Steeped in Secrets by Lauren Elliott

Available November 29, 2022

Rating: 4 stars

Shay Myers has returned home with her tail between her legs. Her ex stole everything she owned and made her out to be a crook, ruining her reputation at the same time. Fortunately a mysterious inheritance back home gave her the opportunity to start over again, but there are so many unanswered questions and so many dangers lying in wait. Will this be the fresh start Shay is hoping for? Or another disastrous end?

This was my first book by Elliott and I enjoyed her writing style. This book sets up a good foundation for many future books, with lots of mysterious things going on that could be revealed as the series progresses. One thing that was both disappointing and also not was that the tea shop around which this series will eventually revolve hasn't opened yet at the end of this book. While I missed having a tea shop and all the fun cozy mystery things that could happen there, it gave me something to look forward to.

Paranormal cozies aren't generally my thing but it wasn't a major theme in the book and it wasn't used (as it often is, which is probably why I don't generally like paranormal cozies) as a crutch and a way of getting around doing any real investigation. Though some clues were provided through tea leaf readings, it wasn't used as a substitute for the good old-fashioned amateur sleuthing that makes cozy mysteries fun to read.

Overall I enjoyed this book and will certainly be reading more by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.