Daisy Swanson and her Aunt Iris run a delightful shop in Pennsylvania’s Amish country with an emphasis on tasty teas and treats—but murder is not so sweet . . . As local merchants unite to attract tourists for a much anticipated weekend quilting event, business is sure to spill over into eateries like Daisy’s Tea Garden. Gorgeous craftwork is hanging everywhere—but among the quilts, potholders, … among the quilts, potholders, and placemats, one gallery owner is wrapped up in some dangerous affairs . . .
Reese Masemer had been dating one of Daisy’s employees, Tessa, an artist, though their last interaction was as strained as a cup of loose leaf tea. Now Reese has been found dead near a covered bridge where Tessa’s been practicing her sketches. She’s the obvious suspect, but Daisy’s learning that there were some major secrets in Reese’s background, and several of his relationships were infused with resentment. To save Tessa, she’ll have to find out who’s tainted this quaint little town with murder . . .
Includes delicious recipes!
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I enjoy the author’s other cozy series but this series is just not catching my interest. I read the first one and I was hoping this 2nd book would be better but I was disappointed. The mystery is almost the same and the writing is lazy. The romances are forced. I just do not find myself warming up to the characters. The main character is more annoying than endearing. The mystery was easy to solve. I hope the author improves the third book in the series.
When a friend of Daisy’s is found dead in his gallery, Daisy is determined to clear her best friend’s name. She relies on friend and former cop Jonas to help her find clues. Can the two find the killer while also navigating their feelings for each other?
I really enjoyed reading this addition to this series. I like Daisy as a character and I enjoy reading from her. She’s a really fun character. I also enjoy all of her family and friends. This book seriously makes me want to try all of the different teas as well. I was completely taken by surprise by the ending! I am excited to continue this series!
A bit of detecting mixed with food. I keep wanting to race ahead to find out ‘whodunnit’. Not predictable.
“Murder with Cinnamon Scones” by Karen Rose Smith is the 2nd book in the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery series.
It’s the story of Daisy Swanson, who owns Daisy’s Tea Garden with her Aunt Iris in Willow Creek, a Pennsylvania – Amish community. Daisy is a widow raising two daughters, Violet, a college student home on some weekends who is dating one of Daisy’s employees, Foster Cranshaw, and Jazzi, who has recently looked for and found her biological mother. One of her employees, Tessa, is her best friend as well who also rents the second and third story of the Victorian home the tea garden is in.
Tessa has been dating Reese Masemer, owner of the local business Revelations Art Gallery, for a short time. Love seems to have bloomed and they have been spending a lot of time together including some nights.
The whole town is preparing for the Quilt Lover’s Weekend in hopes of building up the towns tourist traffic and increase business is this small quaint town. Both Reese and Daisy are on the committee to promote the event.
Before the start of the event, Reese is found murdered and Tessa seems to be the prime suspect. Daisy knows she is innocent and determined to clear her name while not tarnishing the upcoming event or getting in harm’s way herself. She’s not having much luck with the latter after being pushed down a flight of stair, getting grazed by a bullet in the arm or looking down the barrel of a gun.
Along the way to finding the murderer, she gets assistance from former Philadelphia detective turned woodworking business owner, Jonas Groft, who she has a major attraction for, as well as from Foster, who turns out to be a big help in information gathering and a respectful young man. You hear some words of wisdom from her childhood Amish friend, Rachel. You will also get irritated at Detective Rappaport who seems determined to pin the murder on Tessa every time you turn around.
Loved the way the author played the story out keeping you turning the pages guessing who the murdered might have been and what possible motive they may have had while showing how a small town like Willow Creek looks out for one another pulling together in a crisis to help in any way they can. She shows what real community should be like and a place you would love to live.
The book is exciting and page turning keeping you guessing to the very end. Then she wraps it up so nicely that you sigh with contentment and wonder how you couldn’t have seen that one coming. I definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves a great cozy mystery!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Willow Creek has a big event planned. A Quilt Lover’s Weekend that they hope will bring plenty of tourists to town. Reese Masemer owns the local art gallery and he will be displaying some beautiful antique quilts. Tessa, an artist and Daisy’s BFF has been dating him and helping him set up for the big event. There will be a tea at Daisy’s Tea Garden to wrap up the event and announce the raffle winners.
After their last meeting, Tessa feels there is something off about Reese but he has been busy and she has been working on a project herself too. She spends her early morning sketching the covered bridge just outside of town. She is hoping that after the weekend and things settle down she will be able to find out what is going on with Reese. But before she has the chance, Reese is found dead, right by the covered bridge and Tessa is the police’s prime suspect. Knowing her friend is innocent she is going to do her best to find the real killer. Daisy has a way with tea and cinnamon scones but catching the real culprit will take more than 5 minutes to steep the clues all together and pour out her findings for the police.
The characters in this story have a strong bond whether related by blood or friendship. The group looks out for each other. That is clear not only by the way they try to save Tessa but also when Daisy’s helps out one of her employees. A young man on a different path that his father thinks he should be on. I loved the way they all come together several times in this story to handle normal daily life, business, the murder investigation and its aftermath. The word compassion comes to mind when I think of these characters. All the relationships feel true to life.
Karen Rose Smith has written a complex mystery with some corkscrew twists. More suspects are uncovered as the story reveals more of the victim’s past. Detective Morris Rappaport really started rubbing me the wrong way but a few exciting moments finally put him in his place. I liked that Daisy had help from a retired police detective, Jonas Groft and a high school friend, Cade Bankert but I am not entirely sold yet on a romantic relationship between Jonah and Daisy.
This story is well written and plotted. The characters are well developed as well with plenty of backstory if you missed the first book in this series. I am not a tea drinker but I love the theme of this series. As a former quilter, I also loved the theme of this story. Willow Creek is a wonderful place to virtually visit. I could almost taste the cinnamon scones.
This is another perfect escape from this author. A delightful cozy mystery. I am excited to see what happens next!
Dragged a little in the first part of the book
Murder with Cinnamon Scones by Karen Rose Smith is the second book in A Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery series. Daisy Swanson co-owns Daisy’s Tea Garden with her Aunt Iris in Willow Creek, Pennsylvania. The town is getting ready for Quilt Lovers Weekend in three weeks. Daisy has been working with Reese Masemer, owner of Revelations Art Gallery and Tessa’s boyfriend, on the preparations. Unfortunately, Reese will not get to enjoy the fruits of his labors. He is found dead in the woods near the covered bridge and Tessa finds herself at the top of the suspect list. Matters are not helped when Chloie Laird, Reese’s attractive assistant, openly accuses Tessa of the crime at the tea shop. Knowing that Tessa did not commit the crime, Daisy takes a deep dive into Reese’s life. It seems that Reese had some secrets and one of them could have gotten him killed.
Murder with Cinnamon Scones is well-written and has steady pacing. There is a lovely cast of characters and a charming town. Daisy is friendly, smart main character who is moving on with her life after the death of her husband. I think she is handling her adopted daughter’s (Jazzi) search for her biological mother very well. It is sensitive issue that the author handled thoughtfully. Daisy has starting dating Jonas Graft, but their path is bumpy. I could have done with less romance and more mystery. I prefer a romance that plays out slowly in the background. There are beautiful quilt descriptions in the book especially of the Baltimore Album Quilt. There are many cozy moments with cooking, baking, eating, tea events, family time, town events, quilting plus more. I especially like that Daisy and her kids live in a converted barn. Foster Crenshaw’s father is worried about him working at the tea garden and his relationship with Daisy’s daughter, Violet. Mr. Crenshaw does not want Foster’s college plans derailed. The mystery had some good components, a couple of suspects and misdirection. I am not a fan of Detective Morris Rappaport who is a cliché cozy mystery detective. Murder with Cinnamon Scones can be read alone if you have not had the opportunity to pick up Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes. I am rating Murder with Cinnamon Scones 4 out of 5 stars. I thought Murder with Cinnamon Scones was an engaging cozy mystery that will delight readers of this genre and Karen Rose Smith.
I think that the best quality a cozy mystery can have is to make the reader feel they are sitting right at the table along with the main characters. Karen Rose Smith accomplishes that and more with this series.
The characters are well developed and have depth in their relationships, which do not always flow smoothly. Such is the reality in real families and friendships. I especially like how Daisy remains friends with Rachel, an Amish woman she’s known since childhood, even though their lives are very different. And how Daisy shares her worries about meeting her adopted daughter’s birth mother and about her elder daughter becoming an independent woman. I could relate!
When best friend and coworker Tessa is in the spotlight as a murder suspect, you find out who in town is a true friend. Secrets are revealed about Tessa’s male friend and we learn more about Daisy’s romantic interest, Jonas. A lot of underlying emotions influence the storyline.
An all around wonderful read. While the ending is satisfying, it also leaves me wanting more to come. I want to visit Willow Creek again!
I accepted a copy of this book via Netgalley to review. The rating and opinions expressed are my own.
It’s January, and Daisy Swanson and her fellow merchants in the lovely town of Willow Creek, Pennsylvania are preparing for the Quilt Lovers Weekend. Reese, the boyfriend of Daisy’s best friend Tessa, is found murdered in his art gallery and Daisy must work to uncover who did it and why, as secrets come to light and relationships are discovered to not be what they’d seemed. Warm and fuzzy and cozy all at once, this delightful mystery will keep the reader entranced from the first page to the last. Murder with Cinnamon Scones by Karen Rose Smith is very highly endorsed by this very satisfied reader!
In this next book of the series Daisy is getting ready for the upcoming Quilt Lovers Weekend. Her friend Tessa is dating the local gallery owner who will be displaying some of the quilts in his gallery. When Reese, Tessa’s boyfriend, is found dead she becomes the main suspect. Who would want to kill Reese and why? Daisy jumps right in to help her friend, she knows Tessa isn’t a killer but who out there is? When secrets that Reese were hiding come to light Tessa wonders just how well she knew the man she was in love with. Follow along as Daisy wades through the people who could have wanted to kill Reese in her quest for the truth. This was a fantastic read filled with wonderful characters and a well written whodunit. I would love to visit a tea garden like the one in the book, and enjoyed the lovely recipes included at the end. I like where the characters are going and look forward to seeing where the author takes them next.
Second in the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery series, the author shares a cheery setting, well-drawn characters, and mounting suspense that crests to quite a surprise! I really enjoy the characters at tea garden who work together as if part of a finely-choreographed dance. They are warm and welcoming in an atmosphere where one is content to have a cup of tea or coffee and scone and relax. I love this new series, perhaps because of the setting and the leading ladies – Daisy, Iris, and Tessa.
Daisy Swanson grew up in Walnut Creek, PA, then she and her late husband, Ryan, moved away. After his death, Daisy formulated a plan, packed up her delightful daughters Vi, now 18, and Jazzi, now 15, returning to Walnut Creek. Daisy and her Aunt Iris purchased a Victorian home for Daisy’s Tea Garden. Daisy’s best friend Tessa is the kitchen manager, who lives on the second floor of the Tea Garden, and uses the attic for her painting.
Daisy and three other business owners are on the committee planning a Quilt Lover’s Weekend, which will hopefully provide a needed boost to the local economy for the winter weekend. They want to draw in people from nearby towns for year-round returns. There will be a drawing for two quilts, quilted kitchen goods for sale, and a demonstration at the local Quilts & Notions shop owned by an Amish woman, one of Daisy’s childhood friends, Rachel.
All is going well until Reese, Tessa’s boyfriend who she has become very serious about, was found dead by the covered bridge, where Tessa has been working on a series of paintings. Reese, owner of the local gallery where Tessa had a showing last fall, was murdered. Tessa is the only suspect.
Readers are treated to complex characters who we learn about through realistic dialog, actions, and revealing some of their backstories. Iris and Daisy are my favorites. Daisy reflects wisdom learned because of being a mother and, in recent years, a single mother. Each of the ladies, plus Foster, who work at Daisy’s Tea Garden are hard-working and personable. Daisy’s loyalty to Tessa and Foster through the challenges faced is exemplary, although it seemed at times that her words were challenging to a concerned parent and to Jonah when he tried to help her after she was attacked.
Yes, Daisy was attacked on the stairs to Tessa’s apartment. She was injured, but thankfully not as bad as it could have been. Her computer searching skills are still excellent, finding that Reese had a few secrets he hadn’t shared with Tessa. This is a well-planned and executed multi-tiered mystery. Even though coffee is my preferred beverage, I appreciated learning more about the flavors of tea, how to prepare it, and seeing that I must try a white tea. Learning more about quilts, even though I can’t sew a stitch, was also enjoyable. Plot twists and turns brought electrifying changes about the potential suspects. I was stymied by the mystery, and stunned when finding out who the bad guy or gal is! There are no loose ends, and the story is well wrapped up. I highly recommend Murder with Cinnamon Scones, as well as the first in series, Murder with Lemon Tarts.
From a grateful heart: I received a copy of this e-Arc from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.
Daisy and Tessa are looking forward to the upcoming Quilt Lovers Weekend, an event that is being sponsored by several of the town businesses, including Daisy’s Tea Garden. But when Tessa becomes the main suspect in the death of artist Reese Masemer, Daisy knows she has to investigate to clear Tessa’s name. With a host of possible alternatives, including Reese’s ex-wife, his teenaged son, and a mysterious figure from his past, Daisy has her work cut out for her. Of course, her own personal problems aren’t helping her get to the bottom of this mystery, including the confused state with possible boyfriend, Jonas. This was an enjoyable mystery, full of clues and twists. I also enjoy the family centered perspectives found in this story, including dealing with your first child off to college, dealing with an adopted child seeking to find their biological mother, dealing with a contentious relationship with your own mother, or just dealing with emotional insecurity in dating relationships. This is the second book in this series, and I look forward to more adventures with Daisy and Jonas. BTW: recipes including that for cinnamon scones are included at the end of the book. Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing an advance reading copy of this book.