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Cover of Grim Tidings by B.K. Borison

Romance · Free kit

Grim Tidings

B.K. Borison

Grim Reaper Darcy Moore is exhausted by death — so when the next soul arrives on the schedule, Darcy refuses to collect and plans to save him instead. Guardian Angel Gabriel Aetos has spent years protecting his town and the bar at its heart; a hostile Reaper on his turf is the last thing he needs. Enemies-to-lovers sparks fly between two grumpy immortals while the Department of Hauntings & Spirits closes in on a missing Reaper and a fate that was never meant to be rewritten.

“Some souls aren't assignments — they're invitations to break the rules you thought were carved in stone.”

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Reading schedule · Book vote

Grim Tidings Characters

Spoiler-aware but intrigue-first.

Darcy Moore

The Grim Reaper who decides death has been enough of a career.

The Vibe
Darcy arrives with scythe energy and spreadsheet fatigue — competent, dry, and dangerously done with the job description. Refusing the next soul isn't whimsy; it's the first honest thing they've felt in centuries.
Their Contradiction
On the surface: A professional collector of endings who should follow the schedule. Underneath: Someone who still believes some lives are worth bending heaven and hell to preserve.
Why Readers Love / Hate Them
Readers tend to root for Darcy fast — especially anyone who's ever wanted to quit a role that defines them.
Most Revealing Moment
Watch the exact beat Darcy chooses save over collect — and what they admit out loud versus what they still won't say about why they're tired.
Book Club Hot Take
Is Darcy a rebel with a conscience — or a burnout who romanticizes one soul because it's easier than fixing the system?

Gabriel Aetos

The guardian angel who treats his town — and his bar — like sacred ground.

The Vibe
Gabriel is watchful, territorial, and allergic to chaos in his jurisdiction. He didn't sign up for a rogue Reaper, star-crossed tension, or feelings that complicate clean lines between duty and desire.
Their Contradiction
On the surface: The protector who keeps hostile forces out. Underneath: A person whose identity is woven into who he saves — and what happens if he fails once.
Why Readers Love / Hate Them
Grumpy-angel energy wins a lot of readers before the romance even ignites. Expect strong opinions about whether he's too harsh early on.
Most Revealing Moment
Watch when Gabriel's hostility shifts from principle to curiosity — and whether he names fear, pride, or something softer.
Book Club Hot Take
Is Gabriel the moral center — or just the guy who confuses control with care?

The Scheduled Soul

The person on Darcy's list — the life fate marked for collection.

The Vibe
Marketing keeps this soul's full story in the shadow of the central rebellion: they are the reason Darcy stops performing the job and starts making a choice. Their humanity (not their designation) turns cosmic policy into a moral emergency.
Their Contradiction
On the surface: A name on a schedule, an assignment. Underneath: A person whose continued existence forces every immortal in the room to pick a side.
Why Readers Love / Hate Them
Readers often project fiercely onto this character even before details spill — that's the point of the premise.
Most Revealing Moment
Watch which ordinary human detail makes Darcy — and maybe Gabriel — unable to treat the soul as paperwork.
Book Club Hot Take
Is this character a fully drawn person — or a brilliant MacGuffin for a love story about duty?

Department of Hauntings & Spirits (DH&S)

Corporate afterlife bureaucracy hunting a missing Reaper.

The Vibe
DH&S doesn't feel like mist and prophecy — it feels like compliance, audits, and consequences. When Darcy goes off-schedule, the institution responds the way institutions always do: with escalation, paperwork, and zero patience for romance.
Their Contradiction
On the surface: Order keeping the universe from unraveling. Underneath: A system that may punish compassion because compassion doesn't scale.
Why Readers Love / Hate Them
Readers love to hate the bureaucracy — and then nervously admit some rules might exist for a reason.
Most Revealing Moment
Watch which DH&S tactic feels most chilling: not magic, but policy with infinite reach.
Book Club Hot Take
Is DH&S the true villain — or the mirror showing what Darcy used to be?

The Town & Bar Regulars

The mortal world Gabriel built his purpose around.

The Vibe
Gabriel's jurisdiction isn't abstract — it's neighbors, last calls, and the kind of place people return to because someone is always watching the door. The bar is where cosmic war meets karaoke night.
Their Contradiction
On the surface: Background color for a paranormal romance. Underneath: The stakes that make Gabriel's hostility rational — lives that don't get second drafts.
Why Readers Love / Hate Them
Groups often bond over which regular they'd be — the loyal local, the chaotic newcomer, the person who knows everyone's order.
Most Revealing Moment
Watch any scene where the supernatural intrudes on an ordinary ritual (closing time, a toast, a quiet apology at the bar).
Book Club Hot Take
Does the town exist to raise stakes — or to prove Gabriel's love language is stewardship, not flirtation?

The Missing-Reaper Manhunt

The institutional pressure closing in once Darcy steps off-script.

The Vibe
Not a single face so much as a net: trackers, deadlines, and the sense that the afterlife runs on metrics. Every hour Darcy spends saving one soul is an hour DH&S gets closer.
Their Contradiction
On the surface: Procedural thriller energy in a romance. Underneath: The ticking clock that forces Darcy and Gabriel to decide if they're partners, enemies, or something illegal and new.
Why Readers Love / Hate Them
Readers who love tension often cite the hunt as what keeps the banter from floating away.
Most Revealing Moment
Watch when the manhunt stops feeling like plot and starts feeling personal — for Darcy, Gabriel, or both.
Book Club Hot Take
Would the book work without the hunt — or is bureaucracy the third lead?

Character Dynamics Map

Grim Tidings runs on collision: Darcy's rebellion drags cosmic policy into Gabriel's carefully guarded mortal world. Gabriel begins as gatekeeper — hostile, territorial, convinced the Reaper represents entropy — while Darcy treats the scheduled soul as a line item that finally broke them. DH&S turns their private moral crisis into a public manhunt, forcing the enemies-to-lovers arc to happen under surveillance. The romance isn't just attraction across designations; it's two grumpy immortals negotiating whether love can rewrite fate without abandoning everyone else who depends on them showing up for work.

Superlatives

Award categories built to spark arguments (in a good way).

  • Most Likely to Quit Their Eternal Job in a Blaze of Principle

    Winner: Darcy Moore

    They don't just complain about death — they refuse the next assignment and choose save over collect.

    Close second: Gabriel Aetos

    Do you agree, or would you have picked Gabriel instead?

  • Most Likely to Kick a Reaper Out of Their Bar Before Asking Questions

    Winner: Gabriel Aetos

    Territory first, chemistry later — Gabriel protects his town like it's a sworn oath.

    Close second: DH&S

    Do you agree, or would you have picked DH&S instead?

  • Most Likely to Send a Passive-Aggressive Memo About Cosmic Compliance

    Winner: Department of Hauntings & Spirits

    The afterlife responds like HR with infinite jurisdiction and zero chill.

    Close second: The Missing-Reaper Manhunt

    Do you agree, or would you have picked the Manhunt instead?

  • Most Likely to Turn One Moral Choice Into a Multiverse Crisis

    Winner: Darcy Moore

    Saving a scheduled soul isn't a small favor — it's a policy earthquake.

    Close second: The Scheduled Soul

    Do you agree, or would you have picked the Scheduled Soul instead?

  • Most Likely to Grump Their Way Into Your Heart

    Winner: Gabriel Aetos

    Guardian angel, guardian attitude — readers love the growl behind the wings.

    Close second: Darcy Moore

    Do you agree, or would you have picked Darcy instead?

  • Most Likely to Need a Drink After Reading the Schedule

    Winner: Darcy Moore

    Burnout Reaper energy is the whole premise — and the bar is right there.

    Close second: Gabriel Aetos

    Who needs the stronger cocktail: Darcy or Gabriel?

  • Most Likely to Treat Star-Crossed as a Scheduling Conflict

    Winner: Department of Hauntings & Spirits

    Forbidden romance reads differently when the universe has an org chart.

    Close second: Gabriel Aetos

    Is bureaucracy scarier than forbidden love here?

  • Most Likely to Win a Staring Contest With Death

    Winner: Gabriel Aetos

    He stared down a Reaper before he stared down his feelings.

    Close second: Darcy Moore

    Do you agree, or would you have picked Darcy instead?

  • Most Likely to Accidentally Start a Found-Family Meeting at Last Call

    Winner: The Town & Bar Regulars

    Ordinary rituals anchor the paranormal — someone always pulls up a stool.

    Close second: Gabriel Aetos

    Do you agree, or would you have picked Gabriel instead?

  • Most Likely to Make You Yell “Just Kiss and Fix Fate Already!”

    Winner: Darcy Moore

    Grumpy × grumpy flirting while the clock ticks is the point.

    Close second: Gabriel Aetos

    Who stalled the romance more convincingly?

  • Most Likely to Survive a DH&S Audit Through Pure Attitude

    Winner: Darcy Moore

    If you're already rogue, might as well be stylish about it.

    Close second: Gabriel Aetos

    Do you agree, or would you have picked Gabriel instead?

  • Most Likely to Be the Reason You Google “Ghosted Series Order”

    Winner: Department of Hauntings & Spirits

    World-building this fun makes readers hunt for Good Spirits immediately.

    Close second: The Town & Bar Regulars

    Series lore or bar vibes — what hooked you more?

  • Most Likely to Deliver a Speech About Duty That Ruins Everyone's Night

    Winner: Gabriel Aetos

    Protection speeches hit harder when you're attracted to the threat.

    Close second: Department of Hauntings & Spirits

    Do you agree, or would you have picked DH&S instead?

  • Most Likely to Become a Book-Club Icon for “Ethics With Wings”

    Winner: Gabriel Aetos

    Guardian angels who feel human make great debate fuel.

    Close second: Darcy Moore

    Who sparked more moral arguments in your group?

  • Most Likely to Make Corporate Bureaucracy Feel Sexy (Against All Odds)

    Winner: Department of Hauntings & Spirits

    Tension isn't always banter — sometimes it's a deadline from the afterlife.

    Close second: The Missing-Reaper Manhunt

    Do you agree, or would you have picked the Manhunt instead?