Charming wedding setting (except, of course, the homicide), lots of wine info and details woven into the story, characters who act their age and have genuine connections and are well rounded- I can't ask for much more than what we got in this one!

Another great installment in the Colorado Wine Mystery series. I always love how much I learn about the grape varietals and the wines they create; I don't like wine but it helps me understand what my husband might like when I go to the store. I was not able to guess the killer before the reveal but it made perfect sense.

Looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it is released.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

A wedding, wine, family dynamics, and murder come together to make a delightfully entertaining read in author Kate Lansing’s fourth Colorado Wine Mystery Till Death Do Us Port.

Vintner Parker Valentine is all set to provide refreshments for her cousin Emma’s wedding reception, but things go awry when the wedding planner is murdered before the couple can exchange vows. Solving this mystery will be harder than pairing wine and cheese, but Parker feels she must get to the bottom of things so that couple can finally have their happily ever after.

I like this series quite a bit; the wine premise is interesting, the mysteries complex, and the protagonist Parker is intelligent and quite spunky. The other characters are well drawn and relatable (for the most part). I really enjoyed Parker and her mother’s camaraderie in this installment. Reid is out of the action this time, and, though he and Parker chatted by phone often, I missed him. Lansing does a great job of weaving wine tidbits throughout the story without losing continuity. My only problem with the writing is that it is present tense, which I do not care for, but this by no means deters my enjoyment of the book.

There are plenty of suspects for Parker to interrogate, and her innate curiosity (nosiness) makes her a good sleuth. Twists and turns abound, and I did not figure out whodunit until late in the book. What a tangled web we weave….

Till Death Do Us Port is cozy mystery writing at its best. Highly recommended.

📖My Thoughts📖
Another fun cozy mystery! The more books I read in the Colorado Wine Mystery series, the more I fall in love with it. I really like the characters (Parker is probably one of my favorite characters in all the cozy mystery books I’ve read thus far), the wine theme is pretty cool, and it’s just a fun and entertaining series. While this is a series, it’s able to be read as a standalone. This one takes place at Parker’s cousin Emma’s wedding. It’s all fun and games until the wedding planner is found dead. Parker’s character seriously just cracks me up. She gets told to lay low and back off, but she just keeps sleuthing along and I love it. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. I’m hoping we get to see Parker and Reid’s relationship blossom more. I really enjoy this series so far and it’s definitely enough to keep me wanting more. If you enjoy a good fun cozy mystery, grab yourself a glass of your favorite wine and hunker down with this gem!
Thank you Netgalley, Kate Lansing and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I usually love this series but something about this one was just a bit too slow for me. I still gave it a 3.5 (rounded up) though because it was still a good read. The cast of characters are well done, as usual, and I enjoyed the time spent of her moms character in this one. Overall it was a good mystery and a light easy read. This series is a good choice if you are a fan of cozy mysteries!

I like Parker; she has spunk. For a vintner who obsesses over which wine tastes best with which food dish more than she does with her romantic relationship and gets sidetracked with murder investigations, she isn’t your typical main character. But then again, this isn’t a typical murder mystery.

It’s wedding season, and vintner Parker is providing the wine for her cousin’s reception, but before the bride and groom can say I do, the wedding planner is found dead, and fingers are pointed in every direction except the right one. Parker has to put on her thinking cap and find the killer before the wrong person goes to prison and the killer goes free. This book has more suspects than you can shake a stick at. Evidence leads to so many people it's hard to keep them straight, but Parker does her best to corner every suspect and confront them head-on.

I like the twists and turns that keep readers guessing, but it wasn’t hard to figure out who the killer was. The investigation is more about Parker being nosy, but it’s her mother's help on the case that seals the wedding planner killer’s fate. Parker is no stranger to unusual pairings as a vintner, but pairing up with her mother to solve a murder might be the strangest one yet. Till Death Do Us Port is a complex, entertaining story about relationships and their intricacies more than a mystery. But this is also what makes this book and the series worth reading. A word of advice; if you haven’t read any of this series, don’t start with this book. Go back to the beginning; otherwise, you will be lost.

Another amazing book in the series. Love love love all the wine books and Parker's proximity to death and having to solve the mystery. Wine, food, cats, and love. Nothing better. Highly recomment!

What a delightful cozy mystery series. In fact, I binge read all four books in just two days. The previous three titles are Killer Chardonnay, A Pairing To Die For and Mulled to Death. If there had been a book five available now, I would have continued on.

The series focuses on a young winemaker named Parker Valentine. She has recently opened a winery and has had no shortage of troubles. During her winery’s opening, a wine critic within a harsh reputation has been ordered. This is how Parker becomes quite an adept amateur sleuth. As the end of the first book closed, Parker has found herself comfortable in her new relation with Reid Wallace. When his sous chef was found murdered, Parker stepped up like she did when it came to the first murder. In the third book a wealthy ski resort owner who was also a former Olympian champion was murdered while Parker and Reid were away on a ski trip. Parker to the rescue again in yet another enjoyable read.

As far as this book for review, Till Death Do Us Port, Parker is about to attend her cousin’s wedding, and just as the nuptials are underway, the wedding planner was murdered. The wedding planner had a reputation that was more than the worst of bridezillas. Because of such, there are no shortage of suspects, and Parker can’t help but get involved. Although she has worked with her boyfriend Reid before, now he is away on business, and she takes on this newest case of murder by herself. Well, not really. Her mother decides to get involved.

While this book and the previous books in the series all contain active murder cases, there is also a great mix of pairing delectable foods with a variety of wines. Although I am not a wine drinker, I loved learning so much about wine making and how specific wines work with certain foods. I truly appreciate how much this series has garnered my attention. I truly look forward to the very next book and any other ones after this.

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Once again, another series where I anticipate and look forward to new releases.

Parker Valentine finds herself stuck in another investigation, after her cousins wedding gets abruptly put on hold when their wedding planner is found murdered.

Parker and her Mom team up, for the first time, to bring justice to this situation.

The character development makes this series so unique and fun. While I wish we had more scenes with Reid, I still find more depth in the supporting characters to make up for Reid's loss. Hopefully his stint in California and his new restaurant venture is a Segway to continue this series.

Dick is in love with Lesley. The are going to be married. But then he hears gossip about her...
Poisoned Pen Press and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can get a copy now.

It seems that his future wife is a poisoner and has killed three men. As he and his friends try to check this out, more happens.

Dr. Fell soon gets in the investigation and comes up with all kinds of facts. The fiancé is not a poisoner. A con man tries to sell himself as a fortune teller, but that doesn't last long and he's dead, too.

Then the lady in the post office is killed.

Dr. Fell is on the case and he doesn't give up. He's explaining to the others who the murderer is, when they hear a gun shot.

He was right...

I loved coming back to this series in Till Death Do Us Port. It’s like meeting up with friends and picking up where you left off last. It’s summer in Boulder and wedding bells are ringing for Parker’s Cousin Emma. Before the corks can be popped and glasses raised to the happy couple, their wedding planner is found dead! Now everyone at the reception is a suspect. Can Parker uncover who the real killer is before family ties get too strained?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I loved the family dynamic and drama in this book. I especially enjoyed the mother/daughter sleuthing duo! We get a chance to see Parker and her mom bond more but also unearth some insecurities in Parker that she is having to work thru which I felt gave her personality and the book depth. Parker is a modern woman chasing her dreams and you can’t help but root for her.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
As in the previous books, Kate weaves in tantalizing details about grapes and wine solidifying the theme of the wine-making sleuth! Flavoring her books with a hint of humor and pop culture references. Thanks to the recipes and wine pairings in the back, I can go to the grocery store better armed for what wine to grab to go with dinner. Thanks for that Kate!! I can’t wait to see what’s in store in the future for Parker, Reid, her friends, and her family!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you have been meaning to pick up and read this series, I highly recommend you do!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Thank you @kmlansing and @berkly and @netgalley for my arc to read and review. All thoughts are my own!

Another excellent installment in the Colorado Wine mystery series. Loved the wedding setting--it paired very well (ba dum tss) with the characters and mystery.

Parker Valentine is happy to provide wine from her Boulder, Colorado winery for her cousin Emma’s wedding. She would be happier if her boyfriend, Reid, were in town to help her celebrate, but he is in San Francisco, where he is planning on opening a new restaurant. On the day of the ceremony, Parker is surprised at how difficult the wedding planner, Prynne Pearsall, is to work with but has high hopes that Emma’s big day will turn out okay. Unfortunately, in the middle of the ceremony, Prynne’s body is discovered by the caterer, who was just fired. Parker is determined to help solve the murder as soon as possible so Emma and her groom can finally say “I do”.

Parker is no stranger to crime scenes, but I enjoyed how she teams up with her chemist mother in this case. They both notice that something seems off about the crime scene, and it looks like the real killer is trying to frame others for the crime he or she committed. When Parker’s aunt becomes one of the prime suspects, this gives her and her mom even more motivation to question the witnesses and do some research to find out who really murdered Prynne. Parker is good at talking to people to get information, and her mom does a good job getting some facts to back up Parker’s theory. There are also details about different wine pairings included in the story that are informative and make the premise of the book come to life.

This book works well as a standalone, but readers following the series will enjoy the developments in Parker’s personal life. I have read two of three of the prior books and am also pleased by the growth in Parker’s character. I still don’t always connect with her, but find her to be much more likable than when the series first began. I would be interested to see what happens next for Parker’s winery and for her and Reid.

~ Christine

TILL DEATH DO US PORT is the fourth book in the Colorado Wine Mystery series by Kate Lansing. Whether or not you love wine (which I do), you’ll love the plucky protagonist, Parker Valentine, and her crew, along with the breathtaking setting! Parker, the owner and vintner at Vino Valentine, has found her stride and is ready to grow her business, despite personal changes going on with her boyfriend. Cue in the wedding season and Prynne, the wedding planner for her cousin’s hot ticket wedding, which could be the foot in the door she needs. Except, instead of finding a well-organized wedding, Parker finds chaos and the dead body of Prynne. With so many guests in attendance, the police (headed by one of Parker’s close friends) have a plethora of suspects but, unfortunately, they focus their attention on Parker’s family. With a distraught bride and her family breathing down her neck, Parker is determined to prove her family’s innocence.

Ms. Lansing’s attention to detail and the way she compares wine terminology and descriptions to the investigation, lends its hand to paint a vivid picture as the tale unfolds. Even if you’re not into wine, the comparisons and information aren’t over the top and doesn’t detract from the tightly plotted mystery—instead, it only adds to the enjoyment. There’s a bit of humor to lighten the mood and I adore that Parker and her mother have come to an understanding and they combine their skills to find the culprit. Despite their differences, they complement each other’s efforts. As the reveal unfolds, it becomes apparent that the author has skillfully woven the clues throughout the book and brings them together in a worthy fashion. I, for one, can’t wait to find out what happens next with Parker!

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Till Death Do Is Port is book 4 of A Colorado Wine Mystery series and was a fun one with a lot of growth for our MC Parker.

Kate Lansing writes such a great mystery and the “whodunit” had me stumped! I also enjoy the story lines with the side characters and to hear what they are all up to.

A few things I love about this series are the wonderful friendships/relationships between characters, wine metaphors, and all of the Colorado references. (I only lived in CO for 3 years, but I these books sure do make me miss it.)

Jumping back into this series felt like visiting old friends and I cannot wait to see what Kate writes next!

Kate Lansing’s Till Death Do Us Port is the fourth story in the Colorado Wine Mystery series and the first book I’ve read from this author. Truth be told, I haven’t read any cozy mysteries recently. In my teens I devoured the Mrs. Pollifax stories by Dorothy Gilman and I’m an avid fan of the old Columbo TV series but clearly, my experience with these types of mysteries is somewhat dated. However, I see a lot of them in the library and in bookstores with cute punnish names (including this one) and attractive covers (often bearing some kind of food) and decided it was time to dive in.

Parker Valentine is a vintner, with a wine boutique in Boulder Colorado that does quite well. She’s dating Reid, a professional chef who is looking at expanding his restaurants onto the California coast. Her cousin Emma is getting married, and Parker is going to be providing the wine for the reception. On the day of the wedding, Parker witnesses an altercation between the wedding planner Prynne and the caterer, in which the caterer is fired for supplying what Prynne believes is substandard food. Then, in the middle of the ceremony at the ‘speak now or forever hold your peace’ moment, a scream erupts through the hall, followed by a crash, and when Parker and her brother Liam rush out into the hallway, they discover a ghastly sight – Prynne is lying dead on the ground with a bleeding gash on her forehead. And standing over her is the caterer, with a dropped wedding cake at her feet. The wedding is understandably halted, the people in shock and the police and ambulance called. It’s a recipe for murder all right, but who is responsible?

Of course the obvious setup is that it’s the caterer’s fault, but since that’s a little too obvious Parker takes it upon herself to do some of her own investigating. Her mother also is eager to participate, and so between the two of them, they take the clues they find one by one to try to catch a killer.

I really enjoyed this story. As a wine newbie I learned A LOT about wine, from the grape growing to the harvest to what makes a good vintage. The author clearly knows her way around the subject and it flavours every aspect of the story. And speaking of flavour, because Parker’s boyfriend is a chef, there is plenty of delicious food in the story as well, including a few recipes at the end with some suggested wine pairings. There is an ongoing romantic storyline with Parker and Reid and in this particular book of the series, while the couple is together and committed, there is the added stress of figuring out what to do if if Reid opens a business in California and how his being away from Colorado for long periods of time will impact their relationship. I liked that Reid is very supportive of Parker and eager to find a way to work out their long distance relationship issues.

The mystery is quite fun, too. There are plenty of clues, many of them red herrings, that Parker and her mother have to sift through to get to the bottom of who would have a reason to kill the wedding planner and why. I’ll admit to having no clue as to where the story was going and who the killer would turn out to be, a testament to the author’s skill in weaving a good tale. At one point it seemed as thought almost everyone in the wedding party might have a motive to kill the caterer! The eventual reveal (not without some peril for Parker) leads to a satisfying and exciting conclusion with the right person apprehended and the wedding couple able to finally complete their vows, though not in the way originally intended (but in a much better way for them). There is also another interesting character, police detective Eli Fuller who, if it weren’t for the fact that Parker had a boyfriend, I would have considered a possible candidate for romantic partner for Parker. Her banter with Eli is reminiscent of that between Miss Scarlet and the Duke (in the PBS TV series of the same name). Overall, Till Death Us Do Port is a light, well balanced and refreshing cozy mystery and I’m ready to imbibe more.

Parker Valentine wants a wedding for herself. She isn’t ready to get married herself, but she wants to get her wines into weddings. As a young winemaker in Boulder, Colorado, she knows that adding weddings to her business plan will help her build her business. And now, she’s added a port, a special blend of sweet dessert wine, that will go well with the rest of her choices, and she’s ready to show them off to someone who could help her break into the wedding business, her cousin’s wedding planer.

Emma was always a sweet kid, and now she’s grown up and getting married to the love of her life, Nash. Parker is happy for them and thrilled to be bringing her wines to the wedding. But it does mean that the family drama will be on full display for everyone there to see. And that doesn’t include the bridesmaid crying in the hotel lobby or the construction going on at the hotel or the ringbearer, Clyde, who keeps trying to get away. But then, he is a cat, so maybe he just doesn’t understand what a momentous occasion a wedding is.

When Parker is finally able to track down the wedding planner, Prynne Pearsall, she’s hoping to have a chance to talk to her about Prynne using her wines in upcoming weddings. Instead, Parker finds her yelling at the caterer and insulting her food. But between setting up her table of wines and helping wrangle the ringbearer, Parker doesn’t get a chance to talk to Prynne before the wedding starts. So she takes her place with the family and waits to see Emma and Nash get married.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen make it down the aisle, and Clyde makes it part of the way before he gets distracted. But before it’s Emma’s turn, there is a scream. Parker is one of many who go to find out what happened, and she finds herself standing over the wedding planner. But it’s obvious that her planning days are over. Prynne’s been murdered.

Even though Parker gets warned off from investigating on her own by her old friend, climbing buddy, and now detective Eli, Parker can’t just sit by and let Emma’s mother get targeted by the investigation. Grace is an excellent mother and was a good wife, until her husband’s affair was posted on social media, his girlfriend “accidentally” tagging him in a post and letting the world in on her existence. That broke up the marriage, and Michael ended up marrying Chastity, who had broken up his marriage. But Grace had always handled things with, well grace, and Parker knows that she wouldn’t kill anyone, despite how unlikable the wedding planner had been.

As Parker makes her way through the wedding party, finding out why the bridesmaid had been crying, and why groomsman Jack had been unfriendly. She thinks that there may be something going on between Emma’s sister Carolyn and Nash’s best friend Xavier. Then there was the caterer, getting fired right before the ceremony, after having prepared all the food and the cake. And Parker has to do all of this—investigating the murder, building her business, and helping her assistant prepare for her sommelier exam—without her boyfriend Reid, who is out in California looking into opening a second restaurant in the Bay Area

Having met the planner briefly, Parker can understand the urge to hit her over the head with a rock, but who actually did it? And will the answer to that bring her family together, or will the answer tear her family apart?

Till Death Do Us Port is the fourth book in Kate Lansing’s Colorado Wine Mystery series. It’s a tasty blend of investigation, family drama, wine information, and travelogue about Colorado, with a dash or romance and notes of corny humor. In other words, it’s a lot of fun.

This is the first of Lansing’s cozies that I read but it will not be the last. I loved the setting of Boulder, and all the insider information about wine was really interesting. I though that making the wedding the backdrop for the murder was a great use of family issues, and I really liked Parker and her family and friends. But mostly, I just thought that the writing was smooth and enjoyable. It was easy to read and left me wanting more. I will be going back and getting caught up on those books in the series I missed. I mean, when Parker stood over Prynne’s body and felt sad because the cake had also fallen on the ground? These are my people! I felt sad about that cake too!

Egalleys for Till Death Do Us Port were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Love this series featuring a vintner in Boulder, Colorado, Parker Valentine. In this fouth book, Parker's cousin is getting married and her family and things go downhill from the outset. Combining the mystery with winemaking and running a tasting room adds up to an entertaining book.

I expect Kate Lansing to give wine-making and tasting lessons. Unfortunately, in this book, she does break off into tangents of transportation, rock wall climbing technique, Parker’s relationship issues, Parker’s fear of driving because her aunt died in a car accident, the public transportation options in Boulder, etc. Too often, I wanted to snap my fingers in front of her face to get back on the subject at hand --that being the murder of a wedding planner.

When it came down to the actual culprit, I realized I didn’t care. It took way too long to get there, and the book lost my attention about a third of the way in. Now I must decide if any future books in this series will be worth my time.

Till Death Do Us Port: A Colorado Wine Mystery
By Kate Lansing
Berkley
March 18, 2023

Review by Cynthia Chow

Boulder, Colorado is having another busy wedding season, and Vino Valentine wine shop owner Parker Valentine is hoping to step into the marriage industry with her specialty wine labels. So Parker is more than happy to provide the wines for her cousin’s upcoming wedding, even though wedding planner Prynne Pearsall seems to be prioritizing her own goals over the wishes of the bride. The ceremony for the extremely passive Emma and her fiancé becomes more chaotic when it includes an aunt’s cat as a ring bearer and the bridesmaid and groomsman seem ready for an outright brawl. It’s Prynne whom Parker finds murdered under the wedding cake though, with the recently fired caterer looming over.

While Parker initially agrees with her rock-climbing friend, Detective Eli Fuller, that she will for once stay out of his murder investigation, encouragement from her mother has Parker changing course. Due to some very incriminating evidence her aunt Grace has become a main suspect, and until the whole murder-thing is cleared up it doesn’t look as though Emma will be able to finish walking down the aisle. With the help of her fantastically nerdy bestie Sage and Parker’s brother Liam, Parker will attempt to sift through disgruntled business partners, track down angry former brides, counsel heartbroken bridesmaids, and still continue to serve her delicious Chardonnays and ports.

Readers should be able to jump right into this fourth of the series, as it focuses on Parker and her close family as they investigate the wedding party of outsiders. Prynne had no shortage of enemies through her disagreeable temperament, and a surfeit of evidence keeps popping up that takes them in different investigative directions. Parker’s boyfriend Reid being out of town as he scouts locations for a new restaurant means that she is feeling the pressure of being single while immersed in a wedding economy. That Reid could end up working in an entirely different part of the country has Parker questioning her own future, especially when her best employee is about to take the next step in becoming a sought-after sommelier. Information dropped three-quarters into the mystery changes the course of the investigation, but throughout readers are led on a merry chase of emails and conflicting evidence. The strongest element of this series is Parker herself, who proves to be so genuinely likable and completely practical in her amateur investigations. Her relationships with her parents, one a Colorado University’s head of Computer Sciences department and the other a chemical engineer, is explored further and explains much of Parker’s personality. The city of Boulder also takes center stage in its uniqueness as an urban city of cuisine and culture surrounded by gorgeous mountains. The chaos of weddings and the emotional participants rarely fail to entertain, and here they are combined with equally delightful descriptions of a variety of wines and accompanying cuisines. The inclusion of recipes with suggested wine pairings make this the perfect escape for those looking for mysteries filled with food, family, and relationship drama.