This is the first book in a new series that came out last year by author Bree Baker who is actually not a newcomer to the cozy scene but writes under another name. You can follow her on Facebook and probably figure it out yourself. 😉 I love the idea of this being a North Carolina beach town and all the little shops sound so cute and fun. The characters were awesome, especially Aunt Clara and Aunt Fran, Everly’s aunts who took care of her after her grandma died. I think you’ll love this book as much as I did!
My Goodreads review:
Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really loved this first book in the series! I’ve had it since it came out, and since I’m wanting to read the second book soon, I definitely wanted to be sure I read this one.
After a local man died from having been poisoned using tea from Sun, Sand and Tea, Everly Swan was not going to take it lightly. She was nearly accused of killing the man herself, so she got busy and with the help of her good friend Amelia went sleuthing. Of course the handsome detective on the case had to warn her off multiple times, but he did come in fairly handy when she had a showdown with the killer. Everly was no slouch at defending herself though, since she’d hit the person with a hot teakettle, fairly appropriate when you think about it! I hadn’t really guessed the killer because of some good red herrings.
I fell in love with the town of Charm and Everly’s aunts! They were so quirky and could get on her nerves at times, but they fiercely loved their grandniece and made sure that her new cafe was going to be a success. The white cat Maggie was really cool and I’m glad she came around and started being friendlier to Everly who was pretty sure the kitty used to live in her house. Amelia was an amazing friend, and I really liked how she was running four Little Libraries in Charm. The side story was about how someone kept pouring sand into the libraries and messing up the books. Everly and Amelia were determined to catch the persons doing this.
I’m really happy about Grady the detective being firm but not a power-hungry jerk to Everly–he really does care about her. She was impulsive and inquisitive and clearly needed to slow down when it came to snooping into things, but he at least was patient and not getting mad at her all the time. Since I have the second book right here, I’m going to start it next or right after the next book I read.
Cuddle Up With a Cozy Mystery 