Monday, November 28, 2016

Caprice De Luca Mystery #6

Shades of Wrath (Caprice De Luca Mystery #6)SHADES OF WRATH is book 6 in Karen Rose Smith's Caprice De Luca Home Staging cozy mystery series.  Between her booming business, her family, and her work rescuing stray animals, home stager Caprice De Luca's life is packed. But when a murder unsettles peaceful Kismet, Pennsylvania, she adds amateur sleuth to her resume.

Thanks to a wealthy patron, Kismet's women's shelter, Sunshine Tomorrow, has inherited a run-down mansion. Now the shelter's director, Wendy Newcomb, wants Caprice's decorating expertise. Caprice is happy to help, but when she glimpses a few heated encounters between Wendy and some locals, she fears that Wendy may be in need of protection herself.

When Wendy is found dead inside the old house, Caprice is compelled to poke around in her affairs--and discovers she had her share of enemies. Now, with countless clients, a TV gig that could make her a household name, and rumors of a marriage proposal on its way, Caprice must find time to design an investigation that will lure a crafty killer into the wide open--before someone else winds up in a state of permanent disrepair...
 

Expected publication: November 29th 2016
 by Kensington  
 
 
 
Available for Purchase:
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:
 
 
Award-winning author Karen Rose Smith was born in Pennsylvania. Although she was an only child, she remembers the bonds of an extended family. Family is a strong theme in her books and she suspects her childhood memories are the reason.

In college, Karen began writing poetry and also met her husband to be. They both began married life as teachers, but when their son was born, Karen decided to try her hand at a home-decorating business.

She returned to teaching for a while but changes in her life led her to writing relationship novels. Now she writes romances as well as mysteries full time. Her first book was published in 1992; her 80th novel will be published in 2013. A winner of New Jersey's Golden Leaf Award in Short Contemporary Romance, Colorado Romance Writers Award Of Excellence for short contemporary, as well as the Phoenix Desert Rose Chapter's Golden Quill for Traditional Romance, she has also been honored with Cataromance.com's award for Best Special Edition and Washington Romance Writers Career Achievement Award. Her romances have made both the USA TODAY list and the Amazon Romance and Contemporary Romance Bestseller lists.
 
 
 
My Thoughts:
 
 
I absolutely love these cozy mysteries starring Caprice DeLuca. She is a very strong, compelling woman who loves a good puzzle. She has reinvented herself with the decline in the economy and is loving her business of staging homes. She is quiet busy with her work, but also she has a love of animals and helps with rescues and finding them forever homes. In this mystery she touches on a very tough issue, domestic abuse, and gives the reader a realistic view of it.
 Wendy Newcomb had established a woman's shelter in Kismet and is planning to expand her foundation and invites Caprice to an old Tudor home being renovated as housing for transitional care with the possibility of her doing the decorating. After meeting with Wendy it's decided that Caprice with formulate a design and they would discuss putting the final touches on it. Unfortunately for Caprice before anything can be put into motion Wendy is found dead in the Tudor mansion.
 As the investigation heats up so does Caprice's business and love life. As the story unfolds Caprice takes the opportunity to be involved in a reality show which will showcase her talents and she starts taking a deeper look at her relationship with Grant. Of course there's a kitty rescue involved in the story so Caprice's love of animals comes shining through.
This is a wonderful mystery with lots of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages quickly. The secondary characters are engaging and well integrated into the story. The plot flows effortlessly and brings beautiful imagery. The author brings an artful touch to the book by including recipes at the end. Each recipe is taken from the story and I love them. I have tried several. If you like a good, clean mystery then this one is perfect for you. Even though this book is part of a series this is an easy stand alone story. I think this is my favorite book in the series so far, but then again I say that every time because each story keeps getting better and better. I look forward tot he next one in the series. I volunteered to read the advanced reader copy from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

4 comments:

  1. It is a wonderful book. It is my favorite to this point, too and I have loved every one. I would love to know more about what Caprice decided to do with the house; that is how real the stories and characters feel to me.

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    1. Billie, I feel the same way. When Karen releases a new book I go back and reread the previous ones. I love Caprice and secretly I have been cheering for Grant. Have you tried any of Karen's recipes? I love that she includes them. I have tried several. Thank you for stopping by.
      Blessings

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