A review by kaatzoetekouw
Love & Other Killers by Brynne Weaver

adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It's the most wonderful time of the year... A time to gather with your family, plan an outing, do some crafting, cut some meat, remove some eyeballs... 

Record scratch 

Oh yeah, no. Sorry. This isn't a cute Christmas story. But for Sloane and her family, it is that highly anticipated time of year: the Annual August Showdown, when a whole-ass band of serial killers bonds in the most special of ways: by hunting down another (unrelated) serial killer. 

That's a lot of serial killers for a little novella, but here's the thing. While Love & Other Killers can be read as a standalone, it serves as a bridge novella between the Ruinous Love trilogy and the Seasons of Carnage trilogy. It is recommended one read the Ruinous Love trilogy first, but I'm here to tell you that I didn't, and snatched up this short story regardless, the premise too intriguing to pass up. 

The way I see it, this novella can be read in two ways, and both achieve their goals: it is a lovely accompanying novella for fans to return to beloved characters and their insanely entertaining world, offering a bit of additional closure to one of its storylines, which I think fans will appreciate. At the same time it offers potential readers (moi) just enough of a tease to want more without giving away everything. I approached reading and reviewing this one as a preview after the fact, a taste of a trilogy that has been sitting on my to be read pile for a while. Reading a novella set after a trilogy is a risk, but Weaver has carefully balanced this and I really have to applaud her for accomplishing that. There's enough to make me want more, but I don't feel spoiled all that much. One of my favorite discoveries about this trilogy is that there are crafty murders? I'm so intrigued. What on earth even is this spin on serial killing? It's so quirky. That in and of itself draws me in. Don't be surprised if you find Butcher & Blackbird on my Currently Reading shelves everywhere within the week. That's how delicious this little nibble was. 

It's a good sign when I haven't even made it past the content warnings yet without a chuckle or two. That's when I know a darker themed book will be exactly right for me. I don't mind reading gore and I can honestly stomach just about anything. I do read dark romance on occasion and am planning on reading more titles in the genre, so the appeal is there for me regardless... but I am a sucker for a steady, healthy-ish dose of morbid humor. It's a dichotomy I've always been drawn to. This book series probably does get compared to Dexter a lot, and this novella absolutely gives "today's the day" with the annual hunt. But Dexter is a phenomenon for a reason, and the Ruinous Love books achieve the same effect in having its readers sympathize with morally onyx characters. 

And these characters are intriguing, with something extra that always wins me over: a wonderful found family. The novella only offers a taste, but their closeness is obvious and feels authentic. I love that this book leaves plenty open for those of us who haven't (yet) read the trilogy of standalones, but provides enough to get a feel for everyone (there are so many different personalities covered in a short book). Sloane, who narrated Butcher & Blackbird, narrates this novella, so we get to know her and her husband Rowan best here. As a couple, they are really cute and sexy as hell. There's banter! Teasing! Seduction and temptation! Weaver includes one spicy scene just to show us what we've either missed or have been missing out on, and she does not hold back. If this is what they're like as a married couple, just imagine what they were like when they are just getting to know each other in the first book- 

...don't mind me, I'm basically getting myself all hyped up for that trilogy. 

The other couples aren't featured quite as much, but it's clear these relationships all have a unique dynamic and backstory, promising really different stories for the other books in the trilogy. We also get a sense of the dynamic between the guys versus the girls, and I enjoyed their friendly rivalry in this novella. Despite these people obviously being professionals at, you know, killing, chaos does ensure when their competitive personalities get in the way of things. The characters all come across as sexy in their bad-assery but there's JUST enough bumbling here and there to make them entertaining and relatable. Even as they fantasize about removing someone's eyeballs. 

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon for generously providing me with a copy of this book; all opinions expressed are honest, voluntary and 100% my own.