Butcher & Blackbird (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #1) by Brynne Weaver 
Series: The Ruinous Love Trilogy #1
Published by Independently Published on August 15, 2023
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 355
Format: Paperback
Source: Amazon
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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-alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA.
Spectacular! Dark and delicious.
I have heard so many glowing reviews for this story and they were all correct. While a bit on the darker side, it isn’t any worse than any serial killer thriller. There are some trigger warnings at the beginning of the book so make sure to check those out and listen to them.
Even though both our main characters are killers, we can get behind their work because they both track and hunt other serial killers. They are not grabbing children or innocent people off the streets to torture. Therefore, we can be entertained by their kills and root for them to have a happily every after.
Sloane Sutherland a/k/a The Orb Weaver a/k/a Blackbird and Rowen Kane a/k/a The Butcher of Boston meet when Kane enters the lair of a serial killer he has been tracking down, only to find him already dead and a lovely woman trapped in his cage. Sloane beat Rowen to the kill (literally) but not before being trapped by the killer.
Rowen is enamored with Sloane from their first meeting and doesn’t want her to walk away from him so he issues a challenge — hunt the next serial killer and whoever gets to them first, gets bragging rights for the year. There is a new excitement to what they both do now. They look forward to meeting up and the challenge of being the first to the bloody prize.
Interestingly, there are some graphic murder scenes but we aren’t dragged through the rougher details of either Rowen or Sloane’s personal childhood trauma that put them on this path and I am okay with that. Again, I can find the twisted humor of torturing a serial killer and not have to re-live the torment of an innocent child. We have enough imagination to guess the horror Sloane was subjected to on our own. So the brutal scenes which are most of those trigger warnings all surround Rowen and Sloane’s playing with their not-so-innocent victims.
Sloane’s childhood trauma leaves her shy and alone with only Lark Montaque as her friend. Lark too was subjected to the same trauma as Sloane, but we get to that in the next story. So there is no question that Sloane and Rowen quickly connect over mutual attraction and their shared hobby. Some of the non-bloody romance scenes would fit into any small town romance story such as Rowen hiding behind the tree outside Sloane’s house, having groceries delivered and talking her through making dinner without ever letting her know he was so close. He does this several times until Sloane is popping her head out the door looking for the kid with the groceries and is so disappointed the first time he doesn’t show.
There is some very graphic sex scenes but nothing crazier than I have read before in an erotic romance. If a cozy romance is your thing, you need to look elsewhere. But if a little dark humor can give you a chuckle, I would highly recommend giving Butcher & Blackbird a try.
Favorite Scene:
I don’t have a scene because as soon as I finished it, I reached over and passed it to my Book BFF Ami and told her she has to read. When I get it back, I will update with a favorite scene.
