Leather & Lark by Brynn Weaver – A Dark Follow up to Butcher & Blackbird

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“It took a while to learn that being in love is not enough. Choosing love is what it takes.”

After genuinely enjoying Butcher & Blackbird, I went into Leather & Lark with cautious optimism. 

I was curious to see what the eldest Kane brother would be like after his gruff, sarcastic appearance in the first book. 

Unfortunately, what I got was a book that felt less like a sequel and more like a photocopy: same plot beats, same dynamics, just with different names.

Summary

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.

Goodreads // Storygraph

What I Loved

Getting to know Lachlan was genuinely fun. He came off as super gruff and sarcastic in Butcher & Blackbird, and I was very interested to see what the eldest Kane brother would be like. 

He definitely did not disappoint, Lachlan was probably the main reason I kept reading.

Seeing Rowan and Sloan through other character’s eyes was a nice change. 

Getting their story from Lark and Lachlan’s POV, rather than just their own, added a fresh perspective that I appreciated.

Lark’s dog Bentley? An automatic yes.

I love when there are pets in stories and they don’t end up severely injured or worse! 

**Fair warning though, Bentley does defend Lark in the book but does not die and ends up alright in the end.

What Wasn’t My Favorite

The copy-paste problem. Leather & Lark felt like a weird rehash of Butcher & Blackbird. 

Lark’s character felt completely different from the first book. I really wanted more of her being a musician, not her becoming a ‘multiple deleter’ like Sloan. We already read that book.

Lark felt like a stranger. Her personality in this book didn’t match the Lark I met in Butcher & Blackbird. 

It felt like the author needed a female lead who fit a specific mold rather than developing the character who was already there.

The spice wasn’t for me. At all. It just felt forced and awkward in a way that didn’t work.

The plot made sense… and also didn’t? 

This book felt far more trope-heavy than the first, which was incredibly disappointing. 

And as someone who loves a good fake dating/my wife trope, they felt so weird and out of place here.

I’m honestly surprised I didn’t DNF. The main selling point for me was Lachlan, because Lark was such a mess of a character. 

I ended up skim-reading a lot of her chapters just to get through.

Vibe Check

Genre: Dark Romance, Contemporary

Mood: Moody, tension-filled, slow burn that quickly heats up

Read if you love: Opposites attract, marriage of (in)convenience, serial killer plot lines

My rating: 2 stars out of 5 stars

Spice Meter: 3.5 chili peppers out of 5 chili peppers

Would I Recommend It?

No. Honestly, if you’re an outlier like me who actually enjoyed Butcher & Blackbird, just consider it a standalone. 

I’m struggling through the third book, Scythe & Sparrow, because the author just keeps reusing the same old ideas for new characters. 

Each book follows one of the three Kane brothers, and somehow the Kane brothers are interesting while the female main characters end up as copies of each other. 

So no, I would not recommend continuing with the series.

The Disappointment is Real

Honestly, this book was so disappointing. And not even in a ‘second book syndrome’ way that most sequels tend to suffer from. 

This one is simply far too similar to the first book to even stand on its own. 

Yes, different tropes and different storyline, but Lark feels so foreign from the Lark in the first book. Even Rowan and Sloan feel a bit off from their own storyline in Butcher & Blackbird.

The whole thing just fell flat, but Lachlan and Bentley were probably the only two reasons I kept pushing through. If you loved the first book, maybe give this one a pass—or go in with very low expectations. 

For me, it’s a series I wish had stopped at one.

My review of Butcher & Blackbird by Brynn Weaver