Blog Tour, Review, Guest Post: The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane by Sheila Roberts

Title: The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane

Author: Sheila Roberts    

Series: Life in Icicle Falls, #5

Published: June 2014, St. Martin’s Press   

Format: ARC e-book,     

Source:  Netgalley via publisher 

When it comes to men, sisters don’t share!

After
a fake food poisoning incident in L.A., Bailey Sterling’s dreams of
becoming a caterer to the stars collapse faster than a soufflé. Now
Bailey’s face is in all the gossip rags and her business is in ruins.
But the Sterling women close ranks and bring her back to Icicle Falls,
where she’ll stay with her sister Cecily.

All goes well between
the sisters until Bailey comes up with a new business idea—a tea shop on
a charming street called Lavender Lane. She’s going into partnership
with Todd Black, who—it turns out—is the man Cecily’s started dating. It
looks to Cecily as if there’s more than tea brewing in that cute little
shop. And she’s not pleased.

Wait! Isn’t Cecily seeing Luke
Goodman? He’s a widower with an adorable little girl, and yes, Cecily
does care about him. But Todd’s the one who sends her zing-o-meter off
the charts. So now what? Should you have to choose between your sister
and the man you love (or think you love)?

My thoughts: This is the 5th book in Sheila Roberts’ Life in Icicle Falls series and I have to say this is such a fun series. I’ve read every book so far and have enjoyed them all!

This latest installment is once again focusing on the Sterling sisters, primarily Bailey and Cecily. It seems that Bailey is finally coming home to Icicle Falls after a rather unfortunate incident with her catering business and needs to figure out what to do next. Of course, it’s her sisters that get her home, but what are sisters for?

I love the characters that Sheila Roberts creates, especially the relationships she creates between her characters. Having two sisters myself, I could totally appreciate the way the Sterling sisters came together when one needed help and yet I could also appreciate how that sisterly love could turn so quickly to jealousy and worse. I also loved the relationship between Todd and his brother – this also rang true, as much as I could see from the relationships my brothers have with each other.

In addition to following Bailey and Cecily as they work out their love lives, we also get updates on the other Sterling sister, Samantha, along with other Icicle Falls’ residents we’ve come to love. A few new faces are introduced that may or may not be the focus of upcoming books and a new business is established.

If I was going to Icicle Falls, I would certainly be making a stop at Bailey’s Tea Shop as it sounds so charming. I’m glad that Sheila Roberts included a few recipes at the back of the book – I will definitely be giving them a try!

Books in this series:  
     .5  Welcome to Icicle Falls             
     1.  Better Than Chocolate               
     2.  Merry Ex-Mas                           
     3.  What She Wants    
     4.  The Cottage on Juniper Ridge

     5.  The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane

     6.  The Lodge on Holly Road – due out Oct 2014  

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Guest Post by Sheila Roberts

TEA PARTY FUN

Remember having tea parties when you were a little girl? Often your guests were your dolls or Teddy bears or maybe your mom or sister. Maybe, if you were lucky life me, your mom would throw you a tea party and invite your friends over. My mom used to host weekly tea parties for me when I was in grade school. She did have an ulterior motive, though. She was hoping to turn me into a lady! (I’m not sure it worked but don’t tell Mom.) I still remember those tea parties fondly and so do my friends. And I remember my daughter having a tea party of two when she was little also, with mud pies on the menu. Yum, yum!

Now that I’m a grown-up I still enjoy having friends over for tea. I own an amazing collection of china teacups thanks to both my mom and my mother-in-law, and I love using them. And I enjoy serving up all the goodies that simply must accompany a nice cup of tea: cookies, sweetbreads, and scones (don’t forget the clotted cream!) There’s something so cozy about sitting around a tea table with girlfriends, sharing news and giggling.

There’s also something really special about getting to spend time with a close friend or family member in a teashop. Teashops are always so charming, with the lace curtains at the windows, the tables set with pretty china. They’re a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. Maybe that’s why when I brought Bailey Sterling home to Icicle Falls to rebuild her life I decided she should open a teashop. 

Of course, all true heroines must face some challenges. And since both Bailey and her sister Cecily are the heroines of THE TEA SHOP on LAVENDER LANE, well, they both needed a challenge or two. So, I thought, what better way to throw a little conflict into their lives than to have Bailey go into business with the man Cecily has started seeing. Did I mention that he’s hot, very hot?

So, what will win out, true love or sisterly love? I think I found a way to make everyone happy. And I hope reading the book will make you happy, too!

*** The The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane by Sheila Roberts is on tour with Pump Up Your Book Tours. Be sure to check out the other tour stops to read more reviews, interviews and guest posts by Sheila Roberts.  ***