Cotswolds tearoom owner, Gemma Rose is excited to join the May Day celebrations in Oxford… until the beautiful spring morning ends in murder. Now, she’s embroiled in a deadly mystery —with four nosy old ladies determined to help in the sleuthing! Soon, Gemma finds herself stalking a Russian “princess” while trying to serve delicious cakes and buttery scones in her quaint English tearoom—and … keeping up with the Old Biddies in Krav Maga class!
And that’s just the start of her worries: there’s her little tabby, Muesli, who is causing havoc at the local nursing home… and what should she do with the creepy plants that her mother keeps buying for her new cottage?
But the mystery that’s really bothering Gemma is her boyfriend’s odd behaviour. Devlin O’Connor has always been enigmatic but recently, the handsome CID detective has been strangely distant and evasive. Could he be lying to her? But why?
** Classic Banoffee pie recipe at the end of the story!
This book follows British English spelling and usage.
Clean read: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.
Genre: humorous culinary cozy mysteries, cat cozy mystery series / women amateur sleuth / British detective mystery
OXFORD TEAROOM MYSTERIES
A Scone To Die For (Book 1)
Tea with Milk and Murder (Book 2)
Two Down, Bun To Go (Book 3)
Till Death Do Us Tart (Book 4)
Muffins and Mourning Tea (Book 5)
more
After trying to listen to a horrible audiobook which will remain nameless, I decided to spend a credit on another book from the Oxford Tea Room Mysteries because I KNEW I would enjoy it. And I did. MUFFINS AND MOURNING TEA kept me guessing the whole time. I liked the inclusion of some Russian characters and more about Gemma’s relationship with her boyfriend, Devlin. I didn’t guess the killer until Gemma did, so that was a nice surprise too! I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.
Really enjoyed this series!!!!
Muffins and Morning Tea, my fourteenth read/listen from author H.Y. Hanna & the fifth in the Oxford Tearoom mysteries. An enjoyable cozy mystery. My wife & I have taken to listening to the books together. We love the narrator’s British accent; I was impressed and enjoyed the vocal variety & inflections of narrator Pearl Hewitt, especially her oh so cute animal sounds. Cozy Mystery/romance, captivating primary characters, what other blurbs can I use to describe these books? Oh well, buy the book, read the books, get into a good author and some good characters as I have. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
I would love to continue reading the other books in this series!
“Muffin and Mourning Tea” earns 5+/5 Slices of Banoffee Pie…Murderously Delicious!
What a treat, not only another delicious recipe to satisfy this Anglophile’s appetite, but also I couldn’t put down this fifth book! Only H.Y. Hanna would take us to Oxford’s May Day celebration opening up at an ungodly morning hour and giving us…murder! Always well-written we get a clear picture of Oxford through descriptions of its pathways, bridges, towers, and college gardens along with everyone’s various early morning fashions. My favorite character Gemma heads out to meet BFF Cassie to enjoy the Magdalen Choir greeting the sunrise reminiscent of their college days. Everyone, including Gemma, felt goosebumps at the final blend of joyous voices and then a commotion, shouting, someone heaved over the edge, and the splashing of water. The crowd eagerly set to applaud another Oxford tradition of jumping off the bridge and into the river below, but the Harris tweed clad boy Gemma had stood next to on the bridge floated silently, not moving, face down in the cold river…this isn’t part of the tradition! But a clever murder is always part of H.Y. Hanna’s Oxford Tearoom Mystery!
I’m always engaged with Hanna’s murder mystery, gathering clues, navigating twists and turns, and trying to uncover the killer before another “Gemma’s in peril” ending. My inner “Sherlock” is always delightfully challenged, but I really enjoy the well-developed characters and all their interactions. Again CID detective and boyfriend Devlin O’Conner heads the investigation, and although very good at his job, it’s effecting the budding romance between him and Gemma. Hanna has woven this drama throughout the series along with the nosy “Old Biddies” interfering with their own investigation, Muesli’s kitty behaviors causing problems, Gemma’s mother inserting herself, and BFF Cassie always there in a pinch. I love the whole world of tea and scones, friends and family, and murder and mayhem! And don’t forget sticky toffee, sliced bananas, and fresh whipped cream…yes, Banoffee Pie!
Do you want a treat? Check out the audio version with the brilliant talent of Pearl Hewitt enhancing this engaging story!
H. Y. Hanna has written another enchanting cozy mystery in her Oxford Tearoom Mystery series and I am elated as they keep getting better and better.
“Muffins and Mourning Tea” was an extraordinary mystery with several suspects, and right up until the end, any one of them could have been the killer of an Oxford student in the early hours of the May Day celebration. The hilarious “Old Biddies” again are up to their old antics butting in to help solve the case. Who knew that they would be the stars in a Krav Maga class they take part in with Gemma receiving the brunt of their force. Muesli steals the show at her first therapy cat visit entertaining everyone.
I always feel like I’m one of Gemma’s friends strolling along the streets and pathways of Oxford when I read these stories by Hsin-Yi. Come join us and have a seat as you meet all of Ms. Hanna’s characters at the enchanting Little Stables Tearoom. I had an entertaining journey as I enjoyed a scone and cuppa while reading this delightful cozy.
Thank you for inviting me to read an ARC for an honest review Hsin-Yi, as your stories are such a joy to read.