I loved this latest installment in the Colorado Wine Mystery series! Parker Valentine is providing the wine for her cousins wedding reception, only the wedding planner is found dead right as the procession begins. The setting of this book provided for a great cast of suspects with all the wedding guests but it also allowed Parker (and the author) to show off summertime in Colorado with visits to Red Rocks and other nearby attractions. I loved that we got to know Parker’s family better, and that her mother helped her investigate. Seeing them work together and understand each other better was great. I also loved to see Parker gain more confidence in herself and hope we get to see more of her soon.

I finished book 4 last night and am already reading book 1; I need more of the winery! I really enjoyed Parker’s sleuthing, and I had no idea who did what until the big reveal. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this wine-based cozy!


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Vintner Parker Valentine isn’t sure if she’s relieved or otherwise that her boyfriend Reid Wallace won’t be able to attend her cousin Emma’s wedding with her. Reid has been offered an opportunity to open another restaurant out in San Francisco, so will be scouting locations while Parker attends the Colorado wedding solo. While Parker is glad to avoid any awkward introductions between Reid and her extended family, she quickly realizes that his moral support would be invaluable in the absolute chaos leading up to the nuptials.

Emma and her fiance Nash are both pretty down-to-earth people, so Parker is surprised at how both oddly fussy and oddly unprepared everything is. To begin with, the hotel where they’re having the wedding is under very noisy construction. Prynne, the domineering wedding planner, gets into a fight with Iris, the caterer, that Parker can’t help but overhear as she brings some of her wines to the venue on the day itself. Parker is further alarmed when Prynne high-handedly fires Iris and decides that the palate cleanser crackers Parker brought with her will have to be refreshment enough. With feuding members of the bridal party and, of all things, a stubbornly reluctant cat acting as ring bearer, things are not looking great even before someone fatally clobbers Prynne over the head with a rock.

Detective Eli Fuller, Parker’s climbing partner, is less than thrilled at finding Parker at the scene of yet another murder. While he’s hoping that she’ll be able to give him some insight into the people in attendance, she’s adamant that no one in her extended family could have had anything to do with Prynne’s death. He’s justifiably skeptical of her claim, so Parker realizes she’ll have to investigate for herself before anyone else in her family is traumatized by being unjustly accused of homicide. Will her efforts to protect her family put her at greater risk, however, when a ruthless killer decides to strike again?

This was another fun installment of the Colorado Wine mystery series that showcased the best of the state while dealing sensitively with Parker’s on-going efforts to overcome her phobia of driving. Our main cast’s interpersonal relationships were also explored, though I’ll admit that I’m starting to find fandom-obsessed Sage just a little bit more twee than relatable at this point in the proceedings. I love lots of pop culture things, too, but I hopefully don’t let that constitute the bulk of my personality. I did really enjoy the wine and chemistry talk as always, this time with a focus on the port of the title.

There were three vegetarian recipes included in this book, set up as a three-course meal with appropriate wine pairings. I decided to try the first one:

QUOTE
Roasted Red Pepper, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Bruschetta
(Serves 4 to 6)

1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, medium-diced
1 tablespoon capers
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Good rustic bread, sliced ½-inch thick
1 garlic clove, peeled
4-ounce package of goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix roasted red peppers, capers, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, basil, and salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside.

Place the bread on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes, turning halfway, until golden brown and perfectly toasted. While bread is still hot, rub one side with whole garlic clove.

To assemble, add a generous helping of goat cheese to each slice of bread and top with a spoonful of the pepper mixture.
END QUOTE

I love making (and eating!) bruschetta, and am always looking for new variations on the recipes I already enjoy. This was a delightful addition to my repertoire! I used my usual French baguette staple, but sliced it a little more thickly than the ½-inch recommendation in order to help the slices stand up better against any juices from the pepper mixture. The goat cheese helped with this as well. I also mixed up the topping while the bread was baking, in order to save a little more time.

This is a very forgiving recipe if you want to go a little heavy on the red peppers or basil, as I did. I would have added more capers, too, but I ran out of those, alas. This bruschetta is a simple and delicious first course that looks and tastes like you’ve spent far more time and effort making it than you actually have.

Next week, we travel southeast to investigate the intersection between high fashion and high crimes, while baking up another delicious treat. Do join me!

Parker Valentine is thrilled for her cousin, Emma, who is about to marry the man of her dreams. And Parker is hoping that providing the wine for the reception will help grow her winery. However, the day is facing more than the usual rockiness. Then things take a turn when the wedding planner turns up dead, and Parker teams up with an unlikely ally to figure out who did it.

I’d forgotten just how wonderful this series is before I picked up this book, but I was reminded very quickly. The characters are strong. I love seeing how Parker and the rest of the regulars have grown, and the new characters were just as good. Between drama and the mystery, there’s plenty to keep us turning pages, and it leads to a great climax. The way the author weaves in tidbits about grapes and wine to shed light on the story helps build on the theme. There are some funny moments as well, which really added to my enjoyment. The book is written in present tense, which is different, but I find it well worth the extra effort it takes my brain to adjust in the first couple of chapters. We get three recipes at the end, combined with suggested wine pairings. Fans will enjoy this book, and if you haven’t started this series yet, fix that today.

In Till Death Do Us Port by Kate Lansing, Parker Valentine's cousin is about to say I do. So what goes better with a wedding then alot of family drama. The controling wedding planner is found dead before the ceremony, and now Parker has to find the murderer before her family is torn apart.

I love the Calarado Wine Mysteries. The characters are excellent and well defined. Every book is like visiting old friends. The Plots never disappoins. I really enjoyed the story, it had an interesting take to a wedding Mysteries. Throught the book you are constantly wondering if the wedding is ever going to take place and feel horrible for the sweet bride.

I also love how Lansing is so well versed in Wine that she can make a connection to wine with anything and use Wine making as a mediphore to the situation at hand.

I like how Parker is finally finding her own voice and relizing she is worthy of things where in the previous books she aways couldn't understand why Reid loves her or why her business is a success. She's starting to realize she is a force to be reckoned with. I did miss Reid in this story and hope to see him more in the next book but it was good for Parker to be alone and to evolve without Reids presence as a security blanket. It really helped with her characters evolution. I can't wait to see how their charaters and relationship evolve in the next book.

Thank you Netgallery, Kate Lansing and Berkley for the ARC

Parker's cousin Emma is getting hitched, emphasis on the hitch. The quiet, unprepossessing Emma is getting a dream wedding, just not HER dream. Rather than representing Emma and making sure she has the perfect wedding for her, wedding planner Prynne lets family-zilla take over. Unfortunately Emma isn't the only one who's not impressed with Prynne's job performance and before Emma and Nash can light the candle, someone snuffs out Prynne's flame for good.

I love wine. White wine, red wine, port, dry wine, sweet wine, fruit wine, sangria, mulled wine, I'm not picky. I also love cozy mysteries. What's better than reading a cozy mystery while drinking wine? Reading a cozy mystery ABOUT wine while drinking wine. I may have time travelled. This is a great series, a wonderfully charming cast of characters, great settings, fun investigations, and wine. Let's not forget the wine.

It's been quite a while since I read the previous book in this series (which I LOVED) but that didn't take away from the story for me. Following the story was easy (though I did several times get Sage [Parker's best friend] and Sloan [Parker's tasting room manager] mixed up). There were also some new developments as Reid prepares to move to California and Parker is forced to reevaluate their future as a long-distance couple. Parker's mom also has some tricks up her sleeve and I really look forward to seeing how that pans out in the next book.

This series is a must-read for my fellow cozy lover wine enthusiasts!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is the platonic ideal of a cozy mystery. Rather contrived, but ultimately a really fun romp of a read.

Kate Lansing is the reason I'm now a fan of cozy mysteries! I've read all four books in this delightful series, and I can tell you that the author brings sass, a modern vibe, warmth...and wine into all of the stories. The characters stay with you. You root for Parker and now her mother! Kate brings a modern-day Nancy Drew vibe into the genre, specifically, for adults (can we talk about the wine descriptions and the location). Basically, so much fun! I'm hoping for more!

Till Death Do Us Port entertained me from beginning to end.
Getting to know Parker and her family was so much fun, the mystery was well done, and the delicious descriptions of the wines made my mouth water.
The mystery revolves around a wedding, a wedding planner and murder.
Parker can't fight the urge to investigate and when her mom becomes involved, the investigation takes a serious turn.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#TillDeathDoUsPort #NetGalley

This book was pure delight and cozy mystery at its very best! I'm a huge fan of this series and have read all four books to date. With every new mystery I feel like I get to know the core cast of characters even better and I've really enjoyed watching them grow through their loves, challenges, and passions. Lansing has an effortless style and sharp wit that makes the writing a joy to read. I really hope there are more books to come! All the stars from me!

A delightful book. I love the strong cast of recurring characters that Lansing uses. It’s especially fun to have mother and daughter helping each other on this one. I also appreciated the maturity and growth that happens in Parker. What’s great about this book/series is that Parker gets to be philosophical, to sort things out, and to confront her fears. The premise behind this novel—a botched wedding—was done with ease and skill.

A wonderful mystery that again intertwines a vintner’s knowledge and a heart-warming cast.