The Butcher of the Bay: Part I: 1 (The Butcher Duet)

The Hannaford series rapidly developed into my favourite in the genre and I was so happy to read this new installment which is Illi and Odie's story but also works as a prequel of sorts.There is backstory, heartache and drama along with, of course, lots of blood and gore which was only to be expected when the story deals with the Butcher of the Bay! I should probably give a trigger warning with regards to sex trafficking and rape although it was hinted at during the previous books.There are characters we know about due to the Hannaford series (if you've read it) and it's wonderful to watch the nuances of their relationships before they became the characters we know and either love or hate. It fills in a lot of the questions I had about Lip's past as well as Illi and Odie's pasts.I cannot wait for the second book in this duet and J Bree continues to cement her status as one of my favourite authors in this genre.

liked it. prefered the author's other series (b4 this spin off). I thought this book would be take place after the ending of the other series. but it's based it the past like a prequel, so lips (female MC of the other series) is young in this book. reads much more like a romance with a triggering storyline but weirdly/thankfully didnt feel too dark. would love to see a spin off with the crow (who isnt in this book) taken place after ending of the other series Hanaford Prep. I have preordered the next book.

A great insight into a beloved character from the hannaford prep series. Without reading the second book (my next stop) , I'd wager it possible to read this before the hannaford prep series. But either way you'll be sucked in for a hell of a ride

Just like Hannaford, this book does not disappoint from a story POV. It sucks you in and leaves you wanting so much more! Illi is everything and I cannot wait for more him.(4* because there were quite a lot of mistakes through the book. Doesn’t detract from the story at all, but it was quite surprising to see)

I have just read this in one sitting. I didn't expect any less from The Butcher of the bay. It's absolutely fantastic seeing into his life and Odies too and finding out how his life fits in with a few familiar characters is just perfect. I honestly can't wait for book 2 J Bree please don't make me wait that long xx

Loved reading this. J Bree has become my all time favourite author and i could not put this down.

I need the butcher cant wait for the 2nd book hes my dream guy 🤣🤣😍😍

I was unsure at first about the plot of this book but thought I’d give it a try and omg what can i say other than wow and I am so happy I gave it a chance.So you have two MCsIlli aka the Butcher, just your typical 24 year old psychopath nothing to worry about haha well other than people pay him to cut up bodies and he loves to slice through bodies with his cleavers and knives and other tools he keeps under his apartment that is a warehouse.Then you have the beautiful french Odie who at 17 lives in France with her mother in a little cottage near the sea, her father is a wannabe gangster, mobster, cartel, drug lord. Who sells drugs but took a liking to enjoying his own samples and became an addict.He doesn’t live with Odie or her mother but tends to make visits to beat Odie into submission and be the dutiful daughter he expects.On this particular day she comes home to find her father at her home with some of his friends/business partners.He is in a discussion with them that starts to become a topic that gets Odies attention, she soon realises her father has sold her to some Spanish cartel.Unknown to her father, he thinks Odie is still a virgin and think she will be sold for a good amount of money to help bail him out of his debts.As you can imagine Odie is devastated, she doesn’t want to marry some man she doesn’t know or leave the country she only knows and a boyfriend that she thought loved her that works for her father and have been having a secret affair behind her fathers back, she can not tell her father of this secret as he would kill them both, so even though she doesn’t wanna do this she has no choice.Once she is flown to America to meet the soon to be husband and her father and now ex boyfriend leave her with these strangers she is already thrown in the back of a car and pinned to the back seat where one of the strangers test to see if she is actually a virgin.When they find that she is not a virgin, the men knock her out and she is out cold till later when she wakes to complete darkness, she finds that she is still in the car and that when lights turn on that a little old lady collects her, Odie doesn’t understand what the lady is saying but thinks this lady is there to help her.Not the case the lady isn’t interested in helping Odie, she wants her money back with profit after buying Odie from Odies father in believing she was a virgin.The lady sells her to cartel who have aka the Butcher meet Odie at the airport where the Butcher sees Odie for the first time and thinks Odie is the most amazing beautiful woman he’s ever seen and that he has no idea she’s been sold to be raped and killed, he thinks she is some high class hooker and is debating to ask her if she is willing to accept his offer and spend some time with her, when the Butcher drops Odie off at the destination, it’s too late for him to find out she is sold and not a high class hooker.So when he finds out the truth his spends every single hour to try and find this cartel and rescue his Odie.This book is not for the faint hearted and please expect some very dark and very trouble scenes, you become part of these MCs and they do experience very dark and traumatic times through this book.But please don’t let that stop you from giving this book a go.It’s a dark romance and not your lovey dovey, sappy romance.It grips you from the beginning.It’s dark and broken but real and it’s brilliantly written.I can’t wait to sink in to book 2Must read!!!!!!