This was the first book that I have read by this author, and I was excited to try it out because this book takes place in Paris, France, and I recently just went to Paris. I liked the premise of this book, I would consider this a billionaire romance with mafia/secret society tones. While listening to this book, I did not like the narrators. The female had kind of a creaky voice, but her pronunciation of the French restaurants and locations was with a very thick French accent, so the combination of the two really threw me off. I would have perferred someone with a French accent narrate the female voice. As far as the story line, I liked Fleur and Bastien together, I liked that Bastien was able to give Fleur what she needed, regarding space and a listening ear, however, toward the end of the book, he became possessive, an very cagey. I understand that he was catching feelings for Fleur, but he also should realize that she was in the process of getting divorced and didn't want to jump into another serious relationship. The next book is a continuation of Fleur and Bastien's story, but I don't know that I will seek out this book to see what happens with them.

This was a fun, steamy, and fast paced read. It's been a minute since I've read a Penelope Sky book, but this series has been popping up all over the place, so I decided to jump into the audio. That luscious cover does not lead you astray- this one is definitely not and entertaining.

Fleur, a bartender, is reeling after discovering that her husband of three years has been cheating on her. What she thought was a solid marriage turned out to be a façade. The betrayal rocked her—she had no idea the man she loved had been living a double life. Though he’s not making the separation easy, Fleur is determined to move on, find someone who truly sees her worth, and rebuild her life.

Then, during a shift at work, she crosses paths with Bastien—gorgeous, magnetic, and impossible to ignore. The chemistry between them is immediate and intense, leading to a steamy one-night stand. But Fleur lays down the rules: no strings attached. She’s not looking for anything serious. Bastien, however, is instantly captivated. One night isn’t enough—he wants more. He needs more. And he's determined to make her his.

Bastien isn’t the relationship type. His priority is his brother—whose dangerous activities around town are becoming more and more of a problem. Bastien's focus has always been on fixing that mess. But after meeting Fleur, she’s all he can think about. He’s intrigued by her strength, her vulnerability, and the fire in her. Her ex made a massive mistake letting her go—but Bastien sees her for the rare gem she is.

Though commitment isn’t in his nature, something about Fleur makes him crave it. He wants to be her protector, her partner—the one who reminds her of her worth. He gives her space to process her divorce but knows he won’t wait around forever. He has serious issues to deal with, but he wants her by his side through it all. After a few emotional twists and turns, he gets his wish. With Fleur beside him, he feels like he can take on anything.

There’s definitely an insta-love vibe between these two, and the story leans heavily into the steam—which, honestly, I wasn’t mad about. It gave me major old-school romance energy: possessive, morally grey hero with an obsessive streak who zeroes in on his woman and doesn’t let go. Bastian has some alphahole to him (especially towards the end) but he’s all kinds of delicious. We do have a cliffhanger, and I’m definitely going to be checking out the next audio. This was certainly highly entertaining and consuming.

As for the narration: the dual performance by Michael Ferraiuolo and Ramona was very enjoyable. Michael gave a strong performance, though I expected a bit more grit and dominance in his voice to fully embody Bastien’s intensity. Still, he was engaging. Ramona captured Fleur’s emotional range well and delivered her side of the story with flair and passion. Together, they made for a compelling listen.


What to expect:
-dark romance
-obsessive, possessive, jealous, protective, and delicious anti-hero
-"mine"
-secret society
-touch her and get unalived
-organized crime/mafia
-Paris setting
-he falls first
-kinky
-one night stand to more
-billionaire

Very quick dark romance. There’s a lot of spicy scenes, and the chemistry between the characters is strong but there was way more smut than story. I wish the plot had been more developed instead of jumping from one dark spicy scene to the next.

Also the ending wasn’t a cliffhanger, but it still felt like it ended very suddenly. I got to the last page and thought wait what? I might continue the series but not right now.

Adrian is 🗑️
Bastien is 🔥🔥🔥
And I absolutely love Fleur!! She tells off the 🗑️ like a total badass and Bastien is just constantly 🔥🔥🔥 hahaha.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the audio ARC! The audio is so well done and I definitely recommend listening to this one! 🎧

Solid 3.5 stars.

Honestly, I was just here for the ride on this one. It was fun and entertaining to listen to, but was a little bit forgettable. I don't know if I've just read enough crime boss/mafia romances that they're all starting to blend together or what, but while enjoyable, I'll probably continue the series if they are available on netgalley, but I don't think I would use an audible credit on the next book if that's the only option.

I wasn't expecting it to end on a cliffhanger and I was getting to the end of the book wondering how they were going to wrap it all up so fast, I'm glad they didn't wrap it up in a rush and are letting the story continue into the next book, but I'm also not convinced it needs to be more than one book? I guess we'll see when the next book comes out.

The narration was solid, however it felt like the female narrator was talking even slower than normal? So the speed had to be adjusted a few times when switching back and forth between narrators.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with this ALC.

With all of the hype surrounding this book, I went in with high hopes. But it just didn’t hit where I needed it to for a morally gray hero named “The Butcher”. It was insta-lust like a punch to the gut. What Fleur and Bastian lacked in chemistry, they made up for in their incessant need to fool around. Which I would never shy away from in my books - but this was a bit much with how much I disliked their overall time together.
The narrators did a nice job in crafting this into a great listen, but the source material just didn’t hit the same way their voices did.
If there is more to their story, I will need to be convinced to continue with the books/audiobooks.
Thank you to Penelope Sky, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Very good very smutty story. I loved the story line and the characters can not wait to read the next one!!!

I really wanted to love this one, but this was so much smut and not enough plot. I just couldn't deal. Also she just talks about her ex constantly and it's annoying.

I really enjoyed the narrators and the story of this book. Michael Ferraiuolo and Ramona Master did a wonderful job narrating this book. They really pulled you into the story.

Make sure to check your trigger warnings.

✨️💚✨️Audio Book Review✨️💚✨️

Book: The Butcher
Author: Penelope Sky
Rating: 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was a really good read!

I enjoyed the fast pacing of the story and I felt the tension between the main characters right from the beginning.

I really liked that there was a secret society/mafia spin, but the MMC was actually using that as a front to stop a lot of major crime in Paris.

The only thing I wasn't the biggest fan of, was I felt the voice narrator for the MMC didn't match how I pictured him.

You get:
• Contemporary Romance
• Secret Society
• Spicy
• Infidelity
• Trafficking
• Morally Grey MMC
• Toxic Ex

I recommend this one and I'm looking forward to listening to the next one! Available on KU, ebook, paperback, and audiobook.

I was already in love with this series, but now that I get to hear Bastian!!!!!! Holy Moly that man is EVERYTHING I want in a protective he falls first man. Fleur is sassy yet scared, I love that she spoke her mind when it counted.

Listening to this book let me find other details that I loved that I didn't find when I read the book. I have to say I was still yelling at Fleur when she was second guessing herself and Bastian. Penelope knows how to drive us crazy with teasers!

I listen to the audiobook in one sitting. The narrator did a great job of keeping my attention throughout the audiobook.

This was a quick and sexy listen! I loved how sassy the FMC was the entire time. No one was going to tell her what to do and I loved that. The MMC was sexy and supportive. I loved that he was always in her corner every step of the way. I would have liked to see their relationship develop more in the beginning but overall I really enjoy it. I do wish that this was a standalone as it felt like it ended abruptly. It was already fairly short so it could have easily been longer and had the story conclude at the end of the book. With that said, I’m very excited to read the next book in the series.

I really enjoyed this one. This author was new to me but the cover and blurb intrigued me. I am glad I read this and will go back and read more from the authors back list. The character development was good.

The Butcher by Penelope Sky is heavy on the smut and light on the plot. The steam factor is definitely there, but the story felt underdeveloped. With a title like The Butcher, I expected a darker, more layered backstory—something that explained how he got into this world, what shaped him, and how his family ties into it all. But those pieces were barely touched on.

It ends on a cliffhanger, clearly setting up for the next book, but honestly, I don’t think I’ll continue the series. I was hoping for more depth, more character development, and a clearer storyline to balance out the spice. If you’re just looking for heat, this might be your thing—but if you’re craving plot with your passion, it might leave you a little unsatisfied.

Rating 2.75⭐
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

ALC REVIEW

Yeaaaa, no. This book wasn't for me. I honestly didn't know where the story was going, how what was truly going on. The main point I got in the plot was, FMC wanted a divorce but couldn't because issues that were going on. Then hot man enters her life and revolves around him.

I get this was just suppose to be a smutty book, but if it had some interesting backstory...try to explore it? Especially since if this is taken place in Paris, France, talk more about the politics. Not everyone understand how French politics works. For me personally, it felt like the Paris was just a placement; to set the scene, but have American elements into it.

Like the MMC, if he's supposedly The Butcher, then where's the butchering? Where the crime? To me, he's just some alphahole.

I received an ALC through Netgallery. This review is my honest and personal thoughts and opinions

The chemistry between the main characters, Fleur and Bastien felt real and not just something forced into a story. The thing that felt off at times was the drama of everything, it was a bit over the top at times. If you like your mafia romances to have more spice than plot this is probably for you.

The narrators did a good job, it felt almost acted and not just read.

Ooo this one was good! I started listening to this while on a long drive and the story and narrators made the time pass quickly. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

Dark romance
Anti hero
Possessive MMC
Secret society
Mafia
Suspense

Audio reviews
Narrated by:
Ramona Master, Michael Ferraiuolo

Main characters
Fleur
Bastian


Set in Paris with alls its glory. High levels of sex and plenty of food play big parts in this fast paced story.

Fleur gives the tough girl vibe but she tries ton handle the hurt caused by her cheating husband, Adrian. Everyone from family to friends wants her to stay with him and get past his indiscretion. Just like most cheaters, he tries to gaslight her. We are privy to her thoughts and feelings and the damaged caused by his actions.
Meanwhile there is Bastian. He doesn’t hold back his feelings. Dirty talking, straight to the point and over the top possessive. He tells her and shows her that she deserves better.
Before Fleur, Bastian considered two weeks a long term relationship. Now he is texting, providing pancake breakfasts and sleeping over. Fleur on the other hand is not ready to fully commit. She is scared to get hurt again.

The journey is not easy nor is it fully completed. It continues into the next installment.

🌶️🔥 Smut, Paris, and a Dangerous Love 🔥🌶️

This book has tons of smut 😏, a steamy setting in the heart of Paris 🇫🇷, and a mafia bad boy who’s one of the most dangerous men in the city… and yet completely falls for her 😍.

She’s healing her broken heart 💔 after finding out her husband cheated, and honestly — who better to help with that than a sexy, intense, slightly unhinged man with a dark past? 🖤🕶️

Their chemistry is explosive 💥, the tension is delicious, and I just know there’s so much more action coming in the rest of the series... but honestly? I’d be totally happy if it ended right here 😌. That ending gave me just enough closure and a whole lot of feels 💫.

Can’t wait to see what happens next

I thought it was a good start to the series. Both narrators were great and spoke with a lot of emotion. I wished there was more background about the main characters. I also wanted to know more about what causes the rift between Bastien and his brother. I felt like there were some holes in the plot and maybe needed more substance. Overall I enjoyed it and liked the audiobook. The spicy scenes took up a lot of the book and I sometimes wished there was plot.