4.5 -⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

"You know what they say, Blackbird. 'It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye...' And that's when the fun begins."

Butcher & Blackbird is the first novel in the adult dark romantic comedy series, Ruinous Love. In this novel we follow Sloane and Rowan...serial killers who kill serial killers. When they find themselves hunting the same the same murderer they strike up a bond built on admiration and skill...and delicious tension ensues. As time progresses their connection goes stronger and stronger but will the past threaten their perfectly morbid future?

This book is absurd in all the best ways. It plays off as a cosy rom com of two people finding a common interest, bonding over an appreciation of their work, and then slowly falling in love through yearly competitions. The kicker is said interest is serial killing and they are both VERY good at it.

Sloane has spent her days perfecting her craft and I felt she played into the very calm and collective front that felt suave yet she has this underlying vulnerability when it comes to being with someone that tugged on my heart strings. Meanwhile Rowan is a chef pining for the girl he has a crush on and I was LIVING for it. He will plans these elaborate events as any opportunity to have her nearby and let me tell you I just wanted to shove them together for a good chunk of this book.

The book is about a 2 spicy pepper out of 5 spicy pepper, which I was actually surprised about given the dark nature of the content. This is a slow burn romance taking place over a long period of time as these character learn to feel safe with the other. I felt it was incredibly sweet with a touch of miscommunication as the struggled to tell the person how they felt which led to some moments.

"You're all the best things to me, Sloane. No matter how many bruises are in your heart or on your skin."

In terms of story, this felt like a coasting kind of journey. The focus is the characters and their developing relationship but that doesn't mean we don't get some action, slices of life, and a bit of drama. Oh, also blood, death, and murder. The humour is dark but it fits the story. I loved the side characters and their ribbing of the main characters; I loved the competitiveness of the characters; and I loved watching these two fall in love. This is a book with graphic content and themes so check your triggers but ultimately it is a story of two very strange people falling in love in the sweetest of ways. I adored it.

If you want an absurd rom-com that will give you the feels you want while also occasionally shock you with dark moments then this book is perfect. I will definitely keep reading this series!

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this arc!

AMAZING.

This title is nothing short of perfection. Go in blind. Don't read a synopsis. It's a piece of art.

Make sure you do read the trigger warnings. It's definitely got some dark undertones. I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. It's dark... but hysterical. I was laughing the entire time.

Sweet baby geezus! Who knew a killing game among serial killers could be so hilarious, endearing, sexy, and ewww?

When you're a serial killer who kills serial killers, it's hard to develop a good romance with someone. What happens when you meet someone who is just. like. you? Who sees you? Who truly understands you?

You get the fun adventures of Butcher and Blackbird. Rowan was an absolute sweetheart and Sloane was a total darling. Togther, they were magnificent!!

I'm not going to rehash the story. I am going to tell you that if you don't mind a bit of gore, accidental cannibalism, and a connection that grows throughout years of pushing and pulling, with Rowan walking a delicate balance not to scare Sloane away, you're going to LOVE this story as much as I did. Five stars doesn't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this read.

A deliciously hilarious dark romantic comedy! I loved everything about this book. It's unique and not something I have ever read before. I loved how much of a slow burn this was. The competition occurring over 4 years was such a nice touch. I found the main characters endearing. I can't not wait for the next one!

While the description of this books calls it a dark, comedic romance, (and it is that) I would also maybe consider this a thriller or something similar because there is a lot of murder in it as well. This book does come with trigger warnings, so if you're squeamish I would definitely check those out before reading. This book also contains quite a bit of spice, so I would also consider that before reading this book.

Butcher & Blackbird is so different from anything else I've read, and I quickly finished this book in two days! The two main characters, Rowan and Sloane, share a quick, witty banter pretty early on when Rowan finds Sloane in a less than ideal situation. They quickly figure out that each of them is there to kill another serial killer, which ultimately sparks the idea of their yearly competition.

I loved the chapters where they meet up for their murder competition the most, but I think Weaver did a great job of building up their relationship in between their competition. Although both main characters are serial killers, you also see the other side of them where Sloane is filled with anxiety and lack of confidence about how Rowan feels about her, while Rowan is obsessed and confident about his feelings for Sloane, and they both would do anything to protect the other.

Again, I don't know why this book just works, but it really was a good balance of murder and romance in my personal opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for an ARC of this book in exchanged for my honest and unbiased review.

I loved it from page one, you totally don't expect how it ends or how it keeps your attention the whole book. Totally recommend this book to everyone.

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I was so surprised by how much I loved this book! I thought I would enjoy it, but it far exceeded my expectations. The banter between Rowan and Sloane is so good, it feels natural and is laugh out loud funny. I cannot wait for the other books in this series to come out. I will be reading them right away!

I didn’t expect to love this book quite as much as I did, but for me it absolutely lives up to the hype. Two serial killers who target other serial killers start a yearly tradition where they meet up to compete over who can eliminate a shared target first. Over the course of several years and targets, they fall for eachother in a surprisingly tender way, given their other predilections. These two characters who largely have to hide themselves from everyone else, get to be truly known, serial killing and all.

I’ve now read this twice, first as an ebook ARC (thanks Netgalley!) and then the audiobook, and I genuinely can’t decide what I loved more. I’ll say I normally find audio romance books to be to cringy to enjoy and this didn’t feel that way at all. Maybe something about the dual POV acting that worked terribly well.

I’m super excited about its sequel, Leather and Lark, which is coming out next year.

I’d recommend this story to anyone who enjoys morally grey characters, a slow burn love story, and spice. Trigger warnings should be obvious here, but there’s some murder and torture. Just a friendly little murder and torture. Five stars. :)

Serial killers need love, too.

What a wild, sexy, effed up ride.

Could Sloan and Rowan BE any more perfect for each other? What with all the murdering and the banter and the DIRTY DIRTY SEX?

I loved the settings, the side-characters, the blood thirst, the VIGELANTE JUSTICE.

I didn’t love Sloan’s descent into self-loathing, so I’m glad that didn’t last long.

I may never eat ice cream again, but I’ll definitely sign up for a second helping of Ruinous Love.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zando Publishing for this bestial ARC.

Wait because this was actually so good. I am a little skeptical sometimes when books blow up on BOOKSTAGRAM because I have been let down more than once. But this exceeded all expectations! I love the that this is a Romance about two serial killers, but it’s also cute and wholesome and smutty. It has a good plot, good dialogue, lovable characters, and fun side characters.

I saw someone suggest this if you liked The Mindf*ck Series, and I feel like that’s a fair suggestion. You get similar badass woman and almost golden retriever energy boyfriend vibes.

This was really good. I definitley want to read the second book!

When two serial killers seeking justice come together while also seeking justice hunting other serial killers… things go a little crazy. Sloane and Rowan are a wonderful unexpected couple here.

I already loved the idea and the plot line within these pages — when their psychopathic banter and manners are added in? They had me laughing, and shook when it came to those spicier scenes. Rowan, the Butcher, may have fallen first in the hardest way but his Blackbird? She couldn’t deny that he was a handsome man even though she did not want to give him the light of day.

I LOVED that Rowan had no interest in dulling her light and only wanted her to embrace her psychotic tendencies they both share.

I was wholeheartedly intrigued when I started seeing this book float around Booktok and Bookstagram because the genres of dark romance and romantic comedies are a weird mix.

If you like dark comedies in terms of movies and books, this one will be right up your alley. Fun. Gruesome. It checked all the boxes here.


Huge thank you to Zando, Netgalley and the author Brynne Weaver for the eARC.

I’ll be honest—when one of my friends told me they were reading a serial killer romance, I thought they were crazy. But Butcher and Blackbird won my heart and absolutely had me kicking my feet with glee at the banter within the first few pages. This was a fun and sarcastic and delightful romp that knows exactly what it’s doing. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f dark romance
-great banter
-serial killers falling in love
-he imprints on her
-she's in denial
-hurt/comfort

I had been hearing about this one all over BookTok and this was such a surprise in the best way. A tender, laugh out loud romance, as two serial killers play serial killer games with each other and yet somehow fall in love? Rowan just sees Sloane and gosh fated mates imprints on her, just gone no her. It's a slower burn for Sloane but I loved how these two slowly built up trust, let each other in on their lives, their hurts, and that sexual buildup. Somehow this book was a delicious slow burn. I cannot wait for the second book!

I enjoyed this book so much! I was less than 50% when I purchased the audiobook and pre-ordered the next book. I have heard about this book but have kept putting it off. I'm so sad I did. This book had me giggling, kicking my feet, and falling for another fictional man.

Rowan and Sloane are k!illers who only go after others who deserve it. After a chance meeting, the two enter a friendly competition that evolves into so much more. The banter between the two keeps you on your toes and will keep you entertained. The times they are together are always entertaining.

The pining that these two do for each other is everything. It really makes the moment they come together feel like a reward. The spice is so hot. Rowan's mouth will make you melt.

I'm excited to see what happens in the next book, and I am definitely going to check out more books by Brynne.

I would like to thank Brynne Weaver, Netgalley, and Zando Publishing for the opportunity to read this book for review.

Thank you to the publisher for the eArc!

I constantly kept hearing about this book online and needed to know what the hype was about and I’m so glad I did. This book is much darker than the romance I usually read so I was a bit hesitant during the first chapter, however the comedic tone really helped it not feel like too much and I really enjoyed the dark romance and rom-com crossover the author was able to accomplish. The relationship between Rowan and Sloane was so fun to read, from their banter to their more heartfelt moments.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and am really looking forward to the next book about Lark and Lachlan!

I am always a fan of dark romance but this book shook me. It is now my entire personality and I’m working my way through @brynne_weaver ‘s entire backlog. I never knew that I wanted snarky, sassy, laugh out loud dark ser!al k!ller romance but here we are. I AM OBSESSED

I loved every minute with Sloane and Rowan. I didn’t know you could write an MMC like Rowan and have it work but it did. I also loved Sloane all of her sass and her trauma. It pulled on my heartstrings at the same time it made me laugh and made me say out loud ‘Ohmygod Sloane! You can’t say that!’

P.S Brynne, I will never look at ice cream the same, so thanks for that 🤣

I will be shoving this book in all of my book friends hands, but please do check the triggers and content warnings because OMG SLOANE 😂

Hilarious, filthy, absolutely insane and surprisingly romantic. I love this so much. I don't often read dark contemporary romance but I'm so glad I gave this one a shot. It was so worth the read! I can't wait for the sequel!

This book was totally bonkers and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Was it often implausible and maybe not the best written book ever? Yep. Was it still a really fun read? Absolutely. The main characters have great chemistry which really helped to carry me through some of the silliness, and as someone who’s not really a dark romance reader I loved this more lighthearted take on dark romance.

Definitely check the trigger warnings before reading as there is a fair bit of gore among other triggering topics.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver is an excellent read for those who love the darker and edgier reads. It is also perfect for YA fans. The characters are young and lived harsh lives that created the path that they both live by today. They have seen and witnessed the cruel darkness of what human beings can do to each other. They both pride themselves on getting rid of the world’s scumbags, murderers, and the darkest of the dark people. They each have their own system to riding the world of bad killers. In a twisted way, they are heroes. The writing was phenomenal. I felt like I was there experiencing the dark roller coaster ride along with the protagonists. The banter between the main characters is hilarious. I loved when they would bicker! There was also an emotionally charged tale that each character brought to this book. They made it come alive. If you love dark romances, dark thrillers, and dark suspense with humor added-this is the book to read!

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Narrators: Joe Arden and Lucy Rivers
Rating: 5 stars
Steam: 3 chilis

Well, this was not what I was expecting…but in a good way! It’s an edge-of-your-seat, dark romance that turned out to be a wildly entertaining ride from start to finish.

Sloane and Rowan are both serial killers, targeting only the worst types of people. The first time they cross paths, the attraction is instant, and in order to stay in each other’s lives, they come up with an idea for a yearly competition. Each year, they compete by hunting down a dangerous killer, and whoever gets to them first wins.

I’m usually more of a fluffy rom-com reader, but this turned out to be one of my favorite romances of the year! These two are gross, don’t get me wrong but in a super sweet way.

Rowan is the best part of this whole book and my favorite new book boyfriend. He’s charming, Irish, dangerous, and charismatic, and his attraction to Sloane is immediate and barely controllable. He somehow manages to be the sweetest cinnamon roll while also being a little insane. The things he says and does for Sloane made me melt, and his dirty talk is on point.

Sloane is a badass, and I loved her character. She’s fiercely loyal and protective of the people she loves, and luckily for Rowan, he’s one of them. This is a slow burn, but once things heat up, it gets VERY steamy. I loved the romance, the humor, the twists, and the suspense, and that ending had my heart pounding.

Joe Arden is the voice of Rowan and he KILLS this narration. I loved his accent, and I think it’s his best work to date. The dual narration is also a favorite of mine and enhanced my listening experience.

If you’re squeamish, you should check the trigger warnings before reading. The author lists them at the beginning of the book.

Overall, this was amazing. I loved every second of it (well, maybe not the Orzo pasta part), and I can’t wait for Weaver’s next book in the series!

Read if you like:
*dark romance
*serial killers
*he falls first
*Irish accents
*reverse grumpy/sunshine