Grim Tidings Summary: A Grim Reaper Romance Worth Reading
TL;DR: Death Meets Her Match
Grim Tidings pairs a weary Grim Reaper with a Guardian Angel who has spent 2,400 years protecting mortals from her kind.
Darcy needs Gabriel’s help to finish a mortal bucket list.
Gabriel needs to keep her away from the soul she came to collect — and neither plan survives the other.
- Genre: cozy paranormal romance, Book 2 of the Ghosted series, told in alternating POVs.
- The hook: a bucket-list deal between two immortals who should be enemies.
- Big ideas: mortality, belonging, grief, and love versus duty.
- The ride: episodic, character-driven outings that build to a high-stakes Halloween confrontation.
You May Also Like: Good Spirits Summary — where the Ghosted series begins with Harriet and Nolan.
Should You Read Grim Tidings?
Grim Tidings suits readers who enjoy paranormal romance where the supernatural is treated with warmth rather than dread.
The enemies-to-lovers pairing runs on concrete stakes — wings, souls, departmental law — rather than misunderstandings.
The pacing is character-driven. Bucket-list outings, bar conversations, and dual-POV interiority fill the middle of the book, before events escalate into a supernatural confrontation on Halloween night.
It may also fit readers who like autumn and small-town coastal settings, or who appreciate romance that weaves in grief and end-of-life themes.
Newcomers should note it is the second Ghosted book, with a preview of the first included at the back.
Grim Tidings Summary
Warning: full spoilers ahead, including the ending of Grim Tidings.
Darcy Moore died in 1918 after months confined to a hospital bed, and she has spent the century since as a Grim Reaper at the Department of Hauntings and Spirits.
To hold on to the humanity she lost, she keeps small rituals: water every morning, a doughnut for breakfast, the occasional cigarette after dinner.
Assignments come from an ancient, three-pillared tree inside a vast glass atrium. One new vision sends Darcy to a historic port town near Annapolis and the Severn River.
She stops at a cozy oak bar to pass the time before the reaping, where Gabriel — broad, heavily tattooed, quietly watchful — guesses her ideal drink and mixes her a sidecar.
What she cannot see is his truth: Gabriel died in 445 BC Athens and has spent nearly a decade in town disguised as a Guardian Angel.
He knows a Reaper when he sees one. Gabriel follows her into an alley, and after a shared cigarette and a kiss neither expects, he confirms exactly what she is.
The hostility has history behind it. In 2,400 years, Gabriel has lost only two souls to Reapers — the jagged red scars on his chest never healed, and a third loss will cost him his wings.
Settling into town, Darcy finds a German Shepherd bleeding out in an alley.
She bends her Reaper magic to save him instead, routes him through department administrator Maverick’s office, and keeps him as her pet, Tater Tot.
To keep Gabriel close without revealing her assignment, Darcy proposes a deal: he helps her finish the bucket list she wrote while dying, and she shares clues about the soul she came to collect.
He agrees, and the outings begin — a jump off a boat ramp into the Severn, wine and tequila at his apartment, a skiff ride to a lighthouse at sunrise.
The deal turns dangerous when Darcy recognizes her target at the bar: Nate, a lanky, overeager regular and one of Gabriel’s closest friends. She hides his name, knowing Gabriel would intervene to protect him — and lose his wings for it.
Fate forces the issue on a rainy street when an SUV careens toward Nate. Darcy throws herself in front of the vehicle, saves his life, and comes away badly battered; Gabriel carries her home and heals her with golden magic.
A quieter thread breaks at the same time.
Frank, the 78-year-old florist giving Darcy bouquet lessons, recognizes her face when her flaring shadow magic shrivels every flower in his shop: she is the Reaper who collected his wife and young daughter after a car crash forty years ago.
He orders her out.
Overwhelmed, Darcy’s death magic storms out of control at her townhouse until Gabriel arrives and holds her through it. Their magic intertwines in a rare conduit transfer that soothes the storm and cements their love.
Then Gideon, the ancient head of the Office of the Grim Reapers, arrives in town with Brad, a lingering Ferryman, and demands Darcy deliver Nate’s soul. The confrontation lands on Halloween night in a graveyard, where Gabriel, the young Reaper Aelia, Frank, and even Tater Tot arrive in defiance.
Gideon invokes the department’s rule — a life for a life. Darcy offers her own immortal soul, then her memories; he refuses both.
Frank steps forward instead. He trades his life willingly so Nate can live and he can reunite with the family he has mourned for forty years, and Darcy guides him gently through the oak door — past the sound of ocean waves and a daughter’s laughter.
Afterward, Gideon suspends Darcy and parks her in customer service at the department. Rafael, an elder Guardian, brings Gabriel no punishment but discharge paperwork instead.
Gabriel learns his chest scars were cracks of self-inflicted guilt and every tattoo a step leading him toward Darcy — then he signs, forfeits his wings, and becomes mortal.
Gideon grants Darcy one final assignment and shows her a vision: a mortal man with dark wild curls, smile lines, and faded tattoos.
She appears in the back hallway of Gabriel’s bar and delivers the news — her permanent reaping is him, at the very end of a long, ordinary, happy life together.
The last pages of Grim Tidings give Darcy’s echo of Gabriel’s own promise: all his minutes, every last one.
Read Next: Maple & Moonlight Summary – Daphne Elliot
Who’s Who in Grim Tidings
The cast spans the living, the dead, and the department staff in between.
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Darcy Moore | A Grim Reaper who died in 1918 and has collected souls for a century while keeping mortal habits. |
| Gabriel Alexandros Aetos | A 2,400-year-old Guardian Angel from Athens working undercover as the town’s bartender. |
| Frank | A 78-year-old florist whose wife and daughter were reaped by Darcy after a car crash forty years earlier. |
| Nate | A young bar regular and boat owner who is both Gabriel’s close friend and Darcy’s assigned soul. |
| Aelia | An eight-year-old Grim Reaper who skipped Ferryman training and becomes Darcy’s friend. |
| Gideon | The ancient head of the Office of the Grim Reapers who enforces afterlife law. |
| Brad | A Ferryman at the department who wants to become a Reaper and shadows Darcy. |
| Tater Tot | A German Shepherd Darcy rescues and heals with Reaper magic. |
| Maverick | A department file administrator who manages soul files strictly by appointment. |
| Rafael | An elder Guardian Angel who enforces Guardian rules and processes Gabriel’s discharge. |
| Nolan | A Holiday Spirit (Ghost of Christmas Past) who owns the townhouse where Darcy stays. |
Summary by Chapter (⚠️ Spoilers)
Grim Tidings runs 34 chapters narrated in alternating points of view between Darcy and Gabriel, followed by an author’s note, acknowledgments, and a preview of Good Spirits.
This section provides a brief summary of each chapter for readers who want to explore what’s inside.
Chapter One — Darcy trades small talk with Brad the Ferryman in the department break room and clings to her mortal routines. Aelia helps her escape, and the ancient assignment tree sends her a vision of a dark-haired man and blood on her hands.
Chapter Two — Darcy reaches the coastal Maryland town and ducks into a crowded bar on a cobblestone street to pass the time. Gabriel teases her about her bar knowledge and bets a drink: if he guesses her order, she keeps him company all night.
Chapter Three — Gabriel mixes her a sidecar while regulars Frank and Nate hover nearby. When Darcy slips into an alley, Gabriel follows; a cigarette and an unexpected kiss end the moment he realizes she is a Reaper. Darcy later finds an injured German Shepherd, saves him with her magic, and keeps him as Tater Tot.
Chapter Six — Gabriel helps Frank haul supplies while wrestling with anger and lingering attraction. Spotting Darcy walking Tater Tot, he demands she leave town; she counters with the bucket-list deal in exchange for clues about her soul.
Chapter Nine — Darcy freezes at the bar when she recognizes her assigned soul: Nate, Gabriel’s close friend. She buries his name and walks Frank home, accepting his invitation to informal flower lessons.
Chapter Eleven — Gabriel drives Darcy to an abandoned boat ramp on the Severn so she can cross a river jump off her list; she dives in and tricks him in after her. Aelia later warns that keeping Tater Tot and stalling the reaping is reckless.
Chapter Twelve — Darcy’s bouquet lesson at Frank’s shop goes sideways when her death magic flares and shrivels the flowers; Gabriel takes the blame to shield her. The two end the day drinking together at his bar.
Chapter Fourteen — Wine and tequila at Gabriel’s apartment loosen them both into honesty and flirting. He shows her the two jagged scars on his chest and the stakes: one more soul lost to a Reaper, and the department strips his wings.
Chapter Seventeen — A sunrise skiff ride to the lighthouse ends in confession and a kiss as a storm rolls in. On the return, an SUV bears down on Nate, and Darcy hurls herself in front of it, saving his life and getting badly hurt.
Chapter Nineteen — Gabriel bathes Darcy’s wounds and heals her with golden magic while worrying what the department will do about her interference. Rafael visits the bar to warn him that Gideon has returned.
Chapter Twenty — Among the Halloween crowd, Darcy spots Brad lurking in costume. Gabriel pulls her into a dark back hallway, where their magic intertwines, and the night ends at his apartment.
Chapter Twenty-Two — Over breakfast, Gabriel pledges he wants all of Darcy’s remaining minutes. At Frank’s shop, her panicked magic kills every bloom, and Frank recognizes her as the Reaper who took his wife and daughter, ordering her out.
Chapter Twenty-Three — Gabriel pieces together what happened and finds Darcy at the townhouse, drowning in a storm of death magic. He holds her and lets their magic merge, absorbing her burden and accepting that he loves her.
Chapter Twenty-Four — They wake with their magic settled and calm. On a street bench, Gideon corners Darcy: deliver Nate’s soul, or he will claim it himself.
Chapter Twenty-Five — Darcy tries to push Gabriel away to keep him safe from Gideon’s wrath. He refuses the distance, follows her home, and she quietly resolves to finish her business with Gideon to protect his wings.
Chapter Twenty-Six — Darcy gives Frank closure, describing the peaceful beach where his wife and daughter wait. She collects Nate at the docks while Gabriel and Aelia track her — and Tater Tot — to the graveyard gates.
Chapter Twenty-Nine — At the Halloween graveyard, Gideon arrives to collect Nate’s soul. Gabriel draws his sword over Darcy and Nate, gambling his Guardian status on standing his ground.
Chapter Thirty — Darcy offers her soul and then her memories; Gideon refuses the trade. Frank volunteers his own life, and Darcy walks him through the oak door toward the ocean sounds and laughter of his family.
Chapter Thirty-One — Gideon suspends Darcy from Reaper duties and files her under customer service. Before leaving, he hints at promises of his own past.
Chapter Thirty-Two — Gabriel meets Nolan, the Ghost of Christmas Past, while packing Darcy’s things. Rafael delivers discharge papers, and Gabriel signs away his wings, learning that every tattoo marked a step toward Darcy.
Chapter Thirty-Four — Living as a mortal, Gabriel runs the bar and holds out hope. Darcy appears in the back hallway with her final assignment: stay with him his whole natural life and claim his soul only at its very end.
Author’s Note & Preview Excerpt — B.K. Borison frames the novel as a tribute to her husband’s work in palliative care. The preview introduces Harriet York, an Annapolis antiques shop owner, whose story opens Good Spirits, the first Ghosted book.
Continue Reading: First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison Summary: A Heartfelt Radio Romance
Memorable Lines from Grim Tidings
“Roughly ten decades in and I still drink my water. I still have a doughnut for breakfast and the occasional cigarette after dinner. I like holding on to these simple things. They make me feel human in a way I haven’t been for a very, very long time.”
“All I’ve ever wanted,” I manage, my voice tight, “is to feel like I’m a part of something. To belong.”
“I was there when they built the temples,” he says, his voice low and rumbling. “When they brought their marble to the summit and carved their intentions into stone.”
“If I lose another soul to a Reaper, then I’ll no longer be a Guardian.” I lift my eyes to hers. “If I lose another soul, they’ll take my wings.”
“I am the master of death, not a troll.”
“I want it,” he says quietly. “However long you’re here—whatever time you have left—I want it to be with me. I want all your minutes, Darcy. Every last one.”
“It’s the last life I’m meant to claim. I’ll be with him until both our ends. All my minutes. Every last one.”
Read Also: And Now, Back to You by B.K. Borison Summary: A Whirlwind of Snow and Sparks
Grim Tidings at a Glance
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Genre & Subgenre | Paranormal romance; cozy contemporary fantasy romance |
| Core Narrative Tropes | Enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract (Grim Reaper × Guardian Angel), forced proximity, hidden identity, heroic sacrifice, fated mates |
| Tone & Atmosphere | Whimsical, cozy, humorous, romantic, yearning, and emotionally warm |
| Primary Conflict | Darcy must complete her reaping of Nate without costing Gabriel his wings, while Gideon enforces departmental law |
| Pacing Style | Character-driven, with episodic bucket-list outings building to a high-stakes Halloween climax |
| ISBN | 978-0063430464 (ISBN-10: 0063430460) |
| Pages | 352 |
| Book Structure | 34 chapters in alternating dual POV, plus an author’s note, acknowledgments, and a Good Spirits preview; Book 2 of 2 in the Ghosted series |
| Publisher & Release | Avon; September 15, 2026 |
| Author Background | B.K. Borison is an American romance author known for warm small-town love stories, including the Lovelight Farms series |
If You Liked Grim Tidings, Try These
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen — a cozy fantasy romance built around undertakers, gods, and love found through duty and death.
Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper — small-town autumn magic and a cozy paranormal romance with a similar seasonal mood.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna — a lonely magical outsider finding belonging, matching Grim Tidings’ found-connection core.
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace — a gothic paranormal romance centered on Death and mortality, pitched darker in tone.
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood — for readers drawn to Borison’s emotionally open character dynamics and banter, without the supernatural frame.
