Scan barcode
unphilosophize's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Great continuation of the series
rants_n_reads's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
pussreboots's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
karen_the_baroness's review
5.0
Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany lets us see what Lily's life was like in New York City before moving. It isn't pretty!
With Lily's past coming to Victoria-On-Sea, can Lily, Rose, and Bernie uncover the real killer?
Lily, Rose, and Bernie
Lily is supposedly our sleuth, but we have three. Rose and Bernie always talk Lily into going along on their snooping around once a murder happens. Except this time, Lily is the one who wants to get involved more than Rose and Bernie. Lily wants to get involved because a child's tea set she bought brings so much drama to her tea shop. Of course, it doesn't help that someone blamed for the death onto Lily.
Lily takes the reins of this investigation and is gung-ho on finding out what happened while running her tearoom. Rose, of course, is curious and wants to see what happens while Lily is investigating. Somehow, Bernie gets invited by either Lily or Rose; sometimes, though, Bernie invites either Rose or Lily to do the sleuthing. Of course, Bernie is still working on her book while trying to keep her focus on what she has already written. Except that doesn't always work out.
I love these three so much as they are such a hoot when they are solving a mystery or trying to gain clues while not trying to throw suspicion.
The Mystery
Lily buys a cute vintage children's tea set with adorable scenes and characters from Beatrice Potter's Peter Rabbit on the tea cups and saucers. After she's done that, a character named Kimberly Smithfield comes barging into her tea shop and demands Lily to hand it over during the middle of a very booked day for the tea shop. Lily tells her no and to come back later, which she does, and takes what she wants. The next day, an acquaintance of Lily's from her time in New York City shows up, named Rachel, who also wants the tea set. Lily tells her that someone else has already taken something from it, which is what Rachel wanted.
Lily, thinking that was it, was happy to see her gone. Of course, that isn't the case, and one of the two sisters gets killed over the will that they were both looking for. While the police are investigating, someone throws Lily under the bus, making her want to solve the case to clear her name. I had my suspicions over the killer, and I was right with my suspicions! Just not the reason why.
Five Stars
Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany is another fantastic book to read. I have to say, though, that Lily, Rose, and Bernie are solving a lot of cases in one summer. Ms. Delany does a wonderful job laying out all the clues and the red herrings. I did almost fall for a red herring, but then I was like, that person doesn't make sense to be it.
Don't forget to look in the back for Ms. Delany's recipes! I always love being able to see them, and I contemplate making them one of these days. They are Gluten-Free Pancakes, Blueberry Muffins, and Lemon Squares.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.
With Lily's past coming to Victoria-On-Sea, can Lily, Rose, and Bernie uncover the real killer?
Lily, Rose, and Bernie
Lily is supposedly our sleuth, but we have three. Rose and Bernie always talk Lily into going along on their snooping around once a murder happens. Except this time, Lily is the one who wants to get involved more than Rose and Bernie. Lily wants to get involved because a child's tea set she bought brings so much drama to her tea shop. Of course, it doesn't help that someone blamed for the death onto Lily.
Lily takes the reins of this investigation and is gung-ho on finding out what happened while running her tearoom. Rose, of course, is curious and wants to see what happens while Lily is investigating. Somehow, Bernie gets invited by either Lily or Rose; sometimes, though, Bernie invites either Rose or Lily to do the sleuthing. Of course, Bernie is still working on her book while trying to keep her focus on what she has already written. Except that doesn't always work out.
I love these three so much as they are such a hoot when they are solving a mystery or trying to gain clues while not trying to throw suspicion.
The Mystery
Lily buys a cute vintage children's tea set with adorable scenes and characters from Beatrice Potter's Peter Rabbit on the tea cups and saucers. After she's done that, a character named Kimberly Smithfield comes barging into her tea shop and demands Lily to hand it over during the middle of a very booked day for the tea shop. Lily tells her no and to come back later, which she does, and takes what she wants. The next day, an acquaintance of Lily's from her time in New York City shows up, named Rachel, who also wants the tea set. Lily tells her that someone else has already taken something from it, which is what Rachel wanted.
Lily, thinking that was it, was happy to see her gone. Of course, that isn't the case, and one of the two sisters gets killed over the will that they were both looking for. While the police are investigating, someone throws Lily under the bus, making her want to solve the case to clear her name. I had my suspicions over the killer, and I was right with my suspicions! Just not the reason why.
Five Stars
Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany is another fantastic book to read. I have to say, though, that Lily, Rose, and Bernie are solving a lot of cases in one summer. Ms. Delany does a wonderful job laying out all the clues and the red herrings. I did almost fall for a red herring, but then I was like, that person doesn't make sense to be it.
Don't forget to look in the back for Ms. Delany's recipes! I always love being able to see them, and I contemplate making them one of these days. They are Gluten-Free Pancakes, Blueberry Muffins, and Lemon Squares.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.
cj_mo_2222's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Steeped in Malice by Vicki Delany is the fourth Tea by the Sea mystery. Lily Roberts owns a tearoom in Cape Cod, next to her grandmother's B&B. The descriptions of the tearoom are excellent and I could really visualize it. I also wished it was real so I could go there for scones and tea!
Lily's purchase of an antique children's tea set for the tearoom kicks off a series of events leading to a guest at her grandmother's bed and breakfast being murdered. The victim is married to Lily's arrogant ex-boyfriend and because she could be a suspect, Lily decides to find the real killer and her best friend and grandmother assist in her investigation. The story has a nice balance of the day-to-day running of the tearoom, recipes at the end, the investigation, friendship, and a hint of a possible romance. I really enjoyed this book and loved the ending! This is my favorite of the books I've read in this series, and I'm looking forward to more in this series.
I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Kensington Books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.
readwitray's review
3.5
3.5 ⭐️
Fun quick cozy mystery
Lily is still running Tea By The Sea. One night a body is found on the grounds of the B&B. Old memories are brought up and Lily could be accused of this latest murder.
This is a quick read and easy to get into. It had some great banter between Lily the main character and her side character’s and friends.
The plot was fun and I didn’t realize who the killer of the story was until towards the end of the book. Definitely needs to read the first three of the series but I didn’t feel like I was missing too much by starting on the fourth book.
Fun quick cozy mystery
Lily is still running Tea By The Sea. One night a body is found on the grounds of the B&B. Old memories are brought up and Lily could be accused of this latest murder.
This is a quick read and easy to get into. It had some great banter between Lily the main character and her side character’s and friends.
The plot was fun and I didn’t realize who the killer of the story was until towards the end of the book. Definitely needs to read the first three of the series but I didn’t feel like I was missing too much by starting on the fourth book.
thelovelylibrarylady's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
While I was reading this cozy mystery, all I could focus on was how much I wanted to visit the protagonist’s tea shop, “Tea by the Sea”. The New England setting was familiar, and I kept forgetting that the lovely shop was not a real place. This distraction may have kept me from figuring out who committed the crime being investigated, but I prefer unpredictable cozies anyway. I want to go back and read the first three books in this series because I loved the characters and the Cape Cod setting in this novel so much! I highly recommend this title to fellow cozy mystery lovers.
(PUB DATE: 07/25/2023)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)
tmleafs42's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
A fantastic continuance of the Tea By the Sea Mysteries. This time, we find Lily roped into a family's drama when she purchases an antique tea set that sets off a series of events around a missing will. Unfortunately, she also finds herself face to face with the reason she left NYC. When someone related to the drama dies unexpectedly near Lily's home, she tries to avoid getting involved, but that is super hard with Rosa and Bernadette pulling her in deeper. I really enjoy this series and all of the characters. I wish I could visit the Tea shop and stay at the Bead and Breakfast! *I received a free copy of the book from the author at the Malice Domestic Conference*
More...