Title: Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy #1)
Author: Brynne Weaver
Release Date: August 15th, 2023
Standalone/Series: Series
Genre: Adult Fiction – Dark – Romance – Humor
My rating in stars:
My rating in words:
Loved it!
WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
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.
MY THOUGHTS (spoiler-free):
“You know what they say, Blackbird. ‘It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye,’” I whisper. “And that’s when the real fun begins.”
Well, who would have thought that the first review I’d write after a three-month long review drought would end up being a serial killer rom-com? Not me, that’s for sure! It’s definitely not my usual type of read. But oh boy, did I enjoy this book. Loved it, even. And here’s a short list/rave of why:
The hilariously unhinged but enjoyable plot
The story starts when two vigilante serial killers accidentally meet and decide to play an annual game where they have 7 days to take down their target and whoever gets them first, wins. Best 3 out of 5! This game takes them all over the US and they end up in all kinds of crazy situations: in B&B’s with peeping toms, dinner dates with cannibals, … Like I said, unhinged but oh so much fun.
Dark, but with plenty of humor
You might think a book about serial killers is not for you and sure, it might not be. There are some gory scenes. Murders get committed, eyes get gouged out. Buuut there’s also a lot of humor and the story doesn’t take itself that seriously either. So I feel like there was a weird balance in there. I’m just saying that I’m a scaredy cat who does not like horror or gore AT ALL, but I still highly enjoyed this read because it had enough humor and romance to keep me hooked.
Likeable characters, even if their idea of fun is probably not your own
Sloane and Rowan were such amazing and fun characters! Sure, they’re serial killers, but they only kill other serial killers. They’re like vigilante serial killers. So, umm, that counts for something, right? Any way, you don’t have to relate to these two to be able to love them. They’re such a fun duo and I love that they are opposites. Sloane is shy and anxious and sassy. She’s very meticulous when it comes to her kills, making art works of them. Rowan is more of smash and bash kind of guy, but he’s also witty and funny and has major golden retriever energy. Together, their banter was the best.
The slow-burn friends to lovers romance. THE PINING!
While the book is quite steamy too, it does take a while for the steam to get there. Which means there’s a very decent amount of slow burn and pining happening. It’s a slow journey from strangers to friends to best friends to lovers for Sloane and Rowan and it is delicious.
So yes, I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for something dark but also funny and steamy and not too serious. Definitely don’t skip the trigger warnings though!
SOME FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Boobs plus murder don’t equal a relationship, Lark. That math ain’t mathin’.”
“I didn’t gouge them out, Butcher. I plucked them. Delicately. Like a lady.”
“He’s Rowan,” Sloane says, gesturing at me again. Rose narrows her eyes as though this is insufficient information. “He’s my f-fr…boy. Guy. A man-guy. I’m…with. Here.” I snort a laugh as Rose’s face scrunches. “Man-guy,” I echo. “Real smooth, Blackbird.”
“Maybe I was right. We’re not normal people. We are monsters. But if we’re monsters, we’ll thrive in the dark. Together.”
“What are you doing?” I hiss. Rowan rests the handle of the ax against his shoulder and huffs before giving me a wink. “Getting revenge for hurting my girl, of course.”
Tell Me:
Have you read Butcher & Blackbird or will you be reading it?
Okay, serial killer rom-com was not on my bingo card this year but your review has me so intrigued by this! This story isn’t at all what I expected by looking at this cover 😂 I’ll be adding this to my TBR now. Great review!
Haha, I’d definitely recommend adding it to the bingo card because it was unexpected but probably one of my favorite reads of the year 😀
Ahh, this sounds like so much fun!
It really is 🙂
You made this sound like a lot of fun! I am now curious! A serial killer rom-com was not something I have ever thought of.
Haha I definitely hadn’t thought I’d ever read (and love) a serial-killer rom-com, but here we are 🙂
“Hilariously unhinged” somehow feels like just what I’m in the mood for, so… I know what I’m getting my hands on next payday.
Haha hope you’ll enjoy!
Sometimes it’s the most unexpected books that end up the best. This one sounds hilarious and I really wanna read it now! 😀
So true! And it was such a hilarious read indeed, I hope you’ll love it too if you decide to try it!