Reviews

CLOSELY HARBORED SECRETS, the fifth book in the Seaside Café Mystery series by Bree Baker, is a spooktacular addition to an entertaining series! While Halloween might be over, this new release brings plenty of atmosphere and captures the feel of the spooky season. Starting out with a haunted historic walking tour on the small island of Charm, the author weaves in local myths and legends. With stories of ghosts, pirates, and treasure interjected into a real life murder that Everly Swan is suspected of committing, the suspense provides chills and thrills. Everly is a wonderful protagonist and I love her charming Sun, Sand, and Tea shop and the way she interacts with tourists and townspeople alike. Her two elderly aunts make terrific supporting characters with their vivacious and witty banter, and their Blessed Bee shop showcases the family’s centuries-old love and preservation of the honey bee. Despite their age, they’ve expanded their horizons and I greatly enjoyed the subplot of Aunt Fran and her candidacy for the position of mayor.

Investigating the murder is Everly’s beau, Detective Grady. While he knows she’s innocent, there’s still the baffling evidence of why the victim scratched Everly’s name into the ground right before she died. As Grady investigates it soon becomes apparent that Everly is being targeted. Despite warnings, she gets involved in solving the case. Intertwined in the murder mystery are legends of Everly’s ancestor and how the woman died at the house she now owns, adding another layer of Halloween eeriness. I was captivated as this multi-layered story unfolded and with a heart-stopping reveal, left me wishing the next book in this delightful series was available for me to read already!

Everly makes all sorts of delectable treats for her café including unique and delicious iced teas. The author kindly includes several recipes, for food and drink alike, at the back of the book. They all sound scrumptious!

Thanks to the publisher, I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

canra's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

samantha_45's review against another edition

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fast-paced

4.0

maybemegan's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious

4.0

melinda1962's review

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5.0

A murder because of an 170year old mystery and treasure. Yes please and thank you. What a great instalment of this series. Did I mention ghosts?!!!

fwog19's review

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5.0

I've been looking forward to this next adventure with Everly and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed the ghostly aspect of it and getting to rejoin the people of Charm, NC. It's always nice to get back there, as it feels like going to visit family. It was fun to see how Everly worked out who was stalking her and also to see her enjoyment of the food and historical items that came into play, even though some of them were used in attempts to scare or kill her. She still tried to stay positive and keep those around her safe. I'm definitely going to miss this town and the people when the series ends.

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