The Butcher of the Bay
by J. Bree
Self-Published
Book 1 in the Butcher of the Bay Duology
My life was simple: I kill for money and I’m the best in the Bay at my job.
That was enough for me until I met the woman of my dreams, only to deliver her to hell itself for a pretty penny.
Nothing will stop me from getting her back and when I do… there isn’t a man in the Bay that’s safe from my vengeance.
They’ll pay in blood for their crimes.
Genre:
Trigger Warning: Sexual assault, sex trafficking, torture, fighting and murder
Considering how much I enjoyed the other Mounts Bay books, I was thinking I would love this book. I mean, it would make sense - I loved Illi in Hannaford Prep and the Queen Crow trilogy, so it goes without saying you would think I would love this one. I just ... didn't. I really liked it. Just didn't love it.
It's not that this book is darker than the other the other books.
It's literally called The Butcher of the Bay.
I was expecting dark.
I can even get past the descriptive memories of ------spoiler-------> rape Odie endures ... <------------ and it was hard to read. Believe me.
I think what really bothers me about this book, is how fast Illi falls for Odie. It's love at first sight for him, and I just couldn't get past how fast it happened. I like my romance with at least a little bit of substance to it, and Illi took one look at Odie and fell head of heels in love with her.
Despite not loving the insta-love, I gotta say - I fucking LOVED how respectful Illi was of Odie. He took care of her. Let her heal her way, through her art. He supported anything and everything she wanted. He gave her time to work through her trauma, taught her self-defense, and never once expected anything in return from her. The love at first sight did nothing for me in this book, but Illi's obvious respect for Odie did, and kinda made me simp for Illi. Do I think in the real world that someone who does what Illi does could be that way with a person? Probably not. But this is the world of fiction, and in fiction, I guess I'm into the alpha murdering type. Who knew?
Do I think The Butcher of Mounts Bay lives up to the other books in the Mounts Bay saga? No. But is it enjoyable? I think so.
It’s basically recycling. I’m a fucking humanitarian, an eco fucking warrior. Lips: "She said 'thank you for delivering her to her death. She looks forward to seeing you in hell, because helping her rapists will certainly get you there.' Nothing too out there, right? She was pretty generous with her words, if I'd been sold off to the cartel at a skin auction my speech would have been a little more fucking colorful." Odie: “I don’t care if you’re a monster. Maybe… maybe you are my monster.”
He threads his fingers thread through mine and he brings my hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss there.
Illi: “I’ll be your monster, baby girl.” When my girl squirms in her seat and picks at the neckline of the dress I lean forward and say,
Illi: “Baby girl, we both know it’s me they’re staring at. It’s human instinct when there’s a monster in the room.”
She giggles and drops her hand away.
Odie: “If only they knew, mon monstre, what you could really do to them, hm?”