⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
0🌶 (Adult content but no spice)

**I was sent this ARC in exchange for my honest review**

I go back and forth on loving some crime procedural shows and hating others, so when I got this book I was hopeful it would be the former. Turns out I was right, this was an incredible ride. What always stands out to me in murder mysteries and crime shows is how we the reader / audience are treated. Some books & shows tell us what to think. They make everything black and white, the cops or the vigilantes are the good guys. The murderer is the bad guy. And that just makes us disconnected from the story, and in turn, makes those stories the ones I usually don't like. What GOOD mysteries do is show us the full spectrum of gray and let us decide for ourselves just how "good" or "bad" each aspect is. This is what Nicole did for us in Autopsy of a Fairytale and I loved it.

Bel is our fierce and intuitive detective who survived some serious trauma during her time with NYPD homicide. She decides to move to a small town to escape the horrors of big city crime, but one morning all of that changes as it seems the horror has decided to followed her. What unfolds is a series of murders that had a combined gruesome and artistic nature that had me thinking of the TV show Hannibal (if you loved that show you will love this book!). Nothing is what you think, and nothing is purely black and white.

Garret is Bel's detective partner, and a true small town prince charming. With good looks and a kind heart, he might just be what Bel needs to break back out of her shell and trust someone again. He's also her support as they race against time to solve the increasingly baffling case.

Eamon Stone is a mysterious and reclusive millionaire who is renovating an abandoned castle / mansion on the outskirts of town. He appeared like a ghost and is somehow involved with all of the murders. And yet... there is something drawing Bel to him. His presence practically screams danger, but is he dangerous to Bel or just everyone else?

This story has everything if you love a good murder mystery. Multiple suspects, a conniving and gruesome killer, not to mention twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. I was constantly surprised when my own theories were dashed and new ones had to be formed. By the end we may have solved the case, but we are left with a new mystery (to be explored in the next book). I can't wait for the story to continue and to see how these characters grow!

Last note: a special shout out to Bel's amazing pitbull Cerberus, her fearsome protector and cuddle bug. I always love a doggo companion!!!

(Copy over of review, initially read & reviewed in ebook form) ( )

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
0🌶 (Adult content but no spice)

**I was sent this ARC in exchange for my honest review**

I go back and forth on loving some crime procedural shows and hating others, so when I got this book I was hopeful it would be the former. Turns out I was right, this was an incredible ride. What always stands out to me in murder mysteries and crime shows is how we the reader / audience are treated. Some books & shows tell us what to think. They make everything black and white, the cops or the vigilantes are the good guys. The murderer is the bad guy. And that just makes us disconnected from the story, and in turn, makes those stories the ones I usually don't like. What GOOD mysteries do is show us the full spectrum of gray and let us decide for ourselves just how "good" or "bad" each aspect is. This is what Nicole did for us in Autopsy of a Fairytale and I loved it.

Bel is our fierce and intuitive detective who survived some serious trauma during her time with NYPD homicide. She decides to move to a small town to escape the horrors of big city crime, but one morning all of that changes as it seems the horror has decided to followed her. What unfolds is a series of murders that had a combined gruesome and artistic nature that had me thinking of the TV show Hannibal (if you loved that show you will love this book!). Nothing is what you think, and nothing is purely black and white.

Garret is Bel's detective partner, and a true small town prince charming. With good looks and a kind heart, he might just be what Bel needs to break back out of her shell and trust someone again. He's also her support as they race against time to solve the increasingly baffling case.

Eamon Stone is a mysterious and reclusive millionaire who is renovating an abandoned castle / mansion on the outskirts of town. He appeared like a ghost and is somehow involved with all of the murders. And yet... there is something drawing Bel to him. His presence practically screams danger, but is he dangerous to Bel or just everyone else?

This story has everything if you love a good murder mystery. Multiple suspects, a conniving and gruesome killer, not to mention twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. I was constantly surprised when my own theories were dashed and new ones had to be formed. By the end we may have solved the case, but we are left with a new mystery (to be explored in the next book). I can't wait for the story to continue and to see how these characters grow!

Last note: a special shout out to Bel's amazing pitbull Cerberus, her fearsome protector and cuddle bug. I always love a doggo companion!!! ( )