Hey, y’all, my name is Everly Swan. I am the proud owner of Sun, Sand & Tea, a delightful seaside iced tea shop in Charm, North Carolina. Charm is the perfect coastal village, located on one of the east coast barrier islands known to most as the Outer Banks. For me, and most of my ancestors, Charm has always just been home. My café is situated on the first floor of my historic Victorian home, and in addition to twenty flavors of iced tea on tap, I serve an ever-changing menu of recipes from my family’s archived cookbooks, with a little personal flair. My town is home to everyone I love, and when I feed them, I feel empowered, useful and deeply satisfied. Basically, I spend my days doing what I love, in a place I love, for a community I love. And I get to do it wearing cut off shorts and flip flops. Arguably, I am blessed.

Also arguably? I am cursed. At least according to community and family lore, but I don’t think about that more than necessary.

I start each day on my deck overlooking the sea, with a steamy mug of coffee and a stout gray gull I call Lou. Lou sort of came with the house, and we’ve become good friends. We have a lot in common, like the fact we both wake up early and love seafood. Plus, he’s a great listener, and I always feel better after talking with him. What else could I want in a feathered friend?

My friend, Denise, comes by at nine to prep the café for the day, then she handles things while I head for the boardwalk just outside my front door. The boardwalk, like most things in my town, is historic, and I love the way the sun-bleached wooden planks sound beneath my flip flops. I follow the path along the beach and through the marsh to downtown, partially because I love being outdoors, soaking up the balmy saltwater breeze. Partially because my bossy fitness bracelet demands it.

Downtown is lively and colorful, filled with adorable cafes and storefronts, locals and guests. I visit my great aunts at Blessed Bee, their organic honey shop and hug their necks as often as possible. Aunt Clara and Aunt Fran are half-sisters and community staples. They make perfectly magical things from honey, dried flowers and herbs, all raised and cultivated on the family homestead, where they live. Aunt Fran is the town mayor, and Aunt Clara heads a local group dedicated to the preservation and retelling of unwritten local history, so they’re just about the busiest women in town.

My next stop is always Charming Reads, everyone’s favorite bookstore, beloved for its endless community activities, speakers and book clubs. It’s my favorite because the owner, Amelia Butters, is my best friend. Amelia and I like to chat a while before her store opens and I head home. We catch up on life, check The Town Charmer, our local gossip blog, for news about what’s going on in town, then laugh at all the comments before parting ways.

I take over at Sun, Sand & Tea when it’s time for Denise to pick up Denver from school. Denise was Denver’s au pair long before she started helping at my café, and Denver is the son of Detective Grady Hays, the absolute love of my life. Some day very soon, I’m going to tell him how I feel, assuming I can fit the words in between his idle threats and failed attempts to boss me around. Stop meddling in my investigations, Everly. Don’t provoke local killers. I’ll arrest you for obstruction. He’s so uptight. I suppose, until the time’s right, I’ll just keep smiling, doing as I please, and plying him with lemon cake, the only thing that seems to lower his blood pressure. Lucky for him, there’s always more where the last slice came from.

Partners in Lime, A Seaside Café Mystery #6
Genre: Cozy
Release: August 2021
Purchase Link

In the sixth book of the popular Seaside Café Mystery series, Partners in Lime, Everly Swan just wants to enjoy Charm’s annual outdoor play. But a when a surfer rolls into town then turns up dead and Everly’s EMT friend Matt is the prime suspect things gets dicey. Will Everly be able to crack the case and save her friend by opening night?

It all seems to be smooth sailing for Everly Swan. The island of Charm, North Carolina is hosting tons of fun summer events, her iced tea shop is a hit, and best of all, she’s finally dating the handsome Detective Grady Hays. But their romantic bubble bursts when tragedy strikes: a surf-pro is found murdered on the beach, killed with a theater prop.

Grady follows the evidence, all of which points to Matt, Everly’s friend and one-time fling. As Grady does his job, so does Everly—her unofficial chef-turned-sleuth-job, that is. She’s determined to clear her friend’s name but the arrival of a fancy new teashop and The Town Charmer, a gossip blog determined to rock the boat, complicates things. As Everly tries to keep rumors at bay and investigate the murder (and her new tea rival), the killer leaves a message in the sand. . .

Includes Delicious Recipes

About the author
Julie Anne Lindsey is an award-winning and bestselling author of mystery and romantic suspense. She’s published more than forty novels since her debut in 2013 and currently writes series as herself, as well as under multiple pen names, for Harlequin, Kensington, Sourcebooks and Crooked Lane Books. When Julie’s not creating new worlds or fostering the epic love of fictional characters, she can be found in Kent, Ohio, plotting murder with her shamelessly enabling friends. Today she hopes to make someone smile. One day she plans to change the world. Learn more about Julie at julieannelindsey.com.

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