One Minute Review on Instagram
If romance novels are usually champagne and roses, Butcher & Blackbird is whiskey and a switchblade. Brynne Weaver’s first entry in the Ruinous Love trilogy marries serial-killer thriller with slow-burn romance, delivering a story that’s gory, witty, and—surprisingly—tender at its core.
Plot Without Spoilers
Sloane Sutherland and Rowan Kane are not your average romantic leads. She’s the “Blackbird,” an artful killer who turns death into a twisted kind of craft. He’s the “Boston Butcher,” equally lethal but far more methodical.
Their worlds collide when Rowan stumbles upon Sloane in the middle of a botched kill. Instead of turning on each other, they strike an unorthodox truce—and a competition. Once a year, they choose a target from the world’s worst predators and race to take them down.
As the years pass, what starts as rivalry morphs into something more complicated. Between darkly comic banter, tense hunts, and intimate late-night confessions, Sloane and Rowan find themselves drawn together—not despite their darkness, but because of it. By the final act, the question isn’t just who wins the game, but whether two people drenched in blood can find something clean and safe in each other.
Character Summaries
Sloane “Blackbird” Sutherland
Sharp-witted, guarded, and unapologetically dangerous. Sloane treats killing like an art form, leaving behind meticulous, grotesquely beautiful scenes. She keeps her emotions locked up tight, deflecting vulnerability with sarcasm and bravado. Beneath that armor, though, is a hunger for someone who understands her without judgment.
Rowan “Boston Butcher” Kane
Rowan is all quiet charisma and controlled brutality. His moral compass spins oddly—he kills, but only those who deserve it by his code. He’s protective to the point of ferocity, with a “touch her and you die” energy that blends tenderness and menace. Rowan’s the one who falls first, and he falls hard.
Supporting Cast
While most of the focus stays on the leads, the occasional side character—fellow hunters, victims, and monsters—acts as both catalyst and mirror, forcing Sloane and Rowan to confront their own humanity (or lack thereof).
The Tone: Equal Parts Blade and Blush
One of Weaver’s biggest triumphs is balance. The book slides effortlessly between tension, humor, and heat. A murder scene might be punctuated by a deadpan joke; a flirtation might be layered over a tense stakeout. The tone is never cozy, but it’s often charming in a way that catches you off-guard.
A Taste of the Writing
Weaver’s prose is as sharp as her characters’ knives—equal parts morbid and romantic. A few standout lines:
“The same way I look at her and find beauty in the marks that are only temporary, she looks at me and I know she feels the same. There’s art in our scars.”
“We’re not normal people. We are monsters. But if we’re monsters, we’ll thrive in the dark. Together.”
“I didn’t gouge them out, Butcher. I plucked them. Delicately.”
These moments capture the book’s range—from intimate vulnerability to pitch-black humor.
Tropes That Drive the Story
-
Friends-to-Lovers – While the setup suggests enemies-to-lovers, their rivalry is friendly from early on, allowing for warmth to grow alongside the danger.
-
He Falls First – Rowan’s quiet pining gives the romance an undercurrent of inevitability.
-
Slow Burn – The tension stretches for years of in-story time before finally igniting.
-
Dual POV – We see both perspectives, which adds nuance to their morally gray choices.
-
“Touch Her and You Die” – Protective instincts dialed up to eleven.
-
Vigilante Justice – The moral calculus here is: bad people deserve bad ends, especially at the hands of other bad people.
Trigger Warnings
This is very much a dark romance. Content warnings (explicitly listed by the author) include:
-
Graphic violence, gore, and body horror
-
Torture and dismemberment
-
Eyeball trauma
-
Cannibalism (both accidental and deliberate)
-
Stalking and emotional abuse
-
Explicit sexual content, including kink (BDSM, choking, spitting, anal, genital piercings)
-
Trauma and references to past abuse
If any of these are hard limits, this book isn’t for you. The gore is not a passing flourish—it’s integral to the plot and often described in unflinching detail.
Strengths
An Original Hook
“Serial killers who hunt serial killers” is fresh, and Weaver fully commits to the premise.
Chemistry That Sizzles
The banter between Sloane and Rowan is electric, layered with mutual respect, attraction, and dark humor.
Emotional Depth
Beneath the splatter is a story about acceptance—finding someone who sees all your fractures and doesn’t flinch.
Consistent Voice
The humor, romance, and horror are tonally consistent; even when the mood shifts, it feels deliberate.
Weaknesses
Not for Every Palate
The violence and gore are graphic enough to alienate readers outside the dark romance niche.
Minimal Supporting Cast Development
Side characters serve the plot but rarely get depth; it’s a two-person show, for better or worse.
Potential Tonal Whiplash
The juxtaposition of romance and brutality is a feature for some, a bug for others.
The Spice Factor
When the romance turns physical, it’s explicit, intense, and grounded in trust. Consent is present, but the scenes are not vanilla—expect kink, dominance play, and edge. The slow burn ensures the payoff feels earned rather than gratuitous.
Final Verdict
Butcher & Blackbird is a blood-streaked love story that asks you to root for the monsters—not because they’re misunderstood, but because they’ve found something achingly rare in each other. It’s funny, violent, and unexpectedly tender, often in the same paragraph.
If you thrive on morally gray protagonists, black humor, and romance that blooms in the shadows, this is a ride worth taking. If graphic violence or morally dubious leads turn your stomach, it’s best admired from a distance.
For the right reader, it’s intoxicating: a story about two predators who, against all odds, choose to hunt life’s horrors together—and to hold on to each other in the dark.
Add comment
Comments