Leather & Lark: The Ruinous Love Trilogy

4.5 | 2,175 ratings

Price: 8.49

Last update: 06-11-2024

About this item

“I don’t just want to hear her laugh, I need to earn it. Every time I gain a little ground, I want more. I want to break out of the shade and back into her light. Without even realizing it, I’ve become addicted to it. To her.”

From the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the genre-breaking international TikTok sensation Butcher & Blackbird comes the second book in the Ruinous Love Trilogy—a hate-to-love dark romantic comedy packed with danger, chaos, and heat.

Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss’s biggest client, Lachlan knows he’ll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and she’ll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first.

And they can’t stand each other.

Indie singer-songwriter Lark is the sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friend’s soulmate, Lachlan thinks she’s just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friend’s happiness on the line, she’s willing to make a vow to the man she’s determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be.

As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomes impossible to discern their fake marriage from a real one. But it’s not just familiar dangers that haunt them.

There’s another phantom lurking on their doorstep.

And this one has come for blood.

Tropes:
Hate-to-love
Marriage of convenience
Grumpy / sunshine
He falls first
Groveling, but make it psycho
Touch her/him and die

Stacey

Brynne is the Queen of the dark rom-com

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2024

This has been my most anticipated release of the year so far. I read a lot. Butcher & Blackbird was my top read of the 389 books I read in 2023. This. Book. Did. Not. Disappoint.

Brynne is the Queen of the dark rom-com. I’d like to start a campaign in which Brynne writes the content warnings for every book ever.

It’s tempting to compare this book to B&B, but that would do Lark & Lachlan a huge disservice. They are their own unique characters and their story, while different from Sloane and Rowan’s is equally as good. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Lark and Lachlan’s characters develop not just as a couple, but as individuals as well. Those two may seem like oil and water, but in the end you realize they’re perfect for each other.

Brynne weaves a narrative filled with the perfect balance of dark humor and emotion. Her imagination takes you on a wild ride. I mean, the snow globe. The coffee table. There are some people who don’t read epilogues, which is baffling to me. Do yourself a favor and read the bonus chapter. Seriously, read it.

By The Bookcase

“My word is worth my life. I made a vow to Lark. I will protect my wife”

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2024

I have been on pins and needles waiting for this book, so curious about why there was animosity between Lachlan and Lark - especially once we learned this was a marriage of convenience story. And y’all, it totally delivered as an unputdownable ride of banter and high stakes. The tension between them gave me so much dopamine, the slowburn was like being edged in the best way possible, and the spice was an intense payoff that was hot and wild. On top of all that the story and character development kept me completely invested.

The reason for their animosity (and their first true meeting) surprised me but what surprised me more was how they got to be in a marriage of convenience. It makes sense for their characters and was admirable given their dislike of each other. They are both the type to put the people they love before themselves and seeing them start to focus that energy on each other was beautiful because they gave each other everything & the banter was flirty and fun!

Lachlan being obsessed was everything and where he really shone was in making up their first meeting (even if he didn’t realize what he was causing at the time). He was steadfast in proving himself to her and that her forgiveness should only happen when she was ready to give it, not by him asking for it.

I loved their relationship so much and how they supported each other was heartwarming. Craft glitter has never been so romantic. I also loved the cute moments we got of Rowan and Sloane living their best lives and the setup for Fionn and Rose - I’m dying for book 3 and can’t wait! In the meantime, I’m excited to get the audiobook so I can listen to Lachlan and Lark fall in love all over again!

I received an early copy from the publisher and chose to review voluntarily

Thicc & Ired

4.8 / 5.0

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2024

This is fantastic. There is a thick layer of chaotic charisma to both Lark and Lachlan, masks they wear on purpose but shed for one another because they suffer from a miscommunication trope. But it is legitimately done in the best possible way and they redeem themselves over the course of their character arcs.

I hope there’s another one, seems like it from the ending, because Rose and Fionn are such a crafted dynamic that I bet has layer and layer and layer of angst and love and mayhem.

Until Next Time,
MC

P.s. my only complaint is the strange shift in vibes when they finally hooked up, from intense chemistry and foreplay to “whore”… just what?

Patricia

That bonus chapter though ????

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2024

That bonus chapter though!!! ????????????????????

This book got me all kinds of giddy in all the best ways. I laughed so much just as much as I did in the first book. This book is packed full of dark humor.

I absolutely loved Lachlan and Larks chemistry and I devoured the angst between the two. I love nothing more than a morally grey man who is nothing but a giant cinnamon roll. Lark is just as bad ass as Sloan and I got a kick out of her “arts and crafts” projects ????

Brittany

Even Better Than the First

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2024

Butcher & Blackbird was such a magical book for me because it combined my deep love of romance, the piece of my soul reserved for creepy twisted murder, and my need for everything to have a sense of humor. I was sure this perfect amalgamation was lightning in a bottle and that the sequel would fall at least a little short of the original. Somehow, it was even better.

Lark “takes the idea of retribution and makes it into a full-on glitter parade of vengeance.” She is so much fun with her brand of vigilante crafting, and her dynamic with the all rough edges of Lachlan is exactly what I love about the enemies to lovers trope. Their banter is top notch. The burn is slow, but the flame is super hot.

Yes, there is a lot of the gruesome stuff you should expect from the trigger warnings. I definitely gagged a few times, but i will have no issue with pizza or beer moving forward. (Granted, I ate cookies and cream ice cream while rereading B&B, so…)

Absolutely loved this book. Cannot recommend this series enough.

Alex Skow

Brynne is my auto buy author

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2024

Butcher and Blackbird will always be superior and I would give anything to read that one again for the first time… but Leather & Lark is a very close second. (Possible spoiler ahead)

The stage scene. BRYNNE. That was everything. Parts of the book got a little slow here and there… but the banter was perfection and I cannot get the stage scene out of my head. I cannot wait for the third book (I assume there is a third since we were left on a cliffhanger).

Michael

Brynne did that!

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2024

This book is 5/5 through and through! I loved the story, the tension between Lachlan and Lark. Butcher and Blackbird set the vibe for the Trilogy but Leather and Lark has surpassed that! Everyone needs a Lachlan in their lives!

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Leather & Lark: The Ruinous Love Trilogy

About this item

Top reviews from the United States

Best Sellers in

The Friend Zone

Fox Creek: A Novel (Cork O'Connor Mystery Series Book 19)

The Imperfect Marriage: Quentin & Vivian's story. Marriage of Convenience Romance (The Davenports Book 2)

Forgotten Desires: A Marriage of Convenience/Billionaire Small-Town Romance (Whitlock Family Series Book 4)

Crossroads (Haven River Ranch)

Forbidden King: A Small Town, Brother's Best Friend Romance (Magnolia Falls Series Book 3)

One Dark Window (The Shepherd King Book 1)

The Curse of the Flores Women: A Novel