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

🌟🌟🌟🌟

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.

Trama/Plot ⭐⭐⭐
Personaggi/Characters ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stile/Style ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spicy ⭐

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.
***
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

I will never skip an opportunity for Brynne Weaver to traumatize my sensibilities, and then thank her for it. What that says about me (and the rest of her feral little fanbase) is between me and God.

With her signature dark humor and flair for the grotesque, Brynne makes murder feel like a family pastime. And this time? It literally is. The annual August serial killer hunt is back, and it’s now a full-blown family affair featuring all three couples from her deliciously unhinged Ruinous Love trilogy. This last huzzah reads like a love letter to her readers.

So why three stars, you ask? As short as this novella is, too much of it felt like a recap of characters we (presumably) already know and love. Personally, I’d have preferred less reminiscing and more stabbing. Also, the surprise appearance of a certain character felt less like closure for Sloane and more like a “wait…huh?” moment.

That said, I still devoured this. I will inhale literally anything Brynne Weaver writes, so that her words and I can become one.

Special mention to Fionn, who technically attends the hunt but spends the entire time trying to wrangle Barbara. Her main character energy is untamed, unbothered, and frankly, unmatched. Barbara, queen of trash and our hearts.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories, and Brynne Weaver for this ARC and cruelly short tease of a novella.

This was a fabulous glimpse into the Ruinous Love series. If those books are just a smidge too hardcore for you (as they are for squeamish me), then this novella is the perfect sampling of that world. A quick treat. Thanks to Amazon for the ARC.

Perfect if you need a little ruinous love fix. The gangs all here for another showdown, no additional foods ruined but I will be side eying chickens from now on

My Selling Pitch:
A continuation of Scythe and Sparrow’s epilogue that doesn't need to exist.

On my do not read list.

Pre-reading:
I will never be free of this series. I still really liked the first book, so hopefully this will be more like that.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
The grammar in this arc is SLOPPY.

How long do raccoons live that Barbara is still kicking?

Is the Chianti a Hannibal ref? It has to be.

This is so forced.

We don’t need all this summary. People know what happened? If they're picking this up and they somehow haven't read the series, they're going to be completely spoiled for it.

This is so cringe and repetitive.

50% and all this could've been cut.

Barbara is carrying this.

Rowan’s the only brother with game.

Post-reading:
This is truly just a continuation of Scythe and Sparrow’s epilogue which is just an advertisement for her spin off series. This didn’t need to exist. It adds nothing. No one who hasn't read the series is picking this up, and you’ll be horrendously spoiled if somehow you haven't completed the series before starting this. It’s repetitive and cringeworthy. There was no reason to summarize the plots of the books and then also make the same jokes that were already in them. Do something new for christsakes!

The only positive thing that I can say about this, is that it at least uses Rowan and Sloane as the focal point. They're the strongest couple of the series. There’s all of a paragraph of smut between them, and it’s nothing you haven't read before. Don't waste your time picking this up.

Who should read this:
Completionists

Ideal reading time:
Summer

Do I want to reread this:
Nope

Would I buy this:
Fuck no.

Similar books:
* Lights Out by Navessa Allen-dark rom com, smutty, good for her murder
* Wretched by Emily McIntire-dark romance, retelling, revenge thriller
* The Mindfuck series by S. T. Abby-dark romance, revenge thriller
* The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale-revenge thriller that thinks it’s feminist, but isn’t
* How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways by Eve Kellman-revenge thriller that thinks it’s feminist, but isn’t

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this novella added nothing to the existing story. It was a quick, entertaining read, but nothing beyond.
I would have wished for there to be more POVs. All chapters were from Sloane‘s perspective and I would have liked to look back at all the characters from this internal perspective.

What a fun way to connect two series and revisit the characters from the Ruinous Love trilogy. Lots of Easter eggs in the story that fits with the rest of the books. Wish it was longer!

Thank you Amazon Original Stories for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.