Rating: 4 stars

“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 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.

Just like Butcher & Blackbird, I really enjoyed reading Leather & Lark immensely, as it packed just as much intensity and heat as its predecessor. If anything, I love finding out how Lark and Lachlan first met, which leads to their intense dislike for each other. And waiting for the two of them to realize that they had already met before as the story progressed was entertaining. It was also nice to get to see Rowan and Sloane again, even if it was through someone else’s eyes.

What I also enjoyed about Leather & Lark was seeing the progression in Lark and Lachlan’s relationship from dislike to love. Seeing the two of them together, realize how much they actually have in common, and seeing the dynamic of their marriage of convenience shift as they start to work together to find out who’s killing the people in Lark’s family’s orbit. And of course, the soundtrack for this book was also good to listen to, just like its predecessor. I also enjoyed getting to meet Lachlan’s wacky boss, as he’s definitely an interesting character in this story.  

If there was anything with this book I disliked, it would be the storyline surrounding the mystery killer who was haunting their lives. I wasn’t too fond of him because he had chapters from his perspective in this book that didn’t really add much to the story. Like, I understood his motive, but he killed quite a few people before he went after the main characters in this book. And there’s never any explanation given in the story for why he kills those people before he targets Lachlan and Lark.  

Overall, though, I enjoyed reading Leather & Lark and am excited to finish reading the final installment in the trilogy, Scythe & Sparrow. For those interested in giving a listen to the Spotify playlist I listened to while reading Leather & Lark, you can check it out here.