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marissareuther's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Murder, Violence, Death, Torture, Cannibalism, Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child abuse, Addiction, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Rape, and Alcohol
acmazurek's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, and Murder
karly_rose_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I recently read The Mindf*ck Series by S.T. Abby and asked fellow readers for recommendations with other bad*ss, unhinged FMCs and this came highly recommended. It absolutely lived up to the hype—Sloane (Blackbird) is, in fact, an unhinged bad b*tch. Also, I didn't know a MMC could be a golden retriever and a serial killer, but Brynne Weaver managed to accomplish that. This duo is everything.
From the witty banter to the questionable moments that had no right making me laugh out loud, this book was an addictive, fun read. It is also a slow burn BUT the spice scenes are SPICIN and worth the wait. The chemistry between these characters is *chefs kiss.*
The only reasons I didn't give this a true 5/5 but it is very close is due to the timeline feeling sped once the characters "unite" years later, which gave me a bit of character whiplash. HOWEVER, I am extremely excited to read Leather & Lark and am hoping I can get approved as an ARC reader.
Tropes (if you're curious):
🔪 Dark romantic comedy
🔪 Slow burn
🔪 Friends to lovers
🔪 He falls first
🔪 Touch him/her and die
🔪 Forced proximity
🔪 One bed
This book is told in first person and has dual POV with the FMC and MMC.
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Cursing, Blood, Confinement, Body horror, and Cannibalism
Minor: Stalking, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Vomit, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, and Incest
lokidotter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Rape, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
pdxrach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Body horror, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Stalking
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Rape, and Sexual violence
kaylaogle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Death, and Cannibalism
Minor: Rape
potion96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, Violence, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Cursing, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Stalking, Gun violence, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Confinement, Pedophilia, and Vomit
moonbunny117's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Gore
Minor: Sexual assault, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Rape
plsnotanotherdamselindistress's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
A sometimes blushing man who fell first and harder that not only tells you that he would kill for you but actually does kill for you...sign me up.
And her being a shy, smart and really talented serial killer too...I love it.
I really liked her as the fMC and how the gore-y scenes were detailled and the author cared about the setting (the really disgusting parts also being the funniest).
I just would have enjoyed to read more of them keeping in contact with each other during the times they were apart because the author *tells* us how they talked everyday and learned a lot about each other but as these parts were not *shown* the reader is not up-to-date with there relationship (as in how it progressed) but still on the page of how it was it the scene 6 months before the next.
Spice(quality&quantity):
4/5
Quite detailed and the characters worked really well together. Also there is variety and especially his POV was goood.
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Torture and Sexism
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
ktbeth143's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
If you like romance and spice, you’ll probably love this book (if you can get past all the gore). If you like vigilante stories, you might think this is okay. If you like horror, you’ll be impressed by to gore but probably disappointed with the overall plot line.
I absolutely loved the chemistry between Rowan and Sloan. It was fun and flirty. And any guy who is trying to win over a girl—especially one who tends to be reserved or very independent—needs to take lessons from Rowan (not about serial killing, but about pursuit). He meets Sloan where she’s at emotionally and slowly coaxes her into intimacy. And I’m not talking about spice (although there is a lot of that in this book). I’m talking about how Rowan recognizes almost immediately Sloan finds it hard to trust and open up to people, so he takes his time and does things intentionally to show her he’s a safe person (for her to be vulnerable with. I mean, she’s probably one of the only people who’s also physically safe with him too since they are both serial killers).
However, as much as I love the chemistry between these two, their character development is lacking. More so with Rowan.
Of killing). Except, even that’s a stretch to believe because no one would blame someone for killing someone else who was physically harming him and his siblings. There’s literally nothing else in the book that offers adequate evidence of Rowan being a sociopath.
Sloan is a little more believable.
The plot moves super fast and hinges mostly on their romance. Despite the gore of their serial killing escapes, the action— which is very relevant to the premise—feels kind of irrelevant to the plot for about 60-70% of story. And then there’s the third-act breakup, which the author uses to add weight to the plot. It does, but the reason so many people (myself included) don’t like third-act break ups is because it’s a cheap way to throw conflict into the plot arc.
Character flaws are a major part of the story and yet at the same time they aren’t. They’re serial killers, so the judgement area here is kind of gray. Both characters do struggle with “can this person love me/do I deserve love?” moments that do influence some of their decisions, but isn’t that one reason we’re all okay with loving morally gray characters?
Overall, the romance vibes are fun but it could be a better story. I am looking forward to the next book in the series though. I would recommend this to romance lovers, especially those looking for spice, during spooky season.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cannibalism, Cursing, Murder, Body horror, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Gun violence and Child abuse
Check the content warnings before reading!