A Love This Grim

by Elora Morgan

Our world, as you’ve never seen it before

As Death’s adopted daughter, Avalia has grown to learn the secrets of this life and the afterlife. But it’s both a blessing and a curse, as the human girl can never truly be a part of her father’s dominion, nor can she share her world with any mere mortal. True love is forever beyond her reach.
Which is fine for Ava -- she doesn’t believe in it anyway.

Resigned to her loneliness, fate delivers a cruel twist when Noric, her father’s most powerful reaper, strides into her manor one spring evening. She’d have to be a fool to give the beautiful death-dealer her heart. But the only way it wouldn’t belong to Noric is if that organ stopped beating.
Which, incidentally, is the crux of the issue.

When a mortal and an immortal fall in love, the end comes too soon for one, and the agony burns eternal, for the other.

As their desire intensifies and frustration builds, the question plagues Ava’s mind…
…Why, throughout her whole life, has Death never allowed his adoptive daughter to meet his reapers before?

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy

404 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2025

About the author

Elora spends her free time pursuing fantasy. Nothing engages her mind like a fantastical new world -- except when that world contains lovers who initially despise one another. She reads and writes these angst-filled pairings from the East Coast of the U.S.

YA/NA ROMANCE | SCI-FI/FANTASY | ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS

Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@eloramorgan
Instagram: www.instagram.com/boundandcrowned

Reviews

[Hilda]

I tried to keep reading this. I just don’t care enough.

[Katie Raynor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I physically could not bring myself to pick up this book and continue reading after I sat it down. I could not make myself care either. DNF.

[kymagirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Death’s reaper falls for his mortal daughter, love becomes the most dangerous choice of all.

Avalia has lived her whole life on the edges of two worlds, the human and the divine. Raised by Death but kept far from his grim reapers, she’s trained in ballet and survival, but never in love. She's used to questions without answers and a loneliness she can't explain. Then Noric arrives, and everything begins to shift.

He’s cold, disciplined, and terrifyingly loyal to her father. A reaper who’s never hesitated to take a soul. He should keep his distance. She should stay guarded. But the pull between them grows stronger with every moment. As secrets unravel, Avalia realizes her life isn't just hers to live. Her choices might change the balance between life and death.

With time running out, they fight to hold on to each other while the world begins to fracture. Noric would do anything to protect her. Avalia must decide who she really is and what she's willing to become. Their love isn’t safe. But it’s real. And it just might rewrite everything.

Avalia transforms from a girl bound by fate into a woman who owns it. Noric learns how to feel, how to stay, and how to love without fear. What begins as guarded tension becomes a fierce and grounded bond built on choice, sacrifice, and trust.

A steamy, high-stakes, forbidden, mortal-immortal, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, gothic paranormal romance. It’s about defying fate, reclaiming identity, and choosing love when it costs everything. At its heart, it’s about power, transformation, and two souls who refuse to break.

The Elevator Pitch: A mortal ballerina raised by Death is pulled into a cosmic game of fate when a reaper with ice in his veins and fire in his eyes arrives at her door. Their bond is forbidden, their love a spark against the rules of gods and time itself. A dark, emotionally charged paranormal romance where desire rewrites destiny and nothing stays buried forever.

[Ingrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethereal, Emotional, and Utterly Consuming ⭐
A Forbidden-Love Paranormal Romance That Feels Like a Classic

This book is not your typical paranormal romance—it’s richer, heavier, and far more emotionally charged than most stories in the genre. It follows Death’s adoptive daughter and his High Reaper, two characters who begin their journey buried in loneliness and guarded emotions. From the very beginning, there is a deep pull between them—an attraction that is as forbidden as it is inevitable.

What stands out most is the writing style: it’s ethereal, poetic, and absolutely loaded with meaning. This isn’t a light, casual read you breeze through in an evening. Instead, it feels almost like a timeless classic—elegant, layered, and crafted with intention. Every scene carries emotional weight, every sentence feels purposeful.

The romance is intense, slow-building, and filled with yearning. As their bond deepens, so does the tension, and the forbidden nature of their connection only heightens the impact. The world-building is immersive, the characters are beautifully constructed, and the plot includes twists that keep you deeply invested.

This book is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re looking for a paranormal romance with depth, emotion, and stunning prose, it’s incredibly rewarding. A heavy read—but a deeply satisfying one.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lilith's_Library_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Beautifully Broken… But Sometimes Just Too Grim.” 🖤💋🌑

A Love This Grim by Elora Morgan is a dark, emotional romance that dives deep into the shadows of love, loss, and redemption. Morgan’s writing is atmospheric and poetic — every sentence feels heavy with meaning, dripping with angst and longing. You can feel the pain and passion in every chapter.

That said, the story can be a lot at times — emotionally intense to the point of exhaustion. The pacing wavers, and there are moments where the darkness overshadows the love story itself. Still, when the connection between the characters shines through, it’s undeniably powerful. There’s a haunting beauty in the way Morgan explores love that hurts, heals, and haunts all at once.

✨ Tropes you’ll find:
💔 Broken characters finding love
🖤 Grumpy x grumpier
🔥 Enemies to lovers (but make it tragic)
🩸 Emotional scars
🌹 Beauty in the darkness
🌒 Redemption arc
💀 Love as salvation (and destruction)

A Love This Grim is intense, moody, and full of heartache. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you like your romance dark, messy, and a little bit destructive — this one’s for you. Just… maybe have some comfort snacks ready. 🍫😅

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, this is a lighter take on Death and the Four Horseman. Ava was adopted by Death after he reaped her parents and tried to leave her with a foster family. Ava has grown up as no other mortal has, and when she finally meets the Four Horseman, it's no shock that she falls for one of them - Noric.

This book is very much a romance with a paranormal setting. All the characters are fully fleshed. I loved Eligius (Death) and the dynamic between Embrette and Hexley. The romance between Ava and Noric is sweet, formed by their love of music and dancing, and history lessons.

I did find the first half of this book very different to the second half, but Elora's writing is so fluid it's easy to follow. I really enjoyed the different takes on religion and historical events, and even though there is a lot of reference to death and reaping, the story is sweet and heart-warming.

[Alexis Prince · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not expecting that plot twist! The entire last part of the book kept me up late as I had to know how it would end.

I think this is Elora’s most beautiful writing yet, and I wish I could spend more time with these characters. One of my favorite things about this story was the dynamics between them, their banter and their backstories.

More in-depth review to come once I’ve recovered!

[Samantha Millican · Rating 5 out of 5]

A forbidden romance between Death’s adoptive daughter, Avalia, and his most loyal reaper, Noric. Morgan’s writing style immerses you into a world where fate is defied and true love blooms where it shouldn’t. The world she creates is easy to imagine and place yourself within the pages to bear witness to a bond so strong.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Elizabeth Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me feeling EVERYTHING. I laughed and cried sooooooo much with this book. I fell in love with all of the characters, especially Avalia. She (and this book) will forever hold a special place in my heart. I have been a ballerina all my life and the way Avalia expresses herself and uses dance to feel and process her emotions is something I relate to deep in my heart. All the plot twists had me gasping and screaming. I will end up rereading this over and over as a comfort read <3

[Indie · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it !! love Avalia and Noric... this is their love story...a fun fast paced ragic love story... she's mortal and he's immortal.. she's a human raised by Death himself... the grim reaper...and Noric , he's the best reaper... a tragic love story or is it ? this is so good !!! the emotions you'll feel... you'll laugh , you'll cry out, it's all there ... and maybe a bit more !!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ladnamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting story which got rather emotional and intense at times. The writing was descriptive and I liked the relationship between the main characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Antonia Popa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved this, the concept, the characters, the world building, but there were times where I felt like I knew what the author meant, but she couldn’t find the right words to express that. Nevertheless, thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Clara Bennet · Rating 4 out of 5]

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