To no surprise at all I completely devoured this book!!
I’d been dying to know more about rose & Fionn ever since they were introduced in Butcher & Blackbird. And with the way Leather & Lark ended 😱I just couldn’t wait !! You should’ve seen my face when this dropped to my kindle 🤭PURE JOY 🥹

So now that I have officially finished it, heres what I thought about it !

Friends with benefits to lovers 🔥
Small town 🏠
Dark romance rom com 🔪🖤
Close proximity👀
Opposites attract 😏

As I mentioned before, I totally devoured this book. Brynne truly can do no wrong. S&S was the perfect combination of funny, dark, spicy, intriguing and I had such a good time !!

I loved Rose’s character so much! I think she’s definitely the wildest out of the ruinous love fmcs. But in a way, that makes her also the sweetest because she literally would do pretty much anything, even for someone she’d just met. She was also super funny and made me laugh out loud a couple times with her comebacks 🤭

Fionn. My sweet Fionn. His life definitely took a turn when he met rose hehehe 🤭
I love how he just helped her with almost no questions asked even though he was probably like “what the hell are we doing here ?!”

The banter and tension between them was top tier 🤭 oh & the spice 🔥 perfect as always!!

I am super sad that the ruinous love series has come to an end but I am also super excited to see what comes next !!

I can imagine some people see Scythe & Sparrow and say "man, another serial killer romance? I'm over it." But I have to tell you, even if I was slightly worried I would be in the same boat, this book blew my expectations out of the water.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Scythe & Sparrow by Brynne Weaver

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: The Ruinous Love Trilogy. Book 3.

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: E-book ARC on Kindle.

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Dark romance

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: Opposites attract, friends-to-lovers, slow burn, love letters.

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: A murdery mishap leaves Rose with a broken leg, stranded away from her life in the circus in a small town. Fionn takes her in when he feels an unexplained connection to her, only to find she may just help him embrace his darkness.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: You all know I love a smart, calculated FMC who doesn't need a man and is all about business.

Rose, my friends, is not that. And I love her so much.

Where Fionn is all measured words and calculated moves, Rose is pure mayhem and chaos. She's never planned a thing in her life - she's going off of emotions. And I found myself laughing at the situations she got herself in. And how Fionn just kind of accepted it and her.

These three books have been much more about the FMCs to me, and I love that. Like, sure, give them a dark and swoony man and they find love and open up. But the three of these leading ladies all have been an absolute pleasure to read, and I loved how they became family throughout the trilogy.

Now, that's not to say Fionn didn't blow my mind. He was vulnerable, and I love how he fell in love with Rose from the absolute first sight of her. Then he just kept holding himself back until ultimately, he couldn't anymore.

There's so many surprises in this book - and I don't want to take away the joy of finding out what's behind some of the hints Brynne Weaver has been giving away. There's some scenes - spicy, murdery scenes - that I won't stop thinking about. But you know your girl is a FAN of letter writing, and Fionn put pen to paper and made me absolutely swoon.

Quick side note - you DO have to read all three books to understand the S&S subplot and ending. If you've read the first two, you know they intertwine a bit (there's a huge spoiler for S&S in Leather and Lark) but you'll be lost without the first two, trust me.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 3.5/5 🌶🌶🌶

𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.

This was the best way to end this series. The emotions and angst got me and I love these two so so much. It has all of the humor and darkness and heart, I will read anything by this author and adore this world she built. Loved this.

Small-town secrets, fiery romance, and a touch of chaos—welcome to the end of the trilogy.

I just finished Scythe & Sparrow, the final book in The Ruinous Love Trilogy, and wow—I’m officially a Fionn girly now! This book completely swept me off my feet and wrecked me in the best way. Set in a small Nebraska town, it follows Fionn Kane and Rose Evans.

The plot hooked me right from the start. It’s fast-paced, full of twists, and impossible to put down. I devoured it! The spice was spicing in this book and I did not expect anything less from Brynne.

What really stood out for me was the depth of the characters. Fionn and Rose are so beautifully flawed and real. THE PINING!!! Their connection is electric, but the story doesn’t shy away from the darker sides of their relationship. This book also brings an important conversation about domestic violence into the mix, weaving it seamlessly into the narrative in a way that feels both respectful and thought-provoking. It adds a layer of emotional weight that stuck with me long after finishing.

And oh, Rose. She’s pure chaos, but you can’t help but love her. Her wild nature paired with Fionn’s brooding intensity creates a chemistry that’s just chef’s kiss. Who knew that the younger Kane brother was what I needed! Cotton candy will never be the same for me after reading this. If you know, you know.

Brynne somehow blends all the darkness with humour and suspense, making her books unputdownable emotional rollercoasters.

In short, this book made me laugh, cry, and maybe rethink my relationship with carnival snacks.

This is one of the best Dark Rom-Coms that I have read. Well the whole Ruinous Love Trilogy is amazing. However, I must say that Fionn and Rose might just be my favorite out of the trilogy.

I fell in love with Rose the moment she tried to beat Rowan with her crutches. She is a funny and bad A FMC who brings all the chaos and mayhem that Fionn needs to be his true self. The Suture Sisters and Barbara are just the best and had me cackling with their shenanigans.

I enjoyed everything about this read. This is the best end to this trilogy Brynne could give us. I am sad it's over but I have enjoyed the ride like no other. I will be doing a reread of this series soon.

I am so incredibly grateful to have received an early arc copy!! B&B is one of my all time fav books and I’ve loved being on this journey with the Kane brothers.

This book follows Fionn and Rose! Their story was so uniquely their own. I loved that this was more about them tapping into their dark sides vs them already being experienced unalivers.

I loved their connection and the way Fionn took take of Rose🥹🥹

The epilogues had me in my feels😭😭 but in the best way!! I feel she wrapped up everyone’s storylines beautifully and I’m so sad it’s over!!
Andddd make sure you read to the very end because Brynne introduces a possible character for her next book 🤭🤭

I don’t want to give too much away but if you loved the first two books, I think you’ll really enjoy this one as well!

Ahhhh I love this series SO MUCH! I’m so sad this is the last book but omg it was so good!!! Brynne is so good at balancing darker themes and concepts with humor. This was done soooooo well in S&S! Rose and Fionn’s story was an emotional rollercoaster and filled with drama and humor! I loved their friends to lovers relationship!

🧡 Dark Romcom
🎪 Friends to Lovers
🧡 Small Town
🎪 Forced Proximity
🧡 Touch Her and Die
🎪 Hurt / Comfort
🧡 Friends With Benefits
🎪 Slow Burn
🧡 Dual POV

Scythe & Sparrow is a brilliant end to a phenomenal trilogy and is another wildly entertaining and swoonworthy dark serial unaliver rom-com! Brynne has truly outdone herself with this final installment of The Ruinous Love Trilogy, and yes, more foods are involved ;)

- dark serial unaliver rom-com
- friends with benefits
- small town
- hurt/care
- close proximity
- he's a doctor, she works in a circus

I think I can speak for everyone when I say we've all been dying for Fionn and Rose's story since B&B and L&L and I had such a blast reading this story. Rose is simply hysterical and I love her give no crap outlook on life. She's like that cool type B friend that always ends up in wild situations but somehow it always works out and I really love that about her. Fionn has been the mysterious brother and I loved finally getting to be inside his head and hear his story. These two are total opposites and the banter and tension between them was so well done. Of course the spice was top tier and the build up to get there had me pulling an all-nighter.

This story was a gem and it's been a while since I've had so much fun reading a story. I love that each book in the trilogy is unique and S&S is the perfect ending. Highly recommend!

Overall I really enjoyed this book!
The caring relationship between Rose and Fionn was so heartwarming and beautiful! Also the tie ins with the rest of the Kane brothers and their wives was just so sweet to read!
I did feel like this was a bit long and dragged a bit but I loved every minute of getting to know this couple.

I can't believe the Ruinous Love Trilogy is over! Butcher and Blackbird was one of my first reads of 2024, and it immediately became a top-read-of-all-time book for me. Then, as I read Leather and Lark, I very quickly fell in love with Lark and Lachlan as well. One of the highlights of these first two books was seeing Fionn and Rose in the background of Rowan and Sloane and Lark and Lachlan's story ARCs. I could feel the anticipation of their book build up as we saw snippets of their dynamic, banter, and chemistry. Being able to read their story now was super gratifying! I loved seeing how they met and how over time, they were able to go from acquaintances to friends with benefits, to more. I also laughed at all their scenes with Barbara 🦝 .

The "serial killer" part of this book was also super interesting to read about! Whereas the characters in the previous two books had more experience being a serial/contracted killer, Rose and Fionn were much more inexperienced. I liked reading about them exploring their darker side. Of course, Brynne Weaver stays true to her theme of having our FMCs seek vengeance on misogynistic and abusive men, which made these scenes much more satisfying.

Overall, while this book is a new love story between Fionn and Rose, I think it also is a celebration of this universe and its characters. Seeing Rose bond with Sloane and Lark was so cute. And of course, every time the brothers had a wholesome scene together, I teared up. I loved the various epilogues at the end of the book that wrapped up our time with this whole group of characters (and potentially introduce some new ones 👀). I'll miss these 6 characters so much, and I can't wait to see what other dark romance stories Brynne has up her sleeve next!

Absolutely hooked on this story!! I have loved how unique each of the books in this series has been. This one had the humor, the longing and the tension. I loved the circus aspect to the story as well! While this book can be a complete stand alone, it occurs at the same time as the previous two books. So if you have read those, this one feels really full circle.

I can only imagine how amazing the audiobook will be and I cannot wait to hear the performance!

“Are you like, a real doctor?” I blink at her. “Yes . . . ?” “You don’t sound sure.” “I’m pretty sure. Put your mask back on—” “You look like a TV doctor. Dr. McSpicy or something. What are your credentials?”

Oh my gooood!! I can’t stop thinking about this book and it’s been weeks since I finished it! Scythe & Sparrow was everything. I was swooning, crying, screaming, kicking my feet and giggling like a maniac!

“I just don’t know how to be anything but what I am. Mayhem.   “I started it,” I whisper.”

Rose is such a chaotic girl, I freaking loved everything about her. This girl would puke after doing the most heinous things but then crack a joke and be ready to go for the next bad guy 2 minutes later, it was hilarious!

“Do you really think I would ever, ever let you threaten her and walk away? Do you seriously think you could hurt her, and I would just let you live? You don’t deserve mercy. When have you ever given that to anyone else? So the only thing I’ll give to you is suffering.”

Fionn!!!!!! Ah, the man of my dreams (or nightmares idk) he’s perfect! he’s an antisocial hot doctor whose only social interactions are weekly crocheting nights with the elderly gossip girls!! If that’s not enough, he literally meets Rose and is so compelled to help her that he makes her live with him u til she recovers. This book was so ANGSTY!!! the push and pull between these two had me foaming at the mouth and I just kept screaming KISS!!!!!!!

This has now become my favorite book in the trilogy, I’m gonna miss the Kane brothers and their bad@ss women so much <3

Special mention to Barbara, I couldn’t stop laughing every time that dang raccoon was brought up lmao

Brynne Weaver, the queen that you are. You have done it again, not that I doubted you for a moment . Scythe and Sparrow is the final chapter of the ruinous love trilogy, Fionn and Rose's story and boy is it a wild ride. This book is just as murdery, spicy and fun as its predecessors and we get to see our other two favorite couples as the timelines and stories become intertwined. Rose is brilliant, she's hilarious and badass and keeps sweet baby angel Fionn on his toes. Their relationship is a friends-to-lovers which is not typically my favorite, but I think Brynne has done a good job of pulling it together. I absolutely love that they crochet together and adopted Barbara (IYKYK). While this was not my favorite book out of the three, it was a really great way to finish of the series with *subtle foreshadowing * of a possible spin off. I loved every minute. 5 stars. I'm off to look up crocheting clubs in my area.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tropes: Dark rom-com romance | Friends with benefits | Forced proximity | Touch her and die | Friends to lovers | Small town romance | Doctor / patient | Spicy | Dual POV
Favorite quotes:
"It's okay to love your darkness and still love yourself"
"I will always find you, Rose"
"She's so f*cking beautiful it sometimes hurts just to look at her"
"Maybe you've got a little vicious streak hidden away in you, Dr. Kane"
"You're not going to serial k!ller me in my sleep, are you?"
"The only magic I'm after is the dark and dangerous kind."

I am so excited to share my thoughts on this book as it is one of my most awaited reads for 2025, and I cannot believe that I had the chance to read it beforehand.

Scythe & Sparrow is the third book in my obsession series, The Ruinous Love Trilogy. And this book didn’t disappoint, despite being the grand finale of the trilogy. The book tells the story of Rose, a circus motorcycle performer, who meets the introvert and youngest Kane brother, doctor Fionn, after an accident. I found the characters to be dynamic and twisted in a good way. The story is well-paced and captivating. I was devouring page by page until the very end, and I am in love with Brynne’s ability to write humorous, dark, and thrilling characters and plots.

Overall, despite it being the end of the Ruinous Love Trilogy, I look forward to all of Brynne’s future releases. If you’re into dark, humorous, and unique reads, check out Finn and Rose’s book; otherwise, you’re missing out.

Rose & Fionns story was EVERYTHING, I cried, I laughed, I cried some more.

I just want to thank Brynne and her team for providing me with an ARC to review.

All opinions are my own.

Whew... I can't believe we are already at the end of the ruinous love Trilogy, I have adored both B&B and L&L, and I adore S&S (not really a surprise though is it)

Brynne has outdone herself with this novel, I'm not sure if it's just me but I do think that S&S feels darker than the two previous novels, it still has the comedy and sass that is just "Brynne" so you will likely find yourself laughing, crying, laughing some more, feeling a little hot under the collar and needing a cold shower because Dr Kane is utterly filthy in all of the best ways 🥵🥵🫠.

S&S spans over a longer time period than B&B and L&L, so we do experience some of those events, but from Rose & Fionns perspective- like Rose meeting Sloane and "Man-guy" for the first time.

While domestic abuse isnt shown on the page it is a content warning and you can honestly feel the anger rolling off Rose when she knows that something is going on behind closed doors, I could genuinely feel the anger rising in me during certain scenes. I have to say I loved the little mention of Guilia Tofana and a brief  history of Aqua Tofana.

I remember mentioning this in my L&L review in regards to Lark and Lachlan, but both Fionn and Rose have their own distinctive voices and personalities, and they really came across on the pages.

Also, it is my headcanon that Rose, Sloane & Lark have monthly craft evenings together, and you won't convince me otherwise. Do I have a reason for believing this? Not really, but i want it to be true.

I also just have to say this Trilogy is more than 3 different romantic relationships, there is a real sense of "found family" obviously the Kane brothers would go to the ends of the earth for one and other anyway but adding Rose, Sloane and Lark (and Winston, Bentley & Barbara) really united everything.

The epilogues are certainly interesting; I highly suggest not skipping them, I dont want to give too much away so soon, but I do hope we see a standalone "spin off", as I feel like the ending has the possibility.

Scythe & Sparrow is the third installation of "The Ruinous Love Trilogy" by Brynne Weaver. This novel follows our third Kane brother, Fionn. He is trying to mold himself into living a regular life despite constantly fighting a deeper darkness within him. When a random woman shows up at his clinic with a mysterious injury, Fionn finds himself tangled up alongside Rose. Rose is a circus performer, tarot reader and seeks out chaos in the name of justice. When her latest plan results in her with a cast on her leg and somehow under the personal care of her new doctor, she finds herself wondering if she is willing to return to her nomadic and thrill seeking lifestyle.

I am such a huge fan of the first two books (the first which I read as a physical copy, and the second which I listened to as an audiobook). The release of the books is my personal order of preference of how much I enjoyed them. "Scythe & Sparrow" does not shy away from the grotesque, the dark humor and deliciously spicy scenes. Fionn's personality is everything and more in a male lead, and I do think he's probably my favorite Kane brother. I actually really enjoyed his story and characterization compared to both Rowan and Lachlan, and thought it was refreshing to read about the "good" brother. I also loved that we got more filler scenes between our two original main couples as well, and the ending left me completely surprised!

However, I do have two critiques that I wanted to share. I personally felt that the romance was a bit disjointed between Fionn and Rose in the beginning. It definitely picked up about halfway through the book, but I was having a hard time hopping on board their connection. I'm wondering that maybe had to do with timeline to explain their developing relationship as it does jump through quite a bit of history between the pair. I have made this similar comment about "Leather & Lark", in which I felt that Lark's character and plot mirrored Sloane a bit too much. Truthfully, I feel the same way about Rose, which is why I have mixed feelings about her overall. I think I was just hoping for something a little more different in terms of plot and character development between our female leads. The three books do feel like they mirror each other over time.

But I would not deter anyone from reading this series. The Ruinous Love Trilogy is such a fun, wild ride. If an author can manage to weave together two genres I love like horror and romance, that's always a positive for me!

Loved it! This trilogy was just such a fun time. Rose (circus performer/tarot card reader) and Fionn (doctor) meet cute was everything i expecting from a Brynne Weaver book. I do almost wish we got more development on their romantic relationship, but i still enjoyed the plot overall.

Scythe & Sparrow by Brynne Weaver
⭐⭐⭐/5

The trigger warnings were amusing as usual, but the humor in this book fell short compared to Butcher and Blackbird. While it was more gruesome, I felt there was less sensuality. Despite the increased gore, the overall enjoyment remained the same as Leather and Lark.

In my opinion, the order of the books of the Ruinous Love trilogy reflects my preference. Butcher and Blackbird will remain my favorite, followed by Leather and Lark, and then Scythe and Sparrow.

Nevertheless, this series provided an entertaining blend of spice and satire that I will remember fondly.

#qotd When reading a series, do you usually like the first the best?

#leatherandlark #scytheandsparrow #butcherandblackbird #brynneweaver #spice #zando #zandoprojects #satire #booksandblogs #bookreview ##ruinouslovetrilogy

S review

This book made me feel like I did when I read Butcher and Blackbird but even MORE 🧡🖤

I was shocked, but pleasantly surprised to find out that this books timeline was adjacent to Butcher and Blackbird and Leather and Lark. You get cameos from the first two books during the same timeline and I loved that!

I don’t even know how to put into words how freaking good this book was. There were parts that actually had me teary eyed from the emotions I felt with Fionn and Rose. The push and pull. The hurt and healing. The comedic relief amongst the darkness.

Rose ends up in a bad situation and literally comes crawling into Fionn’s clinic. After she gets discharged from the hospital she needs a place to stay, and of course Fionn has a guest room she can have — hence the roommate trope that is so delicious and fun to read. They form a friendship first, but then the tension finally snaps. I love the friendship that Rose forms with Sloane and Lark throughout the book too and the ending is perfect.

You also get a peek into who the next FMC character will be 👀

A feral raccoon couldn't make me change my opinion that this is the BEST book in the Ruinous Love trilogy! Fionn falling to pieces every time he catches sight of Rose was my total obsession. And, can we talk about Rose? She's a laugh-riot! I would follow her to my death in a metal cage if I thought she'd help me crochet a sex swing. Love her!

The fact that this installment tied all of the stories together was the icing on the cake. Bravo, Brynne! This is why you're an auto-buy author.