I usually enjoy Alyson Root’s books and this was no exception.
Harriet is opening a shop – it’s a tea shop, and apart from many varieties of tea, it sells erotica – art, wonderfully creatively designed tea pots with depictions of a variety of sex acts painted on, glass dildos ( made by her brother) and many other delights. Her sister is a sex therapist – and her parents are dreary and ashamed of Harriet and her shop.
It’s next door to a coffee shop – which happens to be run by ex-wives Cassie and Kendal. Kendal is all for it, Cassie does not want that shop next door – it will lower the tone of the street! Cassie is very against it, and needs to be won over.
There’s friendships, sibling relationships, the dreaded parent relationships depicted here – all different and all really well written. And of course the relationship of the book – between Harriet and Cassie.
More than anything in this story I enjoyed the blossoming of Cassie. She reads to me as an anxious, neurodiverse woman, trying to overcome the trauma of growing up in a small community with a mother who was sex positive and didn’t care who knew it. She was able, with time and support, and some sessions with Mistress Black, to identify what she thought she needed to do to begin to address some of her issues and flourish in a relationship with Harriett.

There is of course an epilogue.
This showed movement in their business and personal relationships and a special customised tea pot.