A Killer Romance

A Killer Romance

by Charlotte Brandman

Have you ever been trapped in a serial killer’s den with maggots on your tail and found that a fellow serial killer is your only reprieve? Me neither. But apparently, it’s all the rage– at least, Rowan and Sloane think so.

Today, we’re talking about a dark romantic comedy (I didn’t know there was such a thing) by Brynne Weaver, titled Butcher and Blackbird. I’d been seeing reviews of this book all over my Instagram Explore Page but I was, as always, hesitant to pick it up…what if the reviews let me down? But they didn’t! I’m so excited for Leather and Lark, the second book in the Ruinous Love Trilogy which comes out June 4th. Stay tuned for my review. And Brynne Weaver, if you’re reading this (highly unlikely), I would love an Advanced Reader Copy… for research purposes, of course.

Onto the murder!

Rowan, a serial killer also known as the Boston Butcher, saves Sloane, aka the Orb Weaver, from a tricky situation after Sloane attempts to hunt down a victim. Rowan quickly deduces that Sloane is the infamous Orb Weaver and essentially falls in love with her on the spot… I’m not kidding. He tells her, at their first encounter at a dingy dive bar, that she’ll fall in love with him someday. One thing I love about a fictional man is ambition– make your goals known and conquer them!

Rowan and Sloane agree to an annual murder competition– partly because they enjoy friendly rivalry and partly because they’re very attracted to each other. Rowan’s older brother, Lachlan, chooses their target and texts each of them the location where the serial killer they’re hunting lives. Other than that, they’re not given any identifying information– they’re on their own to figure out who they’re supposed to kill. 

On the first night of their first-ever competition, Sloane sees Rowan’s dark side when he protects her from their creepy target who was caught spying on her masturbating. As always, we had to get the thin-walls masturbation scene where Sloane “accidentally” says Rowan’s name loud enough for him to hear. Except, it’s also loud enough for the innkeeper, Francis, to hear through the peephole he’s put in Sloane’s wall. Rowan promptly kills him in a territorial act of anger, and Sloane, surprisingly, sticks around to take care of him afterward. 

Sloane is flighty, which is the main thing keeping her from falling in love with Rowan. She’s convinced that she’s unlovable– and sure, being a serial killer is definitely a turn-off for most men, but not for Rowan. He sees her killings as art– she intricately ties the flesh of her victims into spider webs above their bodies and plants their gouged-out eyes at the center. How… artistic.

For years, Rowan and Sloane push and pull each other away. Rowan gets busy with his restaurant, called “3 in Coach,” and Sloane is still too scared to go on a real date with Rowan. It’s not until their third-annual competition, where Rowan almost loses Sloane to a demented chainsaw man, that they admit their feelings for one another.

This book is a must-read for any Enemies to Readers fans. Rowan and Sloane made my heart break, burst, and sing all within four hundred pages. The smut? Fantastic. The love story? Incredible. The slow burn? To die for (see what I did there?). Did I mention Rowan has an Irish accent?

I’m serious. If you’re in a reading slump or just need something fantastic to dig into Butcher and Blackbird is a wonderful place to start. On the Enemies to Readers “Sex-o-Meter,” this book gets a 3.5/5. When there was smut, there was smut. But, I think the slow burn and heart-wrenching character development is really what you’re reading this book for.

Rowan and Sloane have my metaphorical heart. Well, if they don’t cut my literal one out of me first.

See you next read,

Charlotte

Photograph: Pinterest