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book_lover_irl 's review for:
The Butcher
by Penelope Sky
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
SUMMARY: Fleur leaves her husband, Adrian, after she is told by his mistress about their affair. While trying to move on with her life and working as a bartender, Fleur meets Bastian, a s3xy as f*ck, confident, alpha male who seems to only have eyes for her. Their chemistry is h0t as sparks flare into a full-blown inferno of lu$t. Fleur is addicted to Bastian but afraid of being hurt again after her husband's infidelities. Bastian seems to want more from Fleur, despite her reticence. How will Fleur and Bastian traverse their budding relationship? Will Adrian's meddling and refusal to give Fleur the divorce she desperately seeks cause friction?
REVIEW: The Butcher by Penelope Sky is book one in the Fifth Republic series. It is the first book I've read by Sky. I liked the premise and was looking forward to the emotional drama that a potential love triangle could bring and I wasn't disappointed. There were impassioned scenes full of drama with Adrian (soon to be ex husband) begging Fleur to take him back and Fleur dropping emotional bombs that she had a new man (Bastian). Bastian had no qualms approaching Adrian on his own to tell him to leave Fleur alone. However, Adrian continued to cause trouble to do what he could to remain relevant in Fleur's life.
Straight away after Fleur and Bastian met at the bar she works at, things kicked off hot and heavy. The new couple felt an undeniable attraction to each other that led to intensely sp!cy and rough s3x. Despite Fleur's attempts to keep the situationship in the casual category, Bastian bulldozes straight through Fleur's attempts at maintaining boundaries. He continues his high handed behavior with his brutal honesty, pressuring Fleur to be called "his woman."
It's been a long time since I've loved a FMC as much as I adore Fleur. She is fierce and intelligent, funny and tender, refreshingly open and honest (no miscommunication tropes here!). Fleur exchanges snarky quips and fun banter with Bastian, showing she isn't going to roll over and do everything he demands. I found myself smiling a LOT when they spoke to each other.
Bastian is your typical alpha hole, over the top, touch her and be unal!ved MMC. For all of his craziness, Bastian's best trait is always speaking his truth. He does not hold back when answering questions or sharing his opinion. Sometimes this made me feel as if he was gaslighting Fleur to get her to acquiesce to his position and I didn't love that. That aside, it was pure perfection that he fell first and fell hard for Fleur. Bastian has a well-hidden softness inside him that is reserved only for Fleur and is quite endearing.
The narrators were enjoyable. I loved the attitude and emotion that Ramona Master brought to the FMC. She was able to sound livid and angsty without sounding whiny. Her intonation and subtle voice changes brought nuance to the witty banter and irritated arguing. Her French accent for the ex-husband's voice was fun. I was slightly disappointed in the choice of Michael Ferraiuolo for the MMC. His narration was great and his voice was pleasing. However I envisioned a deeper, more gravelly voice for a character who was supposedly so big, muscular, alpha-hole, and ferocious as Bastian. The head of the underworld should've sounded like Corvin King or Troy Duran.
Overall I highly recommend The Butcher by Penelope Sky. It was a short, easy read with delicious sp!ce. It does end rather abruptly but the second book in the series (The Carver) was just released so I'll forgive the brusqueness since I can immediately hop into the next part of Fleur and Bastian's journey.
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Dual
HEA: Not exactly
Cliffhanger: Kind of?
Tropes: Dark romance, class difference, grumpy x sunshine, OOT alpha-hole
Series / Standalone: Series
INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL
STORYGRAPH: Book_Lover_IRL
FABLE: Book Lover IRL
GOODREADS: Book Lover IRL
. . . . . . . . .
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book
⭐️⭐️ Meh… bored or annoyed
⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing h0t
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking
🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary
🌶️ Does weak f0replay count?
REVIEW: The Butcher by Penelope Sky is book one in the Fifth Republic series. It is the first book I've read by Sky. I liked the premise and was looking forward to the emotional drama that a potential love triangle could bring and I wasn't disappointed. There were impassioned scenes full of drama with Adrian (soon to be ex husband) begging Fleur to take him back and Fleur dropping emotional bombs that she had a new man (Bastian). Bastian had no qualms approaching Adrian on his own to tell him to leave Fleur alone. However, Adrian continued to cause trouble to do what he could to remain relevant in Fleur's life.
Straight away after Fleur and Bastian met at the bar she works at, things kicked off hot and heavy. The new couple felt an undeniable attraction to each other that led to intensely sp!cy and rough s3x. Despite Fleur's attempts to keep the situationship in the casual category, Bastian bulldozes straight through Fleur's attempts at maintaining boundaries. He continues his high handed behavior with his brutal honesty, pressuring Fleur to be called "his woman."
It's been a long time since I've loved a FMC as much as I adore Fleur. She is fierce and intelligent, funny and tender, refreshingly open and honest (no miscommunication tropes here!). Fleur exchanges snarky quips and fun banter with Bastian, showing she isn't going to roll over and do everything he demands. I found myself smiling a LOT when they spoke to each other.
Bastian is your typical alpha hole, over the top, touch her and be unal!ved MMC. For all of his craziness, Bastian's best trait is always speaking his truth. He does not hold back when answering questions or sharing his opinion. Sometimes this made me feel as if he was gaslighting Fleur to get her to acquiesce to his position and I didn't love that. That aside, it was pure perfection that he fell first and fell hard for Fleur. Bastian has a well-hidden softness inside him that is reserved only for Fleur and is quite endearing.
The narrators were enjoyable. I loved the attitude and emotion that Ramona Master brought to the FMC. She was able to sound livid and angsty without sounding whiny. Her intonation and subtle voice changes brought nuance to the witty banter and irritated arguing. Her French accent for the ex-husband's voice was fun. I was slightly disappointed in the choice of Michael Ferraiuolo for the MMC. His narration was great and his voice was pleasing. However I envisioned a deeper, more gravelly voice for a character who was supposedly so big, muscular, alpha-hole, and ferocious as Bastian. The head of the underworld should've sounded like Corvin King or Troy Duran.
Overall I highly recommend The Butcher by Penelope Sky. It was a short, easy read with delicious sp!ce. It does end rather abruptly but the second book in the series (The Carver) was just released so I'll forgive the brusqueness since I can immediately hop into the next part of Fleur and Bastian's journey.
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Dual
HEA: Not exactly
Cliffhanger: Kind of?
Tropes: Dark romance, class difference, grumpy x sunshine, OOT alpha-hole
Series / Standalone: Series
INSTAGRAM: @Book.Lover.IRL
STORYGRAPH: Book_Lover_IRL
FABLE: Book Lover IRL
GOODREADS: Book Lover IRL
. . . . . . . . .
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really liked this book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked this book
⭐️⭐️ Meh… bored or annoyed
⭐️ Seriously? Not worth it
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ INFERNO. P@nty melting
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Blazing h0t
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Now we’re talking
🌶️🌶️ Meh… uninspired missionary
🌶️ Does weak f0replay count?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Alcohol