For an antagonist, the Phantom really was just that. Non-existent. Leather & Lark had some fantastic romance leads in Lachlan & Lark, but their romantic push/pull failed to distract me from what felt like an underwhelming antagonist in a plot that relied heavily on the existence, tension, and motives of this murderous force. Much like the first book though, there is a great blend of humour, murder and magnetism between our Leads but perhaps with slightly less gore and more glitter.

I adore how Brynne Weaver writes her male leads, strength of character does not always need to be demonstrated by wrapping them up in a cold, stoic package and I think Brynne does a great job of showing that. Even in a Dark Romance where killing is par for the course, you've got Lachlan (and Rowan prior) combining the right amount of sweet with sexy. Give me any blushing human with tattooed hands though and you might have found my weakness. Lark was also an entertaining gem, we learnt more about her background and friendship forged through blood with Sloane, and dive into her inventive 'creative' outlets. Although I question how realistic her freedom was, and slight lack of care going about her 'hobbies,' considering her family and the dangers they seem to face regularly. Lark clearly loves those who deserve it and has strong boundaries which I admire.

POSSIBLE MILD SPOILERS AHEAD RE: PHANTOM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . As mentioned, the plot is centered around this unknown entity, the Phantom, who is killing off people from Larks family and by connection, putting the lives of Sloane, Rowan, and Lachlan at risk. Although she dislikes the guy, her Aunt cooks up a plan and Lark marries Lachlan in an attempt to protect them all and buy time as they hunt for the killer. You'd expect then, the Phantom to have a larger impact on the story than they did, but in truth it feels like a subplot where the finale could have been anyone other than the antagonist and it still would have worked. The motives behind their murders felt disconnected, a bit of an afterthought to scramble for a believable reason. I also couldn't understand how they had the power and resources to achieve what they did. Not wanting to beat a dead horse, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: obsessive/cultish/intense religious beliefs are often used as an easy way to add tension or more depth of background for a character and their motives, but more often than not in books like these they are not given enough time, or context, to really build. This was the same, I wasn't affected at all.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The sex? Content wise, great, but it did feel a bit like an intro sesh for our more vanilla leaning players out there. Absolutely no harm in that, I'm all for it, but it felt a bit forced in some parts and less like a natural progression of both their inclinations. Perhaps I just didn't read the signs well, but I didn't find myself buying into the genuine smolder as much as I had hoped so their bed scenes felt a tiny bit stale. That extra epilogue chapter was fantastic though.

I do think the content warnings are worthwhile for those who may have strong preferences in intimacy, and/or are newish to darker themes. This series is often considered 'Dark Romance Light.' As a potential gateway for more traditional romance readers, there may be parts of this book, like the first, that are not to your taste.

I ended this book feeling similar to how I felt after reading Mate by Ali H, perhaps the magic of the first book wasn't quite there but there were parts I liked more, and parts I liked less leaving me feeling slightly underwhelmed but still looking towards the next in the series. It achieved providing a fun, murderous romp but didn't stand out to me.