#ABrewforChaos #NetGalley is a well written addition to this series by author Esme Addison.
Alex is our protagonist who is not only a practicing herbalist, she's also the ancestor of mermaids.
Alex lives with her aunt and cousin in Bellamy Bay, and works in the family apothecary.
When Pepper, an up and coming journalist asks Alex to help research a 20 year old story of missing women, she has no idea what she's in for.
This story was an amazing one, I immediately became involved in every aspect of the book, wondering what happened to the women and would any of them be found after all these years.
The ending blew me away, I was hoping the author would give us a clue, and Ms. Addison certainly did.
I'm looking forward to next book, I am excited to see what happens next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.

Perfect when your craving a good small town cozy mystery! Addison brings us a beautiful blend of crisp seasonal vibes with otherworldly intrigue and old secrets that won’t stay buried.

Our MC is a herbalist by day and mermaid-descended amateur sleuth by fate. Who is determined to live a low-key lie. But life has other plans. When her journalist friend stirs up an old cold case and a new body turns up, Alex is pulled right back into the currents of danger and magic.

There’s something nostalgic about this one for me. The kind of comfort you get from a well-loved cozy mystery but with just enough magical realism to make it feel fresh. The story feels soft around the edges, but still sharp where it counts. I loved the layering of small-town charm, ancestral magic, and eerie old crimes. It was like reading a warm, spiced tea with a bite of something curious.

A satisfying continuation of the series with a blend of folklore, mystery and magic that feels familiar and wonderfully strange.

The ENDING!!!!!!!!

Thanks so much to the Author & Net Galley for the ARC, I am leaving this review with my honest opinion.

This book was such a cosy read and quick to drink down. It felt familiar in a good way, as mysteries so often do, but the story was completely new. As a reader who enjoys fantasy and magical realism and wants to get more into mysteries, this book was the perfect bridge. Although there were some mystical elements that I wish were pulled back on a little. Some of the scenes with electricity felt a bit out of place, but I understand why they were included for the plot. For seasonal readers, would be an excellent autumn read with all the refrences the spices, smells, and Oktoberfest. But I read it in Spring and it felt just as appropriate with its ocean themes. This was my first read of this series and the book did a good job of quickly introducing the characters and context for a new-to-the-series reader, but not excessive that it would be disruptive to a continuing reader.