Affiliate Disclosure & Image Credits
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This article may contain affiliate links. If you click one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Book cover images in this article are provided courtesy of Open Library.
Brynne Weaver’s books fall into a few clearly separated story worlds. Some are truly standalone, but her best-known titles are built as connected series, where later books can casually reveal earlier couples and outcomes.

If you want the least spoiler risk, keep each series together and read it in sequence.
The cleanest entry point
If you’re picking one starting book without overthinking it:
- Start with Butcher & Blackbird if you want the viral dark romantic-comedy tone and a series you can follow straight through.
- Start with Tourist Season if you want a newer series with a thriller edge.
- Start with A Shadow in the Reaping if you want paranormal fantasy romance with a longer arc.
Ruinous Love Trilogy in order
(One shared world; best read straight through.)
- Butcher & Blackbird (2023): Two killers with rules of their own form a dangerous friendship that turns into an even more dangerous romance.
- Leather & Lark (2024): A man trying to go quiet gets pulled back into violence by a woman who makes his self-control crack.
- Scythe & Sparrow (2025): Old sins, new bargains, and a relationship built under pressure collide in the trilogy’s final reckoning.
Optional add-on (same world, not part of the main three):
- Love & Other Killers (2025): A shorter, sharper dose of Weaver’s “romance + murder” voice that plays like a bonus hit of the same flavor.
Seasons of Carnage series in order
(Connected books; read in order for the cleanest setup and escalating stakes.)
- Tourist Season (2025): A coastal town with a body count meets an enemies-to-lovers spark that keeps getting interrupted by secrets and surveillance.
- Harvest Season (2026): The next wave of danger arrives, forcing the characters to choose between protecting the town and protecting each other.
Shadow Realm trilogy in order
(Paranormal fantasy romance; the overall plot carries forward.)
- A Shadow in the Reaping (2021): A woman steps into a supernatural power struggle where survival depends on making the right monster an ally.
- A Heart of Bitter Poison (2022): Trust fractures as the cost of magic rises and love starts to look like a liability.
- A Queen of Broken Realms (2022): The endgame demands sacrifices, and no one gets out unchanged.
The Diviner series in order
(Story continues book to book.)
- The Diviner (2021): A young woman’s rare gift pulls her into a war of forces that treat humans like pieces on a board.
- The Elysian (announced / coming soon): The story resumes after the first book’s cliffhanger, widening the conflict and raising the personal stakes.
Note: This sequel is publicly announced, but availability and edition details may vary depending on format.
Standalone novels and collaborations
(Separate from the series above; read whenever.)
- Black Sheep (2022, co-written with Alexa Harlowe): A woman with a brutal past and a sharper present targets what hurt her, while attraction complicates the mission.
- Marrow (2023, co-written with Trisha Wolfe): Obsession, menace, and intimacy braid together until it’s hard to tell whether love is the motive or the weapon.
Novella
(Short, self-contained, and built to be sampled anytime.)
- Exterminatrix (2022): A demon hunter turned “monster exterminator” meets the creature she’s supposed to destroy, and wants him anyway.
A practical reading plan that stays tidy
If you want a smooth experience with minimal spoilers:
- Ruinous Love Trilogy (books 1-3)
- Love & Other Killers (optional)
- Tourist Season → Harvest Season
- Shadow Realm (books 1-3)
- The Diviner (then The Elysian whenever it’s available in your format)
- Black Sheep, Marrow, and Exterminatrix anywhere as side reads
FAQs
Do I have to read everything in one big timeline?
No. The series don’t require each other, so you can pick the world that matches your mood.
Which books are most spoiler-sensitive?
The two active series lines, Ruinous Love and Seasons of Carnage, because later entries assume you already know earlier outcomes.
What’s the simplest “one book” test?
Butcher & Blackbird is the most straightforward introduction to her signature dark-romcom-with-teeth style.
Bottom line
For most readers, the safest move is: start with Butcher & Blackbird and finish the Ruinous Love Trilogy in order. After that, choose either Seasons of Carnage (newer, thriller-forward) or Shadow Realm (paranormal fantasy romance) based on what you want next.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.

