ABOUT THE BOOK:
In an old Victorian in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Amish country, Daisy Swanson and her aunt Iris serve soups, scones, and soothing teas to tourists and locals—but a murder in their garden has them in hot water . . .
Daisy, a widowed mom of two teenagers, is used to feeling protective—so when Iris started dating the wealthy and not-quite-divorced Harvey Fitz, she worried . . . especially after his bitter ex stormed in and caused a scene at the party Daisy’s Tea Garden was catering. Then there was the gossip she overheard about Harvey’s grown children being cut out of his will. Daisy didn’t want her aunt to wind up with a broken heart—but she never expected Iris to wind up a suspect in Harvey’s murder.
Now the apple bread and orange pekoe is on the back burner while the cops treat the shop like a crime scene—and Daisy hopes that Jonas Groft, a former detective from Philadelphia, can help her clear her aunt’s name and bag the real killer before things boil over . . .
Includes delicious recipes for Iris’s Lemon Tea Cakes and more!
MY REVIEW:
Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes by Karen Rose SmithMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Murder with Lemon Tea Cakes by Karen Rose Smith is a 2017 Kensington publication.
A fantastic start to a new and refreshing cozy mystery series!
When Daisy’s Aunt Iris finds herself under investigation for the death of her boyfriend, Harvey Fitz, who was murdered right there in the garden of their lovely tea shop, Daisy must rise to the occasion and find the real killer before her aunt is arrested.
Meanwhile, Daisy is dealing with her adopted teenage daughter’s desire to meet her birth mother, and wrestling with the possibility of dating again after the death of her husband.
Although this is the first book in a new series, I felt as though Daisy and I were old friends. I immediately bonded with her and really enjoyed the tea shop setting. The tea servings and all the various flavors of tea were described so beautifully, and the shop seemed truly delightful, even if it was a crime scene- and oh my- I could almost taste those lemon tea cakes! Having all the female characters named after flowers is a nice touch, as well.
The town square is picturesque, featuring other small businesses, and the characters are all very interesting and maybe a bit quirky at times. All these elements are very important with a cozy mystery of this nature and is part of the charm. The author did a very good job setting the stage for future installments.
The murder mystery is also connected to a coin collection that Aunt Iris has inadvertently found herself involved in and is not quite sure how she should proceed, which complicates an already tense situation. The mystery was cleverly planned out, with plenty of viable suspects, which kept me guessing from start to finish.
I am very much looking forward to more adventures with Daisy and am curious to see how her love life develops, as well.
I picked this book out on a cold, wet day and it was the perfect cure for a gray, dreary day. I love the bright yellow cover, too!
This is a very solid introduction to this new series, which also includes a few of the yummy recipes featured in the book!
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Lemon-Daisys-Garden-Mystery-ebook/dp/B06XZ99HCY/ref
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-with-lemon-tea-cakes-karen-rose-smith/1126092277
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Karen has been busy indie publishing her SEARCH FOR LOVE series. In addition, she is writing her Caprice De Luca mystery series as well as her Daisy's Tea Garden series for Kensington along with romances for Harlequin Special Edition. Readers can follow her on Facebook (Search--Karen Rose Smith) or on Twitter @karenrosesmith. Contact her through her website www.karenrosesmith.com or KarenRoseSmithMysteries.com if you'd like to belong to her street team or her readers group on Facebook. She welcomes interaction with her readers on Facebook and Twitter, and would love to chat about plotlines, titles, emotions, heroes, heroines, music, books, gardening, cooking, or anything else readers deem noteworthy!
