Butcher & Blackbird is a MUST READ for lovers of dark romance. Brynne Weaver curated the perfect dark rom-com. Butcher & Blackbird was dark and gory in nature but absolutely swoon worthy. By the end of this book you will be completely smitten and will have fallen for two unhinged serial killers. Her characters are perfectly imperfect in the best way. The introductory to the trigger warnings will have you questioning your sanity but I promise you if you buckle up you'll be taken on the ride of your life. Butcher & Blackbird was a page turner, it had me laughing, clutching my pearls and surprisingly enough a little bit weepy.

It is safe to say I'm obsessed and I want MORE! This book was unexpectedly fun and so entertaining. Butcher & Blackbird deserves all the hype. I enjoyed Brynne's writing style and the overall pacing of the story. The end had me shocked and ready to go to war for our FMC Sloane.

I can't wait to know the other characters and see where their stories go.

I need this book on my shelf NOW!

What a book! It definitely gives me "You" vibes, and plays into the Dark Romance genre nicely. The characters are interesting, and I had a hard time putting this book down. I really enjoyed it, and I'm excited to read more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book.

When I saw a book that said, accidential canabilism as a trigger warning, I KNEW I had to read it, just to see what it was all about. This is a fantastic book, filled with a little bit of everything. Also, please trust me, if you loved the Mindf*ck series, you will LOVE this book..

I am giving this book five stars, but it deserves 10 stars for sure. Overall I'd definitely read this book again and I would recommend this book for fans of other romance books. I have received this ARC for an honest review, all thoughts/ opinions above are my own.

This was hectic and fun and dark, I loved it. This has 2 serial killers who kill other serial killers/bad people who find and fall for each other. I expected a twisted rom com based on some other reviews and that did deliver especially for the first half. The second half turns into a bit of a different book and more into dark romance and romantic suspense elements.

I was so pleasantly surprised by the friends to lovers aspect of this. I felt like each way their relationship progressed really made sense for who the characters were as people, with one exception. The one exception being the content warnings at the beginning for dum/sub kind of spice felt like 1 to 100 coming from Rowan. It might possibly be due to his pining and not a lot of hinting at this side of him under the surface prior to it just exploding. I don't think it is necessarily a fault of the writing, I'm just mentioning cause I was a bit confused as a reader getting the CWs and then what felt like a slow burn for like 50%. Just be patient.

Alright, the gore. I have read many a dark romance and mafia romance. There are typically torture and unaliving scenes I've basically skimmed through in those but not this book. This book is written so detailed and precisely and it was another great element of using the gore for a purpose. Each of their methods also showed more about their characters. I don't normally get squeamish but I will say this got to me at times, not in a way where I couldn't read it just like wow this is twisted.

One minor critique I would have for this is what feels like a plot hole. They don't see each other in person for a large chunk of time yet supposedly talk everyday. When they meet up again Sloane asks how Rowan's upcoming restaurant opening is coming along and asks about a mutual they have and how they are doing. At that time those were everyday things in Rowan's life so why wouldn't she already know? There's no way if they were talking everyday he wouldn't mention it so it took me out of the story a bit. I will give credit to this author in that the rest of it was very believable. I've read thrillers with way more plot holes when it comes to murder-y shenanigans and this premise is even more wild and yet I believed it. There was just that one scene that became a sticking point to me that I wanted to mention.

I loved them together. I loved that the romantic suspense near the end didn't take away from the romance at all. This has quite a bit of what I would call adventure and thrills, but at the heart of it is a romance. I also really appreciate the CW for CSA and that it not being in detail- it truly is not and the point is still very much made and that is a credit to non-gratuitous writing.

Thank you so much to Zando for the eARC. I look forward to the next strandalone in the series!

I have to say, I wasn't expecting a dark romance/romcom, but this book definitely made me laugh but also dual serial killers makes for some dark moments. hah. I loved this book and was thoroughly surprised by it. This is my first read from this author. The MMC is definitely golden retriever energy and falls first, and I love that! I would definitely recommend this read.

5 stars

There are those books that the reviews are easy to write. And then there are books like Butcher & Blackbird that are difficult. Not because I didn't love it, but because I loved it so much I just want to gush about every aspect. Every interaction. Every time I swooned. I cheered this two on so hard and I tried to savor my reading because I didn't want the book to end.

For a book about two serial killers, this book was so much more romantic than it had any right to be. I was prepared for the darker aspects because I read the trigger warnings. But I was not prepared for how much swooning I would do or how much I would love both main characters. Rowan was so much more sunshine than I anticipated. Sloane was so relatable (somehow). I loved their "meet-cute". The development of their game and ensuing friendship was so effortless. The tension between them was perfect and so was the banter. I rooted for them from the beginning to be in love immediately, but they also made me root for them to be good at their "hobby". I loved the ending of this story and every step that led to it.

This book was an easy five stars for me. The story was unique- it made me laugh, it made me happy, and it made me swoon. You get enough of the side characters to understand them and peak interest (yes, I need the next book now) without overtaking the main characters.

I urge everyone to check the trigger warnings. BUT I still highly recommend this book.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Zando Projects for the early read. Definitely a new favorite!

As someone who loves dark comedies, a dark comedey with a romance at the heart is perfect for me. One of the greatest things for me - besides Rowan and Sloane's chemistry which has sparks flying from the jump - is the laugh out loud humor throughout the story. I audibly laughed many times. And even with Rowan and Sloane's particular extracurricular activities, they are still such well developed characters with ambitions, drive, goals, passions, communities. And I can't speak highly enough about the audiobook - the true duet style narration was fabulous, and it really helped me be engaged the whole book. I'm definintely looking forward to the rest of the series!

While I wanted in on the action for this book - it has become extremely popular - I found myself increasingly disturbed by the romanticization of serial killers. This has been unfolding for a few years, and it is absolutely not okay. While I like my villains to be dark, serial killers should not be idolized. No thank you.

Two serial killers turning into lovers alone caught my eye and I had to read this book right away. This book was hilarious and thrilling all at once. A bit of a slow burn, but SPICY. HOT. FIRE. These two lovers bring forth intense chemistry and banter that causes you to laugh out loud.

I wish the rest of the series was out already. The only downside to reading such a great start of a new series is the waiting game. BUT its worth the wait!

Warning - the ending will grip your heart a bit.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Truth I heard about this book on Tiktok. Let me tell you though!! This was such a good book! I can't wait to read the second book. I didn't think i would like it but it was so awesome!! Will be recommending this book to others. it had a little of everything in it.

4.25 Stars - I loved this book! It's an amazing dark romance that had me thoroughly entertained throughout. The storyline is about two serial killers who enjoy hunting and killing other serial killers. I found Rowan and Sloane's chemistry fantastic, and their flirty banter was delightful. While it was a slow burn, the romance had plenty of spice. I also loved the supporting characters, including the family and friends, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the second book in the series featuring Lachlan and Lark.

Unpopular opinion: I did not like this one.

Sloane and Rowan fall hard and fast in love, each independently tackling serial killers across the country and then together. Their adventures were interesting in the least to read about. I did not mind some gore/bloody scenes.

Hear me out. The pinning on Rowans end was not cute. It was as if he fell in love with her for the sole reason of her being a serial killer. I did not feel any romance development or interesting storyline. The side characters were alarmingly annoying and how were so many people in on this without getting caught? Ugh, maybe just coming off reading the Mindf*ck series did me dirty for this one. I was hoping it was going to give me those vibes and it did not. I was incredibly bored throughout the book and skimmed the entire second half of it.

I am sorry, not for me. It seems like the general consciences of this book is that everyone really liked it. I don't know one person I've talked to that didn't. Netgalley and publisher, please forgive me for this "negative" but honest review of Butcher and Blackbird. And as always, thank you for the advanced readers copy publishing on 01/09/2024!

Oh, my. (She says, clutching her pearls and looking for the next book in the series.) It was spicy...and I'm a fan of spice, but dare I say, learned a few new things? And the piercings. My, my, my. It was hot in all the right ways, great dialogue and an intriguing story. There were all shades of gray...I mean, are they really bad? It hooked me and I read it in one sitting. Can't wait for the next one!

🖤Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver 🩷
The Ruinous Love Trilogy, Book 1
Interconnected standalone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️
Adult • Romance
NetGalley review
360 pages

🔪 dark romcom
🐦‍⬛ morally gray MCs
🔪 slow burn
🐦‍⬛ friends to lovers
🔪 he falls first
🐦‍⬛ touch her/him and 💀
🔪 forced proximity
🐦‍⬛ annual murdeckery

📍“No one competes with Sloane. She just hasn’t realized it yet.”

Some of you might look at the blurb saying “dark romcom where one serial unliver falls for another serial unliver while they unlive serial unlivers” and have reservations. Meanwhile, I just throw a “say less” and immediately request a copy. If that makes me a ps$cho, fine. But I’m their ps$cho 😜

📍“Sloane, I can’t lose you.”
“Then you’d better kiss me.”

Rowan and Sloane were two masterpieces of characters created with the sole purpose of making me happy. It’s like mindfck but make it a romcom and I don’t think my heart can cope. Too much blissful joy inside of it. I think it might actually self combust.

📍“Before you came along, something was missing. You, Rowan. You were missing.”

In the sea of so many lookalike romances, Brynne Weaver (what a last name *wink*) gifted us something as unique as entertaining. If this isn’t on your radar, do you even read?! Because… must 👏🏼

Sorry, 2024. You really started off with a 💥 and I feel like you either bring your A game or this will go downhill from here. 🙈

This was so much fun!! This book will have you giggling and kicking your feet, while also rooting for two serial killers to get their happy ending!

This book was just pure FUN! I know that’s a weird thing to say about a serial killer story, but I’m sorry, it just was 😂

This book was gory, silly, SEXY, and so adorably romantic! I think the target audience of this book is smut readers who romanticized the show Dexter, and I am very much within that demographic.

I loved the characters, I loved their chemistry and banter, and I loved the way they bonded over their common hobby! I thought it was hilarious that these two serial killers fell in love while murdering people.

I will say that I was a bit nervous going in because I don’t like dark romance, but the fact that this was a romantic comedy made it perfect! Highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the rest of the trilogy!

How is it possible to have this much fun while reading about two serial killers? Idk what is in this book but I simply COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.

The characters, the banter, the spice!!! It had everything! PLUS the MMC is named ROWAN? AND HE FALLS FIRST?

Might as well string me up with some fishing line and pluck out my eyeballs bc I am dead.

So so good. I wasn't sure how it would be because there is so much hype, but the hype is real and so deserved! I annotated at least one quote from every chapter. The banter was witty and a lot of fun, and the writing was quick. I also enjoyed the movie quote references that Brynne snuck in (“Did we just become best friends? Should we go do karate in the garage?”).

Butcher & Blackbird is so dirty and full of questionable morals, but the writing is amazing so you aren't even phased by it. It was more like being serial killers was just this fun hobby the MCs had in common but was not a huge deal.

Rowan was a great MMC. If a competitive, morally grey, dirty talking, cinnamon roll is your dream book boyfriend then the Butcher is your guy.

Sloane was such a strong FMC. She went toe-to-toe with Rowan on more than one occasion and was written as his equal in every way, which I loved so much.

I will be reading every book in this series and absolutely cannot wait for Leather & Lark to come next.

Bonus: check it out on audio! The narrators Joe Arden and Lucy Rivers were amazing and I really enjoyed the shared narration within the designated POV of each chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley, Zando Projects and Brynne Weaver for an advance copy. These are my honest thoughts.

This was so much fun to read and definitely deserves most of the hype it has been getting! If you think you want to read it just for the spice, just know that you're not going to get any true spicy scenes until about two thirds of the way through the book. My favorite scene is probably the accidental cannibalism scene (not a spoiler, it's listed in the trigger warnings in the beginning). I definitely laughed out loud several times!

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked up Butcher & Blackbird but I was definitely surprised with what I got. This is one of the most graphic books I have ever read in both murder and sex scenes.

We get both main character's point of view in this book which I typically love. Both Butcher & Blackbird are serial killers who hunt serial killers. Each year they are brought together by a competition when they hunt the same killer.

On one hand, I couldn't look away from this book. Brynne Weaver's writing is uninhibited. The pages turned quickly and my jaw dropped multiple times.

On the other hand, I didn't like the insta-love in this book. I also felt like the flow had 3 separate parts that didn't necessarily flow together easily. Part 1: Lots of murdering. Part 2: Lots of sex but also the murdering takes the back burner while they open a restaurant? Part 3: A predictable plot twist that leads to a resolution.

Ultimately I think there is an audience for this book but I am not part of that audience.