Brynne Weaver took the romance world by storm by publishing Butcher & Blackbird. With all the hype around that book, many were excited and somewhat nervous going into Leather & Lark. It's a relatable feeling, as second-book syndrome is real.
As someone who adored Butcher & Blackbird, I was equal parts excited and nervous to go into Leather & Lark. For those who aren't familiar with the series, it follows three brothers as they each get their own romance, yet these aren't your typical siblings. They're all in some darker lines of work.
Going into Leather & Lark, I knew that Lachlan was a contract killer and that was something we had learned in the previous books. Another thing I knew was that Lark was a singer and that this time, we were going to be getting their romance. Aside from that, I knew basically nothing.
Before getting into my thoughts, I'd like to thank Zando for putting this one on my radar. These books have slowly wormed their way into my heart and I am truly so happy I decided to give this series a chance.
Is Leather & Lark a solid follow-up to Butcher & Blackbird?
I am so happy to report that Leather & Lark was as good as, if not better than, Butcher & Blackbird. It feels wild to say that as I adored Butcher & Blackbird. However, there was something about Leather & Lark that just worked better for me. Once again, this is just my opinion, and honestly, I adored the first two books in the series.
As previously mentioned, Leather & Lark is a romance between Lachlan and Lark. The two have a disastrous first meeting, resulting in Lachlan being blackmailed by his boss. Eventually, it becomes clear that the two can help each other, and in typical romance book fashion, the best way to do that is to get married. We're talking about a good old-fashioned marriage of convenience situation here.
Lark and Lachlan get married as a way for him to retire from contract killing while she uses it as a way to protect him, herself, and her friends. At first, it doesn't seem like the marriage is going to last, but slowly, the two start to warm up to each other. There are so many little moments where you can see the feelings start to grow before it's clear they're falling for each other. One of my favorites was Lachlan helping Lark go to sleep by reading to her. Talk about swoony.
However, this book isn't all sunshine and rainbows. I mean, the first book is a romance between serial killers, so that should be obvious. Even so, we find out that Lark is hiding a secret of her very own and it's a pretty juicy one. The synopsis doesn't give it away, so I won't, but if you're squeamish, then you probably should sit this one out.
There is also an unlikely foe featured in this story, so if you're craving a bit of suspense, then you'll enjoy Leather & Lark all the more. With how much I enjoyed Leather & Lark, it has me even more excited to pick up Scythe & Sparrow to see how the trilogy ends.