About the Book
-
Author:
- Brynne Weaver
- Genres:
- Adult
- Adult Romance
- Man-Woman Romance
- Suspense
- Voices:
- Cis Boy
- Cis Girl
- Straight
- White (Non-Specified)
Sub-Genres: Friends to Lovers, Forced Proximity, Only One Bed, A Bet
What’s Your Type: Even Vigilante Killers Fall In Love
Welcome to the second week of our annual Grown-Up Guide to Romance! I loooove a rivals-to-lovers trope because it hits a lot of the same beats as enemies-to-lovers (also good stuff) but usually with forced proximity and the addition of some kind of professional or other high-stakes bragging rights on the line. Or, in this case, dibs on who gets to murder an infamous serial killer.
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Fancy Dress to Fabio:
I actually love this cover, but doesn’t it kind of scream YA? Which, this honestly tracks, because romance covers are all over the place right now. It’s either a shirtless dude or a cutesy illustrated couple on the filthiest Tessa Bailey you’ve ever read. (This is not a knock! I love a dirty Tessa Bailey romance.) The skulls and weapons add an offbeat dimension which feels right for a book that’s doing something a bit different, with its melding of dark romance violence with rom-com banter.
The Deal
Sloane and Rowan share a fairly gross but opportune meet-cute when they both show up to murder the same guy and realize they have an avocation in common. They both enjoy hunting down serial killers and murdering them in grisly–and sometimes elaborately staged–ways. Everyone should have a hobby, right? To make sure he gets to see Sloane again, Rowan proposes an annual game, wherein they have a week to hunt the same quarry, the first one to kill him wins. The best out of five claims bragging rights and a shot at a killer that tops both their lists. Over time, as they grow closer, talking and texting, and bonding over their shared interests, they start to look forward to the competition for reasons other than murder. As their friendship begins to hint at something more, they’ll have to face their inner demons as well as the very ones they hunt before they have a shot at their unique version of happily ever after.
The Leading Woman: Skittish Sparrow
Sloane as described by Ronan: “Beautiful, black-haired woman with hazel eyes and freckles, 5’8”, probably alone, shy, and looks like she wants to run.” He really gets her. Introverted data scientist by day, elusive killer by night. Sloane is a quirky loner with one friend. She’s sensitive, artistic, and secretive by nature – a total Scorpio. Being an anxious little weirdo, she second-guesses every text she sends and has trouble believing someone like Rowan would actually be into her, which means these two fools take far longer to get together than I would prefer.
The Leading Man: Captivated Carver
Rowan is hot, obvs. He’s a wildly extroverted tattooed Irish chef who is close to his brothers and enjoys running his popular Boston restaurant, yet still manages to find time for his repulsive little hobby that takes him all over the country. In addition to his stellar time management skills, he’s hilarious and adorably flirtatious. Which is probably why it takes Sloane so long to take him seriously. He’s fascinated with her from day one but understands her well enough to know that rushing anything would definitely scare her off. The man can play the long game.
Risque Ranking: 9
These two spend 60% of the book flirting, whether in person or via phone. So, when they finally do get together, they really go for it. It is a sex marathon. As the long-time pining one, Rowans wants to make up for lost time and he doesn’t care who knows it. Guests in his brother’s home, in front of a wide-open window at his place of business, dead body in the next room? Rowan dgaf. And it is hot, though it may make you tense over the constant fear of discovery, kind of a metaphor for their entire story.
Ms. Perky’s Prize for Purplest Prose
The pace quickens. Rowan’s hot palm caresses my breast. He pistons into me. I cry out his name and he fucks me harder. “I would kill for you, and I have. I would do it again, every damn day. I’d turn myself inside out for you. I would die for you. I don’t just like you, Sloane, and you fucking know it.” Vicious thrusts throw me over the edge. Stars shatter across my vision. A sound I’ve never before made spills across my lips as the orgasm breaks me apart. I don’t unravel. I detonate.
Was it Good For You?
Though it contains elements of dark romance (mainly the murder, torture, and some light stalking), at its heart this is a rom-com, albeit a gruesome one. I am honestly obsessed with this book. There’s dual POV (my favorite), amusing dialogue, interesting side characters, scorching sex scenes, plus serial killers! As someone who loves romance and true crime, this is my dream book. Sloane and Rowan are great main characters and I adored their silly running jokes and one-upmanship, and how they never stopped giving each other shit. They both have dark pasts, which helps to explain how they developed their violent tendencies, but also why they’re drawn together. Many of the relationship obstacles they face, such as living in different states, and their concerns about how they fit into each other’s lives, are surprisingly realistic and relatable given their unusual leisure pursuits.
As you might imagine, Butcher & Blackbird comes with a laundry list of content warnings printed at the beginning of the book. I’d definitely check those out if you have some triggers or are on the squeamish side. Otherwise, I’d skip them to avoid minor spoilers.
Further Reading on RIVALS TO LOVERS:
Kandis Recommends:
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Mostly just satisfied to drive each other crazy with daily microaggressions around the office, now they’re up for the same promotion at their publishing company, and the gloves (and maybe some other things) are about to come off.
Love On the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
Bee Königswasser gets her dream job working at NASA only to find that her arch-nemesis from grad school, Levi Ward, will be her co-lead. As things start going wrong around the office causing problems for her project, Levi turns into her unlikely ally (with benefits).
Marrow by Tricia Wolfe and Brynne Weaver
Brynne Weaver has obviously been honing the serial killers in love bit until she got it just right. In this earlier, darker iteration, forensic anthropologist Jack Sorenson and wildlife biologist Kyrie Roth butt heads by day as colleagues at their university’s body farm. Only Kyrie knows about Jack’s double life, that by night he’s a serial killer just like her. And he’s about to pay for all the times he’s pissed her off.
Bonus series rec! The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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