“I didn’t gouge them out, Butcher. I plucked them. Delicately. Like a lady.” ― Brynne Weaver, Butcher & Blackbird
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 & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love Dark Romance trilogy of interconnected stand-alones. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA.
***Butcher & Blackbird is a DARK ROMANCE intended for an adult audience – please see Brynne’s website for a comprehensive list of CWs***
The Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver is a contemporary, adult, dark romance. She sits at 362 pages and let me tell you I devoured every one of those 362 pages. I wish every day that I could erase my memory of it and read it again. I saw it on BookTok and it was so highly recommended that I needed to read it to see what the hype was about. Now that I have, I also have the pleasure of recommending it to everyone.
My love for dark romance has grown exponentially over the last year and this book has skyrocketed to the top of my list. Stalker romances are normally more my thing, however after this murder romance, my stalker books have serious competition.
This book is just so funny. I fell in love with the characters immediately and they held my attention every step of the way. Sloane is witty, sharp and hilarious, giving off the type of badass energy that we all wish we had. She kills for sport and has a thing for eyeballs… and murder. She meets a handsome Irish man named Rowan and off they go. Having sex murdering people, having more sex. I don’t want to spoil too much because you have to read this book. The pacing was great and I found myself engaged and eager for more the entire way through. The ending was perfect and satisfying. Definitely a HEA.
The story is told from both POV’s, which for this story works so well. Sloane and Rowan both have their own lives, demons and thoughts and seeing both of their perspectives makes the story feel fuller and more impactful. I found their characters to be well developed with solid backstories and reasoning. I didn’t particularly love Sloane’s backstory, only because I sort of feel like its a cop. Although I didn’t love it I just chose to willfully ignore it and despite that I still love her and the story.
I read both the eBook and the audiobook for Butcher and Blackbird because I just couldn’t stop. When I find books that I enjoy I like to read them everywhere I go. I’ll download the audiobook and listen to it while I am cleaning or driving and then I will have the physical book or eBook to read at night or at work. Most of the time I enjoy physical copies or eBooks and only resort to audiobooks if I have to. This was not the case for this book. The narrator for Rowan was Irish. Let me repeat that. The man was Irish. Spicy scenes. Dirty talk. Irish accent. Let that sink in for a moment. I didn’t know I needed that in my life but now it gets to live rent free in my brain until the day I die.
Needless to say, I love this book and I think it would make your life better if you read it, just like it did for me.
Every Book and Cranny 