Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Series: The Ruinous Love Trilogy #1
Published by Zando on January 9, 2024
Genres: Romance
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley
Purchase on: Amazon// Barnes & Noble
Add to: Goodreads

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

rating
four-half-stars

The viral TikTok friends-to-lovers dark romantic comedy full of murder, chaos, and spice—unlike anything you’ve read before—now available in all bookstores  When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of like-minded, pitch-black souls. 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? 

Review

ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED AND IN LOVE WITH BUTCHER & BLACKBIRD BY BRYNNE WEAVER! Like, let me just get that out of the way. Yes, 100% absolutely recommend this book, especially for fans of the Mindf*ck series. I wasn’t sure how this would be a serial killer dark romcom but it absolutely was and I think that might be my new favorite genre.

The spice? Fantastic. Love it. Amazing. Hot. Great. A million other adjectives. It was great and actually broke the boring mold of other dark romances that say spice and think that just means a bit of strangling. This went harder and I mean, considering it is a romance between two serial killers, it had to.

The romance? Perfect, perfect, perfect. It unfurls slowly and over time. Yes, it is a matter of telling us time has passed but it wouldn’t work to show four years of time passing. That would break the tension and turn into a procedural crime novel instead of romcom. We see instalust but have the pleasure of watching that turn into friendship turn into like turn into love. It is built step by step instead of just throwing characters and readers into an unrealistic romance. There’s respect, healthy boundaries, and tough conversations. It is actually one of the healthiest dark romances I’ve read in a while, which is wild considering again, serial killers in love.

Now, my favorite part – the characters! Rowan is absolutely the epitome of golden retriever energy. He is so wonderful and fun and the brevity he brings is refreshing. Yes, Rowan has a darkness in him, of course he does. But it isn’t his sole defining feature or flaw. Sloan is exactly as she calls herself, a skittish blackbird. We get hints of the horror she’s endured in her past, of what molded her into the killer, and woman, she is.

Meeting Rowan brings her to a crossroad where Sloan has to decide if she is going to keep shying away in fear from anything real or stand still enough to test the waters. He falls first and falls hard but recognizes Sloan isn’t there yet, may never be there, and doesn’t burden her with his feelings and wants. Rowan has a life outside of Sloan, outside of murder. He has a family, friends, a business. Sloan has a career, a best friend, a cat. They aren’t simply murder and lust but well-rounded characters.

I 100% recommend Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver for anyone interested in dark romance and cannot WAIT for the other two books in the series.

four-half-stars

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