Butcher and Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 355

Publisher -

Source - Wishlist rak

Blurb from Goodreads

Every serial killer needs a friend.
Every game must have a winner.

When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

Butcher & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love Dark Romance trilogy of interconnected stand-alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA.


My Review

Ha absolutely NOT for the faint hearted guys, duo viewpoint, his (Butcher) and hers (Blackbird), serial killers who come upon each other, they hunt other serials, and make a competitive game. As they hunt together and get to know each other they are drawn to each other, between karma, retribution there is spice, romance and murder galore!

So the idea of killers going after killers isn't new but this is a different spin, two deadly killers who go after others and then come upon each other and have a spark takes us on a different path. If you struggle with gore, body fluids, adult spice scenes you will struggle with this one. There are some very questionable scenes/circumstances and for me, I will struggle to look at ice cream in the same way again LMAO.

For me the book kind of fell into two main things, the whole serial killing/hunting/competition between the two and then their feelings for each other but approaching with caution cos obvs they are who they are. The other different thing is they have someone in their lives who actually know, love and accept who they are and what they do. I would have liked more exploration into that. There was a fair amount of their relationship, budding and then established, enter the body fluids and messy (and for me cringe) scenes but I know some folk loved it. I would have preferred more of how they found/tracked their targets or when they got their hands on them. We did get one episode that we spent a bit more time with them, that is the night of ice cream gate, BOAK.

I am sure this is a series and everybody seems to love it, a decent start for me so 3/5 for me for this one.

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Fire and Blood by George R R Martin

Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 29 days (from re starting)

Pages - 737

Publisher -

Source - I think I bought it

Blurb from Goodreads

With all the fire and fury fans have come to expect from internationally bestselling author George R. R. Martin, this is the first volume of the definitive two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros.

Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire and Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.

What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why did it become so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What is the origin of Daenerys’s three dragon eggs? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel and featuring more than eighty all-new black-and-white illustrations by artist Doug Wheatley. Readers have glimpsed small parts of this narrative in such volumes as The World of Ice & Fire, but now, for the first time, the full tapestry of Targaryen history is revealed.

With all the scope and grandeur of Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire and Blood is the ultimate game of thrones, giving readers a whole new appreciation for the dynamic, often bloody, and always fascinating history of Westeros.


My Review

You guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuys. I started this in 2022! I knew the dragon badness was coming and I think that is what made me stop back then. I started re reading it for a fundraising charity book challenge, this month, 24.5 pages every day and I have finally finished it.

If you know Game Of Thrones you know what he is like, do not get attached to characters because noone is safe. This covers the history of the Targaryen's, from way before the families we come to know in House of the Dragon (tv show) and after.

Dragons, skullduggery, abuse, poison, murder, betrayal, lust, love, and the longing to rule the iron throne. It isn't an easy read, some of the most ghastly people, behaviours and betrayals ooft. Weans aren't even safe and some of the murders are beyond barbaric. Incest, in house marriages, public consummation of the marriages - war, people rising up, beautiful but deadly dragons.

There are so many characters told over lifetimes, it is really interesting and if you like Game of Thrones you will like reading the back history of the dragons and families but yeah just prepare yourself cos it gets hella dark, body parts cut off and displayed, wars, families wiped out, actual wild madness, 4/5 for me!

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The Sea Hides Its Dead by Megan Bontrager

The Sea Hides its Dead: The claustrophobic deep-sea horror full of dark secrets and dangerous truths by Megan Bontrager
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 340

Publisher - Run For It

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

The Sea Hides its Dead is a cult aquatic horror about a group of academics trapped in a sea cave who must reckon with unknowable horrors as they are forced to atone for their greatest sins.

Grad student Caro has no idea what she wants to do with her life, but when an opportunity arises to act as a research assistant on an anthropological expedition for her professor and lover, Edward Beck, she doesn't hesitate.

Beck assembles a team of academics and professionals to study the ancient sea-based Cult of the Leviathan, and the expedition descends into the sea caves where the cult are said to have dwelt.

But when the cave entrance collapses, trapping them inside, the expedition will find they are not alone in the darkness. Surrounded by strange artefacts and scattered bones, an ancient trial has been set in motion. One by one, the members of the expedition will be tested and forced to atone for their greatest sin. . . or die.

Praise for The Sea Hides its Dead:


My Review

Caro is a teaching assistant underneath Professor Beck, studying the Leviathan Cult oh and Caro is also his secret lover because of course he is an older married guy. Now they with a team head to Seal Harbour to finally test everything the Professor has felt/read/known about the Leviathan Cult and of course it is in a cave where things get dangerous, crazy and supernatural because of course it does!

So I didn't really get the Navy involvement at the start nor the rationale for their reaction to the stones/cave. Even after the I finished the book I still had a question or two and they really aren't anything to the plot but maybe I missed something, I did start it quite late into the night.

So Caro ripped my knitting for a good part of the start of the book and I don't know if that was intentional/genius on the authors part. As the book went on and we had character development, threat and danger I did actually come round to Caro and was rooting for her. I love a loyal person so that may have been why I was a bit ragey at her at the start and cliché of younger female under the spell of the older professor who was married and also a bit of a banger!

Once we got into the depths of the cave, things kicked off quickly, danger looming, creepy supernatural, absolutely yes! I would LOVE to see this as a movie, it was giving the descent vibes with a couple of other horror movies. An ancient cult, who doesn't want to read more on that plus anything Leviathan is ALWAYS going to be creepy and the movies I have seen has been of the monster creature feature variety so this was a different/interesting spin to that.

The action kicks off quickly, second guessing what is coming, you always get people's character/morals challenged/pushed in these types of stories, I really like that and it was good to read of a new scary threat. I couldn't guess where the book was going or what was coming, I did get freaked out which you always want in a book. A solid 3.5/5 for me this time, I haven't read this author before and I would absolutely check her out again!

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Wee mini break

Had a wee break away with o/h, Luna went to the cat hotel and was her usual cheeky/asbo self! She is so expressive and rude, absolutely howling, look at those ears!

For those who like a wee nosey at the hotel room, this was our suite, click here.


So as you know we are fundraising for charity "Teenage Cancer Trust" - they put up for to do a reading challenge in September, you pick your own bookish challenge. I started Fire and Blood in 2022 and never finished it so I restarted it and it works out 24.5 pages every day for the whole month, we have one week left. We have been timelapsing every day, you can see them here on our Tiktok.

It was only a small break, five nights but as a book dragon you know what we are like, these are some of the books I took, I found another two in our suitcases.

I always take a blanket so this time was the Stephen King book covers.

This was the sunsetting at night, how stunning. I couldn't be in the sun for long periods, I mean I can't anyway but with health stuff it has been worse so this was night to stroll and just watch the beautifullness.

The pool was nicely lit at night too.

I took hunners of bookmarks too but only used a couple and nice bright nails .

And this was my spot when I did get outside.

How many books do you think I read from the book pile?

Before The Fall by Juliet West

Before The Fall by Juliet West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 252

Publisher -

Source - it has been on my tbrm for ages I can't remember

Blurb from Goodreads

Guilt laps at me like a rising tide, but I won't let it seep in. Wicked or not, I can't be sorry. How can I be sorry when I feel like this, as if my life has started up brand new, sharp and colourful, a swirl of terror and bliss . . .

1916. Across the channel, the Great War rages; in London's East End, with her husband away fighting, Hannah Loxwood struggles to hold everything together. But when Hannah takes a job in a cafe, she discovers a glimpse of freedom away from her needy young children, her spiteful sister and desperately ill father.

While the conflict drags on, Hannah battles with the overwhelming burden of 'duty'. She has sacrificed so much for a husband who left her behind, a husband who may never come home. Then, when she meets Daniel - thoughtful, intelligent, quietly captivating - Hannah finds herself faced with the most dangerous of temptations.

As the war grips tighter and bombs fall down upon the streets, the stakes for the couple are raised ever higher. Soon Hannah and Daniel will realize just how precarious their happiness is, as their destiny rushes towards them . . .

Beautifully wrought, utterly compelling and with a twist that will leave you breathless, Before The Fall, inspired by a true story, hurls you into a London torn apart by the First World War and paints a vivid and haunting portrait of one woman's struggle.


My Review

London, war torn, world war one, 1916, we have two povs Hannah and Daniel. Hannah is a mum to two young kids, her husband is away fighting in the war, she is sharing with her family, it is cramped, money is tight. She gets a job, doing what she can to keep everything going whilst keeping out the way of her sisters watchful creepiness and her dad isn't well. When she meets Daniel he is different from everyone else, he is well read, into poetry and in a time when everything is at risk, death is everywhere would you pass up on the chance for true love even if it would cost you everything?

This book was absolutely different from what I was expecting. Hannah is trying to get by, her o/h is away to the war, her sisters husband is a creepy leech. When Hannah gets a job in a wee cafe she meets Daniel, Daniel is everything her husband is not. Present, educated, loves poetry, and the attraction between them is a once in a lifetime type of love. However Hannah is married, her hubby is off putting his life on the line for his country and hello it is the early 1900's so we all know how women are expected to behave.

Apparently this is based on a true story and so many people absolutely loved it, I liked it but didn't love it. I found the effects of the war really focused upon, the little things, getting through day to day, relationships, friendships, hardships, the threats of danger, the judgements like men exempt from war had people judging them and thrusting white feathers upon them. Even how they got Hannah's husband and others to sign up, the method used was an eye opener.

Then the affair, the cost it brought for "true happiness", navigating their new reality and the challenges that brought with it. I also thing there was a few things I wasn't expecting that especially pulled the rug from under me so to speak. I just wasn't expecting the book to be what it was nor the turns it took. I think this would be a great book for a book group and discussion as I imagine there would be a lot of mixed opinions on the choices and actions of the characters and plenty of food for thought, 3.5/5 for me and I think I will ponder over it for a while.

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Harry the Polis: even the lies are true by Harry Morris

Harry the Polis: Even the Lies Are True by Harry Morris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 224

Publisher -

Source - it has been on the shelves for ages, I don't remember

Blurb from Goodreads

This work presents funny, strange and possibly true tales from Harry the Polis. Harry Morris is out to show a side of our industrious police force that we don't often see - the lighter side. His time with the Glasgow and Strathclyde constabulary, or 'polis' for short, hasn't robbed Harry of his sense of humour, and every wily witness, cocky con, and sarcastic sergeant he ever rubbed up against is here in page after page of humorous stories. Full of hilarious anecdotes, oddball characters, quick comebacks and unlikely excuses, "Even the Lies are True" shows true Glaswegian humour at its finest. Every funny tale - tall and true - of Harry's twenty-nine years police career is either here, or yet to come in future Harry the Polis books like "Even More Lies" and "Nothing Like the Truth" - and there's no shortage of laughs in these hilarious stories from the rank and file. Already described by Alex Dickson of Radio Clyde as 'classics of our time' and by Bob Shields of the Daily Record as 'a must read for anyone who likes to walk about with a grin on their face', "Even the Lies are True" is sure to arrest you with its irrepressible mirth.


My Review

This is a thin wee book and I will say this guys, it is very Weegie lingo so if you don't know Scottish banter/humour/terminology I think you will absolutely struggle to understand a lot of it and get the banter.

The book is split into sometimes even just a paragraph, sometimes a page or two. Basically it is stories from the polis guy from his time serving. Nicknames and how they came about, interactions, situations, excuses and all infused banter from their time on the job.

It won't be for everyone but if you don't mind some unpc humour, swearing, cheek, nonsense and Scottish bantz then I think you will enjoy it for what it is, 4/5 from us.

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Buried by Graham Masterton

Buried by Graham Masterton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Pages - 431

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Beside the old woollen mill in Blarney, Cork, a worker's cottage guards its secrets. In 1921, a mother, father and their two young children disappeared from this house. And now, ninety years later, their mummified bodies have been discovered under the floorboards.

The gunshot wounds in each skull look like the mark of the IRA. But as Katie Maguire investigates, the flames of old rivalries flare up once more - putting yet more families in danger. Because in this part of Ireland, where people neither forget nor forgive, the past won't stay buried…


My Review

An old cottage is being renovated when they find the bodies of a family, mum, dad, 2 kids and even the family pets, executed. The bodies are mummified and this didn't just happen (approx 90 years ago) but murder is murder and Katie Maguire is investigating. It is Ireland, times are dangerous, rivalries and revenge run deep and slights must be addressed.

We have bad guy Bobbie Quilty who is head of all things local, bad and dasterdly. They care not a jot for police and it is a time when racism, sectarianism, misogynism is an all time high so it makes for some harrowing and uncomfortable reading. Corruption runs deep, Katie is up against it all trying to stay professional but when people you care about is threatened and in jeopardy sometimes you do what you need to do.

There is a lot of hard hitting graphic scenes, sa, dv, sv, murder, child death, execution, horrific lack of respect for humanity. All that whilst trying to solve a decades old case, catch current day bad guys who are slippery than a bag of snakes and sometime, just sometimes you need to get down amongst the bad guys to catch them at their own game. 3/5 for me this time, this is book 6, normally I would go back and read them all, I felt so uncomfortable by a lot of it and whilst some books do indeed make you feel like that when there are such horrible people, there wasn't enough I liked or felt compelled to read more of it.

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