What do you think?
Rate this book
Tea by the Sea Mysteries #7
Bubble, Bubble, Tea and Trouble
Not yet published
Expected 28 Jul 26When Cape Cod tearoom owner Lily Roberts finds a group conducting a séance in her grandmother’s Victorian B&B, she has no idea the trouble that’s about to be conjured up . . .
When Lily stumbles across five middle-aged women gathered in a dark corner of the tearoom for a “book club,” she firmly reminds them that the inn’s no-smoking policy also applies to their oddly ritualistic candles. As they head outside, Lily overhears them chalking their bad luck up to the absence of their leader, Katya. Whatever they’re doing, it certainly isn’t reading—and their cover is starting to sound like weak tea . . .
While they enjoy Lily’s homemade banana bread the next morning, they make their intentions clear—grilling Lily about any past paranormal activity in the cliffside mansion. Their attempts to contact spirits have been falling flat, it seems, and the mysterious Katya is catching the heat. Levelheaded Lily thinks the real reason is that there’s no such thing as ghosts.
But Lily’s pal Bernie has found another the half-baked spirit-seekers have the wrong house. The haunted reputation belongs to the place next door—where Lily’s gardener boyfriend is currently staying. But before they can inform the luckless ladies, the missing medium shows up—dead on the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. Now, Lily has two serving afternoon tea, and solving a murder before someone else gets sent to the great beyond . . .
When Lily stumbles across five middle-aged women gathered in a dark corner of the tearoom for a “book club,” she firmly reminds them that the inn’s no-smoking policy also applies to their oddly ritualistic candles. As they head outside, Lily overhears them chalking their bad luck up to the absence of their leader, Katya. Whatever they’re doing, it certainly isn’t reading—and their cover is starting to sound like weak tea . . .
While they enjoy Lily’s homemade banana bread the next morning, they make their intentions clear—grilling Lily about any past paranormal activity in the cliffside mansion. Their attempts to contact spirits have been falling flat, it seems, and the mysterious Katya is catching the heat. Levelheaded Lily thinks the real reason is that there’s no such thing as ghosts.
But Lily’s pal Bernie has found another the half-baked spirit-seekers have the wrong house. The haunted reputation belongs to the place next door—where Lily’s gardener boyfriend is currently staying. But before they can inform the luckless ladies, the missing medium shows up—dead on the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. Now, Lily has two serving afternoon tea, and solving a murder before someone else gets sent to the great beyond . . .
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
304 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication July 28, 2026
3 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Vicki Delany
59 books1,947 followers“It’s a crime not to read Delany,” so says the London Free Press.
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most varied and prolific crime writers.
She is the author of four cozy mystery series: The Tea by the Sea series from Kensington Books, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series from Crooked Lane and the Year Round Christmas series from Penguin. Under the pen name of Eva Gates she writes the Lighthouse Library Series.
Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com , www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor, and twitter: @vickidelany
Vicki is part of Mystery Lovers Kitchen (http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com) and Killer Characters (http://www.killercharacters.com)
Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most varied and prolific crime writers.
She is the author of four cozy mystery series: The Tea by the Sea series from Kensington Books, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series from Crooked Lane and the Year Round Christmas series from Penguin. Under the pen name of Eva Gates she writes the Lighthouse Library Series.
Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com , www.facebook.com/evagatesauthor, and twitter: @vickidelany
Vicki is part of Mystery Lovers Kitchen (http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com) and Killer Characters (http://www.killercharacters.com)
Visit Vicki at www.vickidelany.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 28, 2026
A failed seance that leads to two murders, sisterly deception, and multitude of secrets. Vicki Delany delivers another great installment in the Tea by the Sea Mysteries. Can you believe she's on #7 already? While writing at least 4 other series at the same time. Great setting in New England with a history of witches and ghosts. Makes for a darkly fun story!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
#BubbleBubbleTeaandTrouble #NetGalley is a delightful addition to this well written cozy mystery series.
Lily Roberts and her Grandmother are on alert with the new guests at the B & B , who like using candles in their rituals.
The only thing the women have in common is that they are all looking for the same thing, ghosts!
When Bernie learns that they have the wrong house, things begin to get worse.
Two dead women, who was thr intended target and why?
This is fast paced and filled with plenty of action to keep the reader guessing.
Lily Roberts and her Grandmother are on alert with the new guests at the B & B , who like using candles in their rituals.
The only thing the women have in common is that they are all looking for the same thing, ghosts!
When Bernie learns that they have the wrong house, things begin to get worse.
Two dead women, who was thr intended target and why?
This is fast paced and filled with plenty of action to keep the reader guessing.
March 13, 2026
Bubble, Bubble, Tea and Trouble by Vicki Delany is a great cozy mystery that is the seventh book in one of my favorite series: Tea by the Sea Mysteries.
I have read all seven books now, and this series is as good this year as it was with book one. Lily, Rose, Bernie, Matt, Simon, and the rest of the cast are excellent characters with great banter and personality. The one-liners are perfect and their interactions are effortless.
The backdrop of Cape Cod is a personal draw for me, and I love every mention of the landscapes and weather.
This mystery was creative, had plenty of layers, had an excellent pace, and kept me interested throughout.
The recipes actually sound delicious and who doesn’t love the awesome Eclair?!?!
I love this series and cannot wait for more. Highly recommend.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Kensington Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 7/28/26.
I have read all seven books now, and this series is as good this year as it was with book one. Lily, Rose, Bernie, Matt, Simon, and the rest of the cast are excellent characters with great banter and personality. The one-liners are perfect and their interactions are effortless.
The backdrop of Cape Cod is a personal draw for me, and I love every mention of the landscapes and weather.
This mystery was creative, had plenty of layers, had an excellent pace, and kept me interested throughout.
The recipes actually sound delicious and who doesn’t love the awesome Eclair?!?!
I love this series and cannot wait for more. Highly recommend.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and Kensington Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 7/28/26.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Lily owns Tea by the Sea, a teahouse that serves real English teas. It's adjacent to her grandmother Rose's B&B, where Lily makes the breakfasts for the guests. But on this night, Rose has asked Lily to check out the B&B, because she thinks current guests are going against the rules -- and she's right. Five women are in the house with lit candles trying to do what Lily doesn't know and doesn't care -- and tells them the no smoking rule applies to candles.
While most of the women are very nice about it, one seems irritated, and she blames someone named Katya who never showed up to lead their 'book group'. But it's not long after that Katya's body is discovered on the rocks below, and the police determine that it wasn't an accident, and she was drowned.
Now everyone staying at the B&B is a suspect. Two of the women's husbands show up, and they aren't happy about the situation, but stay anyway to support their wives. Lily wonders if either of them are the guilty party, but doesn't want to get involved.
Lily does discover that the women think the B&B is haunted by ghosts, but both she and her grandmother know this is hogwash. Her best friend Bernie, however, does some digging and finds out that it's the house next door -- home to Bernie's boyfriend Matt, a successful true crime writer, who has the 'ghosts' lingering about. With Bernie and Rose wanting to know more, they're surprised when a woman shows up and complicates the situation...
Now Lily is trying to figure out not only what is going on, but which person had the best motive to want to kill...
This is the seventh book in the series and I have read them all. This one is one of the best of those. Lily is once again involved in a murder situation where she doesn't want to be, and she's not getting as much information as she usually does. But are there ghosts? Lily doesn't believe in them, but Bernie does. Finding the truth isn't going to be easy, but the two women are determined to do so. Even if one of them might just be in danger...
I really loved the plot of this one. (As a side note, I do believe in ghosts, but I won't elaborate why). I love that Lily is so level-headed and doesn't get flustered or do anything illegal, and she shares what information that she does find with Detective Redmond as soon as possible. The two women are learning respect for each other. I also enjoy the fact that Lily is finding her way with her British boyfriend, who is their gardener, and sometime-helper of Lily in preparing food for the next days' teas.
There's a lot going on here, and finding clues isn't easy, although they are there. I had suspicions of the murderer before Lily did, but then again, I read a lot of mysteries; still, it's always fun to watch her come to her conclusion in finding the truth, and the climax was worth reading the entire book for.
I don't want to say anything else in order not to ruin the book for others, but in the end, this is a welcome addition to the series, and I would highly recommend that others read this.
I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
While most of the women are very nice about it, one seems irritated, and she blames someone named Katya who never showed up to lead their 'book group'. But it's not long after that Katya's body is discovered on the rocks below, and the police determine that it wasn't an accident, and she was drowned.
Now everyone staying at the B&B is a suspect. Two of the women's husbands show up, and they aren't happy about the situation, but stay anyway to support their wives. Lily wonders if either of them are the guilty party, but doesn't want to get involved.
Lily does discover that the women think the B&B is haunted by ghosts, but both she and her grandmother know this is hogwash. Her best friend Bernie, however, does some digging and finds out that it's the house next door -- home to Bernie's boyfriend Matt, a successful true crime writer, who has the 'ghosts' lingering about. With Bernie and Rose wanting to know more, they're surprised when a woman shows up and complicates the situation...
Now Lily is trying to figure out not only what is going on, but which person had the best motive to want to kill...
This is the seventh book in the series and I have read them all. This one is one of the best of those. Lily is once again involved in a murder situation where she doesn't want to be, and she's not getting as much information as she usually does. But are there ghosts? Lily doesn't believe in them, but Bernie does. Finding the truth isn't going to be easy, but the two women are determined to do so. Even if one of them might just be in danger...
I really loved the plot of this one. (As a side note, I do believe in ghosts, but I won't elaborate why). I love that Lily is so level-headed and doesn't get flustered or do anything illegal, and she shares what information that she does find with Detective Redmond as soon as possible. The two women are learning respect for each other. I also enjoy the fact that Lily is finding her way with her British boyfriend, who is their gardener, and sometime-helper of Lily in preparing food for the next days' teas.
There's a lot going on here, and finding clues isn't easy, although they are there. I had suspicions of the murderer before Lily did, but then again, I read a lot of mysteries; still, it's always fun to watch her come to her conclusion in finding the truth, and the climax was worth reading the entire book for.
I don't want to say anything else in order not to ruin the book for others, but in the end, this is a welcome addition to the series, and I would highly recommend that others read this.
I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An English tea Shop, B & B in Cape Cod, familiar characters, two dead bodies, and a group of women who say they are in a Book Club but are really interested in contacting ghosts? What's not to love? Book seven in this series, Vicki Delany continues to create cozy mystery stories that captivate readers.
Thank you Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc in return for an honest review.
Thank you Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc in return for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really enjoy this series and love the characters! It was nice to be back home after the last book took a journey overseas. I love the relationship with Lily and Simon and can't wait to see where that goes. The mystery was good and twisty enough to keep me interested and guessing throughout the book. Looking forward to the next book in this series!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’ve read all of the books in this series. This was started kind of slowly but then picked up. There were a few twists that I didn’t exactly and the ending was satisfying. Grandma Rose didn’t play a very large role in this story. I obtained an ARC copy from NetGalley.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews