Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver, is a romantic comedy about two serial killers who only kill other serial killers. When Rowan meets Sloane, he’s intrigued by a like-minded soul. He knows that he wants to keep their interactions going, so he creates a gruesome annual game for them to compete in. Rowan and Sloane travel the United States playing their games and growing closer to one another. The more they play the more that their games may bite them back.

This is a fun, hilarious, and dark romance that was hard to put down. This book is filled with a mix between horror and humor. You’ll be laughing at things that you never expected to. The themes of this book are dark, but the humor manages to keep things light and engaging. There is a long list of content warnings in the beginning of the book. There are some very sensitive topics throughout, and I would suggest that the warnings be read. The romance, mystery, and thrills will make it hard to put this book down.

Rowan and Sloane have both become serial killers for different reasons, but they both have the same goal to rid the world of other horrible people. They are both morally gray characters who live by their own code of ethics. This makes them interesting characters to read about. While they both have interesting backstories, but Weaver tells them more through suggestion than explicitly. I believe this is done so as not to explicitly talk about some very dark things, but it leaves the reader with a lot of questions. It makes it hard to really understand the motivations of the main characters. However, all of the characters are well thought out. Rowan and Sloane make for believable romantic interests as the romance slowly ramps up.

While the plot of this book is very well thought out, there are some small issues with the plotting. I think Weaver intends for these to become a series featuring different love interests. Weaver has tried to create a storyline that would tie the first book into the second book. However, she has created a large hole in the first book to complete that goal. There is a story thread that is started in the beginning, but that storyline is never addressed again or resolved. It appears to have been intended to be a large part of the book and motivations for the protagonists, but has been dropped to benefit a second book. This is a symptom of the larger issue of Weaver introducing character elements and plots to the story for them to be abandoned later in the book.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoys true crime and wants to add a little romance to it. I would not recommend this book to anyone who dislike the miscommunication trope, copious amounts of murder, or morally gray characters. Overall, this is a highly entertaining book to read. It’s hard to put down and it’s easily read in one day. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.