The Recommended Reading Path for Bree Baker's Books
Bree Baker is the pen name of Julie Anne Lindsey, a highly prolific author who also writes under the names Jacqueline Frost and Julie Chase. Writing as Bree Baker, she focuses on beachside cozy mysteries and lighthearted romance. If you are new to her work, the best place to start is the very beginning of her signature series. Reading her books in publication order is strongly recommended because the character relationships, town dynamics, and romantic subplots build directly from one book to the next.
Here is the recommended order to read Bree Baker’s books:
- Live and Let Chai (2018) – Seaside Café Mystery Book 1
- No Good Tea Goes Unpunished (2019) – Seaside Café Mystery Book 2
- Tide and Punishment (2019) – Seaside Café Mystery Book 3
- Wine Mom (2020) – Standalone Romantic Comedy Novel
- A Call for Kelp (2020) – Seaside Café Mystery Book 4
- Closely Harbored Secrets (2020) – Seaside Café Mystery Book 5
- Partners in Lime (2021) – Seaside Café Mystery Book 6
- Pleading the Fish (2022) – Seaside Café Mystery Book 7
Exploring the Seaside Café Mystery Series
The crown jewel of Bree Baker's bibliography is the Seaside Café Mystery series. Set in the fictional, picture-perfect beach town of Charm, North Carolina, the series follows Everly Swan, a culinary school dropout who returns home to open her dream iced tea shop, Sun, Sand, and Tea. Along the way, Everly finds herself solving local homicides alongside the handsome and initially skeptical Detective Grady Hays. Below is a detailed look at all seven books in the series.
1. Live and Let Chai (2018)
In the debut novel that introduced cozy mystery fans to the town of Charm, Everly Swan is busy getting her beachside tea shop off the ground. Her plans are thrown into disarray when an annoying local developer is found dead, poisoned by a glass of her signature sweet tea. With Everly as the primary suspect, she must take matters into her own hands to clear her name, all while dealing with the suspicious gaze of Detective Grady Hays.
2. No Good Tea Goes Unpunished (2019)
Everly’s café is finally starting to thrive, and the town is buzzing with excitement over the annual seafood festival. However, trouble brews again when an influential and thoroughly disliked food critic is murdered right outside the doors of Sun, Sand, and Tea. Everly finds herself entangled in another high-profile investigation and must unmask the killer before her business is ruined for good.
3. Tide and Punishment (2019)
As the busy summer season sweeps through Charm, a wealthy developer arrives with grand plans to modernize the historic beachfront. When he is discovered dead on the shore, the town is thrown into a frenzy. Everly dives into the investigation to help protect the town's heritage, but the case threatens to complicate her growing connection with Detective Grady Hays.
4. A Call for Kelp (2020)
Everly is thrilled to cater a high-end beachside party for a popular local fitness guru. The celebration turns tragic when the guru's assistant is murdered. Everly must navigate a web of secrets, jealousy, and local gossip to find out who wanted the assistant out of the picture before the killer strikes again.
5. Closely Harbored Secrets (2020)
Charm is hosting its historic home tour, and Everly is lending a hand to make the event a success. The historical charm quickly turns dark when a prominent homeowner is found dead inside a hidden room. Everly investigates the mysterious death, uncovering decades-old secrets that some residents would prefer to keep buried.
6. Partners in Lime (2021)
The annual Charm Pirate Festival brings tourists and festivities to the coast, but the fun is cut short when a local man is found dead aboard a replica pirate ship. Everly is determined to solve the murder, but she must also navigate major developments in her personal life and her relationship with Grady.
7. Pleading the Fish (2022)
In the final installment of the Seaside Café Mystery series, Everly is preparing for her dream wedding to Detective Grady Hays. But when a shocking murder occurs close to home, Everly has to solve one last mystery to ensure she actually makes it down the aisle. It is a satisfying, wedding-themed conclusion to a beloved cozy series.
Bree Baker's Standalone Novels
Wine Mom (2020)
In addition to her mystery series, Baker has written a standalone romantic comedy titled Wine Mom. The story follows Caitlyn Woodward, whose life falls apart after her husband leaves her for a younger woman. Facing financial trouble and career sabotage at her job, Caitlyn finds unexpected joy, self-discovery, and romance when she gets involved with a local small-batch vineyard. It is a lighthearted, humorous look at rebuilding one's life after a major setback.
What to Know Before You Start: Charm, Curses, and Sweet Tea
Before diving into Bree Baker’s books, there are a few delightful details that enhance the reading experience. First, the Seaside Café mysteries are famous for including actual tea recipes at the back of each book, allowing readers to brew the same specialty iced teas that Everly serves in her café. Second, the series features a fun touch of family folklore: the Swan women are rumored to be cursed in love, a legend that adds tension to Everly's slow-burn romance with Detective Grady Hays. Finally, the setting of Charm, North Carolina, feels like a character itself, capturing the warm, community-driven, and slightly quirky atmosphere of the Outer Banks.
Writing Beyond Bree Baker: The Julie Anne Lindsey Connection
If you finish Bree Baker's books and want more, you are in luck. Because Bree Baker is a pen name for Julie Anne Lindsey, you can explore her extensive catalog written under other names. If you enjoyed the small-town amateur sleuth elements, check out the Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series written under her Jacqueline Frost pseudonym, or the Kitty Couture Mystery series written under the name Julie Chase. Each of these series carries the same warm, witty, and engaging style that cozy readers love.