Sun Sand and Tea shop located in a small beach town in North Carolina is the setting for both a murder mystery and locale for some great iced teas. Everly Swan is a gracious heroine who runs the shop and solves mysteries to keep her friends out of trouble.
I love this series! This is book #6 in Bree Baker’s Seaside Café Mysteries series. The protagonist, Everly Swan is a likable, relatable heroine. She is loyal to her friends and family even to her detriment. Each novel in this series reveals her character, her friends, her family, and her love life in a way that makes me yearn for more. Keep writing Bree Baker!
Partners in Lime by Bree Baker
Cozy Mystery Novel with Recipes
Book Review
Murder Mystery Books🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪
Book Review Outline and Tone:
Since the setting for this series is in a beach town in the outer banks of North Carolina, the story can focus around land or sea. This novel focuses on what happens at sea, surfing. When a famous surfer comes to town, he draws attention. When this famous surfer is killed it sparks curiosity in everyone in Charm and the nearby town of Rodanthe.
Everly travels to Rodanthe while following a lead. This got me thinking about the Nicolas Sparks book and subsequent movie Nights in Rodanthe. When that book was released in 2002, I was busy with my children who were toddlers. I didn’t read as much as I would have liked, so I missed that book. However curiosity got to me too and I have decided to read the book and watch the movie. Come back to my blog next week for a review on that book as a Literary Leftover book review.
Everly and Grady’s will they won’t they relationship continues to vacillate, However, One of the best parts of the novel is when Grady tells Everly that he would not change her. That he thinks she is perfect just the way she is, sleuth and all. If that doesn’t fit the bill as marriage material, I don’t know what does!
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?:
I want to see Everly and Grady spend more time together. I think if they investigated together, their relationship dynamic would make for a great novel.
The verdict:
As with all of the books in this series, read it! Great mysteries, fantastic recipes and characters that are easy to love. All of these features make for an excellent series.
Book Club Recommendation: 5/5 Books 📚📚📚📚📚
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).
Bubbling Raspberry Iced Tea Recipe
Assemble the Ingredients
Easy to make dessert: 4/5 on the Easy as Pie scale 🥧🥧🥧🥧
Drink Recipe 📖📖📖📖📖
First things first with a true confessions. This recipe calls for basil instead of mint; however, I tried it with mint and basil and by far preferred the mint. If you are particularly fond of basil, try with equal amounts of fresh basil instead of the mint. For me and my family, we are sticking with the combination of raspberry, lime and mint. It is simply perfect, in my opinion.
In a large saucepan, combine the raspberries, sugar, mint, and lime juice.
The fresh mint needs to be roughly chopped. Here is my recipe tip.
Baking Tip:
Anytime you need to roughly chop fresh herbs, put them in a measuring cup like to measure and then use kitchen scissors to cut the herbs. This is fast and you can see the measurements as you cut.
Add the chopped mint and lime juice to the raspberries and sugar.
Cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. The sugar needs to dissolve, so bring the mix to a gentle boil.
Remove from the heat and add the tea bags. Cover and steep for 20 minutes.
Strain, discarding the tea bags and raspberry seeds.
Use a fine sieve in a mixing bowl with a pour spout like these . Slowly pour the mixture into the sieve and press the liquid with a study spatula.
Pour the tea into a two-quart pitcher. This is when you will be glad you used a bowl with a spout.
Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Before serving, add the carbonated water.
Serve over ice and garnish with fresh berries and mint.
Taste: 5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bubbling Raspberry Tea from a cozy mystery novel
Ingredients
- 5 cups Raspberries
- 3 cups sugar
- 1½ cups fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- 3 black tea bags
- 1 liter bottle carbonated water, seltzer water
- optional: additional berries and mint for garnish
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine the raspberries, sugar, mint, and lime juice.
- Cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the tea bags.
- Cover and steep for 20 minutes.
- Strain, discarding the tea bags and raspberry seeds.
- Pour the tea into a two-quart pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
- Before serving, add the carbonated water.
- Serve over ice and garnish with fresh berries and mint.
What would I do differently next time?
You have the bonus of this version being my second attempt at the recipe. This original recipe called for basil instead of mint, but for my family, the mint just works better.
Will I make it again?: Absolutely Yes! 😋😋😋😋😋
Pear Ginger Tea from A Call for Kelp,
Cranberry Mint Black Tea from Tide and Punishment,
Hibiscus Tea from No Good Tea Goes Unpunished,
Strawberry Peach Tea from Live and Let Chai.
