Title: Butcher and Blackbird
Author: Brynne Weaver
Series: The ruinous love trilogy
Book # 1
Publisher:Zando
Genre:
Pages: 368
Rating: ✬✬✬✬✬
When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, they find something elusive―the friendship of two like-minded, pitch-black souls who just happen to enjoy killing other serial killers.
From small-town West Virginia to upscale California, and 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?
I don't know what I was expecting when I picked this book on BOTM( Book of the Month) to be my return book ... cause with this economy, even $15.99 per month - for a family of 5 with just one household working it's a lot... YEP! That's sad - I had to stop the BOTM last year. BUT I guess I can sacrifice something else and get the subscription again... and I did it cause of this book.
I saw a lot of TikTok videos and Instagram posts about Butcher and Blackbird and I'm a sucker for pretty covers... this gorgeous Pink, purple and black cover was screaming my name. From like a thousand miles away. So I cheat a little and get the book for just $5.99
Did I regret it? Nop
Did I love it? Yes
As I said before, I didn't know what I was expecting about the book... cause I didn't even read the summary or investigate what it was about... and all those posts and videos on social media? I only remember the pretty cover, that's it.
So I started Butcher and Blackbird without knowing the genre, trigger warnings, or anything. And to be honest I didn't even read the trigger warnings even when I got the book in my hands... I skipped the page and had to get back to it cause of the dedication page...
"For those of you that read the trigger warning and said, "Accidental cannibalism?! Count on me!
This one's for you"
I Panicked!
I'm not a fan of Dark Romance books, but one dark romance once in a while, is good for your health. And the fact that I still haven't recovered from Haunting Adeline, of course, I was getting scared of not liking the book and had a hard time finishing it. I start the year with 2 good books, I didn't want to get stuck with this one for the rest of the month.
But that first page came and I couldn't stop. This wasn't Adeline and Zade.
Sloane aka orb weaver is a serial killer that kills serial killers. She has that name cause she takes her victim's eyes out and does this kinda like a spider web with fishing lines and pieces of her victims on it.
The story starts with her in a cage, with a dead body close to her.. with a lot of maggots. - Yeah, gross, but it is not a f*cking gun on the main character's V... seriously, I can handle the maggots - she had 3 days in there, dying of starvation. And then, this handsome Irish guy - always handsome guys. someone needs to write about a normal-looking guy - Butcher, Rowan Butcher, arrived and helped her out cause he is a fan of hers and takes her for food.
You know what? writing this reminds me that this book is like Beautiful Disaster but with serial killers XD Rowan reminds me so much of Travis Maddox. And the vibes within Sloane and Rowan are kinda similar to Travis and Aby.
Rowan does not want to lose contact with Sloane, cause he already falls in love with her - why almost always has to be love at first sight? - so he decides to invent a game, a competition between the 2 of them. In my opinion, is kinda dumb... you fall in love with her and start a competition to keep seeing her, but you make it once a year? I get it, besides the killing, they have actual jobs and life but... still, doesn't sit well for me XD
Here is another similarity with BD that I just figured out. Lachlan reminds me of Thomas Maddox. He is the oldest of the 3 brothers with a job that even when in the book you see pieces of what can be, you don't know what his job is. It's a whole mystery.
The competition consists of Lachlan texting them a location once a year, and Rowan and Sloane have to search for the serial killer without a name, address, info, or anything. And I love that Sloane is always the smart one who knows who she has to kill, where they are located, and the whole background info.
Rowan is a chef who has a restaurant in Boston and Sloane is an artist who lives in Raleigh. And to not make this longer... Rowan and Sloane keep in contact during the year and just meet in person for the competition every year. Both are in love, but Sloane has a dark past that won't let her risk telling Rowan how she feels. Rowan doesn't want to scare her away by confessing his love so we follow 4 years of this constant texting and annual traditional hunt
BUT WAIT... I almost forgot the best part of the book - well, depends on each person - XD
Remember the "Accidental Cannibalim"?
Rowan and Sloane are hunting this guy - and I think is the 2nd year of the competition - Sloane already knows everything about this guy, and Rowan is just following her to cheat and win, so he interrupts a "casual" talk in a bar between Sloane and the pray. Thorsten - the serial killer - invites both of them for dinner at his place, where there's food and wine.
Rowan gets drunk and drugged and doesn't pay attention to Sloane's warnings of not eating the last entries of the food, and ends up eating HUMAN MEAT. Thorsten was a cannibal. And that's not all. After Sloane kills Thorsten and they are getting ready to clean the mess and not leave evidence behind, the "Servant" of Thorsten who "doesn't talk" is in the kitchen eating ice cream...
"I might never look at ice cream the same way again!"
"I don't want to know.."
"Ingredientes: cream-"
"Sloane-"
"Sugar-"
"I'm begging you, " I say, but as soon as beg leaves my lips, Sloane's grin ignites. My stomach flips in the most uncomfortable way.
Sloane clears her throat " Semen, milked April tenth to April thirteenth. That's an interesting substitute to salt-"
I push past her and vomit in the sink to the sound of her traitorous laugh "
THANKS BRYNNE WEAVER!!!
Cookies and cream ice cream was my favorite ice cream...and I said "was" cause after this shit not anymore. Sorry, but if I can't eat cookies and cream ice cream, I want everyone to stop eating it too
now that I traumatized you, I will let you discover on your own the plot twist. This book is a "Definitely Read" in 2024. So if you like:
Dark Rom-Com
Reverse grumpy x sunshine
Touch him/her and you die
Friends to lovers
Slow burn
He falls first and hard
Serial killers
Competition
You will love and enjoy this book as much or even more than I did.
