Love & Other Killers

The Ruinous Love Trilogy

by Brynne Weaver, Samantha Brentmoor (Narrator), Eric Nolan (Narrator)

Serial killers versus serial killer in a hot and twisted novella about family games, true love, and competitive carnage by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Ruinous Love Trilogy.

It’s the annual hunt for Sloane and her vigilante family of serial killers. Track the most cold-blooded psychos imaginable and take them down. This summer’s prey is Allan Munster, a churchgoing chicken farmer who slaughters more than fowl. The rules of the Divide into teams, devise a strategy, and make a move—the more cutthroat the better. May the best team win. The players are closing in. All eyes are on Munster. But there’s a hitch in the family sport this year. Someone might be watching them.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Audiobook, Novella, Dark, Contemporary, Fiction

2 pages, Audible Audio

First published August 12, 2025

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little glimpse we got to my favourite world. I love the Ruinous Love Trilogy so much and I'm so happy we got to see them all again.. It's a pretty short novella, but it still delivered everything I wanted.

We get so see them on their annual hunt, the one we left them on at the end of the third book..
Girls vs boys, who do you think won?

It was fun and murdery, filled with banter and a little sabotage.
It's told from Sloane's perspective, which I really liked.

Also, since I already read the Tourist Season, it was fun seeing that little moment that connects them.

I hope this isn't the last time we see them..

P. S. I really didn't need that reminder about the ice cream, it still haunts me..

*Thank you to Netgalley and to Amazon Original Stories for providing me with an ARC.*

[Fairuz ᥫ᭡. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 STARS!! 😭💖

OH. MY. GOD. Getting back into the Kane family chaos was everything I didn’t know I needed 😭🖤 Girls vs boys, banter, sabotage, and murdery fun—it’s all here and more! This novella may be short, but it delivers all the chaos, laughs, and wild moments I loved from the Ruinous Love Trilogy. Seeing them all again, especially from Sloane’s POV, made my heart so full 🫶🏻 And yes, the little nods to past books? ICONIC.

Honestly, it’s fun, dark, and spicy in all the right ways 🤭 The annual hunt, the twisted teamwork, and that ice cream reminder (still haunting me) made it unforgettable. Brynne Weaver absolutely slayed, and the narrators Samantha Brentmoor & Eric Nolan made it even better! Can we just never leave this world? I’m not ready to say goodbye 😭

[TheConnieFox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dark romance novella was such a fun and quick read! This book had suspense, dark humor and crime. It came with a solid premise and was well executed! I have not read the series “Butcher & The Blackbird” before, now I am reading it and loving it so far. This book is a standalone, with existing characters in her books. The romance part was wild! With this being under 100 pages long, the author Brynne Weaver did an amazing job writing this one! Overall, I give this a 4.5 stars out of 5!

Content warnings are graphic violence, death, explicit sexual content and fear. I think readers of Brynne Weaver and the movie “Knives Out” would really enjoy this book!

Right now this book is on Kindle Unlimited as I am typing this. (KU can change anytime.)

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

this sounds messy 🔪

thanks amazon & netgalley for the early copy!

[Mira · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Alina ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆☆☆☆

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for this ARC.

Love & Other Killers by Brynne Weaver is a dark, twisty, and addictive read that pulls you in from the start. The chemistry between the characters is electric, and the blend of romance and suspense is done so well. It was also such a treat to revisit familiar characters — seeing them again added depth and a sense of continuity that fans will really appreciate.

[˚₊꒰ა Jii ໒꒱₊˚ (catching up) · Rating 3 out of 5]

˙₊➴ ꒰ 3-stars★ ꒱ ꒷⊹࣪˖

❝ Somewhere over that hill, my prey is living his last night on earth. And whether it’s by my hand or my family’s, the world will soon discover that the real monsters lurking among us are far worse than their imaginations. ❞

‧˚ ꒰ 🕸️ ꒱ thoughts ₊˚⋆

It was actually fun to be able to see these killers again and witness their family bonding hihi! tbh i wished it was longer but still, it was a cute, chaotic, and endearing read! I live for how they all masterfully sprinkled in their “specialty” when it comes to their craft (ifywim) + Barbara was an adorable menace!🤪❤️

˚₊ ⟢┊pre-read 🖇️┊⊹࣪⋆

I miss them, so I took it as a sign to read this novella!👀

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

”With one last kiss, we fall asleep, two monsters wrapped in each other’s arms. Right where we’ve always belonged.”

this was a cute little extended epilogue of sorts to the ruinous love trilogy. seeing Sloane, Rowan, Lachlan, Lark, Rose & Fionn all together was so fun. its nice to know they’re keeping up their annual killing spree traditions lmao, I’m still sad to see them go 🥹🩷

[jocelyn ⊹ ₊ ˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⌗┆ 3 stars🪿₊ ˚!

⌗┆overall thoughts ₊ ˚!
ᢉ𐭩 if you loved the ruinous trilogy (like i did 🙂‍↕️), ESPECIALLY the first one (ALSO like me 😛😛), you’ll LOVE THIS!!! i was so so so happy to be be back in this world with these special characters 🙂‍↕️ i missed sloane and rowan SO much! lowkey..makes me wanna reread their book 🤭 do i think it was necessary? no. but it was SO fun

⤿ ⊹₊ ˚september 2nd, 2025 ➤ september 2nd, 2025 ⊹₊ ˚

[Youssra (semi ia) · Rating 3 out of 5]

such a fun book! Sloane and Rowan will always be my favs so it was so nostalgic coming back to them!

[♡❀Caroline. K❀♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and fun treat back into the Ruinous love world. It was fun seeing everyone.

[MagretFume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and fun, a must read if you liked the previous books in the series. 

It is great to see all the characters reunited.

[Brittany Ferraro · Rating 4 out of 5]

GANGS ALL HERE 👁️🦝✨

This was the perfect little novella that let me revisit one of my favorite worlds/characters. It was funny, fun, sweet and there was even a little spice 🤭 I miss them so much it was so nice to be back with them.

“My family. I never thought I’d have one. Not until the day that Rowan found me”


“And you deserve it.” I smile. “What, to win?” “No.” He tightens his grip around my waist. Presses a kiss to my neck. “You deserve everything.”

😭🥹🫶🏻🖤🐦‍⬛🔪

[Alya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I got over missing this universe I want them back all over again 😭🩷 I loved the trilogy thjs novella was the perfect "reunion" vibe🥹 the characters.. Just everything about these books, it's one series that I wish would never end🙈 the banter, the murder craze, the humour! The narrators?? Ugh just perfection it hits different cause of the duet like narration just pulls you into the story so much more!!! Ps: if you haven't started this world I'm so jealous of tbe first time experience 😫🥲

[Grace Quan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found family, but make them serial killers ✨🩸

Seriously, this was so cute and hilarious but of course, with a sprinkle of gore and violence. This book was a major throwback to one of my favorite worlds. Still don’t see how this book could be a bridge book from The Ruinous Love trilogy to The Seasons of Carnage trilogy, but I guess we’ll see. 🤷‍♀️

4/5 STARS

***************************
💖🪓𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭:💀🩸💞

Reading this on release day because Brynne Weaver is such a cutie with a fascinating mind I love her for creating theses adorable serial killers 🔪🌸

[Smutty Little Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have been jonesing for these couples, and this novella scratches that itch! Super quick little read and you get to see the whole crew again! We are taken on another annual hunt adventure and get to learn more about the FMC in Tourist Season.

Please note: you need to read the entire series before this novella. If you want more of these couples, definitely pick this up!

[Dez the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well! I don’t think was totally prepared for this little novella but it was an interesting intro the Butcher and the Blackbird series.

I listened to this but the narrator seems off in the beginning. She found her rhythm and the dual narration was on point. It really sucks you in.

Story itself? I wanna know where it goes but I’ve never been more terrified. 😂

[Demi · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved this like always

[Mai ༊*·˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 ★— Alright, this was such a treat! I haven’t read the Ruinous Love trilogy yet (it’s on my TBR!), but I do love murdery women, sharp quips, and morally grey main characters in love, so I had an absolute blast with this short novella.

I had no issues reading this without knowing the backstories of the featured characters. They do all appear in the Ruinous Love trilogy, and Weaver managed to make me get a small sense of their personalities through this short story.

Now I’m even more excited to dive into these books and into her upcoming release Tourist Season, which this novella is supposed to be a bridge between.

___________________________________________________

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Lauren Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

She is gonna ruin chickens now?! lol Brynne Weaver is so funny & cunning! I really feel like this short story was for all of us that just devoured that series! So we deserved a sweet treat!

This novella includes the beloved couples from the Ruinous Love Trilogy! I love the found family of women who married the brothers making one big murderous family. It was spicy, funny! The banter was great! Loved the audible book!

[Lina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 / 5 Stars
I am truly licking up crumbs with this novella and I am not mad about it. This book is super short (under an hour to read) and features all three couples as they compete in the annual serial killing games. It takes place during the first prologue of Scythe & Sparrow (with a still green Rowan) and as we meet April (from the next series). We get all of our favorite references (Budget Batman, the doilies, the drugged muffins, me googling once again what all of Sloane's piercing mean) and we even get Barbara (the true star of the show).

Because it could technically be read as a standalone, we do spend some time being reminded of basic plot points from past books which is a tad frustrating for folks who read all three books because new information is precious, but I am also greedy.

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for providing this eARC. All opinions are my own.
Publication Date: August 12, 2025
_____________________________________
Pre-Read Thoughts: We get to revisit our favorite serial killing family from The Ruinous Trilogy in a short novella? I get to keep drooling over Lachlan and Lark? What a fucking treat!

[cyd⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙚..? 𝙉𝙤, 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩. 𝑯𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕.
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅.

╭──────────.༺♡༻.─────────╮
AHHH THAT WAS SUCH A GREAT INTRODUCTION TO THIS BOOK. 🫶😋

song I listened to while reading: Knives out by Radiohead ‧₊˚🕷‧₊˚

🐦‍⬛: "𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐲𝐞."

believe it or not, I didn't even know this book existed until today..😟 and it's like, how did I not know about this masterpiece?? it's in sloanes pov to add to the emotional impact 😭😭❤️ ( but sometimesss I did find myself wondering what was happening in Rowan's POV. 😞)

(3/5)🌶 (which is surprising if you know this series.) one scene, + innuendo's and a slight explicate act. AND lots of cussing jsyk 🎀!

I love the characters (of course??).
I love the cover, I love the plot and I love the fact that these characters are continuing what they started in their respective books. (👁 + 🎪 + 🎵 +🩸 = ♥️???)

AND LIKE ALWAYS: Brynne Weaver interconnects her books so I'm so so excited to see what she does with the new character Autumn!! (Autumn was in Butcher and blackbird so that ISN'T a spoiler!)

💬: 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧.
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝. 🪓..🔪..🧨
𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐧? 𝐈 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭..

⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺ my final thoughts?
I feel like this was an amazing way to end off this amazing series!!
what's a popular book that everyone loves? Percy Jackson, ok lets just imagine that Percy Jackson is your favorite series ever and it ENDS OK?? and you just figure out that there's a little novella talking about either Percy and Annabeth, OR! Niko and Will! and it's so adorable and happy that you just start crying at the end.. that was me. 😞

I mean, it's like nostalgic, I get to read about all of these characters that I love and they're all together being family and in love with they're significant other while being murderers? ☹️ my favorite type of book 🙂‍↕️. and reading this really makes me want to reread the entire series this October... 🧹🍂🎃🤎🧡

♱--------------------------------------------------♱
as always, thank you so much for reading my review! manifesting good spooky/fall reads for all of you! 🎧📖🍁 ₍^. .^₎⟆

(5/5)⭐️🐔

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

it’s like the epilogue I didn’t know I needed

Gaaahhh… if you’ve read the Ruinous Love trilogy (or, at the bare minimum, Butcher and Blackbird…aka Rowan and Sloane) then this will be a fun treat…

For me it was 🥹.

We have Sloane and Rowan meeting with the other couples for their annual hunt of a serial killer (serial killers killing serial killers 💀is that a pun?!?! Bahahaha because it’s intended if it is 🤡). This time, they’ll be teamed up against each other.

Who will win?

As usual, like the previous books, we get some gore, some bloodiness, some torture, and humor as well 🤣

We even get a spicy scene 🥵🔥😉 gawd I had missed Sloane and Rowan lol

Now I need to reread the other books again 🤣

Loved it!

⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd/omd
-gore/bloodshed/death
-HEA ❤️

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The audio >>>>>

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVEEEEEEE THEM. I seriously cannot pick a favorite couple they are all so perfect.

I always love when Lachlan curses them out “Jesus feckin Christ” will always get a giggle out of me.

And the way the boys all love their girls above all else always gets me emotional 🥹

And as per usual with the audiobook, the narrators are the best of all time. (For some reason this was free on audible once I downloaded the story into my kindle unlimited. Just fyi before you go to buy.)

I didn’t realize the next trilogy was connected and that makes me even more excited to read it!

[Lia Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun novella!! Obviously I could have had more story, but it was good. I love seeing the plot thicken when reading more about Autumn.

I NEED THE NEXT SERIES ASAP

[Nafisa King · Rating 3 out of 5]

three stars. the premise…it’s a novella about a family of vigilante serial killers living their best lives 😆. there’s just something about the way brynne writes found family. like, who else can make a group hug feel unhinged and a little stabby?

the insults are elite, as always. “budget batman” is now part of my vocabulary. plot-wise, it felt more like a transition novella than a full meal, but i’m not mad. my sticker girlies are back. autumn’s popping in like it’s a marvel post-credit scene, so you know she’s cooking something for the next one.

thanks to netgalley for the arc. excited to see where this chaos goes next.

[marioncoin | coin.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

« 𝑑𝑒𝑢𝑥 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒́𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑠 𝑙'𝑢𝑛 𝑑𝑒 𝑙'𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑟𝑒.
𝑙𝑎̀ 𝑜𝑢̀ 𝑎 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑒́𝑡𝑒́ 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑟𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒. »

je l'ai dévorée, tout simplement 💕🔪
cette nouvelle est la parfaite transition entre l’univers de la ruinous love trilogy & la seasons of carnage trilogy qui sort très prochainement 👀(le 24 octobre)

c'était tellement réconfortant de retrouver mes fous du bus préférés,
de retrouver la pov de Sloane, et de revivre un moment aussi sympa (🤭) aux côtés de Rowan, Lachlan, Lark, Fionn & Rose

comme d’hab c’est bourré de tw plus ou PLUS originaux donc à lire avant de commencer (de toute façon avec brynne on ne peut pas les louper !)

merci aux goats de verso romans de nous avoir traduit cette nouvelle et de nous l'avoir mise à disposition gratuitement en numérique, si vous avez aimé la ruinous love trilogy, lisez ce bonbon 🩷

[Iryna V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Щорічні змагання Слоун і Ровена перетворилися на справжню сімейну гру — дівчата проти хлопців 🤭🔥

Класна новела!
У ній є все, до чого ми вже звикли в цій трилогії:
■ цікавий сюжет
■ харизматичні персонажі
■ гумор 🤭
…у поєднанні з 💀 😑 та романтикою ❤️‍🔥, і трішки гидкими подробицями 👁🕸🐔

З нетерпінням чекаю на наступну книжку.