Leather & Lark

Written by Brynne Weaver and published in 2024, Leather & Lark is the second novel in the Ruinous Love Trilogy, which falls into the dark romance genre. The enemies-to-lovers narrative follows Lachlan Kane, an assassin and leather shop owner, and Lark Montague, an indie musician and a serial killer of predatory men, as they find themselves in a marriage of convenience. Although Lachlan and Lark dislike each other, they must pretend to be married in order to find a killer who is targeting Lark’s family and framing Lachlan and his brother Rowan. As their relationship deepens, Lachlan and Lark must navigate the unfamiliar territory of emotional vulnerability, authenticity, forgiveness, and self-acceptance, even as they renegotiate their respective relationships with the violence that brought them together.

Brynne Weaver is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author whose writing career officially launched in 2019 with the publication of a nonfiction book. She has since gone on to publish several romance book series, and in addition to the Ruinous Love Trilogy, she has penned a “romantasy” series called The Diviner and a paranormal dark fantasy series called Shadow Realm.

This guide refers to the paperback edition published by Zando in 2024.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide include graphic descriptions of incarceration, torture, sexual violence and abuse, domestic violence, gun violence, kidnapping, assault, murder, attempted murder, cruelty to animals, and the mutilation of corpses.

Plot Summary

The novel is told from the alternating first-person perspectives of the two protagonists, Lark and Lachlan, and the antagonist, the unnamed “Phantom.” Lark Montague, a musician, is a serial killer who only kills predatory men. (She has unprocessed trauma because her teacher, Mr. Vernon, sexually abused her years ago, and his actions were condoned by Dr. Louis Campbell, the school’s headmaster.) She hides her violence from everyone, even her best friend Sloane, who also happens to be a serial killer and killed Mr. Vernon on her behalf.

Lark kills a predatory man by using her SUV to crash his car into a reservoir. She then calls her stepdad, Damian Covaci, who runs a criminal organization. He helps her get a “cleanup crew” to the scene, which includes a large man (later revealed to be Lachlan Kane). He is rude and believes that she caused the crash by being careless. After retrieving the body, he expresses his disgust for Lark by forcing her into the trunk of his car. After having a panic attack, she escapes.

A year later, Lachlan speaks to his boss, Leander, as they torture a man who sold drugs to children. Lachlan tells Leander that he wants to retire, but Leander says Lachlan must correct a crucial mistake first: Last year, Lachlan lost Leander the opportunity to become the official “cleaning” service for Damian Covaci and his family because he put Damian’s stepdaughter, Lark, in the trunk of his car.

Lachlan attends his brother Rowan’s restaurant opening. Lark is also attending because she is friends with Sloane, Rowan’s love interest. Lachlan and Lark talk on a private patio and kiss, but when Lark figures out that Lachlan is the same man who stuffed her into a trunk, she wants nothing more to do with him.

The third primary narrator—the nameless Phantom—wants to hurt Sloane and Rowan for an unnamed wrong. (In the first book of the Ruinous Love Trilogy, Rowan and Lark killed the Phantom’s brother, Harvey, who was also a serial killer.) He decides to hurt Lachlan to get revenge on Sloane and Rowan, and he determines that the best way to hurt Lachlan is to destroy Lark.

A year later, Lark visits her family home to see her Aunt Ethel, who is moving into an assisted living facility because she has a terminal illness. Lark’s parents, Nina and Damian, are involved in organized crime, and Lark overhears them discussing how their associates are being killed. They suspect that Lachlan Kane is getting revenge because Damian ended his contract. They are not certain, but they might kill him just to be sure. Since Rowan would seek revenge for Lachlan’s death, they may kill Rowan as well. Ethel hints that the only way for Lark to protect Rowan is to marry Lachlan, as her parents would never harm her husband or his family.

At Sloane and Rowan’s wedding, Lark explains the situation to Lachlan. When he realizes that his brother’s life is at risk, they get married and begin investigating the murders of Nina and Damian’s associates. At one point, Lachlan and Lark get stuck in an elevator. The incident reveals Lark’s claustrophobia, making Lachlan realize that he traumatized Lark further when they first met. Lachlan later learns that Lark is extremely vengeful, and upon searching her apartment, he finds her stash of murder trophies. He confronts her, and she comes clean. Later, they visit Lark’s family and reveal their marriage, causing an awkward scene. Lark proves her serious intentions by announcing that she has taken Lachan’s last name.

Lachlan surprises Lark with a long weekend to a sleep retreat to help her insomnia. That night, he reveals that he has kidnapped Dr. Louis Campbell, who admits to hiding Mr. Vernon’s sexual abuse. Lark kills Dr. Campbell. Later, a man calling himself Abe Midus visits Lachlan’s leather studio with a broken saddle. Abe is very religious, and Lachlan finds him unnerving. Lark arrives, and after speaking briefly with Abe, she and Lachlan leave to investigate a lead. When Lark tries to kiss Lachlan, he holds her back and tells her that they cannot do anything physical until he earns her forgiveness.

Later, Sloane implies that she knows about Lark’s murders and tells her that she loves her no matter what. Relieved by her friend’s acceptance, Lark overcomes her writer’s block and finishes writing a song. On an evening when she performs, she forgives Lachlan, and after the show, they have sex. As time goes on, they narrow down their list of suspects, growing closer in the process.

Meanwhile, the Phantom visits Ethel in her assisted living facility and impersonates a nurse. Ethel understands that he is there to kill her, but she remains defiant to the end. The Phantom injects her with medication and kills her.

Lark meets with her friend, Rose, (Lachlan’s brother Fionn’s love interest). Rose is happy that Lark is happy. Fionn picks up Rose, and Lark goes back to her apartment, where she learns that Ethel died. She and Lachlan agree to meet at the assisted living facility, but Abe Midus kidnaps her. Just as Lachlan realizes that Lark is missing, Abe Midus is exposed as the culprit. Lachlan and Rose find his hiding place across the street from Lark’s apartment and race to rescue her.

Lark wakes up inside an oven with Abe standing outside the door. When Lachlan arrives, Abe tells him to choose between Rowan and Lark and reveals that there is a bomb in Rowan’s car. Lachlan and Rose overpower and kill Abe and rescue Lark, but Rose is shot during the struggle.

A few weeks later, Lark and Lachlan discuss an upcoming holiday. Lachlan has a surprise for Lark: He gives her the heart of Dr. Louis Campbell, which is now encased in resin. He also gives her a honeymoon itinerary and divorce papers. He tells her that he does not want to force her to be with him. Lark rips up the divorce papers, and they kiss. In the Epilogue, Lark and Lachlan enjoy their honeymoon in Indonesia.