Erika Johansen takes us on a twisted dark journey to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Kingdom of Sweets is a tale of Clara and here twin sister Natasha, cursed and destined for some dark magic on Christmas Eve. Shelly's Tea: Adagio Tea's Gingerbread Candy's Tea: David's Tea Sleigh Ride The Nutcracker Alexander Dumas The Nutcracker E.T.A Hoffman

Holly Chase is a rich teenager with a bankrupt personality. She is visited by three spirits, but the campaign to save her is a bust. She wakes up as a ghost destined to be part of Project Scrooge. Will being one of the legendary ghosts of A Christmas Carol help save Holly? Only one way to find out! Cynthia Hand Shelly's Tea: David's Tea Santa's Secret Candy's Tea: David's Tea Candy Cane Crush

The Nest is the story of the Plumb siblings, and takes place in New York in the aftermath of 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis. The siblings all come together when they find out that their joint trust fund- one that they are all counting on for various desperate reasons- has been used to get their oldest brother out of a bad situation of his own creation. Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney Shelly's Tea: Plum Deluxe Tea's Kitchen Table Blend Candy's Tea: Plum Deluxe Tea's Crystal Clarity (This is...

This holiday rom-com by Janet Evanovich takes place in Colonial Williamsburg right before Thanksgiving. Megan meets the handsome Dr. Parker while chastising him for neglecting his rabbit. Little does she know meeting the doctor will lead to playing house, making Thanksgiving dinner for both of their families and deciding if they actually "do". Shelly's tea: The Tea Spot's Turmeric Tonic Ginger Root Candy's tea: The Southern Virginia Tea Company Spicy Chai Choose Hallmark Actors to be in...

Two women must put aside their animosity to survive a Wyoming prairie winter in the 1870's. It's a mix of Little House on the Prairie with some juicy soap opera drama. Olivia Hawker's beautifully written historical fiction book is about betrayal, sorrow, survival and redemption. Shelly's Tea: Republic of Tea's Cardamon Cinnamon Candy's Tea: The Tea and Spice Exchange's Mystic Dragon Tea Lezero Tea Cup

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist in the 1960's who is fired from her job for being unwed and pregnant and eventually becomes a tv icon on her own cooking show. Shelly's Tea: Republic of Tea's Blackberry Sage Candy's Tea: Tin Roof Tea's Einstein's Equation A Perfect Cup of Tea Toto's song 99 (SO not about the Get Smart Agent 99, but still a nice song)

Shelly and Candy are taking a literary trip to Moonbright, Maine in this 3 for 1 story by authors Donna Kauffman, Allyson Charles and Kate Angell. Who knew there could be magic in cookies? Bellaluna Bakeshop's owner Sofia knows a thing or two about love and finding that just right person. Three different women experience her cookies and love during Halloween in the town of Moonbright, Maine. Shelly's tea: Celestial Seasonings Caramel Apple Dream Candy's tea: Adagio Tea Pumpkin Potion...

Shelly and Candy are featuring two books for the podcast of one- two stories that are both about Grace Sherwood, who was accused of witchcraft back in the early 1700's. The Witch of Pungo is a selection of stories that take place in what is now Virginia Beach, Virginia. Louisa Venable Kyle wrote the stories and included some historical background after each. William Huber wrote a fictionalized version of what could have happened to Grace Sherwood. He includes lots of places in our local...

Hal Westaway is a lonely young tarot card reader who becomes involved in an inheritance with a very dysfunctional family and possible a murder as well. Ruth Ware Shelly's tea: Tazo Chai Latte- Dirty Candy's tea: The Republic of Tea Blackberry Sage  Ruth Ware’s murder Mystery Party Game

Four guests come to Hill House to observe and note any unusual happenings. Hill House has a reputation for paranormal activity. Everyone experiences strange things, but only one of them begins to slip from reality. Shirley Jackson was a prolific short story writer. She wrote while raising four children and running her household. She had a knack for gothic themed stories. Shelly's tea: Plum Deluxe Bookshop Blend White   Candy's tea: Vahalla Tea Santa Muerta Other links: Movies...

While doing research for her doctorate, Connie Goodwin discovers a mystery that ties her to not only the Salem Witch trials, but her own family history. Katherine Howe Shelly's tea: lavender, chamomile, lemon zest Candy's tea: Nettle Tea The witchcraft trial of Elizabeth Howe.

After the death of Holly Gibney's mother due to COVID, Holly accepts a job to help find a mother's missing daughter. As she investigates, she realizes that the missing daughter may be one of a few victims of a serial killer. Whew! Shelly and I are long time Stephen King fans, listen in to find out if this meets our expectations. Shelly's tea: Turmeric Tonic Candy's tea: Tension Tamer

Harry Crane decides to lose himself in the Endless Mountain forest of Pennsylvania after the tragic death of his wife. While there, he meets a young girl that disrupts his plans as they both are on a journey to assauge their loss. In Harry's Trees, Jon Cohen has managed to tell a touching story that ties together loss, grief, fairy tales, magic and redemption. Shelly's Tea: Blueberry Wild Child Candy's Tea: Wolfberry Dragon

Young Mia Jacob is raised in a strict commune in Western Massachusetts outside the town of Blackwell called "The Community".  Mia’s adventures outside the community are mostly to the town library where she finds a first edition of the Scarlet Letter that seems to describe the community and her mother’s story. This sets Mia on a larger quest after her mother dies and she runs away from the community and all that she has known. Shelly's tea: Pears and Cinnamon Candy's tea: Cinnamon Apple...

Carrie Soto has only known tennis her entire life.  She is a fierce player, known for winning at all costs.  Her determination and focus have not made her popular, and have earned her the nickname Battle-Axe. Five years after her retirement, she is sitting with her father watching  the 1994 US Open.  When Nicki Chan breaks her Grand Slam title,  she decides to come out of retirement to defend her Grand Slam title record. At thirty-seven, she goes back into training with her father to win one...

Marcellus is a giant Pacific octopus in an aquarium where Tova cleans at night. The two have a companionable existence together, but both have deep sadness in their lives. Cameron is a down on his luck thirty year old with a plan to meet his unknown father and have him put his life to rights. All three interact and end up helping each other. Remarkably Bright Creatures is an uplifting, entertaining novel written by Shelby Van Pelt. Shelly's Tea: Black Caesar Candy's Tea: Einstein's...

Tabitha Knight recently arrived in Paris to stay and care for her grandfather. Paris is magical and delicious- especially with Julia Child being her neighbor who willingly helps Tabitha learn to cook. A seemingly innocent party leads to murder with Julia's knife being the weapon. Tabitha decides to help with the investigation to clear not only Julia's name but her own. Shelly's tea: ⁠Genmai Cha tea from the tea spot⁠ Candy's tea: ⁠Creme Brulee Earl Grey⁠ ⁠Alex Prudhomme discusses Julia...

We love Jodi Taylor's St. Mary's Chronicles! Join our discussion of "Just One Damned Thing After Another" where they "don't do time travel. They research historical events in contemporary time". Everything at St. Mary's seems orderly and perfectly in synch till Max arrives to interview. Is she a jinx or are there other forces involved in this time traveling adventure? Jodi Taylor's Website Shelly's Tea: Sunrise Chi - Piper and Leaf Teas Candy’s tea: Goddess of War- Valhalla Teas

After Serga A. Storms and his sidekick Coleman have been hunkered down in their condo during COVID, Serge comes up with a great way to venture out to all of his beloved Florida haunts. As he is offering road trips to all his fellow condo neighbors, things are brewing up with a reporter, the CIA and adventures in Honduras. Tim Dorsey has done it again! Another wild ride with Serge and Coleman. Shelly's Tea: Healing Honeysuckle Candy’s tea: Insane Cinnamon Orange Links...

Come join us in Empis as we continue Charlie Reade's journey. We did enjoy connecting the events to the tales that inspired them in King's fantasy realm of Fairy Tale. Stephen King Shelly's Tea- Tiesta Tea Blueberry Wild Child Candy's Tea: purple basil, butterfly pea flower, Steep 5 minutes, then squeeze 1/4 of a lemon into the tea.

Welcome to The Perfect Blend. Charlie Reade is a 17-year-old who finds himself introduced to a fantasy world and gets entangled in the battle between good and evil. We decided to divide this story into two episodes. In Part 1, we will cover the first part of the book that introduces us to Charlie and his life up to he turns 17 and meets Mr. Bowditch and Radar. Stay tuned next week for Part 2! Stephen King Shelly's Tea: Tiesta Tea's Fruity Paradise Candy's Tea: purple basil,...

It's the late 1800’s in a world where magic has existed but has been outlawed. The estranged Eastwood Sisters  find themselves  drawn back to each other in New Salem during the women’s suffrage movement and a growing force for strong labor unions.  Juniper, Agnes and Beatrice discover their powers and their choices lead to a witch's movement and a women’s rebellion. Alix E Harrow Shelly's tea: Goddess of War, Valhalla Teas Candy's tea: Mystic Dragon Tea Other things mentioned (and...

Oh we are so excited to share some of our summer favs and TBRs. Whether you like a light rom-com on the beach, a wacky mystery by the lake, a deep historical fiction, a dark thriller, or witches, time travel, and fantasy; We have a book for you. In this episode we share what's waiting on our shelves and of course, some sweet tea stories.

Welcome to The Perfect Blend and our first ever Book Superlatives! Shelly and Candy answer each other's burning questions about the books they have featured for the first 6 months of 2023. Which characters would you like to invite to dinner? Which characters would you like to introduce to each other? Best character(s) to take on a road trip. Best recipes. Which book/characters most  inspired you? What have the books we read inspired you to do or try? Book that took the longest to...

Welcome to The Perfect Blend. Anna Kate has returned to Wicklow, Alabama to bury her beloved grandmother, Zee. Zee owned the Blackbird Cafe and her only request is that Anna Kate stay and run the cafe for two months before selling it. Anna Kate is reluctant as she is not used to small town southern life and doesn't want to get involved with her father's family or create friendships that she will not be able to sustain. As much as she tries to stick to her plans, the blackbirds, the pie...