Rating: 4 out of 5.

This is book 3 of A Jane Austen Tea Society Mystery series, and it’s a sweet and cute cozy mystery. This is a stand alone mystery, so you don’t need to have read the first 2 books to enjoy this one. I haven’t read them, and I found enough backstory in the book to understand everyone’s relationships and history.

Phaedra Brighton is a English Literature professor at a local university. She dresses in Jane Austen clothes to teach her classes and is well-known in the community. When someone is poisoned at the grand opening of her sister’s French bakery, Phaedra jumps into action to help solve the mystery, much to the chagrin of the local police. Was the person that died the intended target, or was it someone else? Additional attempts on other’s lives quickly follows, and Phaedra’s sleuthing goes into overdrive. Who does the poisoner want to kill, and why? Multiple twists quickly follow as the story unfolds, making the book a delightful read.

I really enjoyed this book. Phaedra is a smart, savvy and clever character that knows her own mind and isn’t easily intimidated. Her co-workers, who make up the other two members of the Jane Austen Tea Society, are also smart and capable women that help Phaedra in her pursuit of the killer. Her matchmaking mother and her book-store owner father add warmth and levity to the story. I loved all the Austen references, which added a fun element to the book.

I was provided a complimentary e-copy of this book from NetGalley, Austenprose PR and Berkley. All opinions are my own.