Butcher & Blackbird: The Ruinous Love Trilogy (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, 1)

Book Club Rating: 3.1/5 stars

Okay, it's very rare that dark romance books also make you giggle and laugh (and not because you're cringing at verbiage) I LOVED this book! I love the relationship between Butcher and Blackbird.

I finished this book in one sitting, and I am so glad I finally read it.

Cookie and cream ice cream is ruined. Utterly ruined. Lol.

I’m not gonna lie, I was hooked from the very beginning. I thought it was such an interesting way for them to meet, like, what even?! But what really got me were the time jumps—I was shook that it took them four fucking years to confess their feelings!!

Also, fuck David. My dumb ass actually thought it was sweet that Sloane wanted to help him out with a dishwasher job because he wasn’t all there… turns out he was just faking it and plotting the whole time.

I absolutely loved their banter and the way they talked to each other—it was just so them. And those spice scenes? Omg. That chapter where Rowan accidentally broke Sloane’s heart? Yeah, mine shattered too. But the way he proposed and how they ended up getting married? Perfection.

Also, let’s talk about Rowan for a second because he is a real man. He cooks, runs two restaurants, and kills bad people?? Like, what more could you possibly want?! Plus, he’s hot as hell. I swear, Sloane won the damn lottery with him.

Oh, and one more thing… I can never eat cookies and cream again

This was my rebound book after Onyx Storm. I tried picking up so many other books, but the hangover was real. Butcher & Blackbird was exactly what I needed. From the first page, I was hooked, it’s like if Dexter Morgan and Joe Goldberg had a baby, and that baby grew up into pure dark smut. The banter between the characters was sharp, the pacing was fast, and just when I thought the story was wrapping up, the adventure kept going. It never felt dragged out or unnecessary, which I appreciated.

Most importantly, it did its job, it made me laugh and finally got Xaden Riorson off my mind. I listened to this as an audiobook at 1x speed because I loved the voiceover actors so much. Honestly, I can’t say if it would still be a 5 star read in print, but the audio performance absolutely pushed it there for me. And that accent? Sexy. This is my kind of rom-com: dark, twisted, and full of true crime vibes.

Very fun banter and so engaging. It truly is a sweet dark romance. 💘