“You have never been unlovable. You were just waiting for someone who will love you for who you are, not for who they want you to be. I can do that, if you’ll let me.”
― Brynne Weaver, Butcher & Blackbird

If your social media is like mine, then it is full of book recommendations! One that has been all over the internet lately is Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver, the first in the Ruinous Love trilogy. This book was so far out of my comfort zone, but I actually found it pretty funny.

Sloane and Rowan have normal day jobs, but outside of work, they have interesting hobbies. They spend their days, and nights, hunting other serial killers and killing them. That’s right. They are serial killers that only kill other serial killers. Make sense? Let’s move on.

Sloane is on the hunt of a particularly nasty person, but they manage to get the drop on her. Rowan runs into Sloane while she’s trapped, leading the two on an unlikely journey of friendship. These like-minded souls enjoy the darkness of killing other serial killers.

Wanting to keep their friendship alive, Rowan proposes a game where they meet up once a year to hunt. Spanning years, the two travel from West Virginia to California to Boston to Texas, they hunt down dangerous monsters. Their friendship soon morphs into something more, but both Rowan and Sloane’s pasts are determined to tear the two apart before they even get started.

While this book was not my normal read, it was very funny. If you’re interested in reading this, play close attention to the trigger warnings because it is raunchy, gory, romantic, dark, and funny. Do I regret this read? Not at all. If you decide to give this a go, let me know in the comments!

Want to know the romance tropes in this book? Look below!

• Golden retriever x black cat
• He falls first
• Touch him/her and die
• Friends to lovers
• Forced proximity
• One bed

Ruinous Love Trilogy

• Butcher & Blackbird (2023)
• Leather & Lark (2024)
• Scythe & Sparrow (2025)