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Tide and Punishment

(Seaside Cafe Mystery #3)

Bree Baker (Goodreads Author)

4.30 · Rating details · 175 ratings · 78 reviews

No one dreams of a killer Christmas...

It's Christmastime in Charm, North Carolina, and while Everly Swan would prefer to focus on decorating her iced tea shop for its first holiday season, Great-Aunt Fran has decided to run for mayor against her long-time nemesis. But when the other candidate turns up dead just before the first scheduled debate, all eyes turn to Fran as

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Paperback, 384 pages

Published September 24th 2019 by Poisoned Pen Press

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Lists with This Book

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Cozy Mysteries 2019 New Releases

181 books — 78 voters

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· 175 ratings · 78 reviews

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Start your review of Tide and Punishment (A Seaside Cafe Mystery, #3)

Aug 25, 2019 Natalia Ramlal rated it it was amazing

It's Christmastime in Charm, North Carolina and the residents are experiencing an unusual amount of snow this year. Everly Swan has her hands full keeping up with the demand for her holiday cookies and hosting a Christmas party. During the party, her great aunt, Fran announces her intentions to run for Mayor, only to have the current Mayor interrupt her speech to make his own announcement. Later on, he is found dead and Fran immediately becomes the prime suspect. Everly knows her aunt is ...more

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Jun 21, 2019 Linda 📚 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-cozies-read, contemporary, cozy-mystery, humor, cozy-series, beach-setting, kindle, mystery, pet-lovers-will-enjoy, cat

A fun, fresh cozy with a Christmastime beach setting. The third book of the Seaside Cafe cozy series features protagonist Everly Swan and her popular business, Sun, Sand and Tea, and is sure to quench your thirst with a startling murder and a surprise killer reveal!

The plot moves along quickly and the author skillfully throws suspicious actions on innocent suspects. Everly’s great aunts, Fran and Clara, are engaging secondary characters, as well as Grady Hays who seems interested in a romance ...more

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Jul 27, 2019 JoAn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cozy-mystery, arc

Tide and Punishment by Bree Baker is the third book in the Seaside Cafe series. It was an engaging book from the first chapter where Everly and her Aunt Fran and Aunt Clara are having a Christmas party at Sun, Sand and Tea.

A quickly paced plot that included not only murder, red herrings, several suspects, and a mayoral race but also community ties, kindness and charity during the Christmas season in Charm, NC. The characters are becoming more fully developed now and I enjoyed meeting Grady Hays' ...more

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Sep 26, 2019 Sue Em rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle, netgalley

Third outing for Everly Swan and her cafe in Charm, NC. Full of southern charm, interesting characters and a darn good story. Christmas is coming and Everly is overwhelmed with cookie orders and Aunt Fran's announcement of her intention to .run for mayor. And then, the current mayor ends up dead with Aunt Fran at the top of the suspect list. Lots of fun and a touch of Yuletide heart to cap the story. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an ...more

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Aug 20, 2019 Rebecca Reviews rated it it was amazing

Bree Baker’s Tide and Punishment is an entertaining cosy with great characters, a gorgeous setting, an interesting plot, and delightful Christmas festivities that will fill you with holiday cheer any time of year! This Christmas cosy is third in the series but it is a perfect standalone. This is the first book I’ve read in the series but it won’t be the last. I love this book and my only slight issue is that the plot is a little busy.

It’s Christmas in picturesque Charm and Everly Swan has an Bree Baker’s Tide and Punishment is an entertaining cosy with great characters, a gorgeous setting, an interesting plot, and delightful Christmas festivities that will fill you with holiday cheer any time of year! This Christmas cosy is third in the series but it is a perfect standalone. This is the first book I’ve read in the series but it won’t be the last. I love this book and my only slight issue is that the plot is a little busy.

It’s Christmas in picturesque Charm and Everly Swan has an overflowing plate. She’s singlehandedly running her iced tea shop, fulfilling holiday cookie orders, and something is steeping between her and Detective Grady Hays. Then, her beloved Great-Aunt Fran wants to run for Mayor against her long-time nemesis, Mayor Dunfree. However, when Dunfree is murdered and Fran is discovered over the body and holding the murder weapon, she’s instantly the prime suspect. Everly must clear Fran’s name before it’s too late!

What a fun and charming cosy! The plot is well-paced with nice twists, viable suspects, and great suspense. I couldn’t guess the killer’s identity and motives until nearly the end. The surprise reveal is great and I love how the various subplots tie together neatly. While Baker handles the plot well, a little too much happens. For instance, although I enjoyed it, the subplot with Grady’s mother-in-law could have been trimmed.

Baker’s writing is so good that I want to move into lovely Charm! The Christmas festivities and traditions are wonderfully described. Everly’s Sun, Sand, and Tea shop is so cute! I adore the book’s warm feeling of family, community, and kindness. It is genuinely sweet instead of saccharinely forced.

The characters are unique and well-developed. I love sweet and relatable Everly. Her relationship with her quirky great aunts is lovely. Everly’s relationship with kind and handsome Grady is well-done. He is the cosy boyfriend I’ve been searching for! Although he discourages Everly’s sleuthing, he doesn’t shut her out and shut down her opinions like so many cosy love interests. I also like Wyatt, the gorgeous cowboy who broke Everly’s heart. He’s a decent character and if Baker does a love triangle, I may root for him too!

Tide and Punishment is an excellent and feel-good Christmas cosy that’ll have you instantly ready for the holidays. I highly recommend this book and I can’t wait to read more in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this book in exchange for an honest review.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 Christmas trees out of 5! ...more

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Sep 27, 2019 LORI CASWELL rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2019

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Christmas in Charm is plagued by snow, wind, ice, and murder this year. Everly Swan has planned a big holiday party where her sweet Great Aunt Fran plans to announce her run to become the town’s next mayor. When the current mayor steals her thunder with his own announcement she holds it together for a while but then she needs to get some air. When she finds her nemesis dead in the snow with no other witnesses she becomes the top suspect for his murder. Everly knows Fran is Dollycas’s Thoughts

Christmas in Charm is plagued by snow, wind, ice, and murder this year. Everly Swan has planned a big holiday party where her sweet Great Aunt Fran plans to announce her run to become the town’s next mayor. When the current mayor steals her thunder with his own announcement she holds it together for a while but then she needs to get some air. When she finds her nemesis dead in the snow with no other witnesses she becomes the top suspect for his murder. Everly knows Fran is innocent and she thinks Detective Grady Hays knows it too. Christmas gnomes Great Aunt Clara has been painting and leaving in front of their shop, Blessed Be becomes debris as the killer is doing their best to frame Fran and Everly just isn’t having it no matter how many gnomes are lost trying to scare her away. Jailing her aunt on Christmas is not an option. Everly is “tea’d” off and will not rest until the real culprit is behind bars.

____

Bree Baker’s stories are much more than mysteries, they are stories of family, friends, and community too. Bree has a strong bond with her aunts, she has a strong bond with best friend Amelia who owns Charmed Reads, and she would like to have a stronger bond with Detective Hays. Having her ex in town and now the good detective’s deceased wife’s mother moving to Charm that may be difficult. The core characters have continued to develop more in each book. Everly’s Sun, Sand and Tea has become a gathering place that really brings residents new and old together. I loved that the town had a holiday progressive dinner. What a fabulous idea for a beach town to stay connected even in the winter. The Giving Tree was also very heartening to read about. We had something in our town similar when our children were young.

The author strikes a quick pace in this well-plotted mystery. Everly really has her hands full but still finds time to do plenty of snooping. But key clues can be found just doing normal activities and keeping her eyes and ears open. Of course, there were those distracting clues that diverted her thinking and my thinking too. The story builds to a very exciting climax with the perfect holiday weapon. I loved it!

The best vacation our family ever experienced was to Caswell Beach, North Carolina many years ago. With a beach that matches our last name, we couldn’t resist. Books like this one take me back to those days. This installment had a rare winter snowfall and unseasonably cold weather but being from Wisconsin I would not be deterred by that at all. Charm is a place I would love to visit, heck it would be a place I would love to live.

A fabulous setting filled with charming characters and a multifaceted story that includes a great mystery, Tide and Punishment was a wonderfully entertaining story. Each book in this series has left me excited for the next. I hope I don’t have to wait too long for my next virtual vacay to Charm! I highly recommend all three of the books that have been released so far! ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 Karen Hollins-Stallman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sweet-southern-reading-challenge

Tide and Punishment is the third instalment in the A Seaside Cafe Mystery Series by Bree Baker. I fall more in love with this series with each new book. This year the holidays are bringing murder and mayhem ...

No one dreams of a killer Christmas. . .
It's Christmastime in Charm, North Carolina, and while Everly Swan would prefer to focus on decorating her iced tea shop for its first holiday season, Great-Aunt Fran has decided to run for mayor against her long-time nemesis. But when the other ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Sep 18, 2019 Nancy Baker rated it it was amazing

The unusual snowfall was the perfect backdrop for a Christmas party in the coastal town of Charm. Everly Swan welcomed guests to her Sun, Sand and Tea iced tea shop complete with a holiday buffet and lots of cookies. Her Aunt Fran was going to make an official announcement that she was running for mayor but they were all surprised when the current mayor showed up. Things went from bad to worse and someone ended up murdered outside of Sun, Sand and Tea.

The author did an amazing job setting the ...more

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Aug 26, 2019 Jerri Cachero rated it it was amazing

I loved this book, so much that I bought the first two books in The Seaside Cafe Mysteries, before I finished reading this one!

Everly Swan is the owner of the Sun, Sand and Tea cafe, a gathering spot for locals and tourists. When her Great-Aunt Fran, who is running for mayor, of the Outer Banks island town of Charm, is framed for murder, Everly must use her sleuthing skills to prove her innocent.

I loved the Swan women in this book - Everly who is kind, complex and very relatable and Great Aunts ...more

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Aug 14, 2019 Maureen rated it it was amazing

An early Christmas present for cozy lovers! This book is just wonderful. Everly Swan is enjoying some unusual wintery weather in Charm, NC right before Christmas. She's not enjoying that her great-aunt Fran is being framed for murdering a local politician. Running the Sun, Sand, and Tea Cafe, baking cookies for all of her customer orders, and making sure the real killer is found has her hoping for a Christmas miracle.

This is the third book in the Seaside Cafe Mystery and I will definitely be ...more

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Aug 31, 2019 Lori rated it it was ok

Everly Swan owns Sun, Sand, and Tea Cafe in Charm, North Carolina. When Aunt Fran discovers the mayor's corpse with one of her sister's garden gnome as the obvious weapon and picks it up, she becomes the chief suspect, particularly since she planned to seek his office and had arguments with him. Everly appears to have some sort of relationship with the investigator, but having not read earlier installments, I never quite figured that out. The setting is near Christmas, but there is not much of a ...more

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Aug 25, 2019 Gloria rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-arc, netgalley-2019, takes-place-in-nc, cozy-mystery, rated, reviewed

I have really enjoyed reading this series with the great setting on the Outer Banks and interesting, quirky but likable characters. Everly Swan owns Sun, Sand, and Tea, a fun place to go for a cup of tea, sweets or even a meal but especially at Christmas time. When the mayor is found dead outside her cafe' during a holiday open house, things look bad for her Aunt Fran, who is running against the mayor for office. And the murder weapon is a painted Christmas gnome that Aunt Clara painted. Everly ...more

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Jun 02, 2019 FMSWarrior rated it it was amazing

Christmas is coming and Charm, NC has gotten some very rare snow to help set the mood for Everly Swan’s Christmas party. While leaving the party the Mayor is murdered, which is becoming not so rare in Charm, and all things seem to point Everly’s Great Aunt Fran as the most likely suspect. The fact that Aunt Fran has just thrown her hat into the ring to run against the Mayor in the next election, where he countered with running for reelection at the same time, really puts the pressure on the Swan ...more

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May 27, 2019 Rima Aiello rated it it was amazing

This series is really starting to hit its stride and keeps getting better and better! With the characters you cannot help but want to engage with, a setting that is beyond perfect, and a mystery that you can get lost in, this is a book that is definitely worth reading again and again.

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Sep 09, 2019 Gail C. rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Cozy Mystery Lovers

Tide and Punishment by Bree Baker is a light, cozy mystery with some interesting characters and a lovely setting of a fictional town on the Outer Banks. This is the third book in the series, and my first read, but I had no trouble becoming acquainted with all the characters and their relationships to Everly Swan, the protagonist.
The book takes place in the week leading up to Christamas with all the accompanying activity that might occur for a baker who specializes in homemade cookies and Tide and Punishment by Bree Baker is a light, cozy mystery with some interesting characters and a lovely setting of a fictional town on the Outer Banks. This is the third book in the series, and my first read, but I had no trouble becoming acquainted with all the characters and their relationships to Everly Swan, the protagonist.
The book takes place in the week leading up to Christamas with all the accompanying activity that might occur for a baker who specializes in homemade cookies and specially blended tea. Add to that the extremely rare occurence of a snow storm, an aunt who has suddenly, and uncharacteristically started painting countless garden gnomes and giving them away and another aunt who has decided to run for mayor, and you have an interesting backdrop for the murder of the current mayor, who is “done to death” by a gnome just outside Everly’s cafe where everyone has been gathering to hear the official announcement of her aunt’s mayoral candidacy.
Everly is drawn into the investigation because suspicion immediately falls on her aunt, the mayoral candidate. As she pursues the killer, Everly is stalked by someone who keeps threatening her to stay away from the investigation, and uses the other aunt’s gnome’s to make their point. All of this activity is set against a beautiful backdrop of a small seaside town, glistening in newfallen snow with many of the residents still trying to traverse the streets in their golf carts.
There is a secondary story that is following the growing relationship between Everly and the town’s widowed Detective Hays and at the same time has Everly still recovering from a broken heart courtesy of a cowboy who has returned to the town to run the nature center. Throw in Detective Hays’ son, his high-pressure former mother-in-law who has bought the local mansion and is working to insinuate herself into his life and you have enough multiple threads to keep you satisfied as you try to solve the mystery of the murder’s identity.
Everly’s Aunt Fran falls under suspicion in quick succession, based on little except circumstantial evidence which seem a little contrived, especially in their rapid acceptance as reasons to threaten her arrest. While there are other potential suspects and plenty of clues and red herrings, it seems suspicion falls on her aunt purely as a way to justify Everly’s interest in the case. That doesn’t diminish the enjoyment of the book for what it is, a light cozy read that is easy to pick up for entertainment and is easy to interrupt while going about the day’s other more pressing activities.
My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me an advanced digital read copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. I look forward to reading additional books in the series.
...more

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Nov 05, 2019 Angela (Kentuckybooklover) Brocato-Skaggs rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019-cozy-mysteries, 2019-party-book-bingo, 2019-netgalley

This was my first visit to Charm in the Outer Banks but it won’t be my last. I am in love with the idea of an iced tea shop and all the characters. I’m happy Tide and Punishment was my first visit. It was so magical with the snow on the island.

I have a new book boyfriend and his name is Grady. Hubba Hubba. He sounds just about perfect. Tall and sexy with a dark, sad side you want to love away.

I’ve already bought the first book of the series, Live and Let Chai, to read.

I received a ...more

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Sep 10, 2019 Patty rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Tide and Punishment by Bree Baker is the 3rd book in A Seaside Cafe Mystery Series, and another great addition. It's snowing in Charm, North Carolina, something it rarely does. Everly Swan is busy making cookies, and tea for her cafe. When the Mayor disrupts Everly's aunt Fran's announcement to run for major, with his own announcement, trouble begins. I really enjoy this series, and it is always fun to visit the sea side, and find out what my friends are up to. This is a quick and fun read. It’s ...more

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Jun 11, 2019 Kimberly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019

I didn't want this book to end!
Everly Swan and the cast of characters in the city of Charm are fun and engaging. They are the type of people and the type of town you want to visit. Especially if there is the possibility of snow at the beach!
Everly's Great Aunt Fran has decided to run for Mayor of Charm and during her announcement at the Swan Christmas party, the current mayor upstages her and announces he wants to run for re-election. After the announcement, Fran goes outside to cool off and ...more

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Sep 24, 2019 Toni rated it it was amazing

5 Stars

This is the third book in the Seaside Cafe Mystery series! by Bree Baker.

I am in love with this series!

I am very excited about this book if you can’t tell by the first sentence of this review. As I was reading it I felt like the cast and author was giving me a big warm hug and that thought just made me smile. There aren’t a lot of series that I really connect with and this is one of them! Yay for me! Something new to follow.

I can’t believe we are already getting books about Christmas and ...more

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Sep 14, 2019 The Cozy Review rated it it was amazing

Series: Seaside Café Mysteries - Book 3
Author: Bree Baker
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Holiday/Tea Shop
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Page Count: 384

Publishing Date: September 24, 2019

From Poisoned Pen Presscomes the 3rd cozy mystery book Tide and Punishment in the “Seaside Café Mysteries” series by Bree Baker. An exciting and enjoyable addition to this fun series. Everly loves her family. She begins to understand how fortunate she is to have the two greatest aunts around. And when one of them finds ...more

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Sep 21, 2019 Bridget rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series, cosy-reads, peach-vanilla, netgalley-arc, mystery

“Tide and Punishment” by Bree Baker is the third book in ‘A Seaside Café Mystery Series’, and it was an excellent read. The first one in the series was ‘Live and Let Chai’, although I have yet to read it. but I have read the second instalment - 'No Good Tea Goes Unpunished'.

What highly entertaining mix of mystery and mayhem! This wonderful cozy mystery, set in Christmastime, was both lovely and enjoyable. It made perfect reading for me between other more intense novels. It was funny and quirky ...more

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Jul 14, 2019 Jane rated it really liked it

Everly Swan owns an iced tea shop on the first floor of her home in Charm, North Carolina. She moved back to Charm after breaking up with her boyfriend and she’s looking forward to hosting the Swan Christmas Party. Her great-aunts, Clara and Fran are also there to help her out.

Her Aunt Clara has a fascination with gnomes, a hobby she took up after the last Halloween. Her Aunt Fran, on the other hand, is planning to announce her intention to run for Mayor of Charm. At the party, however, Mayor ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 Helen rated it liked it

Shelves: cozy-mysteries

This is a series that I discovered over the summer and I have really enjoyed them. In the newest book we follow Everly during the holiday season as she tries to prove her aunts innocence in a murder. Overall I enjoyed the reading experience but it was not as strong as the other books in the series and did not grab me in the same way. It did make me want to make a pitcher of iced tea this morning though. I will be continuing in the series and would recommend it.

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Sep 18, 2019 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019, 2019-09-september, netgalley-review, cozy-mystery

4 Stars

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Sep 23, 2019 Annarella rated it really liked it

It's the second book I read in this series and I liked this one better.
It's an engrossing and entertaining novel, full of twists and turns and with a cast of quirky and likeable characters.
I liked the style of writing, the lovely setting, the festive atmosphere and how the characters were developed.
The mystery is good and it kept me guessing.
I look forward to reading the next instalment.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

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May 26, 2019 AngryGreyCat rated it really liked it

I received a free copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This is the third in the A Seaside Cafe Mystery Series by Bree Baker. Protagonist Everly Swan is happy in her hometown of Charm operating an Cafe specializing in Ice Teas based on her family recipes. She lives in an apartment above her cafe near her Great Aunts with a cat and visiting bird, who may or may not be the reincarnation of an earlier resident. One her Great Aunts has decided to challenge the incumbent ...more

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Jun 13, 2019 Cari rated it it was amazing

I'm in the acknowledgments of this book, so it was such a pleasure to receive an early copy from Edelweiss. Thanks to the publisher and the author as well.

This may be my favorite in the series so far! Everly Swan is settling into her life as a cafe owner in the seaside town of Charm. Her aunt Fran is one of the many candidates hoping to replace the crotchety old mayor, Dunfree. But when Dunfree is killed, and Fran is a suspect, Everly can't stop herself from investigating once again.

This third ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Krystal rated it really liked it

This novel is quirky and definitely has personality. With all the clues pointing to Aunt Fran, Everly is determined that her Aunt is not guilty and searches out the real guilty party. With a few twists and turns and lots of garden gnomes, the novel is sure to amuse.

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Jun 13, 2019 Bookgyrl rated it really liked it

Shelves: cozy

I used to be an avid Cozy mystery reader some years ago but shifted to other genres. However, sometimes I really get into a series and this is one of them. This is the 3rd in the series and things get dicey when aunt Fran becomes a suspect of murder. Of course, Everly goes sleuthing and gets her man/woman! Cleverly written andI never saw that killer coming!
And at the end: yes!! Finally. No spoilers however :-)

*** I requested and received an ARC via Netgalley. ***

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Sep 23, 2019 Tari rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, sept-2019-ereader-challenge, preordered

This was the perfect cozy island Christmas! Well minus the tons of snow they were getting, because that's not something that Charm, NC normally saw for Christmas. Or as Mr. Waters told Everly, he hadn't seen snow there for forty years. It didn't stop the Christmas bustle though, and the tea shop business was booming. This time Everly had to clear her aunt Fran's name of murder when her opponent in the mayor's race was killed outside the tea shop during their Christmas party.

I kind of had a ...more

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About Bree Baker

Bree Baker

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Bree Baker is a Midwestern writer, obsessed with small town high jinks, sweet tea and the sea. She's been telling stories to her family, friends and strangers for as long as she can remember, and more often than not, those stories feature a warm ocean breeze and recipe she's sure to ruin. Now, she's working on those fancy cooking skills and dreaming up adventures for the Seaside Cafe mysteries. ...more