Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
I first heard about this book through social media. So when it popped up as another “it’s your lucky day” book in Libby randomly, I checked it out immediately. The premise is extremely unique from the general romance books, and is the first one I’ve ever read about serial killers.
That’s right, the two leads are both murderers.
But don’t worry, they only kill other serial killers. You know, the kind that kill innocent people, the most heinous types. It feels mostly excusable, if not morally grey. Right? I mean, sure, they do enjoy the blood and horror of it all, but at least the world is rid of worse people? Anyways.
Sloane (Blackbird) finds herself in quite a predicament—trapped in a cage with her most recent victim, who is slowly decaying, maggots and all. As a squeamish person, I would cry.
After three long days, Irish and charismatic Rowan (Butcher), who was also hunting the same killer, finds her as she’s watching a maggot get closer and closer to her. Saved by the bell. Rowan immediately recognizes her as the Orb weaver, a serial killer he admires. When he releases her, he proposes a competition of sorts, which intrigues Sloane almost as much as the man pitching the game.
The idea is simple, every year they’re given a clue about a mystery serial killer — usually the most dangerous monsters. Once they figure out who it is, their goal is to be the first to find them because winner gets the kill.
Tropes/What to Expect:
Friends to lovers
Forced proximity
Reverse grumpy x sunshine
He falls first
Honestly, this was a delight to read, albeit a weird, fucked up sort of delight. Despite the setup, its actually really funny and charming. For a book about murderers, it was light and not too serious, so don’t let that scare you off. I really liked both main characters; Rowan is witty and Sloane is just a bad ass.
And oh my gosh, loved how into each other they were. Their chemistry was thiccc. I could feel Rowan’s anxiety when he was worried about Sloane and loved the “touch her and I’ll kill you” vibe he had going on. It was endearing how much they accepted each other, including their blood thirst and desire to turn murder into art. With each of their best friends knowing what they do and accepting them, they had a cute found family, too.
As far as the spice, its at least 2 peppers worth of smut and it isn’t vanilla spice either, its a little kinky.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and loved certain descriptions the author gave. I’d definitely recommend this if you like spice, unique romance books, and have a dark sense of humor. Be ready for some interesting twists and let me know what you think if you read it, too!
