What a cute, funny and spicy dark comedy romance. While I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as a dark romance per se, the two main characters are twisted vigilante serial killers (but with consciences). So the subject matter is gruesome, but the romance was funny, sweet, fun and wonderful. I’m also a sucker for the he-falls-first trope, and this did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the banter, and I thoroughly enjoyed the spice. I would definitely read more of this author, and I would love to read the second in the trilogy for sure. (This is the first book in a trilogy, but they are definitely interconnected stand-alones.)

I requested Butcher & Blackhird mainly for trigger warnings.
Preface, I'm particularly sensitive if the mentioned trigger warnings are shown in a movie, otherwise I'm not impressed if I read them in a book.

Excluding a few scenes, of the whole list of trigger warnings mentioned, I'll have found two or three easily "impressionable" for sensitive readers. The rest are scenes that we can safely find in any fantasy during a war or battle. Take your pick.

The novel is smooth, at times original, but also flat at times.
Still, it was a read that managed to keep me entertained, a fun and somewhat splattery rom-com.
I will definitely continue with the next books in the series.

Perfect for fans of “You” or “there are no sinners/ there are no saints” duology or the mindfuck series. A love story about two serial killers, who enter a competition together. The plot twist was a bit predictable to me, and the cannibalism just wasn’t my favorite, but the banter was great. Looking forward to book two!

Wow just wow! Reading the synopsis I was intrigued but also slightly concerned. Haha but I needed to know. This book pleasantly surprised me and I can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy!!! Who knew I’d eat up a dark romcom like I did!!

♾️ stars.

First things first: this is a dark rom com so make sure you check the trigger warning list before reading!

This book was everything I expected of it and more! I've been wanting to read it since it came out and everyone was praising it so highly so when I saw it was on netgalley I immediately requested it - thank you so much for letting me read it btw.

It was tense, swoon worthy, funny, tear inducing and everything in between. One minute I was holding my breath, the next I was laughing, and immediately after that I was giggling kicking my feet.

Rowan and Sloane captured my heart from the beginning. They were real, raw, unfiltered and absolute icons! Their banter was just *chef's kiss* (pun not intended). Their meet cute was hilarious and the fact that Rowan was absolutely whipped from the beginning was cherry on top, I love the he falls first and harder trope. My man was obsessed!

“Maybe I was right. We’re not normal people. We are monsters. But if we’re monsters, we’ll thrive in the dark. Together.”

I'll be recommending this book to EVERYONE and their mother!! And I can NOT wait for the rest of this trilogy - I'm already obsessed with Lark and Lachlan.

PS - I'll never be able to look at cream ice cream the same way…

This was a fun time and enjoyable read. It is the type of book that you can just sit down and finish in one sitting!

Thanks to NetGalley I received a free electronic copy of the book to read and provide a review.

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a serial killer podcast girly. I shy away from horror and suspense books but THIS book…this book was excellent. It was a compelling page turner. It had all the very best parts of a romantic comedy with the added bonus of blood, gore, and cannibalism.

The romantic tension between Sloane and Rowan was done well and effortlessly. I loved their banter and found myself snort laughing in the midst of pretty disturbing scenes. The actual story was unique and entertaining too.

All in all, it was a beautiful balance between romance and murder. I’ll never look at cookies and cream ice cream the same again.

So this was a book I saw recommended on TikTok but didn’t really read a synopsis or twigged warnings before requesting it as an arc- oops. This definitely was not for me- but I also didn’t hate it? I’m squeamish, and the spice was a bit much for me so I didn’t love those aspects (which were most of the book lol). I did like the characters and the banter though! I can’t think of a single person I would recommend this to but I know there are lots who would absolutely love it. Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for the arc.

Didn’t get very far in as I the descriptions made me a bit queasy from the start. Thought I’d give it a try as I’d heard many good things but I don’t think dark romance is my jam. The concept is a great idea and I can definitely see why people enjoy it but that trigger list was enough to scare me off haha.

The tone of this was so incredibly jarring!! I know people love it but I actually can't understand what makes them love it. It's horrifying!

This was the best mix of darkness and hilarity! I enjoyed the banter between the MCs, and the author's descriptions of the murder scenes are fantastic from page one! The side characters are great and I'm looking forward to more books in this series!

What a fun twist on the rom-com genre! Two ‘unalivers’ finding & navigating their favortite things, each other and we’ll……unaliving people haha. I absolutely adored this story & devoured within a day.

Without giving away to much of the fun, if you enjoy reading about characters working on themselves as well as together, sharing the love of a ‘hobby’ and don’t mind a bit of accidental cannibalism & questionable ice cream ingredients in your reading then you won’t regret spending time with Sloane & Rowan.

🔪 Romantic Comedy
🔪 Friends to Lovers
🔪 Banter is off the charts
🔪 Slowburn (but totally worth it)
🔪 Unique Twist on a Rom-Com

I will say that I had no idea what to expect when I first opened this book. I think my eyebrows were up to my hairline the entire time.

I laughed and gasped so many times in this book. I think the best way to describe this story was crazy in love.

It was a fun read. I had a few squeamish moments but I enjoyed it all the way.

Sloane and Rowan are serial killers...except they only kill other serial killers. After meeting by chance, they begin an odd friendship, meeting every year to participate in a game to see who can find and kill a certain serial killer first. As they challenge one another, their friendship grows into something more, but their risky hobby could ruin it all.

This book is completely different from what I usually read. I typically shy away from anything with suspense or gore, but I’ve heard so many good things about this one that I gave it a shot and I’m so glad I did! While it does have some suspense and grossness, it wasn’t excessive or over the top and the writing was incredibly engaging.

Sloane is smart, funny, and so freaking loveable. Her kills and the clues she left behind are so complex, artistic, and well thought out. Rowan is a chef with tattoos and falls so hard for Sloane. It’s adorable…and adorable in a story about murders is pretty impressive. The banter between her and Rowan was perfection and the spice is spicy!

I loved this story, and am looking forward to the next one in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

4⭐️!
I’ve never read anything like this! It was my first dark romance, and was definitely an experience

I loved the concept of two serial killers killing serial killers. I sound crazy for saying that lol but it was so unique. I loved the two main characters! They had so much chemistry and their teasing and banter was fun. Almost gave me Joe and Love vibes from You!

This is probably the spiciest/most smut I’ve ever read and I don’t know how I feel about it. I’ve read tame books in comparison 😂 I think I still need to get used to it lol

The warning at the beginning, it turned out to not be bad! If you read horror or thrillers you’ll be fine. Bring on the cannibalism

This book was just insanity. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the story and the gore and the gruesome and even the smug. Anxiously awaiting book 2.

Also love that Brynne Weaver included an ample list of trigger warnings at the beginning.

I had very little expectations when I picked up this book, as I haven’t previously read anything by this author before. However, the blurb definitely intrigued me and I was in need of a dark romance read! I’ve just finished reading it, so let’s chat about it!

It was a slight slow-burner on the spice front, which was refreshing in all honesty. I felt that it gave the reader a lot more time to connect to the characters, and allowed the storyline to develop. Once the spice kicked in, it was definitely more believable and was pretty damn good! However there was one scene that did make my stomach turn ever so slightly.

I really enjoyed our main characters Sloane and Rowan. They both were interesting characters in their own right, but their chemistry together was just incredible. I loved their banter and their dark humour, it was thoroughly enjoyable to read. I loved the idea of them being two killers, and thoroughly enjoyed Sloane being sort of a vigilante killer. That was a fresh and exciting aspect of the book.

I did find the pacing of the book varied a bit, especially towards the end. I did find that during the last 30-20%, I lacked engagement in the story, which I felt was due to it suddenly becoming quite rushed.

Overall, I did really enjoy the book and would rate it 3.75 stars! It was exciting & fresh, however it didn’t engage me as much towards the end. I’d recommend for any dark romance fans!

This book was fine, I just couldn’t get into it

~This was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This book was so friggin amazing and definitely a top five for me this year.

I loved the humor in this dark romance, and the levity Brynne wrote around some of the heavier scenes.

Rowan was so cute and sweet, while being a lethal monster when he needed to be. I liked his unrestrained methods juxtaposed against Sloane's methodical plans. The two were a perfect compliment in that he softened her and she challenged him.

The spice was so amazing and hot. The spit scene melted my underwear. A million stars. Will never recover.

Sloane a female serial killer gets herself in a bit of a predicament after her victim locks her in her own trap. When another serial come to her rescue they team up for a deadly game of who can track and kill their next victim first. Both serial killers separated by distance find themselves growing closer in the fun, quirky romance horror.

I really enjoyed this book. The time jumps were a bit confusing at first but I was quickly pulled in. Wasn’t a huge fan of the spice scenes but the romance and gore were immaculate. Looking forward to the next book!