What makes the perfect wedding guest? Perhaps it is someone you love or someone who brings a great gift. For sure, it is someone alive! In No Good Tea Goes Unpunished, Everly Swan makes a great signature tea for her friend’s wedding reception, but unfortunately the tea is not as memorable as she had hoped. No one will forget the dead person!
This is book #2 in Bree Baker’s Seaside Café Mystery cozy mystery series. In this novel, Everly Swan has agreed to throw a reception on the beach for her old high school friend and her wealthy husband. That’s why she has named this Hibiscus Tea, Blushing Bride Tea.
No Good Tea Goes Unpunished by Bree Baker
Cozy Mystery Novel with Recipes Book Review
Outline and Tone:
Everly Swan is a native of Charm NC, a barrier island. Her ancestors have always been superstitious that Swan women should never live anywhere but Charm and the men who love them will live short lives due to some horrific incident. Like Everly Swan though, I am not superstitious, but I do wonder why so many bad things have happened since she moved back. She runs Sun, Sand, And Tea, an iced tea and sandwich store on the beach. Everything she brews and creates sounds wonderful. In fact, she created a special tea using dried hibiscus flowers as a signature tea at her friend’s wedding reception. Everyone loved Everly’s tea. The wedding reception should have been a success for Everly’s business, but as usual, a tragedy strikes.
I love the characters that Bree Baker has created for these Seaside Café Mysteries. Everly is smart, funny, kind, and a bit of a romantic. In other words, she is very relatable. Her great aunts are the type of quirky, fun-loving, nurturing old ladies we all want looking out for us. As I read Bree Baker’s novels I get a good image in my mind of Everly’s store, views of the ocean and I can almost smell her sweet tea. And just when I think she has an ideal life, Everly gets involved in another murder mystery and once again I am glad that I am watching (or reading) from the side lines.
The author:
Julie Anne Lindsey writes as Bree Baker, Julie Chase, and Jacqueline Frost. She writes both mystery and romance novels. As Bree Baker, she is an award winning author. Her website highlights all of her book series and even a cozy mystery reading club. Ms. Lindsey is also active on Facebook and Twitter (@julieALindsey). She is a prolific writer and even has a mystery series starring cats titled Kitty Couture Mysteries that have rave reviews on Amazon.
What is not to like?:
The only thing missing in this series is more recipes. The author hasn’t even shared Everly’s famous sweet tea. I hope the next few books in the series will have even more recipes.
The verdict:
If you read the review above, then it is clear that I am a fan of this series. After finishing it, I immediately scoured Amazon for dried hibiscus flowers to make the signature tea. And the tea is not only fantastic, but I’m excited to play around with the tea and add a little of this or a little of that.
Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you).
Assemble the Ingredients
Judee’s Organic Hibiscus Flowers are made for tea and were perfect in this recipe.
From the novel, “Enjoy this delightfully refreshing hibiscus recipe with a splash of lemon or garnish of lime. Also known as the J. C. Miller or the Summer Splash Special, iced tea enthusiasts are guaranteed to call this tea delicious.”
Bring water, hibiscus flowers, and cinnamon sticks to a boil in a large saucepan
Remove from heat and stir in sugar until dissolved.
Cover and allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain.
Add lemon zest or lime wedge to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve, and pour over ice.
Blushing Bride [Hibiscus] Tea from: No Good Tea Goes Unpunished
Ingredients
- 8 cups cold water
- 1 cup dried hibiscus leaves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 cup sugar
- Lemon zest or lime wedges (optional)
- Ice
Instructions
- Bring water, hibiscus flowers, and cinnamon sticks to a boil in a large saucepan.
- Remove from heat and stir in sugar until dissolved.
- Cover and allow to steep for 20 minutes.
- Strain.
- Add lemon zest or lime wedge to taste.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve, and pour over ice.
What would I do differently next time.
The tea was so easy to make and tasted great. Next time the only thing I will do differently is try it with lime wedges instead of lemon, just to see how I like it.
Here is another great herbal iced tea to try. Also from Bree Baker in her novel Live and Let Chai.
