Murder In A Cup is the second book in A Crystals And CuriosTEAS Mystery series by Lauren Ellicott.

Shay enjoys growing tea for and packaging various blends she sells in her shop. There were some poisonous plants in her greenhouse on the roof of her building, and she donated them to her friend Dr. Mia Harper, a botanist at the local university, so they weren’t accidentally used when she packaged her tea blends. A group of women called the White Gloves come in for tea every morning. One day, a new member, Jasmine, the girlfriend of Peter Graham, the father of Shay’s part-time teenage employee, Tissi, joined the White Gloves. Peter is in Bray Harbor to take custody of Tassi and take her home to Carmel. Peter wants her to meet and get to know her soon-to-be stepmother, but Tassi wants nothing to do with Jasmine. In addition, Peter doesn’t want her working for a witch. Shay doesn’t feel comfortable reading tea leaves yet, but Jasmine finally talks Shay into reading her tea leaves. Tassi serves Jasmine her tea, and just as she is about to hand the cup to Shay, she collapses and dies. It seems that Jasmine had been poisoned. Tassi is quickly considered a suspect as she served the tea and made a comment that was construed as threatening.

Liam, who owns the pub next door to Shay’s shop, has returned from Ireland and has brought his Gram to Bray Harbor. Gram is also a seer and knew Shay’s grandmother and mother and will share Shay’s family history with her. Gram will also support Shay as she works to develop her powers.

The book is well-written, plotted, and exciting. The story also reads at a nice pace. Most of the characters from the first book are back again. The characters are well-developed and believable. The reader will also learn more about the backstory of Shay and Tassi. Once again, Shay’s German Shepard will play an integral part.

I’m looking forward to more visits to Bray Harbor. ( )

sisters, family-drama, family-dynamics, relationships, relatives, Irish-lore, amateur-sleuth, paranormal, small-town, small-business, secret-society, cultural-heritage, urban-fantasy, dog, cozy-mystery, botany, local-law-enforcement, teenager, murder-investigation, ex-cop, falsely-accused, false-conclusions, customs-and-belief-systems, custody-issues*****

I liked this installment a lot. The stories are a melange of witchery, mystery, and societal drama. The writing is exceptional and involved me as the reader. Highly recommend!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books/Kensington Cozies via NetGalley. Thank you. ( )

4 Stars
This is the second book in the series, but the first I've read, and it can be read as a stand-alone easily. It's lighthearted, and has a touch of magic and Irish charm, and plenty of colorful and likeable characters. I hope the MC develops her magical abilities some more in the next installment, but I definitely plan on continuing this series. For cozy mystery fans.

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When the local owner of a mystical shop dies, she leaves everything to Shay. After Shay figures out why, she and her sister Jen proceed to turn the shop into Crystals and CuriosiTEAS, a teashop that also offers special blends to people needing help or guidance. Occasionally, Shay will also do tea leaf readings, which has become popular amongst the locals.

One group, known as the white gloved ladies, has made the shop a weekly visit, and because they are so respected, Shay's new tearoom is booming. Between her, Jen, and their teenage helper Tassi, they manage to make things work. For a while, anyway -- until Tassi's dad shows up and declares that he's fighting her mother for custody. Tassi dislikes her dad's fiancée, and refuses to go with him. But one night, during a group reading, one of the women in the white glove group dies, prompting Tassi's father to get a restraining order against Shay and vowing to ruin her.

Shay is distraught, but when pub owner Liam Madigan returns from Ireland with his grandmother, known as 'Gran', the woman seeks out Shay and takes her under her wing. To make matters worse, Liam is having troubles of his own, and his cousin shows up out of nowhere.

Shay has her hands full and her pockets temporarily empty, but will she be able to rectify the situation? Will she be able to find out who really killed the woman? And more so, will she be able to get her life back to where it was?...

This is merely the second book in the series but I am completely hooked on it. I loved the first, and this one even more. Shay is growing as a person, and being accepted for who she is. Her life in this village begins to round out, until Tassi's unfortunate being of a father shows up. She's sure he has an ulterior motive, but when he starts harassing her, she wonders why.

I love the character of Gran. She's completely delightful. A bit of the 'Old Country,' if you will. I am pleased that the author brought her into the series, and hopefully will keep her there. I did like Liam quite a bit, but as most men (don't get upset, we all know), he's a bit oblivious when it comes to certain things. Read the book and you will know what I am talking about.

And let's not forget Spirit, the magical dog who appears just where he's needed most. He's more than just a dog, but an intelligent friend who senses danger and knows just what to do to prevent it. Ah, if only humans could understand what he is trying to say...

The murder itself is very well planned out, and quite a bit intriguing as well. We watch as Shay tries to navigate her desire to help Tassi and figure out who the murderer might be at the same time. While I knew who it was before Shay, it was entertaining to watch her figure it out and put the clues together. In the end, it gives us a glimpse of what to look forward to in the next book, which, I think, will be just as enjoyable as this one. Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review. ( )