Friday, June 28, 2024

Book Review: "Butcher & Blackbird" by Brynne Weaver

Title: Butcher & Blackbird
Author: Brynne Weaver
Series: "Ruinous Love" #1
Genre: Dark Romance Comedy 
Page Length: 360 pages
Publication Date: August 15, 2023 
Rating: 5 // 5 stars

As a fan of dark romances and a fan of rom-coms, I was quite eager going into Butcher & Blackbird. A dark romcom about a competition between serial killers? It sounded right up my alley, particularly after my enjoyment of the Mindf*ck series in 2022. Butcher & Blackbird lived up to my expectations and far surpassed them, giving me a new all-time favorite to add to my shelves.

In Butcher & Blackbird, we follow two serial killers who take out other killers. After a rather hilarious first encounter, they begin an annual murder competition that takes them across the country over the span of multiple years. And, of course, romance starts to bloom. 

I loved both the main characters in this. In a romance book, good character building is essential to keep readers invested. After all, romance plots revolve mainly around rooting for two or more characters to get together. Brynne Weaver did a stellar job at making me fall for Sloane and Rowan. Between their witty banter, toe-curling flirtation, and surprising tenderness, I was ready to fall for these characters myself. 

Apart from the characters, Weaver crafts an exciting adventure for us readers to go on with Sloane and Rowan. It takes a truly skillful writer to make murder into a hilarious endeavor but she truly succeeded with this story. From ruining cookies & cream ice cream to accidental cannibalism, the trials these characters endure on their quest to kill had me cackling out loud. 

It's rather rare to have both an exciting plot and well-crafted characters in a story. However, Weaver managed to achieve that and more with Butcher & Blackbird. On top of that, the spicy scenes were stellar and well-balanced. I'm not someone who loves a lot of spice in books but Weaver managed to make the scenes both exciting and purposeful. 

While I love Sloane and Rowan, we also got to meet a variety of side characters that we'll get to see featured in the future installments of the Ruinous Love trilogy following the Kane brothers and their romances. I am particularly excited to see how Lachlan and Lark get on in the next installment after their frosty demeanors towards each other during the rare moments they've been on page together. 

All that being said, I'll leave you with this: Butcher & Blackbird is an addicting, hilariously gruesome story with a surprisingly touching romance that tugs at your heartstrings. It's not for the faint of heart and the trigger warnings should be taken as the warning they are, but if it hits your preferences, it will surely become a new top favorite. 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Monday, June 3, 2024

May 2024 Wrap-Up + Book Haul


Well, May was a busy month. I worked 20 days straight and then had only a few days off sprinkled in. In light of that, I feel pretty accomplished with the number of books I got through. I read 8 books in May, though I ended up in a slump the last couple weeks of it so I potentially could have read even more. Still, an overall good reading month. I only hauled two books this month as well, so we're still on track for downsizing my book collection and saving money. But, without further ado, let's dive in! 


1. 
Title: Yellowface
Author: R.F. Kuang
Rating: 5 // 5 stars


2. 
Title: Pack Darling, Part One
Author: Lola Rock
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread-

3. 
Title: Pack Darling, Part Two
Author: Lola Rock
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread-

4. 
Title: Pucking Around
Author: Emily Rath
Rating: 3 // 5 stars

5. 
Title: The Scepter
Author: J. Bree
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread-

6. 
Title: The Sword
Author: J. Bree
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
-reread-

7. 
Title: The Crown of Oaths and Curses
Author: J. Bree
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread-

8. 
Title: The Throne of Honor and Blood
Author: J. Bree
Rating: 4 // 5 stars




The first of two books I got this month was Tourner by Jane Washington. This is the second book in her Ironside Academy series and one I absolutely adore. With the release of the fourth book at the end of May and the upcoming series cover change, I knew I wanted this book on my shelves. I love these covers and Tourner really is one of the more stunning ones in the series. Plus, the story is so much fun and very addicting. I'm just excited to have it and add the next two to my shelves later in the summer. 

Then I picked up the Stardew Valley Official Cookbook by ConcernedApe and Ryan Novak. I've become a huge Stardew Valley fan in the last six months and, being a huge foodie, I was so excited when this cookbook was announced. Cooking is a relatively big part of the game and having a lot of the recipes be represented in this cookbook to then get to try is a very fun prospect. I've had a couple cursory flip throughs so far but I'm pretty excited to dedicate some time soon to having a proper look. 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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