Brynne Weaver
Dark Romance Thriller
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.
-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.
Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.
My Opinion
(4 / 5) I’m not even sure what I just read? Rival serial killers (yes you read that right) decide to make their next killings a game in speed, creativity and more.
This book was recommended to me multiple times because of my love for serial killer stories (don’t judge me). So when my book club chose it, I was all in. But I’m not sure I realized what exactly I was getting myself into.
“I made a vow in the dark. That I would wipe out everyone like him that I could find. That I wouldn’t stop until I found the worst, the darkest, the most depraved, and I would erase them from the world, one at a time. And I promised myself that I would never let anyone hurt someone I cared about ever again.”
The two serial killers are in their young twenties. Both have the propensity to only kill those that “deserve” it. Who exactly deserves it you ask? Other serial killers, pedophiles and more. I mean, if you’re going to kill, at least make the world a better place. Right? Right?
I am so torn with this book. It was horrendous in the most fascinating way. I’ve read many murder books but I’ve never read one that comes close to the extent of this one. It has intense scenes, violent details and excessive intimate scenes. Did I mention very detailed?? When I say “very detailed,” I mean I have cringed during murder scenes before but I’ve never experienced actual nausea while reading. Does that give you a clue?
And yet, I adored these characters. I’m throwing my hands up in the air because I don’t get it either. I’m not quite sure how that is possible but they are cute dammit. They are adorable with each other. You know, minus the whole mass murderer thing. What am I saying?? This one messed with my brain!
So if you look at the story from the writing aspect, she’s brilliant. She made me adore some vile people. She also made me disgusted in many scenes. The fact that she can give me such a strong range of emotions throughout, especially loving serial killers, that is great writing to me. But her descriptions make me question her sanity just a little bit. Ha! I’m joking with that one, mostly. I know I won’t be the only one to think that. They were just very detailed with some oddly unique elements. Hmmmm….
Here is me on my soapbox: Please, please read the author’s note and/or my content summary. Do not read this if you are sensitive to graphic violent or sexual situations. It also definitely has a sense of romanticizing murder. If you’re considering this book but you’re not sure yet, I advise downloading the SAMPLE Kindle copy off Amazon. That first chapter will give you a good idea what you would be getting into.
General content summary: (When the author lists triggers, you know it needs attention)
Triggers listed from author:
Eyeballs and eye sockets
Amateur surgery
Skin ornaments
Chainsaws, axes, knives, scalpels—a lot of sharp objects
Accidental cannibalism
Not-so-accidental cannibalism
Questionable use of a mummified corpse
Lobotomized manservant
Ill-advised use of kitchen implements. I’m sorry about the cookies-and-cream ice cream (I’m not really)
Detailed sex scenes, which include (but are not limited to) cock warming, rough sex, praise kink, anal, adult toys, choking, spitting, dom/sub interactions, genital piercings
References to parental neglect and child abuse
Parental loss (not depicted)
References to child sexual assault (not in detail)
It’s a book about serial killers, so there’s some generally messed-up murder and chaos
My content summary:
F words= 346
C***= 14
Corpse (very detailed decay, smells, sounds, maggots)
Alcohol (multiple) and alcoholism (previous)
Admitting to murders (details, scene)
Comparing murders (laughing, bragging)
Person tied to a table and gagged (tortured with suction, scalpel, screaming, cuts out vocal cords, blood, cutting off ear)
Enjoyment in killing and torture
Masturbation (sounds, some details, 2x)
Car hits tree
Physical violence (excessive, fists, blood, broken bones, death)
Mother death (previous, childbirth)
Father death (murdered, no details, previous)
Human flesh secretly served in food
Poisoning
Murder (multiple, severed eyeballs, pieces of skin, stabbing, bleeding out, very detailed)
Rape (previous, vague)
Intimacy (thoughts, bodily reactions to desire, nakedness, foreplay, very detailed, multiple) See author note for more details
Lobotomy (no details)
Partially mummified body (some details)
Skeletons of birds made into a wind chime
A dismembered body dripping blood and flesh
Captivity (naked woman kept in dark, she wonders if another has been killed, another person thrown in room)
A man chases a woman with a chainsaw
Axe and chainsaw injuries (blood, details, nails impaling and holding a person down)
Torture (tools to injure and bleed, person tied up, eating a piece of human flesh, very detailed)
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