Butcher & Blackbird

Brynne Weaver

Ruinous Love Trilogy #1
Publication date: August 14th, 2023

SYNOPSIS:

Every serial killer needs a friend.
Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

Butcher & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love Dark Romance trilogy of interconnected stand-alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA.

***Butcher & Blackbird is a DARK ROMANCE intended for an adult audience – please see Brynne’s website for a comprehensive list of CWs***

REVIEW:

First things first – I would like to thank the two ladies who recommended this book to me, Elyse and Holly. Had you both not completely gushed about this book I would not have considered picking it up and it would have been such a damn shame. Like the synopsis says – please read and visit Brynne’s website for an in-depth list of content warnings before you purchase this book. That being said – I LOVED this book. I blew through it in two nights of reading – I couldn’t put it down.

I loved Sloane and Rowan both, and their serial killer ways – since, like Dexter, they hunt the dregs of society… the worst of the worst. Orb weavers are a fairly common spider here and I loved that this was Sloane’s “serial killer” moniker. Common names for this spider are the cat-faced spider, which made Winston’s appearance funny, and the jewel spider, which to me, is how Rowan views Sloane. Their initial reactions to each other were slightly insta-love but the foundation for a legitimate relationship was built after their initial meeting and it covers years of time, making it more believable. Their banter had me laughing out loud so many times and those steamy nsfw scenes… *fans self*.

He knows my darkest secrets. I know his. We can be monsters, and maybe we don’t deserve the same things that other people do. Happiness. Affection. Love. But I can’t seem to stop the way I feel when I look at every facet of Rowan, from his brightest light to his deepest, most dangerous dark. Maybe I don’t deserve it for the things I’ve done. But I want it. I want more with him than what I’ve got.

I’m beyond excited to read the next book in the series, Leather & Lark, slated to release June 4th, 2024. Even though I was a little sad to see that the trilogy wouldn’t be solely about Sloane and Rowan, they will still indirectly be in the book. The cliffhanger at the end has my mind churning as to who the POV could be and if his brother was mentioned in the book. I’ll be here – impatiently waiting for the next book to devour though.