Almost of the elements of a great dark romance are here, so if you’re looking for a book with a tattooed, possessive, hot mmc with lots of spice this is it. It’s short and really spicy, I certainly enjoyed that element, but the storyline was a little sparse and the protagonist was weak in comparison to the mmc. The narrators did a great job and I would certainly listen to it for just the spice alone.

This book was ok. The title is misleading cause there is no butchering. It was pretty repetitive, there wasn’t much plot. I won’t be reading the next books in the series.

I'm gonna be so real, I made it through chapter 1 and had to DNF. I like smut as much as the next girlie pop but this was.....more than gratuitous to say the least.. the nail in the coffin was him putting his thumb you know where in chapter 1... at least for me that was just ick. Also she called his member a forklift

Unfortunately this book fell flat for me.
It was fast paced but probably too fast paced.

Plot where?
Highly lacking a plot and heavy on the smut.
I could work with that if it worked. It did not work here. I wasn’t connected to the characters at all nor did I feel any chemistry between them.

No complaints with the narrations, I thought the narrators did a great job.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this story! Although it felt a little anticlimactic to what I was expecting from the book description but am looking forward to finishing the series out.

I loved Fluer, she is strong and stood up for herself and what she deserves. Bastian was brutally honest to a fault sometimes, but that is exactly what Fluer needs after being lied to for so long by her then husband. Their chemistry was off the charts! The last 2 minutes caught me off guard, no cliff hanger, but a serious change in attitude that me questioning what the heck will happen in the second book!

This was my first time listening to Michael Ferraiuolo and Stacy Gonzalez and I thought they did a fantastic job narrating this story!!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with this ALC. Please, please, please, send me the ALC for The Carver! I’d love to listen and review that one as well!

I didn’t expect to get so pulled into this story, but wow—it hit hard right from the start. The main character finds out her husband’s been cheating on her (and the mistress is the one who tells her—ouch), and it completely shatters her. She’s trying to start over, barely holding it together, when this insanely gorgeous stranger walks into the bar where she works. From the moment they lock eyes, it’s like the world flips upside down.

What was supposed to be a one-night escape turns into something way deeper—and way more dangerous. Because this guy? Yeah, turns out he’s the Butcher—the crime lord of Paris. He’s intense, powerful, and completely obsessed with her. And suddenly, she’s not just trying to recover from heartbreak—she’s tangled up in a world of crime, passion, and power she never saw coming.

The chemistry between them is off the charts, and the emotions felt really raw and real. I loved how broken and strong the main character was all at once. My only small gripe is that I wish there had been a bit more time for her to process her past before diving into this wild new relationship—but honestly, the drama and tension kept me hooked the whole way through.

If you like dark, steamy romance with danger, heartbreak, and a lot of heat, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook arc. While this would be a nice weekend binge read it doesn’t really have a great plot, nothing gets solved and as for the spice if you read any of her books it’s just a cut and paste from one book to another.

Flaurie found out her husband of three years had cheated on her and his mistress is the one who told her that. She moves out and gets a new apartment, a job as a bartender, and tries to move on with a broken heart.
Then one night the most beautiful man she's ever seen walks in. And then the story begins.
I liked the story, but something was missing. I wanted some kind of authenticity. But in general I am going to read another book in the series.
Narrators did a good job, I'd just prefer that it would be a duet.

The audbook was just okay. The writing in the book is not my favorite. The characters lack depth and I was univested in them.

🖤𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

✨𝒯𝒽ℴ𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈✨
𝐈 was completely caught off guard by Butcher. The storyline had me hooked that I forgot about the time and when I realized it was over, I was left wanting more!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 story centers around Fleur who finds herself at a crossroads after leaving her unfaithful husband, only to meet Bastien, a striking and dangerous man who ignites an all-consuming desire within her. Despite her ex-husband's attempts to win her back, Bastien refuses to let her go without a fight.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 intense chemistry between Fleur and Bastien is hot, evolving from physical attraction to something much deeper as they learn more about each other.

🎧𝐓𝐡𝐞 narration by Michael Ferraiuolo and Ramona Master truly brings the characters to life, capturing their emotions flawlessly. I am eager to hear more from them in the next installments.

𝐅𝐨𝐫 fans of romance stories set in Paris and mafia intrigue, this series is a must-listen. Just remember, it's a trilogy and this story ends in a cliffhanger.

Huge thanks to the author and 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 for the opportunity to listen to this audio copy. All opinions expressed here are my own.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟒.𝟐𝟓⭐️ 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝟑.𝟓🔥 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝟒.𝟓🎧

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for the Audio ARC

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 AUDIOBOOK REVIEW 🎧

I enjoyed this audio a lot. The narrators were good I love fuel narration. It flowed nicely too.

I actually liked this book a lot. Dark romance and smut usually aren’t my thing cause I find they don’t have a plot and it’s boring without it. But this has a plot and smut!! First time reading a book by Penelope Sky and I enjoyed it.

The Butcher is the first book in the Fifth Republic series. This book is about Fleur and Bastian and is told from both of their points of view.

Fleur finds out her husband had an affair and will do anything to leave him, and move on. Her husband does not take this news well and will do whatever he can to get her back. While working as a bartender, she meets Bastian and instantly is attracted to him.

She does things with Bastian, while fighting with her husband. Bastian also has feelings for Fleur and will do anything to protect her, and make her happy.

There were some twists I didn't see coming, and more secrets came out.

I wouldn't mind reading the next book in the series to see if Fleur and Bastian get their happy ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Holy smokes the mouth on that man! He was the best part of the book and the narrator was perfect. Me over here swooning over Bastian.

The insta lust was a little off putting and the story was a bit repetitive but other than that I enjoyed this steamy romance. 3.5 stars rounded up.

3.75 ⭐
2.5 🌶️

I enjoyed this audiobook, I think the narrators did a really good job. I like the premise of this book, with The Butcher how he is really tough, but when it comes to Fleur he would do anything for her. I will definitely continue the series so I can get more of Bastien and Fleur. Thank you Netgalley for an early listener copy in exchange for my honest review. This has some darker elements and is spicy.

The butcher


I added this book to my tbr because I loved the cover. So I jumped at the chance to listen to this audiobook.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one as much as I hoped. The premise of the MMC, Bastien, being in a secret part of the government sounded so intriguing, but that was rarely mentioned. I understand this is book one in a series, but this did not hook me enough to continue the series. He didn’t even butcher anyone?!

The storyline with Fleur’s cheating husband was extremely repetitive. They kept having the exact same argument.

The dialogue made me cringe several times. There were so many analogies, it was out of control. Especially during the spicy scenes, it really took me out of the story.

The narrators did a good job and the production was great. Personally, I did not think the male narrators voice matched the vibes of the cover and description of the MMC.

The ending was so abrupt. Not a cliffhanger. It just stopped in a weird spot? Almost as if this was one big book chopped into three shorter books.

This is the best kind of trash. Like a soap opera that you can’t stop watching even though the plot is questionable and the decisions made are ridiculous. She is so confident but also off in la-la-land. And for someone called the butcher I think there was one minute of violence the whole time. Will I continue the series? Yes, but can’t take it too seriously.

Thank you Net galley :)

Really enjoyed this book and the narration of Bastian and fleur was perfect.

Its was a fun easy read and ill look out for more from this author.

This was a dark and smutty good time! Great audio narration and had me blushing throughout. This is a must read if you like Rina Kent. It was enjoyable and oh so hot!!!

3.75⭐ (Rounded up)

I was definitely just here for the vibes.

The Butcher is a really straight-forward crime-boss romance. Fleur is in the process of trying to divorce her husband for cheating on her, and while dealing with that, starts sleeping with Bastien. Both are only it for a quick hook up until they're not. (Totally shocking, right?) Crime-boss-things are also happening throughout, but that really takes a backseat to the romance and issues with her ex-husband.

I really enjoyed this. The FMC has a lot of mildly annoying hang ups. The MMC is kind of toxic. The language, especially in the smutty parts, is cringe as hell. But I am 100% here for it and will be continuing the series.

The narration was well done on Bastien's side, but I didn't love Fleur's. I had to speed up the audio more than usual because of just how slow her speaking felt.

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

I was excited to try this author because I know she has a decent sized following but I did not enjoy this audiobook. First, I thought the narrators were inconsistent and just didn't fit for me.

Secondly, a lot of the dialogue felt repetitive and cringe. The way the narrator said "sweetheart" really put me off.

Lastly, there just wasn't any plot. It was smutty enough to justify and not enough story line to make me want to continue with the series.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape and Netgalley for the audiobook. I attest that I am leaving my review voluntarily and honestly.