Butcher & Blackbird

The Ruinous Love Trilogy, Book #1

By Brynne Weaver

ISBN# 9798857497074

Author’s Website:  brynneweaverbooks.com

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi

Review

*Beware of Spoilers*

Sloane Sutherland has an interesting hobby that most people could never understand. While you’re at home watching true crime shows to unwind, she’s starring in her own.   She likes to kill serial killers in her spare time.  Killing one monster at a time, and essentially making herself a monster in the process. 

It’s all fun and games until your prey catches you and locks you in a cage before they die.  Lucky for Sloane, Rowan, aka the Boston Butcher, was there for the same reason and he is able to free her.  This is the first person that Sloane has ever met that can understand her.  That is like her.  They share the same pastime.  And, Rowan is a bit starstruck to meet the Orb Weaver in the flesh. 

He isn’t satisfied to just walk away and go their separate ways never to cross paths again.  He devises a game to play.  His brother picks the target and gives them both a location.  It’s up to them to figure out who the target it is and take them out before the other one can figure it out.  The first game is a success and it becomes a yearly event they both look forward to each year.  But is it the game or the company that draws them both in?

“Maybe I was right. We’re not normal people. We are monsters. But if we’re monsters, we’ll thrive in the dark. Together.”

This book had an interesting concept, a couple serial killer killers coming together and bonding over their secret hobby.  And, possibly even finding love in the process.

“You’ll love me one day”

This book took me a bit to get immersed in.  The pair would meet for their game, kill the target, end scene.  Then, fast-forward a year.  Rinse and repeat.  It made it hard to really get to know the characters and everything seemed superficial. 

Also, it drove me crazy that the chapters didn’t list what chapter number they were.  You had to look at the table of contents for that.  However, it was neat that the author included songs for each chapter.  As many times as Sloane said not to threaten her with a good time, I’m unsure how Panic! At the Disco didn’t make the cut.

Back to the actual story.  Everything changed when Sloane got hurt during their game.  Rowan realized how easily he could have lost her.  He put her in that situation and had to take care of her.  After being together as a couple, for a few weeks, the two weren’t satisfied apart.  It forced them to finally give in and take the plunge to be together for real.  The two then had the ups and downs of a real relationship to traverse.  And, they had to deal with outside forces that wanted to destroy them. I did enjoy this couple.  I never felt like I got to know them beyond the surface though.

This book had some nice secondary characters.  Sloane’s best friend, Lark.  And, I loved Rowan’s brothers.  I can only assume the last two books in the trilogy will focus on them.  It’s kind of crazy that both Rowan and Sloane have people in their lives that can accept the whole killing serial killers thing without even blinking an eye.

I thought this was a decent book.  It was good, but not great.  I wanted to see more depth and emotion from the characters.  Give me that, and it may cause me to fall in love with these monsters.  It was a fun read regardless.

“You’re all the best things to me, Sloane. No matter how many bruises are in your heart or on your skin.”