A darkly romantic romp through Brynne Weaver’s blood-soaked garden of delights
If you’ve ever wished your cozy seaside getaway came with a side of serial murder and slow-burn sexual tension, Brynne Weaver’s Tourist Season is your twisted dream come true. The first installment in the Seasons of Carnage trilogy, this dark romance thriller is equal parts compost and chaos, where the flowers bloom bright and the bodies are buried deep.
Let’s dig in—shovel first.
One-minute reviews on Instagram
🌺 Plot Summary: Murder, Mulch, and Mutual Obsession
Cape Carnage is a picturesque coastal town with pastel houses, quirky shops, and a body count that rivals a Tarantino film. Harper Starling, the town’s enigmatic gardener, has a green thumb and a red-stained conscience. She’s not just pruning roses—she’s pruning the population. “Troublesome tourists don’t check out of Carnage. They compost beneath Harper’s award-winning flowerbeds”.
Enter Nolan Rhodes, a blade-wielding vigilante with a vendetta and a scrapbook of kills. Each year, on the anniversary of his brother’s hit-and-run death, Nolan hunts down a new target. Cape Carnage is his final stop, and Harper is his prime suspect. But when their paths cross in a coffee shop, sparks fly—and not just the stabby kind.
Their banter is deliciously sharp. “You always this charming to strangers?” Harper asks. Nolan replies, “Only the ones I suspect of murder.” It’s enemies-to-lovers with a body count, and the tension is so thick you could mulch it.
As a true crime podcaster sniffs around town, Harper and Nolan strike a truce: she won’t expose his annual revenge spree if he helps her protect Cape Carnage. What follows is a slow descent into obsession, where love and violence intertwine like vines around a trellis.
🌿 Character Breakdown: Murderers with Morals
Harper Starling
Cape Carnage’s unofficial executioner and official gardener. Harper is fiercely protective of her town and her mentor, Arthur. She’s got trauma buried deeper than her victims and a moral compass that points due vengeance. Her internal monologue is dry, dark, and oddly poetic:
“I don’t kill for fun. I kill for peace. And peace, like roses, needs pruning.”
She’s not your typical heroine—she’s a walking contradiction: nurturing yet lethal, tender yet terrifying. And she’s got a woodchipper.
Nolan Rhodes
Think Dexter meets Mr. Darcy. Nolan is charming, calculating, and emotionally wrecked. His revenge ritual is methodical, but Harper throws a wrench into his plans—and maybe a shovel.
“I came here to kill her. I didn’t expect to want to kiss her first.”
He’s the classic “he falls first” trope incarnate, unraveling as Harper challenges everything he thought he knew about justice and grief.
Arthur
Harper’s aging mentor with a fading memory and a violent past. Arthur is the emotional anchor of the story, a reminder that even killers can love deeply. His decline adds a layer of heartbreak to the bloodshed.
🔪 Tropes That Bloom in Carnage
-
Enemies to Lovers: Harper and Nolan start off suspicious and stabby, but their chemistry is undeniable.
-
Morally Gray Protagonists: Both leads are killers, but you’ll root for them anyway.
-
Found Family: Harper’s bond with Arthur is tender and tragic.
-
Small Town with Secrets: Cape Carnage is charming on the surface, but its soil is rich with rot.
-
He Falls First: Nolan’s obsession with Harper is immediate and intense.
-
Forced Proximity: Their alliance forces them into close quarters—and closer confessions.
-
Slow Burn: The romance simmers beneath layers of mistrust and murder.
⚠️ Trigger Warnings
This book is not for the faint of heart—or stomach. Here’s what to expect:
-
Graphic violence and murder
-
Dementia/Alzheimer’s representation
-
Revenge killings
-
Discussions of trauma and grief
-
Stalking and surveillance
-
Dark humor involving death
-
Sexual content with emotional intensity
If you like your romance with a splash of blood and a dash of gallows humor, you’re in the right garden.
💬 Favorite Quotes That Slay
-
“Cape Carnage doesn’t welcome predators. It buries them.”
-
“I’ve killed seven people. I’ve loved none. Until now.”
-
“She’s got dirt under her nails and blood in her smile. I think I’m in love.”
-
“Peace isn’t passive. Sometimes it needs a shovel.”
Weaver’s prose is sharp, lyrical, and laced with menace. It’s the kind of writing that makes you laugh, wince, and highlight compulsively.
🌊 Pacing & Style: A Slow Burn with Sharp Edges
The novel unfolds in three acts:
-
Setup: Harper’s routine of murder and mulch is disrupted by Nolan’s arrival. Their first clash—over a drone and a shovel—is peak grumpy/grumpy gold.
-
Alliance: They team up to protect the town’s secrets while keeping their own buried. Forced proximity leads to steamy stakeouts and emotional unraveling.
-
Obsession: As the true crime sleuth closes in, Harper and Nolan’s alliance spirals into something darker—and more dangerous.
Weaver balances romance and thriller elements with surgical precision. The pacing is deliberate, allowing tension to build like pressure in a greenhouse. And when it explodes? Petals and blood.
📚 Final Thoughts: A Killer Read
Tourist Season is a genre-bending triumph—part romance, part thriller, part botanical horror. It’s Dexter meets You meets The Secret Garden, with a dash of Gone Girl and a whole lot of compost.
It’s not just about murder—it’s about memory, morality, and the messy business of love. Harper and Nolan are two broken people who find solace in each other’s scars. Their romance is twisted, tender, and totally unhinged.
If you’re tired of vanilla love stories and want something with bite, Tourist Season will leave you breathless—and maybe a little suspicious of your local gardener.
Rating: 🌹🌹🌹🌹 out of 5 blood-soaked blooms Recommended for: Fans of dark romance, morally gray characters, and slow-burn thrillers with emotional depth and killer banter.
Add comment
Comments