Click on book to visit Amazon
TROUBLE IS BREWING is the fifth book in the Tea by the Sea Mysteries by Vicki Delany. From the darling cover to the opening chapter to the memorable characters and captivating plot, this newest release kept me glued to the pages. Protagonist Lily Roberts, owner of the Cape Cod tearoom Tea by the Sea, seems to have a no-nonsense air about her. She’s capable and concise with her baking and running her business, yet does everything she can to help her feisty grandmother, friends, employees, and guests. She also has a dry sense of humor that made me chuckle whenever it appeared. I also love the supporting characters, especially her grandmother, Rose, and her best friend, novel-writing Bernie (who is another great source of humor). And who can help but swoon over Lily’s love-interest, scone-baking gardener Simon with his British accent? I’ve enjoyed seeing their relationship progress, and I loved seeing more of him in this book.
What could be more picturesque than holding a bridal shower at a seaside tearoom? Lily finds herself catering the shower and assisting the bridal party who are staying at her grandmother’s B & B. Instead of hearts and kisses, it appears the groom’s family is quite dysfunctional and it doesn’t take long for their irksome behavior is turned toward the bride and her mother. The theme of the Montague and Capulet families is woven throughout and it’s no surprise when a murder occurs. Honestly, I was expecting someone else to be the victim, and I was even more intrigued to find how, why, and who. I like Lily is a reluctant amateur sleuth, and it’s Bernie and her grandmother who drag her into investigations. Once she is on board though, Lily is methodical in asking questions and digging for the truth. Bernie, with her computer expertise, helps find background information to aid in the sleuthing. As the clues are uncovered, they find more suspects than they know what to do with. Ms. Delany writes a tightly plotted mystery that builds up suspense, then delivers a worthy reveal. If you want to escape to a seaside locale with charming characters and a challenging mystery to solve, Trouble Is Brewing is the perfect book to pick up.
With Lily baking so much for both her tearoom and her grandmother’s B&B, there are lots of yummy foods mentioned throughout the story. There are a few recipes at the back of the book to satisfy your appetite, both sweet and savory. Since I always seem to have an overabundance of overripe bananas, I immediately wanted to make the recipe for Banana Bread with Walnuts. I liked the recipe calls for three whole bananas, which makes the bread ultra-moist, without using a ton of butter or vegetable oil. Plus, the walnuts add a pleasing crunch to the bread. Eaten on its own, or toasted and slathered with butter, this is a treat for any time of the day!
Amazon Synopsis
Members of the Reynolds and Hill families are staying at Lily’s grandmother’s bed and breakfast, and now they’ve gathered at Tea by the Sea to sip some delicious blends while they shower bride-to-be Hannah Hill with presents. But the last package Hannah unwraps contains a beheaded Raggedy Ann doll and triggers a bloodcurdling scream. A doll like this was the last gift from her father before he died long ago, and she’s chilled to the bone.
Lily senses that the shocking anonymous gift just might be related to other tensions she’s picking up on. The mothers-in-law have been sniping at each other—and then Lily, out walking her dog, overhears the groom’s father, Ralph, offering his son a very sizable bribe to call off the wedding. She’s relieved when Greg angrily turns him down, but with so many people steamed at each other, can this event possibly go smoothly?
The answer is no. It suddenly has to be postponed—when Ralph is found dead in his bed, a bottle of whiskey beside him. When tests indicate the booze was infused with a lethal substance, it becomes a murder case, and of course, accusations are flying wildly with the guests all too willing to believe the worst about each other. Now, to find out whether all this family drama led to a fatality, Lily will have to turn up the heat.
A special thanks to Kensington Publishing for offering an arc print copy of TROUBLE IS BREWING to one lucky winner! Contest ends August 4, 2024 at 11:59 pm PST and is limited to U.S. residents only. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)
Overripe bananas. What to do with them? If there's one thing likely to be in every cook's repertoire, whether home cook, amateur baker, or professional pastry chef, it's banana bread. Because, after all, no one wants to throw out those fast-expiring bananas. For her own enjoyment, Lily likes nuts in her banana bread, but when baking for the breakfasts at Victoria-on-Sea, she leaves them out, just to be safe. This version has nuts included.
- 1-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork
- 1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces
-
Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
-
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside.
-
Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl.
-
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the mashed bananas.
-
With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
-
Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack.
Pin to Pinterest:
Earlier this year I migrated my newsletter for new blog posts from Mailchimp to MailerLite. Somehow the subscriber signup form stopped working and with some grinding of teeth, some hair pulling, and a lot of time spent trying to figure it out, I finally got it fixed. If you’ve subscribed to my blog this year and haven’t been receiving new post notifications, please sign up again (and I truly apologize for the inconvenience!). If you haven’t signed up before, now is a great time to do so since Facebook is becoming even more erratic about letting people see posts. And I promise to never share your information with anyone without your permission…like if you won a book 🙂
Sign up for giveaways, book reviews, and recipes!
I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I would love a slice of this banana bread to go with my coffee! The book cover is so cute!
I’ve never made this . Looks yummy . I’ve made pumpkin bread with nuts
What a yummy sounding recipe. Thank you for sharing it and your review. I always love the pictures you take of the book and goodies.