Romance · Free kit
Grim Tidings
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.”
Complete free book club kit
BookClubee may earn a commission from Bookshop.org purchases, which supports independent bookshops.
Plan your meeting
Spoiler warning — best after finishing the book
Grim Tidings Discussion Questions
20 free questions written for Grim Tidings. No obvious right answers — built to spark real disagreement.
1. Darcy is tired of death before the inciting assignment even lands. What does “burnout” look like when your job is literally eternal?
Warm Up
2. Gabriel’s first instinct is protection — of his town and his bar. When does guarding a place become guarding an identity?
Warm Up
3. The setup is grumpy × grumpy from opposing “departments.” Who felt grumpier on page one — and did that change by the midpoint?
Warm Up
4. Saving a soul instead of collecting it is a dramatic pivot. At what moment did you believe Darcy would actually follow through — not just fantasize about rebellion?
Warm Up
5. Bar culture and small-town ritual often anchor paranormal romances. What ordinary detail (a drink, a regular, a closing-time habit) made the supernatural feel grounded for you?
Warm Up
6. Darcy’s refusal is compassionate — but it also derails cosmic order. Is this heroism, selfishness, or both?
Debate Starter
7. Gabriel treats the Reaper’s arrival as a threat to everything he protects. Is his hostility justified before he knows Darcy’s intent?
Debate Starter
8. The Department of Hauntings & Spirits hunts a missing Reaper like corporate compliance chasing a rogue employee. Does bureaucratic afterlife make the stakes feel scarier — or funnier?
Debate Starter
9. Star-crossed designations (angel × reaper) are a classic forbidden pairing. Does the book earn the forbidden label, or is the real taboo “changing fate” itself?
Debate Starter
10. If fate is a schedule, is rewriting one life worth endangering many others — including Gabriel’s town?
Debate Starter
11. Enemies-to-lovers often rushes the turn. Where did attraction feel earned versus where did it feel like trope obligation?
Debate Starter
12. Death-as-corporate bureaucracy can satirize real workplaces. Did DH&S feel like sharp commentary, set dressing, or both?
Debate Starter
13. Who had the stronger moral argument at the climax: the rule-keeper protecting order, or the rule-breaker protecting one person?
Debate Starter
14. Would you trust Gabriel to protect you if it meant he might prioritize the town over an individual soul — including yours?
Debate Starter
15. Darcy’s arc asks whether immortals can change who they are — not just what they do. Did the ending convince you that Darcy actually changed, or merely rebelled once?
Deep Dive
16. Gabriel and Darcy both carry duty like armor. Which character’s armor cracked first — and what emotion was underneath?
Deep Dive
17. Changing one scheduled death implies a philosophy about free will versus destiny. Where did the novel land for you — and did it stay consistent?
Deep Dive
18. How does this book compare to other “cosmic job” romances you’ve read? What felt fresh about angel × reaper specifically?
Deep Dive
19. If you had to defend DH&S to a jury of readers, what is the strongest case that Reapers must not pick and choose who dies?
Deep Dive
20. By the final chapter, is love the thing that saves the soul — or the thing that forces Darcy and Gabriel to redefine what “save” means?
Deep Dive