What a quick but fun trip back into the Ruinous Love universe! The brothers Kane and their murderous significant others team up for the annual August showdown to take down yet another serial killer.

It’s not necessary to read the previous three books because this book does kind of hold up on its own but you will miss out on the inside jokes. This novella focuses on Sloane and Rowan from Butcher and Blackbird mostly. I had a great time reading, it was funny, slightly spicy but also slightly nauseating. No food is ruined in this book either but you do get reminded of all the other food that’s been ruined!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this eARC in exchange for a honest review!

My crazy bbs :,) I love all these mildly insane characters with my whole heart. This little novella gives you a nice treat of chaos in the best way. All the Kanes(and soon to be Kane) have my heart.

Thanks to NetGalley & publisher for an eARC! Review & opinions are honest & my own!

I received an ARC for an honest review. This is a short novella intended to be read after the Ruinous Love Trilogy and before her new upcoming Seasons of Carnage series. It does say it is a standalone, but as it would contain some spoilers, I would recommend reading after finishing the trilogy. For being only 60 pages, the author packs in a lot in and gives us an extension of the yearly murder games where Scythe and Sparrow end. There’s lots of banter between the Sticker Bitch Crew and Lachlan brothers in their found family. A great short read if you enjoyed the ruinous love series!

What a fun novella! I loved the first book in the series but haven’t yet gone on to read the following books, I found this did not matter at all i still really enjoyed this quick read!

My favourite part about book one was actually the serial killer hunts and the competition between the love interest so this definitely satisfied all my cravings for those themes!

Thank you Amazon Stories for the gifted copy

This was a fun little quick novella with the brothers and their gals, don’t forget Barbara, while they do what we fell in love with. Them playing the original game that butcher and his blackbird started! I laughed so much because it was absolutely hilarious. Well, only 40 some pages I wish it was longer because I’ve still never ready to give them up any of them! I could read so many more books/novellas.
Thank you Brynne Weaver and Amazon Stories for the complementary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Did I ignore all of my adult responsibilities the second I got my hand on this? Yes. Am I sorry about that at all? Absolutely not. This was the perfect glimpse back into the Ruinous Love Trilogy world. Them having this year competition now as a family was the perfect setting and I think this is the best representation of the found family trope I’ve ever read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read this ARC

Thank you to Brynne Weaver and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and give my opinion.

To see this appear on NetGalley really made my day. I was SO HAPPY to return to the world of the Ruinous Love Trilogy. Without giving a lot away, this story focuses on the murder competition between the Kane Brothers and the Sticker Bitch Crew that was happening in the epilogue of the final book. It has all of our favorite things about the trilogy - the banter between couples, the spice, the uhm *hunting* - I only wish it could be have a full novel (there can never be enough written by Brynne Weaver!).

Just a fun, short romp with the Kane men, the women they love, and our favorite raccoon. This is the old from Sloane’s POV, and expands in the Epilogue from Scythe and Sparrow. Expected giggles, murder, and a small bit of spice.

@netgalley ARC review for @brynne_weaver out August 12, 2025

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Loved this novella diving back into the lives of Ruinous trilogy. Sloane, the vigilante serial killer back with Kane brothers and significant others, together for a competitive kill.

There was still great banter and spice per usual! I missed these characters.

A fun and chaotic novella with our faves from the Ruinous Love Trilogy, including our girl Barbs. Full of laughs, banter & full circle moments … cookies and cream icecream anyone? This has just gotten me so excited for Tourist Season !

Is serial killing a crime if you only kill other serial killers...? Asking for a friend.

This rather gruesome short story is set in the same world (and with the same characters) as Weaver's Ruinous Love trilogy. I haven't read the trilogy, but a short story can be a pretty good way to get a feel for a series...and hey, it looks like maybe there's a character in town who's left some space for more books down the line. It can be read as a standalone, but there was definitely some context that I didn't have, so if you're planning to read more of the series, I'd start with book 1 rather than with the short story.

I say gruesome, but this is fundamentally a dark but smutty romance with some murder thrown in. I have no real complaints about that (reminds me of a particular bounty-hunter-romance series I've read some of), though I wouldn't have minded 1) a bit more care about things like leaving a trail a mile wide and covered in DNA and 2) some discussion about a live capture might be better for the sake of maybe getting some answers. But then again, maybe there's more of that in the full-length books...

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

It was cute, fun, and quick! For better enjoyment and understanding, I’d recommend reading at least Butcher & Blackbird first.

This novella tells the story of the annual hunt of the main characters from the Ruinous Love Trilogy, narrated from Sloane’s point of view, so the focus is mainly on the couple from the first book. This time, their target is Allan Munster—a man who raises chickens... and kills more than just them. The heroine of the upcoming book Tourist Season, whom we’ve already met, also appears in this novella. So in a way, this novella connects the two series.

If you’re a fan of the Ruinous Love Trilogy, this novella is definitely for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely love everything Brynne Weaver writes. Her stories are so funny, so unique, and disturbingly adorable. Love & Other Killers is a play by play of one of Butcher & Blackbirds annual serial killer serial killer game, but this time with the whole family. This is a short little novella story, which had some fun nods to each of the stories in Ruinous Love. You MUST read the three books first. Less than an hour read, and worth every minute! Brynne is one of the best.

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A short novella that bridges Brynne Weaver's first and second trilogies about her incredible serial killers. Hilarious and macabre, at times disgusting and at times romantic, Rowan and Sloane are once again stunning, while their blood brothers and sisters (blood in every sense) are somewhat sidelined. Not to be missed, if you enjoyed the first books, but also if you haven't read them and want to be introduced to the disturbing world Weaver created.
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Un racconto breve che fa da trait d'union tra la prima e la seconda trilogia di Brynne Weaver dedicate ai suoi incredibili serial killers. Spassoso e macabro, a tratti disgustoso e a tratti romantico, Rowan e Sloane anche qui sono strepitosi, mentre i fratelli e le sorelle di sangue (sangue in ogni senso) sono un po' defilati. Da non perdere se vi sono piaciuti i primi libri, ma anche se non li avete letti e volete essere introdotti nell'inquietante mondo inventato dalla Weaver.

This novella was so much fun, and I love that we had everyone together again! If you read the epilogue of Scythe and Sparrow, then you had a brief glimpse into this story. I am going to miss this group so much, but I am so excited for The Seasons of Carnage Trilogy! I hope this isn't the last we see of the Ruinous Love Trilogy group...

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for an early copy of this novella in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was excited for this to be a story from Sloane’s POV as the first book was the strongest for me and most enjoyable. It does have some of that magic from their book and I think a novella was a good choice for this. It follows all 3 couples on the annual game that started in the first book and I think it’s a fun idea to see the game played by everyone (boys vs girls in this case) It’s an enjoyable short but it still hasn’t convinced me to read the next series as the only one I truly enjoyed was the first one. Super quick read but you won’t be missing anything without it.

There is one really unbelievable aspect of this (spoiler for the end of scythe and sparrow in this sentence): that girl is still wearing that f-ing shirt???? I’m not sure I would be parading around in a shirt given to me on what I imagine is the most traumatizing day of my life. Yes in a series full of jizz ice cream and popped eye balls I found this the weirdest part lol.

Did I have other books I needed to read today? YES
Did this book get jumped to the top of the list as soon as the ARC hit my kindle? Also YES

Big thank you to NetGalley, Brynne Weaver & Amazon publishing for giving this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have never been so excited to get back into the world of reading about my favorite serial killers. I’ve seriously missed Sloane, Rowan, Lachlan, Lark, Rose & Fionn. And Brynne was kind enough to give us a 100 page novella featuring one of their annual hunting competition trips.

Let me say even though this was short and sweet. I had an absolute blast and it was everything I could’ve ever wanted. Heck I’d still take more if Brynne will write it. Seriously guys pick this up when it releases in two weeks. I’m not usually a novella girly but this is not one to miss!

Brynne Weaver’s “Love & Other Killers” is a novella continuation of the Ruinous Love trilogy, picking up directly after the events of Scythe and Sparrow, with Rowan Kane covered head to toe in green paint.

Told from Sloane “Blackbird”’s perspective, the story centers around a twisted competition between her and the Kane brothers: Lachlan, Rowan, and Fionn. With help from her allies Lark and Rose (members of the Sticker Bitch Crew), the Annual August Showdown becomes a brutal boys-versus-girls hunt. Their prey? The elusive Sproul Forest Specter, also known as Allan Munster.

Though the novella format demands brevity, the hunt for Allan feels rushed and underdeveloped compared to the depth of “Scythe and Sparrow.” Details surrounding Allan’s previous victims are sparse, and the climactic confrontation lacks weight, offering more of a rapid back-and-forth skirmish than a true showdown. While Weaver includes clever nods to Hannibal Lecter through Sloane’s fondness for Chianti, the narrative feels somewhat diminished by the characters’ inconsistent emotional performances.

Allan, for his part, remains in the dark about why he's being pursued. He’s never confronted through dialogue, only through violence involving a hatchet, a vacuum, and a knife. The sudden introduction of Autumn and her implied connection to Sloane suggests a possible thread for future books, but as of now, there’s no confirmed storyline involving her.

Love and Other Killers is latest addition to the Ruinous Love universe, and let me tell ya, it’s a wild, bloody ride that’s heart-pounding AND heart-melting.

This novella brings back the Kane brothers, those charming vigilantes who treat murder like it’s a competitive sport, and tosses them into a new game of “who can catch the killer first?” It’s like a family game night, except instead of Monopoly, they’re carving up a bad guy and flirting over the carnage. (Tbh Murderopoly sounds like a game I'd play). The premise is deliciously unhinged: the Kane clan, each with their own brand of chaos, strategizes to hunt a killer, all while weaving in the kinda moments that made Butcher & Blackbird a TikTok darling.

I LOVED seeing the Kane brothers and of course the lovely Blackbird, Lark, and Rose, again!

Thank you so much to Brynne Weaver for giving us a little snippet into the annual August murder show-down between these 3 couples <3

What a fun read this was!

Big thank you to Amazon for this eARC via Netgalley