En la brumosa aldea de Roche, en la Cornualles de 1854, Mina Penrose lleva una vida modesta trabajando en la tetería local, The Magpie. Huérfana y con un hermano volcado en el alcohol, su único refugio está en las páginas de los libros, en los aromas de las infusiones y en los misteriosos símbolos que, para su asombro, empieza a descubrir entre las hojas del té. Lo que parecía una simple superstición se torna inquietantemente real cuando ve augurios de muerte en una taza… y poco después encuentra el cadáver de un cliente entre la niebla del páramo.

El misterioso señor Tregarrick, heredero solitario de la enigmática Roche Rock, irrumpe entonces en su vida. Él oculta un secreto ancestral: una sed inhumana contenida solo por los límites de su alquimia. Mientras Mina intenta entender el poder que posee y el peligro que se cierne sobre su comunidad, sus destinos se entrelazan en una historia oscura de secretos, alquimia y una atracción que amenaza con romper las reglas de lo natural.

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La autora logra que el elemento sobrenatural no eclipse lo humano, sino que lo complemente.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

I find Sharon Lynn Fisher's writing so luscious and relaxing, even when she's writing about creepy paranormal creatures in the fog. Cozy vampire stories are rare, but this book proves that such a thing can exist, and I'm glad that it does. The paranormal menace kept me guessing and was a creative take on the usual vampire tale, and the Cornwall setting was deliciously atmospheric. A treat for lovers of all kinds of British Isles folklore, from Dracula to the fae to tea-leaf-reading, and with a fun cameo of a nod to Fisher's previous book Salt and Broom too. Happy to follow this author on her next paranormal-romantic adventure!

Set in 1850s Cornwall, Tea & Alchemy blends gothic mystery, gentle romance, and a touch of magic into a story that feels both classic and fresh. Mina Penrose, grieving and quietly determined, discovers a talent for reading tea leaves just as a murder shocks her small village. When the reclusive and enigmatic Harker Tregarrick steps into the light, suspicion follows, but so does something deeper and more fated.

The setting is a standout: misty moors, crumbling estates, and a tight-knit community weighed down by hardship. The historical details and subtle supernatural touches create a rich, immersive atmosphere perfect for a rainy-day read. Mina is a heroine worth rooting for, kind, capable, and yearning for more than her narrow life allows. Her dynamic with Harker, a Byronic figure haunted by both past and nature, carries real emotional weight, even if their romance unfolds a little quickly.

The mystery starts strong and has satisfying twists, though some pacing issues, particularly a mid-book lull, dampen the momentum. The ending ties things up neatly, perhaps too neatly for some, but offers a hopeful resolution that feels earned. While the vampire element may catch some readers by surprise, it is handled with an intriguing, scientific twist that adds depth rather than drama.

This is a gently eerie, beautifully written novel for fans of historical fantasy who enjoy romance with tension, mysteries with heart, and gothic tales that lean toward the tender and thoughtful.

Thank you 47North for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Tea & Alchemy follows Mina, a young woman that works at a tea shop. Her talent for reading tea leaves scares her when she finds an ominous sign in a customer's tea - and he ends up dead. Then the "Wolf of Roche Rock" Harker, a mysterious man living in an old chapel with a questionable history, stops in, leading to a story neither would have expected.

I loved the inclusion of tea reading as it's something I'd love to learn more about. I also really liked Mina as a character. She wanted a job and a life outside what was expected of her as a woman. She was sweet and kind.

I didn't enjoy the writing personally. I felt like there were too many exclamation points, awkward wording, and I would have liked more from Harker's point of view. I also felt that I wanted a little more depth and details to the story.

I'd recommend this for anyone that likes "lighter" vampire romance stories!

Historical Fantasy
Mystery
Romance

A solicitor dies mysteriously after Mina saw something sinister in his tea leaves.
Mr Harker Tregarrick, a recluse that lives near Mina suddenly makes his appearance at the Magpie – a tea room where Mina works, to try and investigate the tragedy surrounding the death of his solicitor.

Set in Cornwall in the 1800’s it gives a fantastic vibe for a murder mystery with a supernatural flavour. Tea leaf readers, alchemists, shadowy figures trying to lure you away with magical music and something new called electric lighting.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can recommend it easily.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
A huge thank you to Netgalley for this e-arc.

Tea & Alchemy was a cozy, fast read that was so hard to put down. The story starts with Mina Penrose, a young woman in 19th century Cornwall discovering she can read tea leaves. This coziness is quickly set against a dark and mysterious story, expertly woven with Sharon Lynn Fisher’s writing.

There is an interesting combination of vampirism and Irish folklore, a very sweet love story, and nods to classic tales with a unique twist that I loved.

Do yourself a favor, and listen to The Unthanks while you read. Specifically, find the song “Magpie!”

I enjoyed this so much and am grateful for the opportunity to read an eARC from NetGalley and 47North.

I gave Tea & Alchemy 3 stars—not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because I wanted to love it more than I actually did. The setup had everything I usually fall for: a tea leaf reader in a misty Victorian village, a mysterious alchemist in a gothic tower, and a slow-burning thread of romance tangled up in a murder mystery. It gave cozy autumn vibes with a bit of shadow and magic. But as much as I appreciated the aesthetic and premise, the execution didn’t fully land for me.

Mina was a likable main character—gentle, intuitive, and quietly determined—and I loved the tea shop setting. Those scenes felt warm and atmospheric, and the idea of her seeing visions in tea leaves was such a cool magical touch. But the story’s pacing felt uneven, and the romance, while sweet, didn’t quite have the buildup I was hoping for. Harker, the broody alchemist love interest, intrigued me at first, but I never felt like I really knew him. Their relationship moved quickly, and I found myself wishing for more emotional depth between them.

The mystery had a strong start, but it kind of fizzled in the middle. I was curious to see how it all played out, but I didn’t feel totally gripped by the suspense or tension. And while the writing was lovely in parts, it sometimes leaned more tell than show.

That said, this was a cozy and atmospheric read that I think will appeal to fans of gentle historical fantasy with romantic and mysterious elements. It just didn’t sweep me away like I hoped. Still, I’m grateful to NetGalley and 47North for the ARC—I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more from Sharon Lynn Fisher.

So this has potential to be something exciting, but the lack luster characters, mundane sets and all intrigue happening off page (save the last few chapters) made this a bit of a drag to read through. I do appreciate how it was shorter in length, that was a saving grace.

Things I liked:
Mrs. Moyle was a very comforting and wise character to have around, also her tea shop was adorable (though seemed rather modern)
There was a good creepiness to the deaths happening around town, the ambience was eerie.
Again the length for what the story was was good.

Things I did not so much like
Harker was dull and there wasn’t much to him or his character.
Mina was a pawn in her own story and really had no arc
The monster problem was solved too easily and too quickly

Ultimately this was not an exciting read. If this was a novel that centered around either Mina or Harker working with, or in secret of, the police solving gruesome crimes of a supernatural nature that would have been better. Also the action was few and far between, with too much of Mina just living her life either at home or at work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don’t know if I’d call this a Dracula adaptation or spin off or inspired but Tea & Alchemy dares ask the question, what if Harker was a vampire (not based on Dracula lore, but in his own way) and Mina fell for him anyways? I had so much fun while reading this. I feel like Mina was a well developed character, I loved how she fought to find her place, never giving in to her brother’s wishes for her. Harker was so tender and, in a genre where obsession is usually done in a really creepy, illegal/abusive way, I found it refreshing that his obsession with Mina was more soft and passionate. You could tell when his feelings changed from “oh she has a tantalizing smell” to “oh I love her and cherish her”. I feel like the plot could’ve had more urgency before the climax, but all in all, this was an enjoyable and quick read.

I'm still on the fence about cozy fantasy but this was fun! I could've done without the character's names since a lot of the lore was unique and definitely stood on it's own. I loved the druidic monster and how it tied to Harker's family, and Jack's struggles were portrayed realistically in my opinion. The romance felt a bit quick but the characters meshed well and their ending was cute. Overall a good read and the mystery had me hooked with a satisfying ending!

Independent woman meets mysterious recluse set in 19th-century autumnal Cornwall.

Mina and her twin brother Jack have been through a lot; they lost their parents and are trying to make ends meet on their own. While Jack works in the clay mine by day and ends his days in the pub drinking away his sorrows, Mina manages to have her own say in her daily occupation. She waits tables at a teahouse in town, the Magpie. Here she meets all the townfolk and learns all about serving tea and preparing the best baked goods, thanks to her lovely employer, Mrs. Moyle. She even learns she has a special ability to read tea leaves and is crowned tasseographer by her employer.
But her life drastically changes when she finds a body near the Treggarick estate, Roche Rock, and most definitely after meeting with its master, Harker Treggarick. He's known to be the town recluse and isn't often seen in town. No wonder rumours arise quickly after Mina discovers a body on his grounds...

Right off the bat, how gorgeous is this cover? I loved it from the moment I first saw it and I think it really catches the gothic vibe of the story and the most important elements of our two protagonists.

This book gave me Twilight vibes from the get-go right up until 70%. It's pretty obvious what Harker has to hide from the town and the mystery of the upheaval it's presented with.
The story started out pretty slow for me, and I found it hard to keep my concentration. I couldn't manage to read larger chunks of text early on in the story. I think this is because of the slower pace in the beginning, but also because of many repetitions.
Only at about 80% I started to enjoy the story more and that's also the point where Mina and Harker's relationship is starting to take on more shape. The revealing of the murderer's culprit and the revelation in all, made me like the story a bit more. Near the end, I also started to enjoy the beautiful scenery Sharon is portraying in her novel. I think this will be a great autumnal novel and will be more enjoyable to read when you can see the leaves falling from the trees while walking outside and hearing the crunch of stepping on dead leaves yourself.

One thing is for certain, I would definitely let Mina read my tea leaves!

*All opinions are my own, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher of this book, 47North, for providing this DRC.*

Just like the author's Jane Eyre retelling [book:Salt & Broom|123443274], Tea & Alchemy is also a gentle pleasant read. The vibes is cozy and the romance is sweet, eventhough there's murder happening in this rural country in Victorian Cornwall. Moreover our byronic hero who live secluded in a chapel high above a rock outcropping is apparently a vampire. Albeit it's a unique take on vampirism which leaning on the scientific. It's very clever to be honest.
Overall it's a nice palate cleanser of a book where it isn't too slowburn in cozy fantasy way nor it isn't too romance heavy in a romantasy way.

Thank you to NetGalley and 47North for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at ~31%

I liked how atmospheric this was and the Victorian era vibes were nice. The writing was easy enough to read and I liked Mina as a character. I just didn't feel invested enough in the story. Maybe it was, in part, the dual POV that took away from the suspense?
If atmospheric historical fantasy set in the Victorian era, murder mysteries, family drama, paranormal romance, and vampires are your thing, maybe this book will be for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was absorbed in this book! The settings were written so beautifully that I still find myself daydreaming about the pond and the trees and the tea house… 🥰 This book has romance, mystery, supernatural elements, a beautiful historical setting - it really ticks a lot of boxes for me. I also love when a story includes folklore around nature. I really liked the nods to Dracula and Salt and Broom!! (So also Jane Eyre of course 😊) Harker, the almost-nobility/recluse/alchemist, was a great character. I liked how strong and hard-working Mina was. Their relationship was so full of emotion - I loved it. Fisher’s books always seem to take a turn that I don’t expect, and I felt that with this one too. It’s often not where I assumed things were going and always ends up being the perfect choice. Love this book!

I enjoyed this book a lot! I liked how it was a self-contained fantasy- instead of being concerned with saving the world they focused on saving the town/looking after their own interests. This allowed the main characters to become fully fleshed out and be dynamic.

Thank you NetGalley and 47North for the arc!

This story started off strong for me - a young woman who’s been sheltered all her life discovers she may have divination gifts. Unfortunately, it felt like her tea leaf reading (tasseography I learned!) skills were a last resort device when the story was nearing a lull. Similarly, the dreams served only to conveniently move the plot.

The tea leaf readings themselves were quite predictable, with the outcomes explained shortly after, thus leaving little to no room for interpretation - the very nature of divination!

As for the romance, I didn’t feel the emotional connection with the characters nor between the characters. The vampire reveal quite early into them even knowing each other disrupted any organic relationship building. One could argue that the reveal came early because Harker wanted to scare Mina off for good, but I still don’t think it was necessary so soon, considering the story that followed was very repetitive: Jack telling Mina to stay home, Mina not staying home, Jack finding Mina with Harker and going nuts.

All in all, the emotional depth of the characters on which the story hinges fell short for me.

Tea & Alchemy is a cozy historical paranormal fantasy with a heavy dose of romance and a mysterious twist on a familiar supernatural creature which I really enjoyed. Fisher took the usual story and gave it a unique makeover.

Set in 19th century Cornwall, Mina Penrose works at a little village teahouse called The Magpie. When a new ability awakens in Mina she is able to read tea leaves, and sees an ill omen leading to her discovery of a body on the heath. When Harker, the reclusive alchemist of a crumbling estate is blamed, Mina is drawn into his haunted past and the mystery of the killer.

You can tell how much research went into creating the setting, characters and mystery at the heart of the book. The writing is immersive with strong historical detail and added folklore elements are woven throughout the story giving it a dark and haunting atmosphere. I liked the way the mystery unfolds, how the characters learn about the information and how it all comes together in the end.

Mina is logical, curious, and a bit headstrong which comes in handy as she tries to unravel the mystery surrounding the dead man and Harker. I enjoyed how she took control of her life and got a job, learnt to read and write so she would have something of her own. The dual POV adds depth to the romance which unfolds between Mina and Harker. I loved how slowly and gently they developed together. The book focuses a lot on internal reflections and character dynamics in the first half, where the second half picks up so we get more action, and emotional development.

I loved this one. The writing style is beautiful and the setting felt true to the era it takes place in. Mina & Harker compelled me from the start of their journey together. He is so tender with her and yet would tear anyone down who tried to harm her. I love that. There's a mystery element to this that kept me on my toes. Everything wraps up pretty easily near the end and I almost wish there had been a little more struggle to reach the happy ending. I would highly recommend this one! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This book gently weaves mystery and magic into a richly atmospheric setting that feels both timeless and haunting. The characters carry a quiet weight, their secrets unfolding in measured, thoughtful ways that keep you intrigued without rushing. The blend of folklore, tea reading, and alchemy creates a mood that’s both cozy and suspenseful, perfect for sinking into when you want something a little different but still deeply satisfying. It’s a slow burn that rewards patience, with enough twists to keep you guessing and a tone that lingers long after the last page.

This book was such an unexpected delight! I didn’t think I’d get so pulled into a world where vampires and mythical monsters exist side by side, but here I am—completely hooked. The whole setting felt like something out of a dark fairytale. The estate, always wrapped in thick mist, gave everything this eerie, thrilling vibe that made me want to keep turning the pages, even late into the night.

But what I loved the most was the female main character. She’s honestly one of the most courageous and strong-willed characters I’ve read in a while. She doesn’t wait around to be rescued, doesn’t like being told what to do, and definitely doesn’t let anyone else decide her fate. In a town full of people content with following the same old rules, she stood out. She had dreams, she had fire, and she wasn’t afraid to work for what she believed in—even if it meant standing alone.

Her character made me feel seen in some ways. That longing to break free from expectations and choose your own path? It was all there. And it wasn’t just her bravery that stood out—it was how real she felt. She had doubts, she made mistakes, but she never gave up.

The story balanced fantasy and emotion beautifully. The monsters and supernatural elements were intriguing, yes, but the heart of the story was hers. Watching her grow, push boundaries, and face both real and magical dangers made it such a rewarding read.

If you love stories with bold heroines, moody settings, and just the right amount of dark fantasy, this one’s definitely worth picking up. It left me wishing I could wander through that misty estate myself—just maybe without the vampires.