Tempest in a Teapot

Nice little mystery. Liked the characters.

This was the first book in a new series and I can't wait to read the second. The main character Sophie, was such a likeable character and her grandmother was so cute. I wish the town was real so I could visit there and have afternoon tea. It was a very well written book and will keep your attention til the end.

Sophie Taylor, trained as a chef and restauranter, mourns the loss of her dream as she heads back to Gracious Grove in the Finger Lake Region of NewYork State. As a woman of some family means, the quaint town and her loving Grandmother Rose are the best balm for the aching heart. Sophie figures she'll regroup and decide after a while what might be next as she sees GiGi( Gracious Grove) ten years beyond her last visit. The tearoom Nana Rose runs us very sucessful, unlike its compition across the way:Belle Epoche run by her nemisis, the grouchy old Thelma who gives tearooms a really bad name. An then, someond dies in Thelma's place, and all sorts of things come to light of day as Sophie and her friends begin to unravel the tangled web that has caught up Gracious Grove. This was a really nice start for a new series by Amanda Cooper and I will look forward to the next installment

Too many character, and way too much talking. Hard to keep track of everything. Tell the story from the viewpoint of only one main character. And don't repeat everything so much.

Tempest In A Teapot is the first book in A Teapot Collector Mystery series. Sophie Taylor, after closing her upscale restaurant in NYC has returned to Gracious Grove, where she spent many summers, to help her grandmother in her tea shop, Aunt Rose's Victorian Tea House. Her Grandmother Rose's shop is right next to Rose's nemesis Thelma Rae Earnshaw, and her La Belle Epoque tea shop. Rose and Thelma Rae for some 60 years, over the fact that Rae supposedly took Thelma Rae's boyfriend away. When Cissy, whose is Thelma Rae's granddaughter, decides to have her bridal shower at Aunt Rose's. Needless to say this does not go over well, but Cissy does agree to have an engagement party at her grandmothers. When everyone has gathered and the food is being brought out, Cissy's future mother-in-law, VI, takes a bite of a cupcake and collapses to the floor. She is rushed to the hospital but was dead shortly after arriving. Some of those in attendance thought that Thelma Rae had served tainted food as she is not that great a cook, and has a history of buying expired foods. An autopsy revealed that Vi actually died from an allergic reaction, so it was definitely a case of murder. Sophie wants to gibe Cissy some closure after this tragic event, so she begins to look into who might have wanted Vi dead and she discovers a wide choice. Vi's son should be considered, how did he get construction managers job with so little experience, Vi's sister-in-law had a big blowup at the country club. There's also, evidently, a little political corruption in the quiet little town, does this possibly contribute to killing of Vi? This is a very enjoyable series with an interesting cast of believable characters. the series will definitely appeal to those who enjoy tea room mysteries and/or collecting tea pots. Recipe and tea brewing hint included. Looking forward to the book and another visit to Gracious Grove.

Good story line, kept moving right along. Can't wait to read the next one.

But without the charm or setting of historical south this is a borrow not a keeper and too oricey to archive m.a.

What a delightful series opener, Tempest in a Teapot! A Teapot Collector Mystery is a great new series by Amanda Cooper, full of characters, collectable pieces, and suspects. A Victorian Tea House in a small, picturesque Gracious Grove, New York is a huge change from a chic, popular restaurant in Manhattan. Sophie Taylor was not looking forward to the move, but going to her grandmother’s – Nana’s – cherished home is just the place to heal and regroup before her next venture. She certainly did not go there to play a major role in Auntie Rose’s Victorian Tea House events, but was drafted against her better instincts. Next door to Auntie Rose’s is the teashop of a long-time competitor and former friend, Thelma Mae Earnshaw, La Belle Epoque. Thelma is the grandmother of Sophie’s close childhood friend, Cissy Peterson. Cissy’s bridal shower is booked at Auntie Rose’s because she wants the kind of English Tea service for which Rose was well known. To honor Cissy’s grandmother, an engagement party is scheduled at Thelma’s for the families of Cissy and her fiancé, Francis Whittaker Junior. Sophie, as Cissy’s shower planner, wanted the bridal shower tea to be perfect, everything that Cissy wanted. One thing she couldn’t prepare for, however, was Cissy’s future mother-in-law being poisoned at the engagement party at La Belle Epoque that occurred a few short days before the scheduled bridal shower tea. Baked goods were brought by several of the attendees to round out foods prepared or selected by Thelma or her employee Gilda. Was Vivienne Whittaker’s death an accident, especially since the foods at Thelma’s weren’t always …um…quite as tasty as at Auntie Rose’s? Suddenly as Cissy’s friend, Sophie’s job description changed to include – Bridal Tea planner, and … murder investigator? I have never been inside a teahouse until “seeing” Auntie Rose’s through the eyes of Sophie; it was an unequalled experience. While there are only a few teas that I drink periodically, the English tea rituals could almost tempt a girl to give up the beans for tea leaves! And please, the teapots, cups, and other service pieces are far more ornate, decorative and gorgeous with many more centuries of history from around the world than utilitarian coffee cups and boring coffee urns. The characters are fully-developed, with many relationships going back to high school days. Sophie’s ex-boyfriend, Jason Murphy, still lives in town. Cissy’s brother Phil is a bit unconventional; he is still trying to change Gracious Grove’s “dry” status to bring alcohol inside the city limits. Laverne is Nana’s long-time employee. Even the local police officer was a childhood playmate! The teapot collector’s club that meets at Nana’s is fascinating, both in the members and their knowledge of tea service components. Yet sad to say, many of the characters are on Sophie’s suspect list. The plot has more twists and turns than the Snake River, culminating in a refreshingly unexpected ending. Amanda Cooper’s prose is at times funny, at other times elegant with descriptions that bring the reader into the setting. I absolutely recommend Tempest in a Teapot to adults of any age, and young adults, who enjoy cozy mysteries with strong female leads, specialty bistros, even a cat here and there. Teapot Collector Mysteries will keep you on your toes to try to solve the mystery; you will also be entertained and tempted with all the tasty treats that are baked fresh daily at Auntie Rose’s. I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

Reviewed for Read Your Writes Book Reviews by Kim As a child, twenty-nine-year-old Sophie Taylor loved spending time with her maternal grandmother, Rose Freemont, in Gracious Grove, New York. Her favorite pastime was spending time at Auntie Rose’s Victorian Tea House, owned by her grandmother, and learning about food and teapots. Sophie went on to become owner and chef of her own restaurant in Manhattan called In Fashion. While the food was good, the restaurant wasn’t able to survive the turbulent market. Now trying to regroup and figure out what her next step should be, Sophie returns to her grandmother and the small but beautiful town of Gracious Grove. Upon returning, Sophie starts to help her grandmother out at Auntie Rose’s and reconnects with old friends. One old friend in particular is Cissy Peterson, who happens to be a month away from marrying Francis Whittaker,Jr. Even though Sophie has been away for a long time, she’s surprised by this news. Even more surprising is learning that Cissy wants to have her tea themed bridal shower at Auntie Rose’s instead of her grandmother Thelma Mae Earnshaw’s La Belle Epoque tearoom. It’s common knowledge that Rose and Thelma haven’t gotten along in almost sixty years and that Auntie Rose’s is so much better than La Belle Epoque. To make her grandmother, who is a grumpy mean-spirited woman happy, Cissy agrees to have an engagement tea party at La Belle Epoque. Unfortunately, a happy occasion turns horribly sad when Francis’ mother, Vivienne Whittaker collapses and dies during the middle of the party. Vivienne’s death gets ruled a homicide and the hunt for the murderer is on. But finding the person responsible isn’t going to be easy with everyone saying how much they loved Vivienne. Feeling for her friend and being uneasy about a murder happening across the street from them, Sophie along with her grandmother Rose and Rose’s employee Laverne work together to figure out who killed Vivienne and why. When Sophie starts to ask too many questions, someone sends a message that they need to back off. I really enjoyed reading Tempest in a Teapot. While the setting is in upstate New York, the story had a down home southern feel to me. Meaning in my mind, every time a resident of Gracious Grove was speaking, I kept hearing a southern accent. I found all the main characters to be people I would love to hang out with. Well, all except for Thelma Mae. That woman is as mean as a nest of of disturbed wasps. I had no idea who committed the murder until Sophie figured it out. I’m truly looking forward to the next book in the series and the possible development of a love interest for Sophie. Source: Author

This book was a pleasant surprise to me. First in a new series. The characters are well-thought out and complex; as the story goes along I learned more about them. I particularly found the thought processes of Thelma Earnshaw to be spot on for her age and demeanor. As a senior I recognized a kinship with her mind jumping from place to place then wondering what she had been planning to think about before she interrupted her own thoughts. Not an easy thing to put into writing, but precisely the way this very unhappy and miserable person might think. Great descriptive writing. Two elderly women, one with a deliberately long memory of losing who she alone considers the love of her life to the other, who married him and in her own words "saw him first." Everything is one-sided competition right down to both women operating tea rooms, with one-sided being the key, because Thelma firmly believes she has been a victim in all things, especially since Rose Freemont, so-called man stealer, whose shop is right across from Thelma's, runs a much more successful tea room than Thelma. Sophie Rose Freemont Taylor, Rose's granddaughter, has just returned to the town she considers to be her home, back to Rose. She is licking her wounds at the loss of her own enterprise, chef and owner of her New York restaurant. As she is updated on her friends by Rose, she is surprised to learn her best friend, Cissy, Thelma's granddaughter, is about to marry another of their group of friends, Frankie, now known as Francis, a rich high-class architect. For some reason, Thelma is dead set against the marriage, which seems strange on several levels. What could be the cause of Thelma's spite and vinegar? There is a cause that we haven't uncovered yet. The story builds nicely, as an engagement tea for Cissy is held at Thelma's tea shop, La Belle Epoque, when suddenly a medical emergency happens as one of the guests collapses. Accusations are wildly flung, and Sophie is bent on trying to solve whether a death is actually a murder or whether it was an accident, as she deftly seeks out enough information to have some idea as to what actually went down. Now the trick is to learn the real story. How best to go about it? How about gathering all the people that supposedly were friends of Francis' mother by throwing a fund-raising memorial tea? I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. I thought I had it figured out early on, only to learn that what I thought I knew didn't even briefly come into play. So many people appear to have their own interests at heart that to make any sense of what has become a murder and why it happened, that Sophie believes if she can just get everyone in one place together, she can tease some information out that no one is prepared to talk about. Does it really boil down to money? Well, that's always a good place to start, as they say, Follow the money. Since the police chief is actually a relative to some of the people involved, it is only fitting that he should be at the memorial tea. With strategic placement of the people who are attending, will Sophie be able to get what she wants? Is conversation all it really takes to get someone to spill the beans? I found the character of Sophie to be less invasive in trying to extract information than other amateur sleuths I've read, which I appreciated. A very interesting plot which thickens remarkably throughout the book. The first I've read by Amanda Cooper and certainly looking forward to reading more. Disclaimer: I was given an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review. I was not influenced in any way.

TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT was a good start for a new series. Amanda Copper a.k.a. Victoria Hamilton provides a delightful setting in Aunt Rose's Victorian Tea House, located in the small town of Gracious Grove, New York. (I was surprise that New York was used as the state due to the adorable tea house and a town named Gracious Grove just screaming to be set in the south) There are times that I wish paperbacks included pictures because I want to see every detail. However, with this story, Ms. Cooper did a great job with firing my imagination enough that my minds eye provided the pictures.  Ms. Cooper has a varied cast of characters for this cozy and I look forward to learning more about them in the next book. The mystery was well done. Not as much sleuthing as in some mysteries, but I was okay with that. I didn't know the killer until the reveal, and then it was glaringly clear to me. >head thwack, because I should have known< If you like a light cozy (traditional) mystery....are you ready?...I'm going to say it....This one will be your cup of tea! ;-)