Book Review: "Leather & Lark" by Brynne Weaver

Title: Leather & Lark

Author: Brynne Weaver

Series: "Ruinous Love" #2
Genre: Dark Romance Comedy

Page Length: 416 pages

Publication Date: June 4, 2024

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Goodreads

Butcher & Blackbird Review

Butcher & Blackbird is one of the most unique and fun romances I've read in my entire life. It was a highlight of the start of this year and I have not stopped thinking about it since. Therefore, I was pretty excited for Leather & Lark, the companion sequel, to come out. 

Leather & Lark follows two characters we met in B&B and their hate-to-love romance through the situation of a fake marriage. First of all, the premise had me beyond intrigued. Enemies-to-lovers and fake marriage scenarios are always fun for me to read about. This book was no exception.

I loved this book but I will say that it did have a different vibe to it than the first one. It wasn't in a bad way but it was rather different. I almost felt like this one was more of a serious romance compared to a romcom-esque romance. The two main characters were super fun to read about, though. They're very intriguing and I really enjoyed getting to see them open up to each other. 

The plot was somewhat dealing with the consequences of the first book and partly dealing with previous events. Since we actually ended on a rather big ending, I'm pretty desperate for the third book to come out soon. 

Overall, I loved Leather & Lark, but not as much as Butcher & Blackbird. Sequels are hard and it's often difficult to measure up or surpass a first book when it's as stellar as B&B is. However, that's not to say it was a bad sequel. It was fun and addicting but in different ways. I loved the characters and I know I'll be revisiting this book often. 

P.S. Please make sure you read the trigger warnings at the beginning of either book if you decide to read these! There's a long, long list and I want to make sure everyone is reading responsibly! 

---

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

---

You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

---

 

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

Goodreads

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

---

You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

---