Tempest of Tea follows Arthie, the owner of a tea shop that secretly serves vampires late at night. When the shop is threatened, Arthie and her friends must plan a heist and sneak into the city's vampire society in order to save her tea shop. This book had a lot of elements that I thought I would like, but I ultimately don't feel like they fit together well.
The pacing was off, and I felt like too much time was spent planning the heist. At the same time, I felt the details of the heist were convoluted and I couldn't follow. (tbh, it could just be me.)
I also thought the world building surrounding the vampires was lackluster. Besides the fact that Archie's business illegally catered to vampires, I didn't feel like their existence really added much to the story. There was also mystery surrounding vampires being killed. That plot line was barely mentioned SPOILER: (and didn't really get resolved. I know this is supposed to be a series, but it felt kind of out of place that it was mentioned but not really investigated.)
I will say I enjoyed the relationships between some of the characters. I seeing their found family dynamics, learning about the main characters' histories, and the banter.
The pacing was off, and I felt like too much time was spent planning the heist. At the same time, I felt the details of the heist were convoluted and I couldn't follow. (tbh, it could just be me.)
I also thought the world building surrounding the vampires was lackluster. Besides the fact that Archie's business illegally catered to vampires, I didn't feel like their existence really added much to the story. There was also mystery surrounding vampires being killed. That plot line was barely mentioned SPOILER: (and didn't really get resolved. I know this is supposed to be a series, but it felt kind of out of place that it was mentioned but not really investigated.)
I will say I enjoyed the relationships between some of the characters. I seeing their found family dynamics, learning about the main characters' histories, and the banter.