Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver

Narrated in duet by Samantha Brentmoor and Robert Hatchet

First in a trilogy. Dark, murdery romantic comedy.

“The most dangerous monster is the one right next to me. When he’s there, I’m not afraid of the dark.”

I loved Butcher & Blackbird, but I didn’t particularly love the following two books in the Ruinous Love Trilogy. Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver is much closer to Butcher & Blackbird level for me. Since that series was called a trilogy even though each book focused on a different couple, I expected this one to be the same. I didn’t realize until the end that this trilogy, The Seasons of Carnage, follows the same couple across all three books and that the next one wouldn’t be out for over half a year. That one definitely caught me off guard, and I already know I’ll need a reread before Harvest Season releases.

That being said, I had an absolute blast listening to Tourist Season. It takes place in a little town called Cape Carnage, which has a disturbingly high number of missing persons for such a small population. Harper Starling is a gardener for her wealthy mentor who is slipping into dementia. In his heyday, he had been a serial killer, and now Harper has taken over the job, ridding the town of the worst tourists. Her gardening habits make it easy, especially with her woodchipper named Cookie Monster and her “pretty little murder bird” who has a special fondness for eyes and guts. (Brynne Weaver’s brain is a fun and scary place!)

“I’m sure nobody goes on vacation expecting to be dismembered and put through a woodchipper, but some tourists are just assholes and deserve their fate.”

Nolan’s brother was killed in a hit and run. Nolan has made it his life mission to hunt down and kill every single person who was in that car. And he has. Harper is the last one left, the driver. What he doesn’t expect is how intriguing and beautiful she is. And he definitely doesn’t expect to team up with her to take down a true crime reporter who could expose everything.

“Nolan Rhodes said he would walk through hell to drag me out if I ever tried to run. But I don’t hide in hell. I bring it to life.”

Likes:

Brynne’s dark humor always works for me. I laughed out loud several times.
The light ties back to the Ruinous Love Trilogy.
The tension, chemistry, and suspicion during their early encounters.
The banter between Harper and Nolan.
How wildly unique and creative the entire story felt.
The town itself. Cape Carnage absolutely lives up to its name.
The twist.

Dislikes:

Some slower sections with a bit of unnecessary filler.
Realizing late that this is a true trilogy following the same couple.
I’m slightly worried that stretching this story across three books could lead to pacing issues later.

The Narration:

Samantha Brentmoor is one of my absolute favorites, and she was perfect as Harper. Robert Hatchet worked really well for me as Nolan. The duet narration made the dark, spicy romance feel more immersive, intense, and emotional. I highly recommend listening to this one rather than reading it.

The Down & Dirty:

We first kind of met Harper very briefly in the Ruinous Love Trilogy and again in the novella Love and Other Killers (both ebook and audio are free in KU). Now she has her own trilogy, and I’m enjoying every word of it. I loved Tourist Season. It didn’t hit quite as hard as Butcher & Blackbird for me because that was the first time a gory, funny serial killer romance felt brand new. Here, I knew what I was getting into going in. Still, I liked this way more than the second and third books that followed B&B.

I didn’t know going in that this was the first in a true trilogy about the same couple, so I’ll definitely need a reread before Harvest Season comes out in June.

We get suspense, comedy, gore, romance, spice, and an all around fun time. I loved Tourist Season, and I really think this trilogy has the potential to become a favorite for me.