Butcher & Blackbird—A Review
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
The Ruinous Love Trilogy Pt. 1
Sloane, a jumpy, solo huntress, has her back in a cage—literally. She’s finished the job—killing serial predator Albert Briscoe—but that doesn’t mean much when you’re stuck in his crate. For three days. Forced to experience the delights of decaying flesh.
Her grim situation takes an unexpected turn when a charming rival, complete with a killer Irish accent, stumbles upon her. Recognizing who she is, he sets her free, sparking an annual competition between the two to determine who is the better serial killer.
What neither expects? A spark—one that’ll have you hooked in this hilarious, dark-as-hell romance.
CW/TW
Death/Murder
Gore/Blood/Descriptive Scenes
Cannibalism
Sex (explicit, all consensual)
Violence/Assault (no domestic assault/violence of any kind)
View more user-generated Content/Trigger warnings on Storygraph.
Tropes
Friends to lovers
“Golden retriever” boyfriend
“Touch them and die”
He falls first
Dual POV
Quotes We Enjoyed
Page 66 - “A fresh wave of adrenaline floods the chambers of my heart as I lean back on my heels and scan every shade of darkness that surrounds me.”
Page 160 - “Another desperate scream slices through the air, startling a murder of crows and a lone vulture from the thin copse of trees to the left of the path. They don’t go far, probably already aware that the sounds in the house signal an upcoming meal.”
Page 220 - “The same way I look at her and find beauty in the marks that are only temporary, she looks at me and I know she feels the same. There’s art in our scars. There’s wonder in the way we can heal.”
Page 226 - “He unleashed something in me, cracking me open to reveal layers beneath that I didn’t know existed.”
Vibes
Heather
This book was SO FUN! I mean, I don’t like serial killers in real life, obvi, but I really liked this book. I’ve been in a multi-month reading slump—which is the worst—and I was still able to read this book in 3 days.
BUTCHER AND BLACKBIRD was steamy, romantic, and disgusting all in one, and I couldn’t put it down. The relationship is ACTUALLY HEALTHY even though they’re both morally gray people. I never found the plot lagging. Brynne Weaver crafted complex and realistic characters. She had me laughing, crying, and gasping along with them. AND THAT ENDING! Did NOT see it coming. It was so refreshing. I love a romance that avoids the third-act breakup as the “big drama” point.
I took a point off because gore is hard for me (and this is a “me” thing!). That, and let’s be honest, what restaurateur has the kinda time Rowan has? They work 65+ hours a week on a normal schedule. Forget seeing them ever again if they have a new location opening—we’re talking 90-100 hours a week in this instance.
Kendall
Pause. I have the perfect meme to describe the vibes of this book. It’s sick, it’s gory. It’s also beautiful, and romantic, and you might just find yourself…inspired in your personal life. It’s dark, it’s twisted—and let’s just say, things get steamy.
If you’re not afraid to get a little wicked, or if you’ve ever been curious about how it must feel to act out those irrational, intrusive thoughts, then this is the book for you. The story evokes a multitude of emotions that shouldn’t coexist, but somehow make perfect sense when felt together.
My interests are usually far from romance or smut, and I typically gravitate toward books that follow a closed-door formula with no spice. But I didn’t hate this—I actually quite enjoyed it. Brynne Weaver has a way of making her characters feel so real that I could practically taste the tension leading up to Sloane and Rowan’s union. It’s nearly impossible not to devour it.
The fact that I enjoyed this as much as I did speaks volumes about Weaver’s genius in understanding human relationships and behaviors, as well as her talent as a writer. You can’t look away, and yet you genuinely want to see what happens next.
Recommendations
If you enjoyed Butcher & Blackbird, you NEED to read Hooked by Emily McIntire.
Hooked is the first in a five-part series, but the best part is that you can read them in any order without missing out on the experience. This dark romance follows a mafia boss who falls in love with Wendy, reimagining the classic tale of Peter Pan with an even darker and sexier twist.
Heather and I read Hooked as one of our book club books, you can find our unhinged podcast episode on Spotify here.
Another author fans of Butcher & Blackbird need to read: S. J. Tilly. She writes everything romance. Want sweet? Sports? Dark? Mafia? Holiday? She’s got you covered.
