Tide and Punishment

It's Christmastime in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Everly Swan is hoping her home town of Charm will live up to its name. In Tide and Punishment by Bree Baker, it's not long before trouble breaks out. (Tide and Punishment will be released by Poisoned Pen Press on September 24.)

Unfortunately Mother Nature has a surprise for the Charmers - snow and ice. That doesn't dampen Everly's spirits at her Sun, Sand and Tea Cafe, until her Great-Aunt Fran makes her mayoral bid announcement. No one is really surprised by it, but as she is making her announcement, Mayor Dunfree preempts her announcement by making his own.

He has decided to run again and with a co-mayor Mary Grace Chatsworth, Everly's hated enemy. Everyone is aghast at Mayor Dunfree's announcement and his lack of manners in his timing, but no one expects much from him.

A little while later, he is dead in the snow behind the shop with Great-Aunt Fran standing over him with a bloody gnome in her hands. Everly is positive her Great-Aunt didn't kill the mayor, but the mayor's wife wants Detective Grady Hays to arrest Fran. As much as Hays warns Everly to stay out of the investigation, she cannot let her Great Aunt wind up in jail at Christmas.

Everly's investigation leads her to a long-ago hiking death, many more shattered gnomes and someone with huge anger issues.

Another terrific addition to this charming series.


Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley

No Good Tea Goes Unpunished

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Everly Swan returns home to operate the Sun, Sea and Tea Cafe in Charm, North Carolina. In No Good Tea Goes Unpunished by Bree Baker, Everly is hosting a wedding reception for a former high school classmate on the lovely barrier island of Charm, an event she is hoping will boost her business. She has been away from home for several years and had hoped to become a success in the culinary world, but also to follow a cowboy. Neither of things worked out.

The bride, Judy, is a Everly's childhood friend and she is positively glowing after the ceremony. Judy's new husband Craig Miller was named one of Entrepreneur's Wealthiest Thirty under Thirty. But before the happy couple can even begin their honeymoon, events turn tragic. When the groom is found dead, floating in the shallow water of the beach, Everly tries to administer CPR. She shouts for everyone to search for Judy in the water as well. Within minutes with the bride appears holding a bloody knife and covered in blood.

With her friend under suspicion of killing her wealthy husband. Everly decides its time to get back in the investigating business. Complicating matters is the abrupt appearance of Craig's ex-girlfriend Cynthia Preston claiming she arrived hoping to stop the wedding. Also a suspect is Craig's partner Pete who has been known to make so bad business decisions and is heavily in debt. 

As Everly tries to investigate, she continually butts heads with Detective Hays. He makes it clear she needs to stay out of the investigation. With the new bride plunged into heavy depression, Everly knows she cannot abandon Judy and continues to pursue her investigation at times putting herself in jeopardy. 

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher.