Steeped To Death by Gretchen Rue [Review]

Steeped to Death (Witches' Brew Mystery #1) by Gretchen Rue
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: August 20, 2023

Witches' Brew Mystery
1. Steeped to Death - Kindle
2. Death by a Thousand Sips

Gretchen Rue
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

Phoebe Winchester’s beloved aunt Eudora has a taste for adventure—and a knack for making magical tea. It’s even rumored that she just might be a witch. So when Eudora passes away and leaves everything to her niece—her Victorian mansion, her bookshop/tea store, The Earl’s Study, and one very chubby orange cat named Bob—Phoebe gets more than she bargained for. And she knows she’s in deep when a dead man is found on the shop’s back step, apparently killed while trying to break in.

Two suspects immediately emerge among the townspeople of Raven Creek, Washington. There’s village busybody Dierdre Miller, who seems desperate to buy Eudora’s house, and handsome PI Rich, one of Phoebe’s childhood friends—but how well does she really know him after all these years apart?

Phoebe knows she should leave it to the professionals, but as she starts to dig into the underbelly of Raven Creek, she begins to uncover the truth about Eudora. What’s more, her aunt might not have been the only witch in the family, as Phoebe soon discovers she has unique and unexpected gifts of her own.

Now, it’s just a matter of putting her newfound power to the test and cast a spell that could catch a killer.

Thoughts on Steeped to Death: Okay. We're heading into Raven Creek where things are little witchy (at least when it comes to things Phoebe's aunt had a hand in) and Phoebe has the unpleasant shock of a dead body behind her store. There's also a sexy man living in the apartment above her shop who isn't entirely a stranger, a house with a lot of personality, and a cat that comes with the house.

As Phoebe gets caught up on small town politics (there's one like Dierdre in every town, isn't there?) AND works on unraveling who the dead guy is, she's also figuring out what it is that made her aunt so special. Spoiler: it's magic. And Phoebe might be a late bloomer, but it turns out she didn't fall far from the tree. Meaning, she has a little magic in her, as well.

Which is all well and good, but there's still the mystery of the dead guy and what he was doing at her shop. Plus, there's the much more pleasant mystery of her sexy tenant. You know, unless he's a bad guy, then he's probably not as sexy. Maybe.

A sassy cat, tea that makes things happen, delicious (and slightly magical) baked goods, a little amateur  sleuthing, and a lady who takes matters into her own hands. GOOD STUFF!