Author: Brynne Weaver
Narrator: Joe Arden and Lucy Rivers
Publisher: Blue Nose Publishing
Publication Date: October 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: 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 and 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: I liked this book but I should have just stuck with the print version instead of the audio. I loved the dual POV from Sloane and Rowan and thought Rowan’s Irish brogue was divine and the humor and snark was brilliantly performed by Joe Arden and Lucy Rivers, but the explicit and graphic scenes were too much for an audio for me. If you still decide to go with the audio format, be warned and don’t listen to it in public without earbuds.
This is the first book in the ruinous love trilogy by new to me author Brynne Weaver. I really liked the premise of serial killers meeting and falling in love over a game of murder. Taking out other serial killers who are way more heinous sounds awesome as well. This book spans several years as Rowan and Sloane get together once a year with a target in mind and a little friendly, if not bloody, competition for who gets the win, or rather the kill.
Though this story does center around Sloane and Rowan, I also liked that the reader gets to meet and start to get to know the characters from the next books, Rowan’s brothers and the women who change their lives. I have a feeling that the events in all three books are occurring simultaneously, which I think I will really like.
The pluses for me in this story are the dual POV and it works really well in the audio. The story itself was very intriguing and easy to follow and unique. The circumstances in which they meet for the first time was fun and I was curious how it would all play out. Can serial killers trust one another not to become the next victim? I liked that they both have a code of honor, of sorts. They target vile and evil killers and things got a little messy and graphic. I also liked the message that even serial killers aren’t all bad and can be loveable.
The only issue I had with this story were the sexually explicit scenes. I thought they went on way too long and didn’t drive the story forward. It takes Sloane and Rowan four years to consummate their desire for one another so I guess it’s been building up for a while, but I found myself impatient for them to get back to the murder and mayhem.
My Final Verdict: Overall, this is a fun story and I really liked the chemistry Sloane and Rowan share. The snark and humor mixed in with their psychotic tendencies made for an enjoyable read. I recommend this story to readers who enjoy really dark romances with comedy thrown in as well as suspenseful thrillers with a little bit of horror.
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