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Tea Room ~ Gift Shop

Steeped in Mystery and Romance

Welcome to a world of fiction novels all set against the backdrop of tea shops and tea plantations! The book lover in you will enjoy the conflicted personalities and clever storylines. The tea lover in you will enjoy the wonderment of faraway lands and all the information imparted by the colorful characters on everything tea! Pick up a copy and start your journey - mystery and romance with every cuppa!

And Then It Was Teatime – compiled by Laurie Nienhaus
The tale of tea is long and illustrious, but tea has had its part to play in stories other than its own. Authors have long seen fit to place their characters and their action in the midst of the tea hour. And still others have written in private diaries and memoirs of the hour that so successfully “combines the permanence of an institution with the agreeable formlessness of an incidental occurrence” and of the beverage that “by the resistless effort of its own virtue, can cheer the whole land from palace to cottage.” Contains over 150 excerpts from both vintage and modern literature.

Chicken Soup for the Tea Lover’s Soul – Stories Steeped in Comfort – Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patricia Lorenz
In the bestselling tradition of Chicken Soup for the Soul, this flavorful series offers life-affirming stories blended with interesting trivia, humorous anecdotes, and helpful information.

Darjeeling - Bharti Kirchner
A family is torn apart when two sisters from Darjeeling fall in love with the same man - he loves the younger sister but feels duty-bound to marry the elder, thereby creating a situation that makes them flee their country until a family celebration ten years later forces them to return home where they try to heal old wounds of bitterness and anger.

High Tea – Sandra Harper
Magpie’s Tearoom is a cozy haven in bustling L.A. – a place for luncheons, baby showers, or simply hanging out. Its owner, British expat Margaret Moore, relishes tradition…but between a frustrated chef preoccupied with her neglectful producer girlfriend and the tearoom’s wait staff – a talented but desperate TV star who hasn’t acted since Detective Buck Love went off the air, and a twenty-something ingénue who will do anything to get the part – her grandmother’s scones begin to feel irrelevant. When the critic from Tea Talk announces she is crossing the pond to visit, Margaret attempts to marshal her staff. But, being the thespian variety, they all want to be doing something else. Yet despite the high personal drama at hand, the customers still demand their perfectly steeped tea and cucumber sandwiches… As Margaret battles pilot season and produce-coordinator malfunctions, she beings to lose her will to live …in L.A. But can her L.A. neighborhood do without her tearoom?

Ida Mae Tutweiler and the Traveling Tea Party - Ginnie Siena Bivona

This is a book about love, the abiding love between mothers and daughters, and the passionate love between a man and a woman. But mostly, it's about the special love between best friends forever. Woven through the tapestry of a life-long friendship is the story of quiet, reserved Ida Mae Tutweiler and flamboyant daytime TV star Jane Tetley. It's about life, death, hope, and about the comfort to be found in a nice hot cup of tea. And the author has even included a selection of recipes for your own special tea-time.

Leaves of Fortune - Linda Barlow
A matriarch and the business empire she founded makes for a compelling story. The affluent New England family whose tea company was founded in colonial America by an alleged witch is filled with dark passions, forbidden loves, and a family curse that defines one generation and haunts the next.

Musings with a Cuppa – Earlene Grey
A collection of original poetry dedicated to those who not only understand the complexity of creating a fine cuppa, but also appreciate the simplicity of its enjoyment. Although a product of this century, each poem embodies the flavour and spirit of Edwardian England. From the very beginning of the first verse the reader is taken back to the early 1900’s where a gracious society was built on civility and decorum.

Royal Tunbridge Wells Mysteries (Series) - Ron and Janet Benrey
Cozy mysteries set in a tea museum with Nigel, the reluctant museum director and Flick, the upstart food chemist, acting as amateur sleuths to solve the mysterious murders that take place within the museum.

Dead as a Scone

Nigel receives word from the museum's elderly matron that a highly clever, dangerous criminal sits on the board of trustees. But before Dame Elspeth can unveil the criminal, she falls over dead in the midst of a board meeting. Can Nigel and Flick find the killer and save the tea museum?

The Final Crumpet

Forty years after his disappearance, the hastily buried remains of a famed British radio personality are discovered in a tea museum's garden--along with the pistol that killed him. The curator and a tea chemist are thus embroiled in the second mystery to threaten the integrity of the museum. Are they in over their heads this time?

Sipping Tea – Celebrating Me – Dharlene Fahl-Brittian
A series of healing prayers (positive affirmations with a poetic flow) to assist in the process of changing current thought and behavioral patterns. Contains all the necessary information to help novices and experts alike to better appreciate tea, but not a typical book about tea. It uses tea as a means for discovering who we are and what we could become.

Sticks and Scones – Diane Mott Davidson
It begins when a shotgun blast shatters her window. Then Goldy discovers a body lying in a nearby creek. And when shots ring out for the second time that day, someone Goldy loves is in the line of fire. Suddenly the last thing Goldy wants to think about is Shakespeare’s Steak Pie, 911 Chocolate Emergency Cookies, or Damson-in-Distress Plum Tart. Could one of her husband Tom’s police investigations have triggered a murder? Or was her violent, recently paroled ex responsible? With death peering around every corner, Goldy needs to cook up some crime-solving solutions – before the only dish that’s left on her menu is murder.

The Tea House Fire – Ellis Avery

The story of two women whose lives intersect in late-nineteenth-century Japan. Seen through the eyes of Aurelia, an American orphan adopted by the Shin family, proprietors of a tea ceremony school, after their daughter Yukako, finds her hiding on their grounds. Aurelia becomes Yukako’s closest companion, and they, the Shin family, and all of Japan face a time of great challenges and uncertainty when Japan’s most mysterious rite – the tea ceremony – became not just a sacramental meal, but a ritual battlefield.

Tea House on Mulberry Street - Sharon Owens
Struggling with a stale marriage and the somewhat outdated atmosphere of their otherwise successful tea house, Penny and Daniel Stanley serve a host of refuge-seeking customers, including a dieting housewife, a star-struck artist, and a mysterious woman who seeks a long-lost companion.

The Tea Planter’s Lass – Janet MacLeod Trotter
1905, India. Clarissa Belhaven and her younger sister Olive live a charmed life on their father’s tea plantation. But when the business begins to fail, their future looks uncertain. Young rival businessman Wesley Robson offers a lifeline: he will help save the plantation in exchange for Clarrie’s hand in marriage. But her father refuses and, after his death, the girls are sent to his family in Tynerside, with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Amidst the dire poverty of Newcastle, Clarrie slogs away to provide for her sister, but longs to one day open her own tea room. After years of sacrifice, her dreams are finally within reach. Then Wesley Robson comes back into Clarrie’s life, bring with him a shocking revelation and the power to change her world forever…

Tea Rose - Jennifer Donnelly
Her family and dreams shattered by her father's untimely death at the hands of a ruthless tea baron, Fiona Finnegan flees East London and eventually establishes herself at the head of the tea trade in New York.

Tea Shop Mysteries (Series) - Laura Childs
Meet Theodosia Browning, owner of Charleston’s beloved Indigo Tea Shop. Patrons love her blend of delicious tea tastings and southern hospitality. And Theodosia enjoys the full-bodied flavor of a town steeped in history – and mystery…

Death by Darjeeling (#1)
When a guest turns up dead at a tea for the annual historic homes garden party Theo is catering, she turns sleuth to save her reputation, clear her name, and track down the real killer.

Gunpowder Green (#2)

When a member of the Charleston elite turns up dead during the annual yacht race and the simultaneous launching of the latest tea flavor, Gunpowder Green, from Theo’s Indigo Tea Shop, she must draw on her sleuthing skills to find a killer.

Shades of Earl Grey (#3)
While attending a high society engagement party, Theo is steeped in mystery when the groom meets with disaster and the wedding ring, an heirloom with a gem from the crown of Marie Antoinette, vanishes.

English Breakfast Murder (#4)
While helping Charleston's Sea Turtle Protection League, Theo stumbles upon the dead body of art dealer Harper Fisk whose untimely demise is linked to the sunken treasure and gold bullion that is rumored to be near Halliehurst Beach.

Jasmine Moon Murder (#5)

While catering a Charleston benefit that includes a "Ghost Crawl" through Jasmine Cemetery, Theo finds herself investigating the mysterious death of the event's organizer, who drops dead during a theatrical performance.

Chamomile Mourning (#6)
Upset when the Poet's Tea event at Charleston's Spoleto festival is forced indoors by rain, Theo finds her life further complicated when a local auction house owner plummets to his death from a balcony.

Blood Orange Brewing (#7)
Upset when the Poet's Tea event at Charleston's Spoleto festival is forced indoors by rain, Theo finds her life further complicated when a local auction house owner plummets to his death from a balcony.

Dragonwell Dead (#8)
It's springtime in Charleston and just about every species of South Carolina's flora is in full and glorious bloom at the Spring Plantation Ramble. Once a year, the upper crust open their sprawling gardens to the public, the site of flower shows, rare plant auctions, and a contagious spring fever. Although Theodosia Browning barely knows a Phalinopsis from a Bog Rose, she still enjoys the Ramble, especially since she can pour tea and promote her Indigo Tea Shop-and her latest concoction, Dragonwell Sweet Tea.

The Silver Needle Murder (#9)
The Charleston Film Festival has brought Theodosia Browning and the staff of the Indigo Tea Shop a busy week of catering jobs. First up is the opening night gala at the historic Belvedere Theatre. Tinseltown and local luminaries seem to be mingling happily in the glamorously renovated lobby, but Theo notices that the atmosphere backstage is tense. Then famous director Jordan Cole is shot on his way to the podium, and the entire audience witnesses his death silhouetted across the scrim. Never has a festival started off with this big a bang.

Oolong Dead (#10)
Indigo Tea Shop proprietor Theodosia Browning and her horse, Captain Harley, encounter murder most unsavory during the annual Charleston Point-to-Point Race. Shortly after clearing a jump, they're spooked by encountering the corpse of Abby Davis, an evening TV news anchor, who's been shot through the forehead. In parallel with CPD Det. Burt Tidwell, Theodosia pursues her own investigation, prompted by attorney Jory Davis, the victim's brother and Theodosia's ex-boyfriend. Prime suspects include anchorman Webster Hall, who lost his job to Abby, and Abby's husband, who may have known she was having an affair. As usual, Childs's plot simmers slowly while Theodosia's dogged yet always elegant sleuthing is as satisfying as sipping a cup of jade oolong. A wild steeplechase through the Carolina low-country brings Theodosia face to face with a dead woman--and sparks the return of a boyfriend she never thought she'd see again.

The Teashop Girls – Laura Schaeffer
Annie, Genna, and Zoe have been handing out at the Steeping Leaf since elementary school. The Teashop Girls do everything together – at least they used to. With the end of eighth grade approaching, Genna’s too busy with theater, Zoe’s always at tennis, and Annie feels totally left out. What happened to tea every week, no matter what? When Annie convinces her grandmother to give her a job as a barista at the Leaf, things begin to look up. In between whipping up chai lattes for customers, and attempting to catch the attention of her Barista Boy crush, Annie is finally beginning to feel as grown-up as her best friends. But an eviction notice spells trouble for the Leaf, and unless they can turn the business around, the teashop will have to close its doors forever.