Search - Gunpowder Green (Tea Shop, Bk 2)

I read the first three of these books and I really wanted to like them. The tea stuff was quaint, the characters were cute, but eventually the prose and the absolute charming banality of the characters made it all so impossible to read. And I really really wanted to like them.

Also, the recipe for lemon curd in the back of one of the first three is a travesty. TRAVESTY! Do not make lemon curd in a blender with the whole egg -- if you're going to do that, just buy it in a jar from the store.

I enjoyed this second book in the series far more than the first. The characters of Theodosia, Drayton, and Haley seemed better-defined and felt like I could predict what they would say or think a little quicker than I could with the first teahouse mystery.

This is a light, fun, enjoyable little mystery that reads quick and will leave you with a taste for tea.

Great second book in the TeaShop Mysteries! Highly recommended!

Clever storyline. Plot twists and turns. Repeat characters, which I liked.

New series for me and really enjoyed.

Another good, leisurely read from the author. There isn't anything terribly complicated about this book. But, that is part of its appeal for me - I read these books as an escape from thinking! Theodosia continues to be likable, as do the other characters.

My only issue is that, at times, this book reads more like a tourist guide to Charleston. I like descriptions of the surrounding environment in books, but this one can be really over the top in terms of the detail about South Carolina. Detail that, really, doesn't add anything to the narration.

Also, fair warning, the characters are all quaintly charming. In fact, at times, they're a bit too charming and "genteel." However, having spent a good portion of my life in the deep south ... this quaint charm isn't all that removed from reality.

I give it 3 stars. Still, I will continue getting the series from my library and reading it.