Pro:
* Good balance between ongoing major character development and the current murder case
* Appetizing tea service and breakfast
* Literary nod to a classic work
* Well-paced

Con:
* I’m ready for Simon to have more of the spotlight
* Audiobook narrator shouldn’t try to do accents

Thank you to Vicki Delany, Kensington Cozies, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the characters and the setting. The mystery kept me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love this series! Lily Roberts owns a Cape Cod Tearoom located on the property of her grandmother's very sucessful Bed & Breakfast. In Lily's tearoom, presentation is a priority. She serves her tea in fine china teacups (mugs are for coffee) and there is occasional breakage, which is to be expected. Lily enjoys going to the antiques fair for replacements, and this time she came across a beautiful children's Peter Rabbit tea set in a wicker basket. It's a bit pricey, but perfect for her tearoom.

A few days later Kimberly, a very pushy, rude woman comes into the tea room and demands that Lily sell the Peter Rabbit tea set to her immediately. Kimberly insisted that the set should never have been sold, and that it belonged to her. Lily just wanted her gone so she sold her the tea set. Kimberly grabbed a knife and started cutting through the fabric lining in the wicker box. She found an envelope hidden under the lining, pulled it out and left with it. She left the tea set and wicker box with Lily.

Lily's next visitor was Rachel, an acquaintance from Lily's time working in the big city. She was asking about the tea set, too. Apparently Rachel and Kimberly are half sisters. The tea set belonged to their mother who recently passed away. It didn't seem that anyone wanted the tea set, but only the envelope that was hidden inside.

Rachel explained that their mother made more than one will and the sisters suspected that the final will was hidden in the wicker box. Kimberly wanted the final will destroyed so that she remained the main heir based on an earlier will. Rachel wanted the final will published so she became the main heir.

Lily wants no part of this family drama so is very unhappy to find that Kimberly is staying at her grandmother's B&B. She's even more unhappy to find Kimberly's dead body on the B&B grounds.

The final will is missing and the police suspect Rachel for the murder of her sister. Lily, her grandmother and her friends must solve the murder so life can get back to normal.

Delany is truly a master of cozy mystery fiction. I loved this most recent installment of the Tea by the Sea mysteries, and seeing Bernie, Rose, and Lily in action again was so much fun. If you love cozies with hilarious family dynamics, descriptions of scones that’ll have you reaching for your own kitchen to make them, and a mystery with so many red herrings it’s hard to figure out whodunnit, then you’ll love this book!
Delany keeps us guessing throughout so much of the book, but her masterfully planted clues allow readers to figure out the murderer if you remember to look very closely. The mystery itself and the tie in to Lily’s past made this book even more fun to read!

This was a fun, fast-paced mystery. I'm glad Lily wasn't such a pushover in this one and Rose was not so demanding of her. I enjoyed collecting clues along with Lily and her friends and learning more about her through her interactions with her ex-boyfriend, Wesley. The mystery itself was well plotted with plenty of suspects that kept me guessing until the very end. There were some questionable decisions made by Lily but, all in all, an intriguing mystery. Looking forward to the next one.

I have not had a great run with these books [even though I have wanted to love them so much] and the previous one was just so bad [for me] that I was unsure that I would ever read one again. Thankfully, the bestie talked me into this one and remarkably, I am not unhappy that I did.

I have always like Lily and her crew [and even Rose didn't bother me in this one] and they are really shining in this one. The mystery [and story] was very good and I had no idea who the killer was, until the reveal and then I was surprised because I never went in that direction [there were PLENTY of red herrings in this one]. ALL the tea food makes one drool while listening and now I want scones every day! LOL All of this adds up to a really good read right? If only...

My biggest issue with this is the over-dramatic writing. SO. SO. DRAMATIC. Good grief. I cannot even tell you how many times I rolled my eyes at the "extra drama" that was just so not needed and is so excessive that you really have to work at sticking with the story and ignore all the drama [thankfully, this time, I was able to do just that [some of that is due to the really good narrator - even though she read all the extra parts V E R Y dramatically, she was overall a really good narrator] and hence, this book is a very strong 3 stars and I am very happy with that.

Thank you to NetGalley, Vicki Delany, and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Murder, mayhem and munchies the best way to spend an afternoon! The book should come with a warning that you'll be craving tea and scones before the end of the book so that you can be well prepared to set down and read! Wonderful multigenerational cast of characters that quickly become like old friends rather than just characters on a page. I do recommend reading the series in order so you can fully come to understand the characters personalities and quirks, plus it is hours of fun entertainment so why pass it up!?! Lily, our main character, is smart, hardworking, resourceful and a little bit naive when it comes to trusting people. Unfortunately, people who benefited from that naivety in the past are bursting into her present and bringing chaos and murder with them. It's up to Lily, her best friend and her grandmother to untangle the web being woven around them before the killer takes down one of them next! A delightful read wrought with red herrings to keep you guessing for quite some time! The perfect cozy for an afternoon of fun!

Rose rocks! After someone was killed at her B&B, she did something kinda courageous and very cool to help the police catch the killer. I’ve always loved her character and knew she’d just take a little getting used to since she’d not a huggy-type grandma we usually see in cozy mysteries. But her cool level’s pretty much through the roof, lol. Bernie’s an awesome best friend and I think sometimes she figures she (Bernie) gets along better with Rose than Lily does as Rose’s granddaughter. I really enjoy it when those three go sleuthing! Rose just instinctively knows when the girls are up to something, so it’s never a good idea to actually plan to ditch Rose and works out much better if she goes along, as she proved.

I love how the ending was centered around food and friends while the detectives debriefed everyone and answered questions. I couldn’t stand that ex-boyfriend of Lily’s who had the nerve to think she’d still be interested in him, so it was awesome to see him deflated. And the very ending was pretty cute for Simon and Lily.

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

This is an excellent cozy mystery that kept me guessing till the end. Lots of plot twists and turns. It was a very good book.

Steeped in Malice is book #4 in the Tea by the Sea Mysteries series by Vicki Delany.

Who would have guessed that something as simple as buying teacups would turn deadly. There was plenty of drama thanks to Lily’s ex-boyfriend being involved. I enjoy the setting and would love to stop by and have tea.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Gosh I love this series. The characters are endearing with a variety of ages. The setting is wonderful on the ocean. And I love tea. This story starts with missing teacups leading to shopping and finding a great and probably impractical children’s set. When an irate woman appears in the tea shop to claim this set, the problem start. Children are already using the set and Lily has become attached. Who is this woman, anyway? Turns out she’s the half-sister of an old friend. But why would she want the tea set? I hope you enjoy this mystery as much as I did.

Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany lets us see what Lily's life was like in New York City before moving. It isn't pretty!

With Lily's past coming to Victoria-On-Sea, can Lily, Rose, and Bernie uncover the real killer?

Lily, Rose, and Bernie
Lily is supposedly our sleuth, but we have three. Rose and Bernie always talk Lily into going along on their snooping around once a murder happens. Except this time, Lily is the one who wants to get involved more than Rose and Bernie. Lily wants to get involved because a child's tea set she bought brings so much drama to her tea shop. Of course, it doesn't help that someone blamed for the death onto Lily.

Lily takes the reins of this investigation and is gung-ho on finding out what happened while running her tearoom. Rose, of course, is curious and wants to see what happens while Lily is investigating. Somehow, Bernie gets invited by either Lily or Rose; sometimes, though, Bernie invites either Rose or Lily to do the sleuthing. Of course, Bernie is still working on her book while trying to keep her focus on what she has already written. Except that doesn't always work out.

I love these three so much as they are such a hoot when they are solving a mystery or trying to gain clues while not trying to throw suspicion.

The Mystery
Lily buys a cute vintage children's tea set with adorable scenes and characters from Beatrice Potter's Peter Rabbit on the tea cups and saucers. After she's done that, a character named Kimberly Smithfield comes barging into her tea shop and demands Lily to hand it over during the middle of a very booked day for the tea shop. Lily tells her no and to come back later, which she does, and takes what she wants. The next day, an acquaintance of Lily's from her time in New York City shows up, named Rachel, who also wants the tea set. Lily tells her that someone else has already taken something from it, which is what Rachel wanted.

Lily, thinking that was it, was happy to see her gone. Of course, that isn't the case, and one of the two sisters gets killed over the will that they were both looking for. While the police are investigating, someone throws Lily under the bus, making her want to solve the case to clear her name. I had my suspicions over the killer, and I was right with my suspicions! Just not the reason why.

Five Stars
Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany is another fantastic book to read. I have to say, though, that Lily, Rose, and Bernie are solving a lot of cases in one summer. Ms. Delany does a wonderful job laying out all the clues and the red herrings. I did almost fall for a red herring, but then I was like, that person doesn't make sense to be it.

Don't forget to look in the back for Ms. Delany's recipes! I always love being able to see them, and I contemplate making them one of these days. They are Gluten-Free Pancakes, Blueberry Muffins, and Lemon Squares.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany.

Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

I enjoy all of the books by Vicki Delany. The Tea by the Sea series is fun and this book is a great addition. I found the characters to be enjoyable and the mystery strong. Both are elements for a good cozy. Add in the charming setting, and this book is a winner!

Steeped In Malice by Vicki Delaney is another in the Tea by the Sea series. Lily, Bernie, and Grandmother Rose are off to an antique’s show to purchase additional cups and saucers for the tea shop. Breakage is an ongoing problem although many chipped cups and saucers are hung in a tree on the patio where they functioned as wind chimes. They also purchased a Beatrix Potter children’s set because Lily liked it. Fairly soon a not-very-pleasant woman came into the tea shop insisting she buy it back, although never offering the amount Lily had paid. Lily told her to come back. All she really wanted was a piece of paper hidden in the lining of the basket the set was housed in. They examined the basket and found the paper. She was sent on her way. Soon, another, more pleasant woman, one Lily recognized, came also want to purchase the set. She explained the other woman was her half-sister and the paper was their deceased mother’s will. It was quickly turning into a mess. To make it worse, the first woman was staying at Rose’s B & B with her new husband who turned out to be Lily’s ex. The man from whom she had fled when she left Manhattan. Very enticing set-up.

This is a wonderful setting, on Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, a historical home, on the grounds of which stood several outbuildings, one of which was the home to Lily’s tea shop. Bernie had fled Manhattan along with her, cashed in all her savings, and was writing a book. It is not going well, as the basic plot (and characters) of the book changed every day. Bernie and Rose had become fast friends and could not be allowed out on their own as they tended to get in trouble. What

fabulous characters, not to mention the lesser characters, many of whom one will not forget. The murder turned out to be the not-so-pleasant sister and it happened right outside Lily’s cottage. Could she have saved a life it she had responding to the noise earlier? It was a good story, with Lily, Bernie, and Rose right in the center of it. It is a good series, one any cozy reader will enjoy.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Steeped In Malice by Kensington, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Kensington #VickiDelaney #SteepedInMalice

It’s always delightful to step back into the world of Lily and her grandmother Rose in the Tea by the Sea cozy mysteries. In Steeped in Malice, it gets personal for Lily when a well-heeled guest is killed.

Wesley, the victim’s new husband aka Lily’s abusive ex-boyfriend, has millions of reasons to be the perp. Wesley tells the police nothing good, or true, about Lily hoping to implicate her in the crime after Lily rejects his romantic overtures. Lily responds by investigating the victim’s life.

While there was nothing particularly notable about Steeped in Malice, it is a relaxing mystery where the perp is easy to uncover. I read this series for the characters, who feel like treasured friends now, and the beautiful Massachusetts setting. 4 stars!

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Steeped in Malice is the 4th book in Vicki Delany's Tea by the Sea cozy mystery series and another great read. I read all of her series and this has to be one of my favorites. If you haven't read this series, now is the time to start. Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany has Lily Roberts on the hunt for teacups and saucers for her Cape Cod tearoom, Tea by the Sea. The find of a darling Peter Rabbit children’s tea set ends up sending trouble to Lily’s doorstep. I thought Steeped in Malice was well-written with developed characters. The author’s vivid descriptions allows me to envision the Victorian bed and breakfast, the charming tearoom, and Lily’s quaint cottage that overlooks Cape Cod Bay. The mystery was entertaining. The Peter Rabbit tea set ends up being a hot commodity. One person is willing to kill for something hidden inside the wicker basket that holds the children’s tea set. There are a handful of suspects (I was surprised there were not more considering the victim’s horrid attitude). Lily, with help from her bestie, Bernie and her grandmother, Rose ask questions and search for clues. Wesley, Lily’s ex-boyfriend (the chef with a big head), turns up like a bad penny. Wesley was married to the victim (and hoping for a large inheritance). The whodunit can be solved before the reveal if you pay close attention. There is a good reveal and wrap up. This was my favorite mystery in this series. There are some interesting developments at the end, but I will have to wait for the next book to see how they impact Lily. Steeped in Malice is the fourth A Tea by the Sea Mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. Bernie, Lily’s best friend, is a character that I found irritating in previous books. I did not find Bernie as trying this time (she is growing on me). Bernie is flighty especially when it comes to her writing (I wonder if she will ever finish a manuscript). However, Bernie does have a heart of gold and is always there for Lily when she is needed. I love Lily’s labradoodle, Éclair. Rose’s cat, Robert the Bruce, suits her. I enjoyed the humor sprinkled through the story. Rose can always be counted on for a chuckle or two. There are tasty treats mentioned throughout the books with recipes for a couple of the mouthwatering morsels at the end. Steeped in Malice is a tantalizing tale with a rare Peter Rabbit tea set, a slain sibling, a missing missive, a self-centered ex-suitor, scrumptious scones, and a new advent.

I never fail to enjoy the books in the Tea by the Sea cozy mystery series, and this is no exception. As we return to the lovely tea room and B&B by the ocean on Cape Cod, we are enmeshed in a family drama over a missing will, contested inheritance, that also manages to involve Lily's chef ex-boyfriend. There is no shortage of unlikeable suspects, and I didn't guess the culprit until they were revealed. I love this series and always want to immediately have afternoon tea by the sea. I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment! Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the advance digital copy!

“Steeped on Malice” by Vicki Delany the 4th instalment in the “Tea by the Sea Mysteries”. I’m never disappointed when I pick up one of Vicki Delany’s books. I’m excited that Ms. Delany will be in Calgary August 5th and doing book signing , I’m looking forward to meeting her.

Thanks to the Great Teacup Shortage, Cape Cod tearoom proprietress Lily Roberts is already feeling the strain. But when a family fracas turns deadly over an antique tea set, she’ll really have to pour through the clues before another crime is brewed up.
I found myself engrossed in the story and reading in couple days. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and delectable food.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and kept me guessing till the very end. I love the main character of Lily, her grandmother Rose, Simon, and her BFF Bernie. People from Lily’s past show up causing drama, especially her ex Wesley.

I won’t go into detail about the mystery as the book blurb does a wonderful job of it but I will say if you like afternoon tea, the seaside, and a great mystery then this series is for you. Includes recipes at back of book ... yummy

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN. I have also preordered a hardcover copy for my collection.

Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany is the fourth Tea by the Sea mystery. Lily Roberts owns a tearoom in Cape Cod, next to her grandmother's B&B. The descriptions of the tearoom are excellent and I could really visualize it. I also wished it was real so I could go there for scones and tea!

Lily's purchase of an antique children's tea set for the tearoom kicks off a series of events leading to a guest at her grandmother's bed and breakfast being murdered. The victim is married to Lily's arrogant ex-boyfriend and because she could be a suspect, Lily decides to find the real killer and her best friend and grandmother assist in her investigation. The story has a nice balance of the day-to-day running of the tearoom, recipes at the end, the investigation, friendship, and a hint of a possible romance. I really enjoyed this book and loved the ending! This is my favorite of the books I've read in this series, and I'm looking forward to more in this series.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Kensington Books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.