiple plots on top of each other so that you had one cohesive and exciting story. I am a bit biased as this is one of my favorite authors', however in my opinion she has an absolute hit on her hands! I can't wait to get to know Shay and her cast of friends better in the next book which I hope will be along soon!

This is the first installment in a new cozy series by a great author! The characters are all interesting and the main character has a profession I was excited to learn a little more about. As always with this author, the book was heavy on the fantastic details that make a cozy feel..well, cozy!

Change can be difficult and painful. Ask the caterpillar, and then ask her again if it was worth it when she becomes a butterfly.’

The future doesn't look good for Gemologist and Empath Shay Myers. Betrayed by her husband, Brad, setup in a money scheme, Shay's career is ruined and she's left homeless and broke. Shay receives a letter stating that the estate of Bridget Early has been bequeath to her after Bridget Early's body washed up on the ocean shore and her death is labeled as an accidental drowning. But was it? The estate includes The Crystals and CuriosiTeas Shop and a beach front Cottage in her home town of coastal Bray Harbor where we meet many colorful characters including a pure white German Shepard called Spirit who's adopted Shay, and a possible love interest in Liam Madigan, ex SFPD and owner of Madigan Pub.

Murder follows, pressure from the Realtor to sale her shop, breakins in her home and shop, several plot twists as well as a threat from a future dark villian. As truths are revealed, Shay begins to wonder about her parents death. Was it an accident or is something deeper and darker in play?

This was such an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading book #2, MURDER IN A CUP in 2023.

This new series from Lauren Elliott introduces characters so well-developed that I found myself thinking about them when I wasn't reading. Recently divorced Shay, the main character, inherits a tea shop from a lady she barely knows. On her first visit to the shop they find a dead body on the roof. The story turns into two mysteries, who killed the stranger and why did she inherit the shop in the first place...so many twists and turns had me guessing until the end...now I anxiously await the next book in the series. This is an A plus cozy mystery with a little touch of magic, maybe.

A nice start to a new series. Shay never expected to inherit a business, a cottage, and, wait for it, a dog from Bridget, a woman she barely knew. And she certainly never expected that she would find a dead body on her first tour through the business or that Liam, the friendly neighbor would be the prime suspect in the murder, at least to the Sheriff. Whew. So much change in her life but at the same time, she's got a good friend in her brother in law, a Deputy, who doesn't think Liam did it either, in Liam, in others. And she's got Spirit the dog. It's a fairly classic cozy with an empath in Shay, an interesting business, and lots of room to grow. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Adorable little cozy mystery perfect for tea lovers that will keep you entertained and intrigued until the very end. I loved trying to guess the plot in the story in the culprit and overall had a great time reading it I would highly recommend this if you’re into cozy mysteries of any sort and want a quick escape from the real world.