Slay Bells Ring is the seventh installment in the Caprice De Luca Home Staging mystery series set in Kismet, PA. Caprice is delighted that her home staging business is doing so well thanks in large part to the catering assistance of sister Nikki, and is counting the days until Grant's annulment goes through and she can start planning their wedding.

Caprice is asked by family friends Sara and Chris Merriweather to stage their home. Although surprised that the Merriweather's would want to sell their home and move to a small condo, she decides upon a Christmas Delight theme. Chris, a military Vet has been playing the town Santa for as long as Caprice can remember and he's well known throughout the community for his amazing handmade toys.

When Chris is found murdered outside of his Santa's workshop with his faithful Malamute Blitz trapped inside, Caprice and her family take the news hard. Her Dad was very close to Chris and Caprice wants to find his killer, for her Dad's sake and for Chris' wife. Unfortunately, her investigation reveals that not every family dynamic is idyllic, even Santa's.

A fast paced storyline filled with recurring series characters that will make you smile, laugh and cry. This series only gets better with each new addition and I can't wait to see what will happen next in the De Luca family.

I received an advanced copy of Slay Bells Ring from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book, however, I definitely missed a book along the way. I liked how the Vietnam was incorporated into this book. AFter all of these years, that war has come back to haunt us. It is very sad, ho a selfish person can hurt so many people.

I liked this book, but it was not what I expected as a cozy mystery. I liked the plot and the settings, but the characters almost seemed like caricatures. As nice as it is to read about happy perfect families and couples in love, no one's real family is that perfect! By the end of the book it got old and I was tired of reading about them. The murder took a long time to materialize, and then it seemed like an afterthought to the rest of the story. The writing was well done. I guess this one just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A very interesting storyline, with wonderful characters. Lots of twists and turns. I felt I was a part of the story and could not put it down. I love Caprice DeLuca so much! When murder happens, she's right in the thick of it. Wonderful cozy mystery, you must read this book!

Cozy mystery is usually the one genre I can count on that I will always like. Some books are stronger than others, and sometimes a series as a whole is better than individual books. More often than not I read cozy mysteries out of order, and I hadn't read any of the previous books. Perhaps this is just a weak book in the series, because for me it was terrible.

My main complaints were;
-The murder mystery didn't actually start until the 20% mark. We have almost a quarter of the book as set up for the mystery. Even without knowing the characters I didn't need this much down time.
-Caprice's CONSTANT thoughts about Grant, from looking at anything from children to Christmas lights. We. Get. It. She loves him. This book felt like I was trapped in a padded room with a newlywed couple and I had nothing else to look at. Urgh.
-Exceedingly poor mystery, with the actual murderer being almost completely in the background. Caprice just flitters around pointlessly most of the book. Double Urgh.
-The complete 'wholesomeness' about this book, series and family. Like so sweet I got a toothache sweet. It just added nothing to the book to me, and felt so unrealistic (the closest thing I can think of is if 7th heaven had no sinning/dating/anything bad...or fun)
-The over the top descriptions of bloody everything while NOTHING happened plot wise. I want plot, not detailed descriptions of Caprice's coat or what color the rocker is in the backyard.

So. Complete fail for me. It has a dog on the front cover. It's meant to be cozy mystery. It's obviously a successful book series without me liking it. It just wasn't for me and I didn't like it. I'm guessing long time fans of this series will still gobble it up when it's released. Just...not me.

Couldn’t get through this. Way too much heavy-handed Catholicism.

I have read all of this series from the beginning and felt this wasn't her best book.
I enjoy the Caprice family connection and that they support her throughout, but there seams to be a lot of romance with Grant and the mystery becomes second place in the book and not the main focus. I was suprised who the killer might be as he wasn't mentioned a lot in the book or was that a red herring ? .
I love Caprice vintage style and the descriptions of her home staging which draws me to the books .
Thank you net galley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read and review this book .

Slay Bells Ring by Karen Rose Smith is an excellent holiday cozy mystery.
Fans will love Caprice De Luca in this holiday themed story.
Everyone in Kismet, PA is gearing up for the holidays, including Chris Merriweather, the idyllic towns very own Santa Claus.
Chris is a close family friend of Caprice's family and when they begin to notice changes in Chris, they become concerned.
When Caprice is asked to stage the Merriweather family home, she is shocked that they want to sell their home.
When Chris is found dead, no one can believe it, can't be foul play, everyone loved Santa! Or did they?
Find out October 31st when this terrific book releases by Kensington Books.

The author tells a tale wrapped around the holiday season and tied off with so many twists and turns you are sure to stay up late into the night to finish it.
The vintage clothing, the mouth watering treats and the holiday theme all tie up to make this a fund fast paced story.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

Love this series! Caprice and her family are great! I mean really, animal lovers are wonderful people. It’s so fun to see how relationships in this series grow or where there might be trouble. I would love to do what Caprice does for a living. That would be so much fun to me! Course sometimes life throws you for a loop and those you think you know so well may have a secret or two. I’ve love every Karen Rose Smith book I’ve read.

Who Killed Santa?
Slay Bells Ring is the seventh book in Karen Rose Smith’s Caprice De Luca Mystery series. The storyline is well plotted, the characters well developed, and the story moves at a steady pace. There’s a perfect mix of the importance of family, friendship, caring and compassion, romance, and mystery. There are lots of twists and turns and red herrings to keep the reader engaged. Ms. Smith provides great character background and this book can be read as a standalone. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading clean cozy mysteries.

Caprice De Luca owns a thriving home staging business in the small town of Kismet, Pennsylvania and is engaged to Grant Weatherford, a local attorney. She’s staging the home of Chris and Sara Merriweather for sale. Chris wants to sell their home and move into a condominium, but Sara is somewhat hesitant. Sadly, Chris is found murdered on Santa Lane. He was a well-liked local man who owned a craft shop, made toys all year long in his workshop to sell in the shop and often gave to children who would otherwise not get anything for Christmas, and played Santa at the community park each year and tried to fill most of the wishes the children made. Sara doesn’t want to keep Chris’s dog and constant companion, Blitz, and Caprice’s dad agrees to take care of him. Chris was a Vietnam veteran and hadn’t been the same since his latest annual visit to the memorial in Washington, D.C. with his friends. Grant knows that Caprice will be drawn into the investigation and while he isn’t happy about it, he provides her with support and watches her back to make certain she doesn’t get hurt. Chris seemed to be loved by everyone and Caprice is surprised by the number of suspects she discovers, and by all the secrets he was keeping.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Caprice De Luca has wrapped up her holiday-themed staging gig at a stunning historic home in downtown Kismit, Pennsylvania. Homeowners Chris and Sara Merriweather, have it all. A beautiful home, great kids, and a wonderful marriage, or do they?

Chris, a Vietnam vet who plays Santa every year at the community park, has been displaying strange behavior after his annual trip to Washington, D.C. His wife has no idea of what is disturbing him. The joy of the season vanishes when Chris is found murdered. Caprice uncovers secrets as she searches for Chris’ killer. It’s a race to locate the murderer before Caprice becomes the next victim.
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Series: A Caprice De Luca Mystery – Book 7
Author: Karen Rose Smith
Genre: Career/Mystery Cozy
Publisher: Kensington

Slay Bells Ring is a tremendous addition to Karen Rose Smith’s “A Caprice De Luca Mystery” series. In this holiday-themed book, Caprice has her hands full. Her business is booming, and her love life is heating up with an upcoming wedding. Her family brings her comfort and joy year round, especially during the holidays. Her appreciation for her family becomes fully focused when a family friend is murdered while playing Santa Claus.

The characters that Ms. Smith created in this series are fully developed, interesting and memorable. Caprice is a woman on a mission. She is determined to make her business, and her relationship with Grant work, even if she has to give up the home she loves. Her dedication to making certain that Grant is happy is commendable and unselfish. This describes her character completely.

Grant is equally determined to make certain that Caprice is happy. His past makes him sad but doesn’t hinder his relationship with Caprice. If anything, it makes their future brighter on the crucial levels of a relationship. Grant is very likable without being over the top. He is also intelligent. He knows Caprice will get involved with the investigation, and he knows he can’t prevent her from doing it. All he can do is support her and watch her back to make certain she doesn’t get hurt.

The remaining characters are well rounded and enjoyable. All of them add flavor and intrigue to the plot. Caprices parents are truly lovable and remarkable in a way that parents should be. They are supportive of their daughter as well as her siblings.

The setting in a small Pennsylvania town is picture perfect. Kismet may be fictional, but the real countryside in Pennsylvania is everything the author describes and more. The shops and homes are wonderfully descriptive and make the reader want to explore, as well as savor the sights, sounds, and smells of the area.

The pace of this book is a bit slower than most. The action is mainly based on family interactions. This is not a non-stop action-filled romp; readers will need to think through the evidence. It is a steady paced mystery with clues that if the reader misses them will make it difficult for them to figure out who the killer is. Yet there are plenty of hints to the murderer’s identity if the reader takes the time to put them all together.

Slay Bells Ring is highly recommended along with the other books in this series. However, I would caution the reader to start at the beginning of the series with book one. There is a need for more information on the background and memories of the characters discussed throughout the book to enhance the enjoyment of the reader.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley

I just love my visits to Kismet, PA with the De Luc family. Karen Rose Smith has done it again, this time with a mature, multi-layered mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. The characters are well drawn, and I love learning more about their personalities and character with each book. There is much to admire in Caprice and Grant, about their commitment and devotion to values and each other. This is an extremely satisfying read, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Genuinely enjoy this series and Caprice herself and her family, great characters throughout. A well written enjoyable holiday twist.

This is an enjoyable cozy mystery series that is best enjoyed read sequentially in order to better appreciate the characters, their development and their relationships with each other. Caprice is once again drawn into a murder investigation, that of the town's charitable Santa figure, a familiar face and a good friend of her father. But solving his murder could bring even more sorrow since it may have been done by a friend. The story flows at a nice, steady pace and I love how Caprice's family support her and each other. A new addition to this story is the adorable white Malamute, Blitz, as well as regulars Lady, and cats Sophia and Mirabelle. I can't wait for book #8. Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing this book received through Net Galley.

This enjoyable cozy mystery series features Caprice deLuca, an interior decorator turned home stager, with an amazing sense of style, a terrific close knit family, a developing romance and a love of animals and finding homes for stray animals. Along with all of that comes an uncanny knack for getting involved in murder investigations and finding the culprits before the local police. In this case, Caprice is staging a Christmas house for Chris and Sara Merriweather when Chris is found dead and, once again, Caprice is on the case. This is an intriguing mystery with unique elements that make is stand out among cozy mysteries, but what really sells this series are the vivid descriptions of Caprice's vintage clothing and house stagings along with her love for her wonderful family. It is the time spent with the family and their warmth and caring the keeps me coming back to this series. It is well written, well plotted and thoroughly entertaining.

Caprice De Luca has stage a beautiful home for Christmas to help in the sale of the house. There’s only one problem, home owner Sara Merriweather doesn’t really want to sell. It’s her husband;’s idea and Sara just doesn’t understand. Chris, a Vietnam vet is a beloved local figure who plays Santa every year for the kids, but lately his behavior has been very erratic. When Chris is murdered. Caprice puts on her detective hat to find out why. Does his death have anything to do with a recent trip to Washington DC? A charming Christmas story, but the dog steals the show!