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small-town romance
Series · romance
The Ruinous Love Trilogy
The Ruinous Love Trilogy series by Brynne Weaver has 3 known books (3 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Butcher & Blackbird (2023). Scythe & Sparrow is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.
- Books
- 3 known books (3 novels)
- Published
- 3
- First published
- 2023
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Romance
Start here: Butcher & Blackbird (2023)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Butcher & Blackbird
Butcher & Blackbird launched Brynne Weaver's viral dark rom-com trilogy in August 2023, pairing the first couple from her family of serial killers at 355 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Butcher & Blackbird - Book 2:
Leather & Lark
Leather & Lark arrived in June 2024, ten months after Butcher & Blackbird, running 390 pages as the trilogy's second couple gets their own self-contained romance with the earlier pair returning as supporting characters. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Leather & Lark - Book 3:
Scythe & Sparrow
At 416 pages, Scythe & Sparrow (February 2025) is both the longest book and the closing installment of Brynne Weaver's completed trilogy, pairing the last sibling in her family of serial killers with a love interest who gets pulled fully into the body count -- and the family's doggy daycare day job. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Scythe & Sparrow
Key facts about The Ruinous Love Trilogy series
Our list has 3 books in The Ruinous Love Trilogy series. Since all 3 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with Butcher & Blackbird, since it opens the publication order in 2023. Leather & Lark is book 2, from 2024. Scythe & Sparrow is book 3, from 2025.
The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions.
Scythe & Sparrow is the latest book with a full release date, out on 11 February 2025. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.
The books came out between 2023 and 2025, while their length runs from 355 to 416 pages. That is a run of 2 years.
Brynne Weaver has 6 books on our list. Additionally, they write The Seasons of Carnage Trilogy. We shelve the books under romance.
About The Ruinous Love Trilogy
The Ruinous Love Trilogy is Brynne Weaver's breakout dark romantic comedy series about a family of serial killers who only fall for people who can handle their... hobby. Each book pairs one sibling (or in-law) with a love interest who is either unbothered by, actively into, or eventually recruited into the body count, and plays the premise for both genuine horror-adjacent tension and laugh-out-loud banter — think grovelling, chaotic-good murder logistics, and a lot of dog references (the family runs a doggy daycare as a day job). It's a romantasy-adjacent dark romance that leans hard into humor rather than pure grimdark, which is a large part of why it went viral on BookTok as a palate cleanser between heavier dark romance reads.
Each book is a complete, self-contained romance for a different couple within the same extended family and small-town setting, with earlier couples returning as supporting characters. Expect explicit content, blood, and morally-grey-to-black characters throughout — this is not a series for readers who need their leads to be conventionally good people.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Ruinous Love Trilogy?
Three: Butcher & Blackbird (2023), Leather & Lark (2024) and Scythe & Sparrow (2025). The trilogy is complete.
What order should I read The Ruinous Love Trilogy in?
Publication order: Butcher & Blackbird, then Leather & Lark, then Scythe & Sparrow. Each book is a standalone romance for a different couple, but characters carry over.
Is The Ruinous Love Trilogy finished?
Yes, it's a complete trilogy as of Scythe & Sparrow (February 2025).
How dark is The Ruinous Love Trilogy?
Very dark in premise (the family are serial killers) but played with a lot of comedy and banter rather than as grimdark horror. It's explicit and violent, but tonally closer to a dark rom-com than straight horror.
Do I need to read Butcher & Blackbird before the others?
You don't strictly need to, since each book follows a different couple, but reading in publication order avoids spoilers for earlier couples' arcs and introduces the extended family in the order the author intended.
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