Sleuth Callie Aspen wants to light up the Fourth of July tea party by solving a celebrity’s decades-old disappearance—but her digging results in more fireworks than she expectsLast Christmas, Callie Aspen left her tour guide job and settled in Heart’s Harbor, Maine. Now, she helps out at Book Tea, her great aunt’s vintage tearoom, where each treat has a bookish clue. Though she’s excited to start … Though she’s excited to start her new life, Callie worries she may regret having burned her bridges behind her. Fortunately, she finds immediate distraction in the preparations for a spectacular Fourth of July tea party, which will recreate key moments from the town’s rich history.
Intrigued to learn that 1980s TV star Monica Walker was last seen in Heart’s Harbor before she vanished—allegedly to elope—Callie probes the townsfolk for information. She’s stunned when several locals share contradictory stories about the last day before Monica’s disappearance. Did she intend to leave her hit TV series? Was she being stalked by her ex? And why is the newspaper editor who investigated the story at the time so anxious about the cold case heating up?
When one of the talkative townspeople turns up dead, Callie aims to catch the killer. But it’s no picnic: Deputy Falk doesn’t want her meddling, and the locals suddenly know more about the past than they’d been at liberty to admit. If Callie and the Book Tea crew can’t crack the case, they’ll pay a very steep price in Joy Avon’s explosive second Tea and a Read mystery.
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Callie Aspen decided to make a huge change in her life after visiting her Aunt over the Christmas holiday. She is quit her job as a tour guide and is moving to Heart’s Harbor to help her Aunt with her store Book Tea. Callie is looking forward to her first holiday as a resident and can’t wait for the Fourth of July weekend to kick off. Her first duty at Book Tea is to help her Aunt prepare for the Fourth of July tea party. Her Aunt wants something special to commemorate the holiday and has left it up to Callie to come up with a fabulous idea. She learns during her research that a famous movie star stayed in town and disappeared during her stay. Story after story has been spread about what could have happened to the star but nothing concrete has ever been found. Did she run away because she was tired of her life, did she run off and elope, or was she killed and her body hidden never to be found. Callie hopes that she can come up with the answers that she is looking for but finds roadblocks along the way. She begins to wonder if moving here and changing her whole life was a mistake. Follow along as Callie tries to come up with the answers to all her burning questions and see if in the end she decides to take on the new life she is starting for herself or returns to her old life. This was a fun read filled with some great characters. I look forward to seeing where the author leads them to next!
Kept me guessing
I loved these characters and the world created within these pages. The mystery was well written and the dialogue flowed naturally. I will definitely read more by this author!
Thank you to Joy Avon, Crooked Lane Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and share my honest thoughts and opinions. I enjoyed it so much, I recommended it to libraries and re-read it after checking it out.
What an interesting whodunit cozy mystery this author has written. This is my first time reading anything by her, and I’m glad I picked this book up and chose it to read. The author did such a wonderful job of bringing the small town of Hearts Harbor alive right down to the cottage Callie’s aunt Iphy had rented for her. I could just imagine myself seeing everything and being right there. The story flowed so well, from describing the beautiful flower gardens and sounds of the ocean, and it’s the lighthouse on the ocean next to Callie’s little cottage. I love the fact that this book did not flow like other mysteries I have read before do. In other words, it’s not the same old who done it that you read in some mysteries.
I want to thank NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Joy Avon for the opportunity to read this book.
Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon is the second A Tea and Read Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you did not read In Peppermint Peril. Callie Aspen has quit her job as a tour guide with Travel the Past and is moving to Heart’s Harbor, Maine. Callie will be helping her Great Aunt Iphy with Book Tea as well as with the renovations to Haywood House. There is be a Fourth of July tea party at Haywood House with a sweet tea competition. Aunt Iphy asks that Callie find a past historical event that will have a big impact to present before the fireworks. Living history is the theme of the tea. Quinn Darrow is new to town and responded to Aunt Iphy’s ad for a handyman. Quinn will be fixing up Callie’s new cottage and has been roped into helping Callie find a historic event. Monica Walker, a television star, was taking a vacation in Heart’s Harbor when she vanished in 1989. She was never seen or heard from again. There is plenty of speculation, but no solid facts. Local editor-in-chief, Joe Jamison, reported on the incident years ago and Callie can tell he is hiding something. After an appeal for information on a local news station, the calls start rolling in. It seems Callie struck a nerve because Joe is found dead in his office and the evidence points to Quinn. Callie works to find answers before the killer strikes again. Two mysteries to solve in one book. One can be solved early in the book while the other takes a little longer. I was dissatisfied with the way the reveal was handled (I want the sleuth to solve). I wish the characters had more depth since they feel flat. There is supposed to be an attraction between Callie and Deputy Ace Falk, but I do not feel it. He comes across as overprotective especially of his sister and uses his position to dig up information on people he does not like or trust. I would like to see improvement to the dialogue which was awkward and more action. The pacing lagged throughout the book as Callie speculates on the crimes. The potential is there with a little tweaking. Sweet Tea and Secrets is a light cozy mystery with creative culinary confections, a missing movie maven, a tea tournament, a cutthroat killer, and fantastic fireworks.
Sweet Tea and Secrets” earns 5/5 Missing Persons…Engaging and Entertaining!
I am new to Joy Avon’s Book A Tea and Read Mystery series, and starting with book two, I easily joined in without any confusion; there were enough references to background and character connections, and her writing style was smooth and easy to read. Joy follows the traditional cozy formal with delightful Callie Aspen leaving the big city, dreaming of, if not worrying about, making a fresh start, and relocating to the small town of Heart’s Harbor that holds some of her fondest childhood memories. Her great-aunt runs the Book Tea and requires some help, but the endearing inclusion is a “fur” friend for Callie: Daisy, an eager Boston terrier. All of this–small town, family, friends, tea parties, books, a hint of romance, and a cute little terrier–sets up a marvelous cozy.
While the second book in the Heart’s Harbor series, you can start with this book and not feel like you’ve missed out anything significant in the first book. This is a cozy mystery and is a good story with an interesting mystery that leaves you wondering who “done it” until the end. You may have suspicions, but I think most readers would be left questioning the murdered until the end.
The characters are well developed and will have you invested in their lives. Some you will love and others you will be either irritated by their behavior or questioning their integrity. There are some twists and things that will leave you hanging.
I enjoyed the book and would be happy to go back and read the first in the series as well as any new books that the author writes.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The second book in the “A Tea and Read Mystery” series is a quick and entertaining read. I haven’t read the first book “In Peppermint Peril” yet but I can’t wait to dive in.
Sleuth Callie Aspen wants to light up the Fourth of July tea party by solving a celebrity’s decades-old disappearance, but her digging results in more fireworks than she expects.
Last Christmas, Callie Aspen left her tour guide job and settled in Heart’s Harbor, Maine. Now, she helps out at Book Tea, her great aunt’s vintage tearoom, where each treat has a bookish clue. Though she’s excited to start her new life, Callie worries she may regret having burned her bridges behind her. Fortunately, she finds immediate distraction in the preparations for a spectacular Fourth of July tea party, which will recreate key moments from the town’s rich history.
Intrigued to learn that 1980s TV star Monica Walker was last seen in Heart’s Harbor before she vanished – allegedly to elope – Callie probes the townsfolk for information. She’s stunned when several locals share contradictory stories about the last day before Monica’s disappearance. Did she intend to leave her hit TV series? Was she being stalked by her ex? And why is the newspaper editor who investigated the story at the time so anxious about the cold case heating up?
When one of the talkative townspeople turns up dead, Callie aims to catch the killer. But it’s no picnic: Deputy Falk doesn’t want her meddling, and the locals suddenly know more about the past than they’d been at liberty to admit. If Callie and the Book Tea crew can’t crack the case, they’ll pay a very steep price in Joy Avon’s explosive second Tea and a Read mystery.
The book is filled with wonderful characters who are interesting and well developed. I was drawn in right away, the story moved at a steady pace, and I had a hard time putting it down. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing as to what happened to the missing movie star and who committed murder to keep that secret.
This book can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend that you read “In Peppermint Peril” first.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading light, cozy mysteries.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Callie Aspen gives up her tour guide job as well as her apartment in Trenton to come to Hearts Harbor, Maine to help her great aunt Iphy . Just as she’s getting settled in a body turns up and a mystery needs solved. Deputy Falk doesn’t want Callie involved but that certainly doesn’t stop her from digging into the disappearance of Monica Walker.And who is this Quinn fellow that turned up? Can Callie get to the bottom of things before it gets too dangerous? A non stop read. This is the second one in the series and its just as great as the first one. Keep it up Joy Avon.
This series is quickly becoming one of my favorite series. I’m glad she is releasing books almost seasonally so I can get my fix. Can’t wait for the next one.