Jump to ratings and reviews

The Butcher of Black Lake #1

Meat Cute: A dark romance comedy

A dark, spicy romance novella

Dean Campbell is reformed.
He hasn’t killed anyone in years.

He keeps his head down, drinks his coffee black, and follows the rules. The Butcher of Black Lake is old news, and Dean plans to keep it that way.

Then June Whitmore moves to town.

June is a librarian with a sharp eye, a bad past, and zero tolerance for dangerous men. She wants quiet. Safety. A fresh start. Falling for the town’s most unsettlingly polite man was not part of the plan.

When June’s abusive ex resurfaces, Dean knows exactly how to handle it.
June knows exactly what kind of man she’s sleeping with.

The only question left is how far they’re willing to go for each other.

Darkly funny, sexy, and unapologetically morally gray, MEAT CUTE is a slow-burn romance with sharp dialogue, high tension, and a hero who’s trying very hard not to relapse.


Perfect for readers who

morally gray men

dark romantic comedies

obsessive protectiveness

librarians with teeth

spice with consequences

He stopped killing for love.
He might start again for her.


Please read trigger warning list and move appropriately. Thank you.
This story is just a silly little idea I had and is not meant to be taken seriously. Enjoy!

182 pages, Paperback

Published January 13, 2026

Loading...
Loading...

About the author

Millie St. Graves

8 books15 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
41 (20%)
4 stars
64 (31%)
3 stars
64 (31%)
2 stars
25 (12%)
1 star
11 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Mellanie.
46 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2026
This was just... awful. From start to finish, the FMC and MMC had no chemistry, decisions made no sense, and the writing style made my eye twitch. Let's break it down fully:

1. The writing style
- This was extremely amateur, in formatting alone. No idents in paragraphs, and there was NO spacing between paragraphs until at some random page around 15%.
- The prose was SUPER dramatic when it wasn't necessary at all, and it made it the whole story feel stiff and impersonal. Very "it's not x-- it's y."
- There was a bunch of metaphors in this that made no sense at all. What do you mean "charming like a warning label on a pill packet" or "knew it like a gunshot in a movie." ...What?
- Repetitive to a point of pain in a few parts. It got to a point where if I read the word "confident"/"confidence" again, I was going to throw my phone across the room. Find another word!
- I think the author had a hard time keeping track of details. It's mentioned that June has 2 cats, Marmalade and Jelly, but Jelly is BARELY mentioned in comparison to Marmalade, like the author forgot until halfway through that she gave June 2 cats.

2. June

- There's a lot of, quite frankly, useless information inserted into this that just makes June seem whiny, and is clearly the author's personal opinion. There's a whole paragraph during her and Dean's first date about how much she hates paper straws... first of all, miss ma'am, you're like 30. Grow up. Secondly, what the hell does that have to do with their date? It felt like a super contrived attempt to give her a personality.
- I straight up don't buy that a DV victim, who was beat so badly she has a scar on her face, wouldn't even blink when told her boyfriend used to be a serial killer. Like shouldn't that feel like a massive betrayal of trust?? Especially since he'd slept with her 3 times before confessing, and even then he didn't mean to tell her.

3. Dean
- He's a little funny in the beginning, and then his character just completely falls flat. He feels like a cardboard cut out of every 'morally gray, obsessed' MMC.
- His 'justification' for being a serial killer is just stupid. Yes, I understand childhood violence leaves scars, but 'Daddy didn't love me enough' is not justification for killing strangers. It's not even like he killed genuinely horrible people or anything, he killed people for... *checks notes* running red lights. This like if John Kramer was a fucking loser.

4. Story
- All of Dean and June's dates follow the same script. They get coffee, Dean almost swallows his tongue, June is ridiculously vulnerable to a stranger, they kiss, and then for the last half of the book, they have sex. Every. Single. Date. Is like this.
- Dean luring June's abusive ex to Black Lake to kill him felt so. fucking. contrived. He goes on and on about how it's for June's safety, but if anything, luring him to WHERE SHE LIVES actively puts her in danger. You can't be morally gray and stupid. It just felt like a lazy way to drive the plot forward when there was literally a million other options.
- The ending confrontation drove me up a goddamn wall. June just HAPPENED to magically know where Dean was gonna kill Paul, and just HAPPENED to show up at just the right time, and SO CONVENIENTLY had good enough aim, under duress and with ZERO prior experience, to shoot Paul instead of Dean on accident.
- Then we go from "oh i'm gonna read some smutty books to have moves for Dean" the morning after finding out he's a serial killer, to HOLDING A GUN TO HIS HEAD? You either have a problem with him being a serial killer, or you don't. Choice #6758395 that could not have felt more contrived.
- After committing murder, they're going to stand in this street, body cooling behind them while June holds the murder weapon, and have a dramatic conversation about Dean's childhood... Babe, someone had to have heard a gunshot, what are you doing just standing around? I don't think the author understands how loud gunshots are.
- June threw such a tantrum about Dean being a serial killer, only to... fuck him the same night? What are we DOING??

Anyways... don't read this. I only finished it because it was so short.
Profile Image for Chrissy MacLaughlin.
681 reviews13 followers
January 12, 2026
This kept me hooked from start to finish! I really liked it, but there were a few things that could have been better with some edits. That being said, it made me laugh out loud multiple times and the writing was actually kind of tender and beautiful despite being about a retired serial killer. 😅 4.5⭐️
Profile Image for Allyson.
45 reviews
January 13, 2026
Not a bad book but it wasn't excellent either.

3.5 stars

Acknowledging this is a novella I feel the author did a lot with very little page real estate, but I felt this book could have honestly benefited from another 50 to 100 pages to fill out the ending. To me there was a lot that was almost summarized and glossed over just to get the book finished. I feel the author could have greatly expanded on this to further the story, and it wasn't even an instance of glossing over to get to the character development instead I feel the character loss out in the ending as well.

Dean was incredibly well fleshed out for a novella character and his motivations and the driving aspects of his personality stayed for the entire story, June was another matter. To me this made June seem very two dimensional in that we had June at the beginning of the book and June at the end, and they were two different characters. I can understand if the author was trying to portray a two side sides of the same coin approach but I just did not get that feeling.

Overall as I said above this not a bad book, but it wasn't excellent either, it did manage to make me laugh with some of the dark humor but ultimately didn't meet the mark in terms of storyline or believable romantic subplot.
Profile Image for Tahlia.
105 reviews2 followers
April 13, 2026
So funny and wholesome! The MMC is absolutely adorkable and the FMC is so cute, loved these two together.
For a story with an MMC who’s an ex serial killer this was nowhere near as dark as I was expecting it was actually quite cozy in parts. Loved the prose, evocative without being overly flowery.
There was a bit of repetition at times and also a line that felt a bit like skinny shaming. I’m sure that wasn’t the authors intention. But I think there are better ways to say that the MMC is into plus sized women than saying he likes women with “some meat on their bones.”
Some of the metaphors also felt a bit off.
For those reasons I couldn’t give it 5 stars despite it still being a very enjoyable read.
I actually wish this was a novel instead of a novella so we could have more time on page with these characters and their story but I think this is great if someone wants a quick and relatively sweet romance with a darker edge to it.
Profile Image for ☆ Allanah • Cosmic's Library ☆.
344 reviews4 followers
April 29, 2026
“And that was how it happened-how the Butcher of Black Lake fell stupidly, inconveniently, catastrophically in love. Right there, between the romance section and the printer that was known to make dying-seal noises.”

I had so much fun reading this!

Dean completely stole the show for me. His inner monologue of how he views the world and trying to stay on the straight and narrow, made him such an entertaining character. once he meets the FMC he turns into that protective, big teddy bear book boyfriend that’s impossible not to swoon over.

The ending does feel a touch rushed, but that’s the nature of a novella and honestly, I think that was just because I didn't want the story to end.

If you loved Butcher and Blackbird, you'll most likely enjoy this.
Profile Image for Read.Recap.Repeat.
240 reviews4 followers
April 20, 2026
This dark novella follows a serial killer who’s actively trying to practise restraint and self-improvement, almost like managing an addiction. It’s a unique and compelling concept that adds an interesting psychological layer and kept me intrigued the whole way through.

At its core, this is a twisted yet oddly tender romance between two people carrying heavy pasts. The dynamic between Dean and June is intense but also surprisingly soft in moments, especially in the way trust, patience, and consent are handled. It creates a contrast that makes the story feel even more engaging.

Overall, this was a nice little novella.
9 reviews
April 29, 2026
Unexpected, in the best way possible.

If you are looking for a well written little romance then this is the story for you. I read it in one sitting, not because it is a novella, but because once I started I could not stop. Unlike Dean Campbell. Campbell with a ‘p’.
Never did I expect to have feels for a serial killer. His inner monologue, both their uncertainties in the start of their new relationship, was relatable and refreshing.

Well done Millie St Graves. An extra star for mentioning highland cows!
109 reviews1 follower
June 25, 2026
Almost Cozy Despite Darker Themes

I saw the author post about this on threads and just had to give it a read. I’m a sucker for lovable serial killers.

Dean’s struggle to stay retired and play the part of normal resonated with me. I’ve often felt disconnected from those around me and just fundamentally lacking or different. Meanwhile I rooted for June and her fresh start.

This is a fun little romance almost cozy despite the darker themes.
Profile Image for Regina.
9 reviews
May 18, 2026
I want to preface this by saying: I do not typically read contemporary fiction. Not in the slightest. I have traditionally read young adult, fantasy, and comic books. Authors like Tolkien, Lewis, Carroll, Pierce, and Patterson I have known and loved for years and it has only been in the past year that I have ventured out of my literary norm. All that being said.

I am glad that I did.

What initially drew me into this specific story was the hook of two things: morally grey serial killer meets plus size librarian. I was intrigued enough not only to immediately buy the book, but to reach out to the authoress herself to figure out HOW to buy it. (Amazon was being annoying.) From the first paragraph, I was not only intrigued, but I took to reading entertaining passages out loud (much to my family’s amusement and dismay). Graves writes with enthusiasm and raw passion and (despite my ADHD brain) I wholeheartedly loved this story (dare I call it a short story - only 139 pages). It left me breathless, bothered, and wanting more. I look forward to reading the next books in the series and seeing what other… offerings Graves entices us with. 😏
Profile Image for lana ❤️‍.
148 reviews1 follower
March 20, 2026
4.25/5

I finally finished a book!!! I’ve been in a terrible slump and feel so accomplished. I’ve tried to read shorter books/novellas to try and get out of the slump. This book is definitely doing the trick.

I loved the 2 main characters in this book. They felt super relatable in how they carried themselves. Now don’t go thinking I’m a serial killer like Dean. But his humor and how he thought about the world set the book up for success. If you want something quick and easy I definitely recommend this one!!
Profile Image for Darcysmom.
1,535 reviews
January 15, 2026
Left me wanting more!

June and Dean are the couple I never knew I needed.
June's starting over after leaving an abusive husband. Dean is a retired serial killer.
When they meet, she brings out protective urges that might bring him out of retirement.
The burn is slow and the spice is gentle. But it is oh so good!
Profile Image for Kelly Rose.
141 reviews3 followers
February 1, 2026
Love all Millie’s book! I love quick reads and this one hooks you right from the start?! I mean how could you not want to read a book bout a reformed serial killer? It was perfect and had the perfect amount of spice and I can’t say what I really want to avoid spoiling the book! But ooh is this come with the perfect little twist!! Can’t wait for more by this amazing author !!
Profile Image for Romance  Through Relams.
29 reviews
April 28, 2026
Ive never really been one to look twice at novellas, however I wont overlook them again.
This was full of a great in depth story that moved at a great, comfortable reading pace that never felt rushed, the characters felt relateable and fleshed out, same goes with the little town.

I cant wait to read the rest of the books in the series and anything else this author writes!
Profile Image for Jessica  L Wiggins .
10 reviews
January 7, 2026
A perfect novella

A perfect fast paced read for someone looking for a quick escape. The characters are flawed and I hope I get to read more about them in, maybe a follow up. (Not giving spoilers here! The author, and anyone who reads this will understand what I mean)
Profile Image for IV.
253 reviews33 followers
January 15, 2026
Honestly loved everything about this. The humor, the romance, the characters, THE ENDING??? Really well-written and well-paced too. Just chef's kiss all around. 🤌

If you’re into dark romcom vibes and looking for a quick and fun read, I highly recommend this one!
Profile Image for Quinn & Sam Baughman.
8 reviews
January 19, 2026
It’s a super cute read- but it left me wanting more. It felt like the ending was rushed- I’d love to have more time with Dean and June and a more in depth murder plot.
I’d definitely read more from this author and hope to see more in the future!
Profile Image for Angel.
26 reviews
January 26, 2026
Fun & Quick

This was a fun story & quick read. I ended the characters. And honestly, the MFC being plus sized was icing on the cake. Plus-sized baddies exist. They love, too. So I really appreciated that this was incorporated.
Profile Image for Slayge.
185 reviews10 followers
April 26, 2026
Loveee Dean. I don’t care if he’s a murderer, he’s a good man Savannah!
The banter between Dean and June was very very funny and I really loved how he was so respectful and kind to her.
Such a cute little fluffy romance, y’know, about a man who kills people. 😅
Profile Image for Awesome_Ames.
265 reviews2 followers
April 20, 2026
Honestly, I’m still confused about how the title and cover connect to the story, and that’s a little disappointing because they’re exactly what hooked me in the first place.

The overall vibe is very Dexter-esque, and I loved Dexter (the original, not all these reboots). The dry, dark, slightly uncomfortable humour with a morally complicated MMC trying very hard not to give in to violent urges. That level of commitment to not murdering annoying people deserves recognition, because who hasn’t stood in a queue and briefly considered eye-stabbing as a solution to someone being unbearable? Not just me surely?

The writing itself is sharp, witty, and super easy to read — I finished the whole thing in under 45 minutes. The ending felt rushed with some noticeable plot holes, and I kept feeling like there was space for the story to go deeper instead of wrapping things up so quickly. I would have loved to see it all fleshed out in more detail, and those plot holes resolved.

I also really struggled with the FMC. While she’s written as a survivor of DV, her characterisation didn’t quite come together for me. She felt SUPER assertive in some moments and then suddenly very dependent and fearful in others, without enough development to bridge those shifts. By the end, I was still waiting for meaningful growth that never quite arrived, and that made her storyline frustrating to read.

I really wanted to love this one because dry, dark humour like this is absolutely my thing — but unfortunately it just fell a little short for me in the end.
Profile Image for Readwithsamijo .
102 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2026
Ok, where to start. I Loved loved loved Dean he felt stilted enough to actually feel like he was hiding something which he obviously was. His little quirks and methodic note taking and tallying sealed it for me

June is the quintessential not crazy cat lady. Just another woman trying to find whimsy after years of being ignored.

The ending felt a little rushed unfortunately but that comes with the territory with Novellas and Short story's which is why I generally dont read them unless im swamped with work.

I enjoyed this little break into the world of Black Lake and its just a nice little read when you dont want to much seriousness.
Profile Image for Tawny Xu.
213 reviews7 followers
January 8, 2026
This was a cute little novella that had me giggling like a school-girl. Really loved the concept of this story, and flew through it quickly. Both characters are flawed, and I loved the little rituals that Dean had. June was glorious as a character too, and I connected well with her. Absolutely loved this story, and the author hasn't done me wrong, yet.
Can't wait for more!
Profile Image for MsJodi.
207 reviews8 followers
May 27, 2026
I want to start out by saying this is not dark romance, this is contemporary with dark themes.

I wish this story match the cover. It had moments where it was funny but I wanted more of the serial killer vibes and there was none not even at the end. The writing/story wasn’t great but it could have been. I was really disappointed in this book.
Profile Image for Naomi.
686 reviews3 followers
January 24, 2026
A nice spooky, slightly romantic, novella. June makes a new beginning in Black Lake. She meets Dean, a local resident with a quiet, steady energy. He makes her feel safe. Then he shares his secret.

This is my second read by this author and I'm very much looking forward to her third.
Profile Image for Tanya.
98 reviews
Did Not Finish
August 25, 2026
DNF - bland , no connection to the main character and then when they hook up it’s makes no sense .
The lights flicker on across the street with how loud she came .
No thanks 3rd person is just terrible .
56 reviews
Did Not Finish
September 29, 2026
DNF @ 51%

The banter at times doesn't make sense at all, the chemistry feels forced and unrealistic, and the writing just isn't working for me. As excited as I was to read this one, I just can't bring myself to continue.
Profile Image for Courtney.
18 reviews
January 18, 2026
Quick easy Read

Fun quick book to read. Enjoyed the quirkiness of Dean and Junes relationship. If you’re looking for a quick fun read this is it.
Profile Image for Chloe Meyers.
201 reviews1 follower
January 19, 2026
I just hate 3rd person POVs 😭😭😭 however the premise is cool and I 800% pictured Dexter Morgan while reading 😻
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews