Blood red is the season’s hottest color . . . With her wedding day mere weeks away, home stager Caprice De Luca is busy arranging every last detail for the reception at Rambling Vines Winery—a stylish venue she redecorated two years earlier. But the closer the bride-to-be gets to saying, “I do,” the more a celebration at Rambling Vines seems like a terrible mistake. As financial mishaps and … financial mishaps and unhappy customers put the winery in the red, an unidentified criminal plots to sour the business’s already ailing reputation. Worst of all, a romance from co-owner Michelle Dodd’s past could leave a permanent stain on Caprice’s best friend’s current love life. When Michelle’s aloof husband is found stabbed to death on a chaise lounge in the tasting room, Caprice vows to name the calculating culprit and set things right before her dream nuptials dissolve into a deadly nightmare . . .
more
Another enjoyable installment in this terrific series. Now that we’ve had a wedding between Caprice and Grant, I look forward to seeing what the future holds!
Cut to the Chaise by Karen Rose Smith takes readers to Kismet, Pennsylvania. Caprice DeLuca is finalizing the plans for her wedding to Grant Weatherford now that his annulment has finally come through from the Catholic Church. They are having their reception at Rambling Vines Winery who happened to have a last minute cancelation and Caprice had redecorated their tasting room for Travis and Michelle Dodd who own the winery. The wedding is coming together with Bella making her dress, a last minute opening at St. Francis Catholic Church and Nikki agreeing to cater the reception. When Caprice starts hearing rumors about Rambling Vines having financial problems and unhappy clients, she wonders if they made the right choice for their reception. It does not help matters that Michelle Dodd once dated Vince and he failed to tell Roz about the relationship (awkward). Then Travis Dodd is found stabbed in the neck with a cheese knife on the teal chaise in the tasting room. Michelle is the prime suspect and requests Vince represent her. Caprice sets out to identify the culprit, so she can prove Michelle’s innocence, get Vince away from Michelle before his relationship with Roz implodes and clear the bad karma from Rambling Vines. Time is of the essence with her wedding just around the corner. Can Caprice wrap up the case before she walks down the aisle?
Cut to the Chaise is the eighth A Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery and it cannot be read alone. This is one series that you need to read in order. Each book builds upon the previous one. Caprice’s business is successful, she has a wonderful relationship with her family, and is marrying the man she has loved since the moment she met him. Caprice and Grant were waiting for the annulment from the church before planning their wedding. Now that the annulment has come through, they are wasting no time in getting married. A Caprice De Luca Home Staging Mystery series is a character driven series. There is Caprice’s large family which includes Vince, Nikki and Bella along with their wide circle of friends. Unfortunately, Grant’s family is not as warm and friendly as Caprice’s which creates tension. I like the author’s conversational writing style. It has an ease to it which makes Cut to the Chaise easy to read and enjoy. The mystery is not the focus of the book, but it was intriguing. The fast paced mystery has a couple of suspects along with misdirection to throw you off the track of the real killer. There are many lovely cozy and romantic moments in Cut to the Chaise and fans of the series will be thrilled with the wedding. Caprice helps a sweet dog find a forever home plus Grant’s and Caprice’s dogs are featured along with the families’ other pets. I am giving Cut to the Chaise 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). There are recipes at the end for the enticing dishes featured in the story.
Such a wonderful book, especially for those who already love Caprice; her wedding day approaches! While anyone can read the book as a stand alone and thoroughly appreciate the way Karen Rose Smith creates a whole life for Caprice and her family, she allows her characters and their relationships to develop over time so there are advantages to reading the series in order. As always, the mystery is well developed and intriguing but for my, not matter how excellent the mystery may be, the story is in the people. The novel begins three weeks before Caprice’s wedding so we get to see the pre-wedding excitement and stresses added to the hunt for a murderer. Whether the reader wants and enticing mystery or a heart-warming novel Cut to the Chaise is a great read.
My thanks to NetGalley for approving my ARC request. Waiting for release date on a series I love as much as I love this one is a terrible thing, and I always tell all my friends about the books that I love so having to review is not problem.
You will appreciate this book best if you are familiar with the De Luca family, especially Caprice and her sister Nikki, and the struggles Caprice and Grant have had in their romantic relationship. It can be read as a stand alone for the murder mystery aspect.
Karen Rose Smith writes wonderful characters and situations. Her descriptions of houses and decor are fantastic. You may get the temptation to redo your own spaces after reading her novels.
Grant and Caprice are steps away from their wedding day. They have decided that they will take all the inevitable glitches and hiccups in stride. Unfortunately, a murder at the winery hosting their reception is a bit more than the usual obstacle. Family strife runs rampant and Caprice can not idly stand by when her brother and her best friend are pulled apart by his helping the widow.
So much is going on in all aspects of Caprice’s life, will she make it down the aisle?
Who doesn’t love wineries, weddings and murder? This book was full of suspenseful twists and turns that were intertwined in a well developed plot. The characters were well written and adequately developeeed throughout. I had no clue who the murderer who was until the end!
In this next book of the series Caprice is gearing up for her wedding. She is trying to take of all the last minute details and hopes that everything will go off without a hitch. While visiting the venue for her reception, Rambling Vine Winery’s, she gets the feeling that not is okay with the business. It’s to late to change the reception location so she prays that the winery’s issues won’t touch her special day. When the owner of the winery is found murdered Caprice knows that she must do everything she can to find the culprit to take the taint away from her reception venue. Who would have wanted to murder the man and why? The police are looking at his wife who happens to have dated Caprice’s brother at one time. Michelle asks Caprice for her help in clearing her name and also retains her brother as her lawyer. Caprice begins to worry because it looks like her brother taking Michelle’s case is putting a strain on his relationship with her best friend. She knows that she will have to everything she can to not only find a murderer but keep her brothers relationship from imploding. Can she do all this before her big day? Will she be able to help her brother before it’s to late? The whole business is also putting a damper on her own relationship. With the upcoming wedding her fiance and herself are having issues with each others families. Will they be able to communicate their feelings or will they remain stubborn in how they view the situation? Follow along as you find the answers to these questions and more. This is such a fun series, I love Caprice’s quirkiness and appreciate how she lives to be the person that she is most comfortable being. I’m happy that throughout the series she hasn’t let anyone change who she is, and have enjoyed her growth throughout the series. I look forward to seeing not only what happens next, but what fun and creative decorating ideas go into her next job!
Cut to the Chaise is the 8th book in the Caprice De Luca Mystery series by Karen Rose Smith. Cozy mystery readers who appreciate this series will be delighted as Caprice and Grant are getting married as his annulment has finally been received. As with so many facets in life, at times it seems if something can go wrong it will! Caprice and Grant’s wedding plans seem to fall into this type of situation. Caprice De Luca is overwhelmed with wedding plans. Their reception will be held at Rambling Vines Winery, a property she decorated a several years ago. Local gossip indicates that the winery is having financial troubles. To make matters worse it appears that someone is attempting to sabotage the winery. Before Caprice can stop the rumors, the owner turns up dead. Caprice and Grant are ready to “tie the knot”. Caprice must contend with normal wedding anxiety, interfering future in-laws, and a murder! Ms. Smith crafted a tightly woven plot with multiple twists, turns and red herrings. Add to that well-developed characters: family, friends and pets who bring the story to life. Ms. Smith skillfully intertwines relationship themes experienced by many throughout this story. Everyone is impacted by attitudes, perceptions and expectations. In life, some people can’t seem to be happy at any time or during any situation. Cut to the Chaise is an entertaining cozy mystery which can be read as a stand-alone book, but I suggest readers consider reading the series from the beginning as the strength of the characters and development of the relationships of the characters (family and friends) add to the readers enjoyment. This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. I hope readers will select Cut to the Chaise for hours of reading enjoyment.
Disclosure: I volunteered to read and review an ARC of this book provided by #Kensington Publishing Corporation and #NetGalley, all comments express my honest opinion.
This Caprice De Luca mystery has been well worth waiting for; I loved it! Caprice is joyfully planning her wedding. This is a relationship novel on many levels, from Caprice with her family, to her fiancé, friends, pets, and soon-to-be in-laws. The mystery is a tough one, especially the location. For those who read earlier mysteries in the series, it is a treat to see the pets that Caprice has rescued and found homes for.
Caprice and her fiancé contracted with Rambling Vines Winery for their wedding reception. Caprice redecorated parts of the winery and part of the main house in which the owners live, so she is familiar with the owners and facility. Caprice’s best friend, Roz, who lives with Vince De Luca, is uncomfortable when she learns that Vince used to date Michelle Dodd, who owns the winery with her husband Travis.
Caprice begins to hear less-than-favorable gossip about the Winery, including possible financial problems and how recent weddings were not done as contracted for. Her sister Bella will help by making sure the decorations and flowers are what she orders, and Bella, an accomplished chef, is catering this very special event. New rumors about staff being let go as the winery couldn’t make payroll arise. Against everyone’s advice to move to another venue, Caprice chooses to stay with the Dodd’s.
After a day out of town to plan staging for a contractor’s model homes, Caprice returns to a crisis. Travis Dodd had been found murdered in the tasting room at the winery. Michelle was at the police station for questioning, so Vince went to the station to help her. Roz flounders at this turn of events, with Vince’s ex-girlfriend calling him frequently about the case.
Caprice and her fiancé are experiencing growing pains while preparing to live in the same home, in this case Caprice’s home to which they are adding an office so her hubby can work from home. They also are struggling with his parents’ perception of her and whether they will accept her. Caprice is determined to ask questions to see if she can help solve the murder so Roz and Vince can go forward and so her reception doesn’t have to be moved, and learns more than anticipated.
The characters are very well-drawn and three-dimensional, most of whom are strong and self-confident. Caprice makes new friends every time, this time befriending a couple who didn’t want to talk with her at first. Her cocker spaniel, Lady, frequently helps pave the way. She and her fiancé have made a special choice while dating that I respect, especially in today’s culture. I enjoy how most of the characters relate to each other; dialog is realistic and has depth.
I appreciate the antics of the pets of Caprice and others, including the Schnoodle who has made himself comfortable at the Winery. Plot twists serve to add or remove suspects from Caprice’s list, especially as she learns more about Travis’ family and business dealings. As the wedding day nears, the murderer is no closer to being found. When the killer is ready to show off, it is loud and potentially deadly. I was stunned at who the murderer is! I had not even considered the person in passing. There are many surprises to be had as the novel ends, making it a delightful read. I highly recommend this cozy mystery, filled with good friends, close family, suspense, and romance, and can’t wait to for the next one!
From a grateful heart: I received a copy of this e-Arc from the publisher through NetGalley, and this is my honest review.