Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna
A Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery #3
By Maia Chance
ISBN#9780425271643
Maiachance.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele
Synopsis: 
Variety hall actress Ophelia Flax knows how to win over an audience. That’s why she’s accepted the marriage proposal of the brutish Comte de Griffe to nettle her occasional investigative partner—and romantic sparring partner—the pompous if dashing Professor Penrose.
But with his boorish table manners, wild mane of hair, and habit of prowling away the wee hours, the comte has shredded Ophelia’s last nerve. She intends to disengage from her feral fiancé at his winter hunting party—until Penrose, his lovely new fiancée, and a stagecoach of stranded travelers arrive at the comte’s sprawling château. Soon she can’t tell the boars from the bores.
When one of the guests is found clawed and bloody in the orangerie, Ophelia is determined to solve the murder before everyone starts believing the local version of Beauty and the Beast. But until the snows melt, she can’t trust her eyes—or her heart—since even the most civilized people hold beastly secrets… (Goodreads)
Review:
Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna is the third book in the fantastic Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery series by Maia Chance, and it is a roaring good time from start to finish.
American actress Ophelia Flax has made a mess of things by pretending to be someone she is not and agreeing to marry the Comte de Griffe, all in an effort to make Oxford professor, and scholar of folk tales, Gabriel Penrose jealous. She plans to break things off with the comte, but fellow actress Henrietta Bright begs her to maintain the charade long enough for Henrietta to bag her next husband at the comte’s winter hunting party. Since Henrietta has agreed to pay her for her trouble, Ophelia reluctantly agrees. Ophelia arrives at the chateau to find Penrose, along with his new fiancé and future father-in-law, among the guests. Mayhem ensues when the comte announces that the wedding will take place within a few days, a stranded traveler is murdered, and a thief steals items from each of the guests, including Ophelia’s engagement ring. When whispers start swirling about the beast of local legend being responsible for the death, Ophelia decides she must unmask the murderer and find her ring so that she can call off the wedding, all while dealing with her unresolved feelings for Penrose.
I love the Fairy Tale Fatal series, and this third installment does not disappoint. It is a fanciful combination of fairy tales come to life, cozy mystery, Victorian historical fiction, and romance. Ms. Chance masters writing that completely transports the reader to Ophelia’s world. With rich details and period correct characters, Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna provides the perfect escape from daily life.
The characters are well developed and interesting. Ophelia is plucky and resourceful, and I love her knack for disguise. Professor Penrose is charming, intelligent, and daring in his own right. They are like oil and water with their very different upbringings, stations in life, and personalities, but they make an excellent investigative team. The supporting characters are equally skillfully drawn, and each one is vital to the story. The murder mystery itself it top notch, a complex weaving of plot twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. What a smart, unexpected unraveling of relationships and events! And, of course, the inclusion of the fairy tale is integral to the plot and completely plausible.
I give Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna my highest recommendation.
