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Steeped in Secrets (A Crystals & CuriosiTEAS Mystery, #1)

Steeped in Secrets by Lauren Elliott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finished reading Steeped in Secrets by Lauren Elliott last night. This is the first book in her "Crystals and CuriosiTEAS" cozy mystery series. The main character is gemologist Shay Myers, and the story is in third person pov.

Divorced and destitute, Shay is given a new lease on life when she inherits a tea shop in her small hometown from Bridget Early, a woman she only knew in passing. While touring the shop to determine if she wants to sell or keep it, Shay discovers a dead body on the roof of the shop's greenhouse. With the shop now closed as a crime scene, Shay has time to reconnect with her sister and old friends. She also meets new acquaintances, from Bridget's dog, Spirit, to a handsome pub owner. In the meantime, a realtor is pressuring her to sell, Shay uncovers family secrets, and she begins to suspect that Bridget's death was no accident. It seems that Bridget had something worth killing for, and now Shay has inherited that item, along with the danger.

This was an entertaining story. Some things I was able to figure out, while others caught me by surprise. Characters were done well, including the unsavory characters. The plot was interesting. Shay was intimidated by the fact that Bridget used to read tea leaves, but she learns she has an aptitude for it as well.

Favorite lines:
♦ If she had been born a cat, she'd have started purring.
♦ "Family isn't always what ye were born into. Sometimes it's where ye end up."

Enjoyable enough to earn 4 stars.

( Trope Test )

A Page Marked for Murder (Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery, #5)

A Page Marked for Murder by Lauren Elliott

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I brought my work book home yesterday and finished it last night. It was A Page Marked for Murder by Lauren Elliott, and it's the 5th installment in the "Beyond the Page Bookstore" mystery series. The main character is Addie Greyborne, who owns the local book shop.

The town is gearing up for its annual Fire and Ice festival, which is keeping Addie busy. In addition to running her book store, she's also dog sitting for a friend who's in the hospital. While visiting the woman's home to get her some items, Addie notices a valuable first edition of The Secret Garden. That's not the only discovery she makes. Later, Addie finds a dead body behind the bakery next to her own store. The bakery owner, Martha, was seen arguing with the victim, and she has no alibi for the night he was killed. In the meantime, the rare book has gone missing, and Addie can't help but think the two crimes are related. The police, specifically her ex-boyfriend Marc, aren't interested in Addie's theories. Because people she knows and cares about are impacted by both the murder and the loss of the book, Addie applies herself to some investigating of her own.

This is the first book in this series I've read. While I wasn't floundering, I did feel as though I was missing certain nuances for jumping into the middle. Characterizations were done well, and the plot moved forward at a good pace. If I have a complaint, it's that Addie seemed to spend most of her time investigating. We seldom saw her working. There was a subplot involving Addie's ditzy cousin Kalea, and all I can say is, if she was my cousin and did me that dirty, there would have been two murders in town. I'd also like to put it out there that I figured out the murder weapon long before any of the characters did. Called it!

Favorite line: "What's that face you're making?" // "I just had an idea." // "I'm not sure I like idea-face tonight."

This deserves three and a half stars. Hmmmm...I'm going to go with an average score of three.

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