Book Links
https://amzn.to/4hlbaOf
Blurb
THE GRIM REAPER expected the flowers to wilt when he walked past. To bend their heads and shed their petals, marking a life of endings. His purpose intertwined with the force that brings life to death. He certainly did not expect the day when A MORTAL would defy these odds while he reached for her hand.
As the newest restoration specialist at the New Haven Museum, Birdie Priest's job is simple: preserve the pieces, find their history, and go home. Then a portrait she uncovers has no face. A broken pocket watch starts ticking, and Birdie dies. This should be the end. Instead, she finds herself tethered to Rip, a grim reaper with a dangerous attitude and no memory of who he used to be.
Only by unraveling what’s buried in her soul can she set herself free?
Bound under the weight of a hollow eternity, Rip has spent his existence ferrying souls and working in the town’s library. Now, during the one death that goes wrong, he's pulled into a stranger's unfinished life and forced to confront everything he doesn't understand about his own. Even despite their inexplicable bond deepening, a lurking darkness plots his undoing.
However.
There's more to this town than meets the eye, and some truths might cost them both everything they have left.
As Death Loves Me is a slow-burn paranormal romance for fans of grumpy immortals and stubborn heroines who refuse to sit idly by and accept their fates. Beneath the cover is a cozy small-town mystery, a found family worth fighting for, and a love that defies death itself.
Review
As Death Loves Me—A Grim Reaper Romance by Hannah BronwynMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of As Death Loves Me, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read and review!
This book kicks off with a thought-provoking prologue set in 1844 that immediately hooks you in. I completely misread who the prologue was describing until the very end, but it did a fantastic job of compelling me to keep turning the pages.
From there, we jump to the present day following Birdie (Benevolence Priest), an art restorer moving to a new job at a museum in New Haven, Indiana. Birdie is a bit of a quiet art nerd who mostly keeps to herself. Her background was a little confusing to piece together early on, but everything made much more sense as her history and mysterious flashbacks unfolded.
The side characters really added flavor to the spooky, mysterious atmosphere:
🔻Sal: The ancient security guard who is the only one to give Birdie a warm welcome on day one.
🔻Kane: Gives off decidedly creepy vibes right out of the gate.🔻Gabby: A potential friend with a secret past who puts Birdie through a hilarious (and cringey ) blind speed-dating scene.
Then, of course, there is the Grim Reaper himself—whom the author humorously named Rip (R.I.P.—loved that touch!). Rip is classic morally grey: disillusioned with his immortality, rude, and carrying a heavy burden. While he starts off cold and resistant to any connection, the tether drawing them together eventually forces him to realize how much he cares for Birdie.
Note for romance readers: this is a slow-burn/low-spice dynamic where the connection builds alongside the plot.
What worked well:
The overall concept, blending paranormal elements, gods, and museum mystery.
The town’s spooky history and the mystery behind the damaged painting Birdie is restoring.
The epilogue, which tied up several lingering questions and gave us the happy ending. But I wish that the actual rediscovering of each other was given instead of telling us the outcome.
Final thoughts:
It's a solid 3.5-star read with a really intriguing premise. With a bit tighter line editing and plot pacing, it could easily be a 4+ star book. If you enjoy urban fantasy, paranormal mysteries, and a slow-burn romance, it's definitely worth checking out!
View all my reviews
Author Bio
Hannah Bronwyn is an emerging author and pop culture enthusiast with a love of spring, soda in glass bottles, baking chocolate chip cookies, playing dominoes, and crafting bookmarks — when she isn't writing, she's probably thinking about writing, or texting her friends about zodiac signs and saying “that is so true” until she falls asleep when she should actually be writing. Find her socials here
