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A review by bribreez
The Butcher and the Ballerina by Kris K. Haines
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.25⭐️/ 3🌶️ (only because the spice in this book spanned essentially 2 chapters & it was spicy in my opinion)
*Check TW before reading
As much as you might think you don’t need to read this book, I would HIGHLY URGE you to read this book nonetheless! Ronin and Mireille were thrusted into a partnership neither of them wanted to be part of, but when the situation called for Ronin to play the part of Mireille’s boyfriend in order to get close to a mark, it gave a new meaning to the fake dating trope! This fantasy story had, fake dating, action, assassins, spies, she’s a ballerina but also cunning, quick, and able to fight, and he was a ruthless fighter. In addition, the two main characters were WOLF SHIFTERS! So if you love wolf shifters, this definitely had that! Ronin and Mireille’s story held a lot of answers that at first glance may not seem important, but when reading you see just how much of an impact it plays into the overall narrative.
*Check TW before reading
As much as you might think you don’t need to read this book, I would HIGHLY URGE you to read this book nonetheless! Ronin and Mireille were thrusted into a partnership neither of them wanted to be part of, but when the situation called for Ronin to play the part of Mireille’s boyfriend in order to get close to a mark, it gave a new meaning to the fake dating trope! This fantasy story had, fake dating, action, assassins, spies, she’s a ballerina but also cunning, quick, and able to fight, and he was a ruthless fighter. In addition, the two main characters were WOLF SHIFTERS! So if you love wolf shifters, this definitely had that! Ronin and Mireille’s story held a lot of answers that at first glance may not seem important, but when reading you see just how much of an impact it plays into the overall narrative.
This story was one that I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but the way Kris K. Haines wrote it, she may it better with each chapter. I have never read a fantasy storyline that had fake dating, but they were both spies working undercover on a case they were tasked with! Ronin and Mireille were somewhat different in the way they worked, but gradually the two of them stopped butting heads, and formed a great partnership together, as well as a steamy, passionate, undeniable romance. I will say, the beginning took a bit for me to really get into, but once I got further into the story, I refused to put it down because I wanted to see what else would happen! Ronin and Mireille’s story was entertaining which surprised me because, I imagined it would have focused more on other aspects of the plot, but there was a couple of banter filled moments that made me laugh and really like the dynamic Ronin and Mireille formed.
Little by little, this story developed into something that caught me off guard and genuinely had me gasping out loud in the way I found out some vital information! I won’t spoil it, but all I will say is, this story does actually play a bigger role in the next book so PLEASE READ THIS BOOK! Also, quick side note, don’t read this book if you haven’t read the first two book because it has spoilers about the other books! Anyways, back to what I was saying, towards the very ending of this book there was some plot twists that shocked me and made me question, “WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN NOW?!” Definitely wasn’t expecting those plot twists toward the end, but Kris wasn’t playing around haha.
Ok so, main takeaways from this book were, it was entertaining, some action, plot twists, fake dating but their both spies working undercover, magic, variety of different creatures, Fae, and a bigger connection to the overall series! The way this book ended off especially in the epilogue has me so PUMPED UP FOR THE NEXT BOOK! OMG I CANNOT WAIT! I genuinely feel excited and I can only imagine the way things are going to go down! Ronin and Mireille’s story isn’t over by any means, as I have a good feeling that they’ll play an integral role in helping Cassandra, Tristan, and everyone else in BRINGING DOWN THE EMPIRE! WOOO!