I saw a lot of hype for this book and heard the audio reviews were amazing so I had to dive in. I think it was good but not the spectacular book I was reading about. I felt like the audio got too OTT for me and it took me awhile to get sucked into this world to be honest. I usually can finish an audiobook of this length in less than 5 days but I kept putting this down and going to other audiobooks in between because it wasnt holding my attention. I felt like it might have been better for me reading rather than listening to it. I thought the idea was so farfetched but the author did a good job bringing so much detail to this complicated story she weaved without overdoing it. I loved the intricacies of her kills and her set-up/how people find the scene after she leaves. She thinks of everything and leaves breadcrumbs that no one figures out haha. I liked the different people they encounter and take out, the competition was hilarious. I was confused how the whole eating someone thing was going to be thrown in and couldnt stop laughing at that scene when it happened hahah. I mean don’t get me wrong, my stomach flipped and I was sickened by the idea of it but it was funny to see our MC try to warn him and he was so drugged(since he wasnt paying attention like she was!) and was definitely not coherent haha. I won’t give more away but that evil they took out and his way of killing was done well (in terms of the details, the awesome little mini story/confrontation). I also liked the banter between the characters and how shy they both got haha. She was so awkward but so was he, they were a cute couple and no one would suspect serial killers! I also liked some of the side characters in this one and we get to learn more about 2 of them in their story coming this summer! I will be picking that up, hopefully audio is around the same time as the ebook and paperback release! I also enjoyed the steam once the two finally got together 🔥 and the vulnerable and adorable intimate moments were just a good. ALSO THE TATTOO!!! IYKYK I think again for me, what took away from me giving this a 5 stars was some of the storyline felt too broken up, with the time jumps and the bouncing all over the place with their internal monologues, kinda gave me whiplash in a couple chapters. Also again it took me several tries to get into this one, when I was really looking forward to it. I would sill recommend this book and will be reading book 2 but give the caveat that this can be disjointed and take into consideration the subjects. I rarely have TWs that mess with me (this didn’t have anything I had an issue with) but this one can be gruesome with describing the murders, almost assaults/people trying to kill them too haha, etc. I did enjoy the humor, most of the jokes hit the mark and had me giggling. Narrators gets a 4/5 from me. Like I mentioned before there were a fair amount of scenes I thought the two main characters were over the top and overdid it. I did think they did a good job with the awkward social skills, the emotions felt right, and the way they described the kills/staging the scene, and about each other was so meticulous and cute (never thought I would talk about them and call them cute haha). I think the male narrator did a good job with the accent and personalities but he is not the best person in real life and it’s hard for me to listen to him and not think of what he did. Not punishing the author at all for it, just giving a heads up to readers/listeners! I may have to read this before book 2 comes out, as a refresher, and try to see if I feel differently without the narrator or not. A follow-up update will be done closer to book 2’s release 😍

For the past year, everyone has been talking about Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver , especially the audio version. I don’t usually read dark romances, but I love romcoms. This is a dark romcom! I was intrigued. Butcher & Blackbird was probably the #1 TikTok book for the past year, and some of the other big Booktok books I read were total letdowns. But I still had high hopes. I am so happy to say that Butcher and Blackbird lived up to the hype. It was like nothing I’ve ever read before, which is definitely part of the appeal. The story was fun, but it was the personalities that made the book. Sloan and Rowan are both serial killers. They each kill the bad serial killers that the police can’t catch, but make no mistake, they LOVE the killing. Even though they have sometimes gone after the same guy, they have never met. When they finally do, it's at a murder scene that’s become a bit...shall we say... dicey for Sloan. Sloan, “the orb-weaver” plucks her victims’ eyeballs out and turns her crime scenes into intricate web-like art exhibitions made from flesh and body parts. Rowan aka Butcher has been a big fan from afar but meeting her in person had him instantly falling for her. Their banter was so amazing! I know it’s weird to say about a serial killer, but Rowan was adorable. He was so sweet and romantic! Yes, I said that. Yes, I know he's a serial killer. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the sweet ones. These two are complete psychopaths (as are their friends and family who we will read about in the next two books) and they were so much fun! I don’t read or watch horror at all, and some of this was pretty gross, but because of the humor, it was never too much for me. "Rowan rests the handle of the ax against his shoulder and huffs before giving me a wink. “Getting revenge for hurting my girl, of course." Likes: •It’s so unique! •Laughing while gagging. •How can I fall in love with a serial killer? •Rivals to lovers. •Though he had insta-love, she took a while to catch up so it was slow-burn. •But once they started burning…holy moly it was HOT. •I loved that it pretty much ended with an HEA. It’s called a trilogy, but each book features a different couple. •He was so sweet, and I loved how much he loved her. Dislikes: •The timeline jumps. •I would have liked to get to know them on a deeper level. The Narration: OMG, this is one of the best narrations I have ever listened to. It’s full duet, so Lucy Rivers and Joe Arden had full-on conversations with her voicing the female parts and him the male. I am sure I wouldn’t have loved Butcher and Blackbird as much if I just read it, the narration made it so much better. The Down & Dirty: Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver isn’t perfect, but I can totally understand the hype around it. It’s unique, it’s dark, it’s funny, it’s raunchy, it’s gory, it’s romantic, and it’s hot AF. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend the audiobook. But make sure you listen to the trigger warnings. They are no joke, but they also made me laugh. “accidental cannibalism” anyone? I am so happy Leather and Lark,(book two) is out because I’m not ready to leave this world.