The first book in a delightful new beachside cozy mystery series!Trouble is brewing in Everly’s new café. Can she bag the culprit?Life hasn’t been so sweet for Everly Swan over the past couple of years, but now that she is back in her seaside hometown and the proud owner of a little iced tea shop and café right on the beach, things are finally starting to look up—until a curmudgeonly customer … to look up—until a curmudgeonly customer turns up dead on the boardwalk. With one of her hallmark glass tea jars lying right next to him and an autopsy that reports poison in his system, it doesn’t look good for Everly or her brand new business.
As the townspeople of Charm, formerly so welcoming and homey, turn their back on Everly, she fights to dig up clues about who could have had it in for the former town councilman. With a maddeningly handsome detective discouraging her from uncovering leads and a series of anonymous attacks on Everly and her business, it will take everything she’s got to keep this mystery from boiling over.
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Live and Let Chai is the first book in the Seaside Cafe Mysteries written by Bree Baker, and author whose books I’ve previously read. After finishing another of her series penned under a pseudonym, I decided to check out this one, especially when I was approved for the latest installment from NetGalley. It’s been awhile since I began reading a new series, and what a joy it is to get to know a new setting and characters.
Everly Swan lives on an Island in North Carolina. Her family has some prestige, at least all the Swan women do. Her parents died when she was quite young, and Everly was raised by a grandmother. Now, she only has two great aunts left on her mother’s side, and they guide her into opening a tea shop on the beach. The local realtor has issues with her, a town board member doesn’t want the cafe to open, and a construction deal seems to be progressing too quickly. Soon, one of these people ends up dead, and the new detective in town, while a hottie, suggests Everly off’d the guy to keep her restaurant from failing.
This was the perfect light read to remind me of fun at the beach. I’m intrigued by the possibilities of the family curse, and I can’t wait to find out what really happened to her parents and other relatives. Plus, there is discovery of her father’s side of the family and the potential for a romance with the new detective. All the right setups, and I plan to read one a month until I’m current in December. An exciting new but old series to catch up on!
Loved this book!! Everly Swan has returned to her hometown and opened an iced tea cafe. A local man is murdered from drinking some of her iced tea that had been poisoned. She sets out to clear her name and help her cafe survive. I really enjoyed the quaint town, crazy antics of Everly as she tried to clear her name, and Everly’s aunts. I can’t wait to read more of this series and find out more about the Swan curse and more of Detective Hays’ backstory. Would love to see a romantic relationship between the detective and Everly as well!!
Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker is a charming cozy murder mystery. This is the first book in the Seaside Cafe Mystery series.
Charm is a fictional seaside town in North Carolina’s Outer Banks area (somewhere I have always wanted to visit). It has plenty of eclectic shops and townspeople to make it interesting.
The characters are well developed and the way she describes the town of Charm and the seaside setting really makes you want to pack up and move there. I find Everly, her quirky aunts, and friends, to be people I would love to be friends with. I found myself invested in the story and wanting to know what happens, to the point of staying up all night to finish it.
I’m looking forward to reading more of the series, and I am grateful to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.
I really enjoyed this debut cozy by Bree Baker. It has a cozy beach setting in a town as charming as its name—Charm, North Carolina. I liked the characters, especially protagonist, Everly and her wonderful great aunts, Clara and Fran. The plot is action packed with lots of humor. There’s a white kitty to love named Maggie who hangs out with Evie. Not only does the plot contain a murder mystery, it also has a mystery involving several Little Library houses and some sneaky sand bandits trying to spoil the generosity of Everly’s friend, Amelia. I warmed up to the towns new detective, Grady Hays, his son, Denver, and au pair, Denise. The ending of the story clearly wraps up the murder mystery and leaves intriguing questions about Grady’s past! I’m eagerly anticipating the next story!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Welcome to Charm. Everly Swan has just opened her iced tea shop and café in a historic home on the beach, but not everyone is happy about it. Benedict Paine is being a royal pain. He is using his position as councilman to try to close Everly down. When he is found dead on the boardwalk with one of the canning jars she serves her tea in close by, she quickly becomes the prime suspect. Why would she do that? Sabotage her new business over a grumpy old man? Unfortunately, the town of Charm is no longer charming. Thanks to a certain detective Everly has lost all her customers and the formerly charming residents believe she actually killed Paine. Everly is teed off and knows the only way to save her business is to find the killer herself, no matter how much trouble she gets into with that certain detective. But that also puts her in the killer’s crosshairs.
This new series is off to a delightful start!
Bree Baker has created realistic and engaging characters. Everly has come home to Charm and opened Sand, Sun, and Tea. Her aunts own the Blessed Bee honey shop not far from Everly’s. There is a superstition that the woman in the family are cursed when it comes to love. Enter one hunky detective, who is new in town and seems to set Everly’s heart aflutter, that is when he is NOT announcing to everyone she is a murderer or lecturing her NOT to get involved in his case. Our amateur sleuth does get in a little over her head and enough to make the real killer nervous. I really enjoyed her relationship with her aunts. They are an amazing support system. They are there to help her in any way she needs and their confidence in her success shines through.
There are a couple of mysteries to solve. Of course, the murder of the councilman, but there was also someone vandalizing the cute little box libraries along the beach. It gets me pretty upset when people destroy books. Okay, back to the main mystery, the murder. Knowing Everly didn’t do it I zeroed in on two suspects right away. There were many clues telling me I was correct in my thinking and it wasn’t long before I narrowed down the suspects to one. I love it when I am right!
The setting, a beach, sand, sun, iced tea, a bookstore, little libraries, was a wonderful escape. I would give almost anything for a beach vacation. And this book is a wonderful book to read while lounging on the beach or by the pool. Ms. Baker’s words will take you there too if you are sitting on your deck with no water around or in your comfy chair inside your house like I was.
This was a very entertaining read. My interest has been piqued, I want to get to know these characters better and am very interested in where the author is going to take them.
This is such a fun, beachy series. Who doesn’t love books, the beach, tea, and of course a mystery or two to solve. Add this series to your #TBR pile.
I really enjoyed reading this first book in this cozy series. Everly has opened a tea and sandwich shop on the beach of a southern barrier island. When a body is found nearby she sets out to solve the crime to clear her name. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters, esp her aunts. The author does a very good job with beach and cafe setting. The mystery was good and there were enough suspects to make it interesting. The solution made send. I look for word to reading more in this series and visiting the seaside. This book is a great beach read. Enjoy
I love the town of Charm, NC. I’m ready to pack my bags! Very charming. I’ve never heard of a tea shop and thought it was unique. There’s a magical feel to this book. Reminds me of Practical Magic but this isn’t a paranormal cozy.
There are some issues with accuracy, what constitutes a sugar, some business practices, not touching base with a bet friend despite being in town for a while, etc. There was something else that I noticed which I’m not going to remember until after I click submit, I’m sure.
However, I like everly and the rest of characters, as well as, the setting. The mystery, Everly’s sleuthing and day to day life kept me interested.
Looking forward to reading the rest of the series to date.
I am so glad I found the Seaside Cafe Cozy Mystery series by Bree Baker! And even better there are five books out in the series right now with the sixth coming out on my birthday! I love when you find a series with a bunch of books in it so you can binge read.
There are two things in Cozies that keep me coming back; great character development or detailed descriptions of the town or hobby that is the theme of the series. Many cozy authors do one really well, but Baker does both fantastically.
All of the characters have so much depth, even the seagull Lou. I love that there is a touch of the paranormal to this series… even if there isn’t meant to be one. Everly and her aunts combined with their professions just feel a bit witchy to me. And throw in the ghost stories and Maggie, the white cat… well, if you keep that in mind while reading Live and Let Chai you may see what I mean.
I’m also studying to be an herbalist and make my own teas so there’s a special place in my heart for Everly and her family’s tea recipes… and the recipes at the end of the book sound delicious and seem easy… I will definitely be making the Summer Strawberry and Peach tea!
And the way that Baker describes this North Carolina town and all the shops is magical. I would love to not only visit, but live in the town… maybe even join Everly in investigating all the murders that will be happening. 😉
Of course, I have to touch on the romantic aspect. A lot of times in cozies they are just kind of background and I often don’t particularly care if they get together… as long as there is no love triangle that keeps going. But her interest in Detective Hays actually has me wanting to root for more. His tragic story, coupled with him having a sweet son just seems to fit perfectly with the series… and perhaps there will be a bit of magic between them.
A fantastic book that I highly recommend and I’m looking forward to the rest of the Seaside Cafe Mystery series!!!
This series has been on my TBR list for longer than I would like so I selected it as one of the two series I chose for my New Year reading challenge. Each year I try to select one or two series I want to start or need to catch up on and try to accomplish that throughout the year. I am so glad that I chose the Seaside Cafe Mystery series as one to start. This was a really good start to the series. The location is quaint and I love that it involves a cafe devoted to iced tea. Everly Swan is an entertaining main character. She has everything readers look for in a cozy mystery protagonist. She is likable, charming, a bit impulsive, and is able to stand up for herself after she becomes the prime suspect in a murder. The secondary cast of characters includes her aunts, her best friend who owns the bookstore, and the new detective in town, who is a potential future romantic interest for Everly. The mystery was well done and kept me guessing. There are not a lot of suspects to chose from but the author does provide her readers with enough diversions that I waffled on who I thought was the killer.
I had previously purchased the first three books in the series when they were on sale and I’m off to start the next book. I can’t wait to see what trouble Everly can stumble into his time.
I’m so glad to have discovered this charming series! Everly Swan is an intriguing character, with a background I’m sure will be even more fully illustrated as I continue through the series. Everly’s aunts give her a strong foundation, and the hint of romance sweetens the recipe. I’m not much of a tea drinker–but I may just have to start! I listened to this an audio and absolutely loved the narrator. Really well performed!
It’s rare that I find a fun little mystery series that keeps its focus on the theme rather than on an excessive number of murder suspects. If I’m going to invest my time getting to know the characters, it’s always fun to question which one might be the offender. I enjoyed the descriptions of the tea shop and its offerings, the setting near Duck and the Outer Banks, and the potential for a relationship between the tea shop owner and the detective. I selected the audio book after listening to the sample, read by Thérèse Plummer, one of my favorite narrators!
I absolutely loved my first visit to Charm, North Carolina. North Carolina is one of my favorite states to visit (specifically the Wilmington area) and I felt like I was really in a small seaside town with Everly Swan. Everly is a great main character and I could easily relate to her. Her aunts were fantastic! I thought it was awesome how oral history and old legends were shared…and I am interested to see how these stories from the past play out in future stories. I can’t wait to see how the friendship…and maybe more?…develops between Detective Grady Hayes and Everly.
Overall, this was a perfect cozy mystery read for me…a fun mystery that kept evolving as the story went on, no issues that felt out of place in a cozy mystery…great character development…and a setting that made me want to pack up and move to Charm. I am really excited to dive into book 2!
I purchased this book and am sharing my honest review. My opinion is not influenced in any way.
I’ll have another pitcher of Everly Swan with my sweet tea, please…
This cozy was an absolute delight from start to finish! The characters jumped off the pages and leaped into my lap with every page I turned. I could smell the salty breezes, see the wild mustangs running on the beach. I’m happy to know there are several more books in this series, because I’ll be back in Charm in no time, sipping strawberry tea and breathing in that delicious sea air. Oh–and if you don’t mind, I’d like a second helping of murder…