As soon as I finished Butcher and Blackbird, I grabbed Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver. I was dying to know what happened between Lark and Lachlan that had them exchanging glances, and well, I was left absolutely obsessed with these characters.
Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver
Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver is the second book in the Ruinous Love Trilogy. It is a dark romantic comedy published on June 4th, 2024 and is 409 pages long. You can find the book wherever books are sold and on the author’s website here.
Premise
Lark Montague has a little secret hobby, and while the gold stars and glitter might lead you to believe that it’s just a small crafting hobby, don’t let the cheerful nature of this woman trick you into comfort. Those crafts are include a few unique items taken from the dead men she leaves behind. That’s right, Lark Montague is a serial killer, and Lachlan Kane needs protection only she can provide. Unfortunately, a marriage of convenience is about to expose her little hobby to her new husband.
Triggers
Triggers found in Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver include:
- Forced Self-cannibalism
- Numerous weapons and sharp objects, including darts, scissors, guns, saws, knives, grinders, an edger, and a little implement called an enucleation spoon
- Severed fingers, eyeball and teeth stuff
- Car crash
- Drowning in water and other liquids
- Cancer of a loved one
- Detailed sex scenes, which include (but are not limited to) adult toys, choking, rough sex, mild degradation, sexual acts in public, pegging, praise kink
- References to parental neglect and child abuse
- References to child sexual assault
- Religious references/trauma
- Injured dog (cause of injury not depicted, and he’s okay, I promise!)
- Murder, Torture, Violence, and Death
My Thoughts
You may read the trigger list on this book and immediately want to put it away, I know I stayed away from this trilogy for a long time because I was terrified to pick it up. I don’t have many triggers but cannibalism is one of them.
But of course, peer pressure forced my hand. So many readers that I respect and who often recommend books that I also loved, recommended this book. So I prepared myself to be absolutely disgusted.
What I didn’t prepare for was spending ten minutes cackling loudly at the first line of the second chapter. Brynne what kind of witchcraft are you putting into these books?
“Don’t hold your breath,” I yell to the man in the sinking car as he pounds on the window and begs for my mercy. “Get it?” – Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver
Lark is an amazing character, tragic backstory but her dark sense of humor had me freaking hooked. The entire book you keep looking for the next out-of-pocket statement she’s going to make, and it’s delivered. For a romance story about a serial killer and a contract killer doing unhinged gross stuff, I spent an awful lot of time laughing.
“A ring,” I repeat. She nods. “Did you happen to notice it’s attached to a finger in a feckin’ jar?” – Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver
Which leads me to Lachlan, our contract killer. Indebted to a man who basically saved his and his brother’s lives, Lachlan is wanting to get out of the contract killing business all together. Unfortunately, Lark kinda messes that up for him and after the way he treated her, well the two hate each other.
You would think that being hated by a serial killer would be a bad thing, but no, Lark has no desires to kill Lachlan. In fact, she wants to save his life when her family starts suspecting him of recent deaths of the people surrounding them. So what does she do? She marries him, much the to confusion of absolutely everybody else.
While not a literal “I will kill them” enemies to lovers, these two do not get along. At least they don’t until they start getting to know each other and the secrets they both hid come out. As they grow closer, as the tension slowly builds, it leads to an extremely hot scene when it finally does snap.
“I’ll put that in my notes,” he says. “‘Do not dickmatize Lark into forgiveness.’” – Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver
Be prepared, it takes us a while to get there, but when the spice hits, it’s soooo good. We love a dominate and a brat who has a degradation and praise kink here.
I absolutely loved the character growth in this book, but I don’t want to dive into it too much because it plays a heavy role in the plot. Let’s just say that the pain of their pasts played a role in the masks both characters used to keep the other out.
Without spoilers my favorite side characters were Ethel – the hell-raiser, Rose, and Bentley. While we did get to see a little bit of Sloane, it wasn’t a lot and I did miss her.
Do you want sick and twisted mixed with laugh out loud banter and dark humor? Congrats you have found a book with those exact vibes.
Who Would Like Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver?
Tropes in Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver include:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Marriage of Convenience
- Found Family
- Groveling
Make sure you check out all of my recommendation posts for the Ruinous Love Trilogy below:
If you liked Lights Out by Navessa Allen, Satan’s Affair by HD Carlton, and Firethorne by Nikki J Summers, you will likely love this book as well.
Have you read Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver, or have you added it to your TBR? Let me know in the comments. I love interacting with other readers over books I loved.