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Becoming Grim
Piper is running away from a cheating boyfriend and New York City when something terrible happens, her plane crashes. Instead of going to Heaven or even to Hell she goes to a whole other plane of existence. Now not only is she dead but she is a reaper learning the ropes to collecting souls from the handsome, Zeke.
Everything is going great until Piper sees something that she's not supposed to see. Now she is torn between keeping it to herself or putting her and everyone she's come to care for in danger.
Everything is going great until Piper sees something that she's not supposed to see. Now she is torn between keeping it to herself or putting her and everyone she's come to care for in danger.
212 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 2019
3 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Ashley Tomlinson
11 books24 followersAshley Tomlinson was born in a very small town in South Carolina and now she lives in a slightly larger city in South Carolina with her husband. Most days you can find her writing in her home office that is filled to the brim with books and candles. When she isn’t writing she’s spending time with her plethora of animals, curled up reading on her couch, painting, or crocheting a blanket that she will probably never finish. She also loves being apart of the bookstagram world, especially taking photos of books.
She knew she wanted to be a writer in high school but didn’t pursue it fully until she was in her twenties. Now not a day goes by when she isn’t in front of her laptop typing away. Her head is always in the clouds thinking up new scenes or coming up with a new book idea.
She knew she wanted to be a writer in high school but didn’t pursue it fully until she was in her twenties. Now not a day goes by when she isn’t in front of her laptop typing away. Her head is always in the clouds thinking up new scenes or coming up with a new book idea.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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August 18, 2019I love a title which sounds macabre and nothing can be better than it hinting at the Grim Reaper.
An easy read, a fantasy which foretold the story of Piper, running away from a cheating boyfriend and catching the first flight out, suddenly died when the plane crashed. She found herself getting a second chance at a different kind of life in a different realm, where she was claimed by the Grim Reaper. She made friends, settled down in a new life, found romance when suddenly things changed in this realm. Someone was doing something against the Grim laws.
My first book by Ashley Tomlinson, the story was a fast read at 175 pages. Piper as the main character adjusted fast to her new life learning to harvest souls and sending them to be judged. The author has shown both laughter and pain, happiness and sorrow. Some of the souls had stories which touched my heart, a mother's love, innocence of a child.
There were a few niggles. Romance took a forefront, when it should have been a character who developed to be kickass. The story and characters needed an additional depth.
Overall, it was a fun read over the afternoon tea.
An easy read, a fantasy which foretold the story of Piper, running away from a cheating boyfriend and catching the first flight out, suddenly died when the plane crashed. She found herself getting a second chance at a different kind of life in a different realm, where she was claimed by the Grim Reaper. She made friends, settled down in a new life, found romance when suddenly things changed in this realm. Someone was doing something against the Grim laws.
My first book by Ashley Tomlinson, the story was a fast read at 175 pages. Piper as the main character adjusted fast to her new life learning to harvest souls and sending them to be judged. The author has shown both laughter and pain, happiness and sorrow. Some of the souls had stories which touched my heart, a mother's love, innocence of a child.
There were a few niggles. Romance took a forefront, when it should have been a character who developed to be kickass. The story and characters needed an additional depth.
Overall, it was a fun read over the afternoon tea.
August 1, 2019
My only problem is that the book was not long enough! What I love about Mrs. Tomlinson’s writing style is that with both of her releases (A Beautiful Revenge is her other,) they grasp you from the first page. I love that I can set the book down, and when I pick it back up, there is no struggle to continue! I fell in love with Piper and i strive to be Liv😂. Also let’s be honest with ourselves, how many have us tried looking for our Zeke, but ended up with a Gaige 😂. I highly recommend this book!!!
August 13, 2019
Very Enjoyable
A good read!!
I enjoyed the way the author shows a whole new world of Grim Reapers and the afterlife. Great cast characters. If you enjoy Fantasy and romance then I think you'll enjoy Becoming Grim. I hope to see more books from Ashley Tomlinson in the future, I will be keeping watch.
5 Stars!!
A good read!!
I enjoyed the way the author shows a whole new world of Grim Reapers and the afterlife. Great cast characters. If you enjoy Fantasy and romance then I think you'll enjoy Becoming Grim. I hope to see more books from Ashley Tomlinson in the future, I will be keeping watch.
5 Stars!!
July 24, 2019
I'm biased because I wrote it but I really enjoyed writing it ☺️
September 2, 2019
Becoming Grim was a quick, easy paranormal read for me, which is exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up. It’s the story of Piper, who dies in a plane crash and gets a second chance at life as a reaper.
This is a unique tale, and one I haven’t read before. I do enjoy the paranormal romance genre, but I don’t think I’ve read many about Grim Reapers. Ashely Tomlinson has crafted a unique world and a unique plot, which definitely kept me entertained throughout.
I think I wanted more characterization out of Piper as the main character. This novel was on the short side, and I think, if it’d been a bit longer, she could have been a more developed and well-rounded character. As it stands, the romance takes the forefront, and it’s a great romance…I just wanted more about Piper.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to Paranormal Romance fans! Looking forward to reading more from Ashley Tomlinson!
* I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of a blog tour with Sage's Blog Tours. All opinions are my own. *
Find this review and more on my blog: https://www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com
This is a unique tale, and one I haven’t read before. I do enjoy the paranormal romance genre, but I don’t think I’ve read many about Grim Reapers. Ashely Tomlinson has crafted a unique world and a unique plot, which definitely kept me entertained throughout.
I think I wanted more characterization out of Piper as the main character. This novel was on the short side, and I think, if it’d been a bit longer, she could have been a more developed and well-rounded character. As it stands, the romance takes the forefront, and it’s a great romance…I just wanted more about Piper.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to Paranormal Romance fans! Looking forward to reading more from Ashley Tomlinson!
* I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of a blog tour with Sage's Blog Tours. All opinions are my own. *
Find this review and more on my blog: https://www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com
August 1, 2019
A breath of fresh air
I read this book in one sitting. I fell in love with the characters and I love how she handled different aspects of death that we do think about. If you’re looking for story that can make you laugh and also break your heart, this is the story for you. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next. #ZEPER 😂
I read this book in one sitting. I fell in love with the characters and I love how she handled different aspects of death that we do think about. If you’re looking for story that can make you laugh and also break your heart, this is the story for you. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next. #ZEPER 😂
November 30, 2019
Becoming Grim is a paranormal romance story with a lot of potential—a potential it doesn’t quite fulfil. Even so, I enjoyed reading it.
The premise behind this book really drew me in: the world of paranormal romance these days is dominated by just a handful of supernatural beings—be it vampires, werewolves, or the occasional angel. Becoming Grim, on the other hand, features the subject matter alluded to by the title, namely grim reapers.
The worldbuilding in this book is rich with potential. I’ll do my best not to spoil anything here (but you’ve been warned!) Reapers inhabit an alternate dimension; a world suspended in time. Ancient buildings exist alongside modern ones. Everything is free and shared by the community. And of course, reapers possess unique powers—the ability to cross vast distances by simply stepping through a door is perhaps the coolest.
Alas, the worldbuilding—like the rest of this book—is also underdeveloped. Put simply, there’s not enough of it. I want to know why and how. I want to know more about the architecture; the history; the languages and social conventions. Are there more reapers around the world? (We’re told there are, but I want to see this.) What do those other reaper cities look like? I am left dying with unsatisfied curiosity.
The execution of the plot was mostly alright, but there were a few hiccups. The beginning and end of the novel was fine in terms of plot and pacing; but things got a little lost in the middle. I appreciated that the author was trying to build the relationship between Piper and Zeke. (Zeke? What a cool name is that!) Still, I feel a good portion of the sappy, repetitive romance scenes could have been removed. What Piper and Zeke really needed to cement their relationship was something else entirely: plot. A sweet romantic dinner is nice, but surviving against all odds... that’s what real romance is made of.
Love is not beautiful because it is easy; it is beautiful because it is hard. I want a couple to experience sweet moments of playfulness, but also passion, pain, and insurmountable obstacles.
I’ll take a quick detour to talk about writing. The book has clearly been proofread and edited to some extent. (No typos! Yay!) A few of the sentences did run on too much, though, so it needed a bit more line editing. Also, while some of the descriptions were awesome, others could have done with a bit more polish.
Finally, in terms of characterisation... It’s tricky for me to describe exactly what doesn’t work. It’s not that the characterisation is unbelievable or clichéd; it’s that there just isn’t enough of it. I liked Piper, Zeke, and Grim. But I still know very little of their inner lives; there isn’t enough on the page to elevate them into true characters, with hopes and dreams and desires.
The mark of an inexperienced author is lack of depth—this was true even of my own first novel, and of nearly all the first novels I’ve read by fellow authors. (In a way, then, this isn’t a terrible criticism.) It’s usually side-characters that suffer most, but this wasn’t true of the side-characters in this story. I feel that, actually, the antagonist suffered most. Gaige could have been a really interesting, but he was just totally underdeveloped.
OK, that’s enough from me! I enjoyed this book for what it was: a fun, easy paranormal story with a cute romance.
Rating: 3/5
The premise behind this book really drew me in: the world of paranormal romance these days is dominated by just a handful of supernatural beings—be it vampires, werewolves, or the occasional angel. Becoming Grim, on the other hand, features the subject matter alluded to by the title, namely grim reapers.
The worldbuilding in this book is rich with potential. I’ll do my best not to spoil anything here (but you’ve been warned!) Reapers inhabit an alternate dimension; a world suspended in time. Ancient buildings exist alongside modern ones. Everything is free and shared by the community. And of course, reapers possess unique powers—the ability to cross vast distances by simply stepping through a door is perhaps the coolest.
Alas, the worldbuilding—like the rest of this book—is also underdeveloped. Put simply, there’s not enough of it. I want to know why and how. I want to know more about the architecture; the history; the languages and social conventions. Are there more reapers around the world? (We’re told there are, but I want to see this.) What do those other reaper cities look like? I am left dying with unsatisfied curiosity.
The execution of the plot was mostly alright, but there were a few hiccups. The beginning and end of the novel was fine in terms of plot and pacing; but things got a little lost in the middle. I appreciated that the author was trying to build the relationship between Piper and Zeke. (Zeke? What a cool name is that!) Still, I feel a good portion of the sappy, repetitive romance scenes could have been removed. What Piper and Zeke really needed to cement their relationship was something else entirely: plot. A sweet romantic dinner is nice, but surviving against all odds... that’s what real romance is made of.
Love is not beautiful because it is easy; it is beautiful because it is hard. I want a couple to experience sweet moments of playfulness, but also passion, pain, and insurmountable obstacles.
I’ll take a quick detour to talk about writing. The book has clearly been proofread and edited to some extent. (No typos! Yay!) A few of the sentences did run on too much, though, so it needed a bit more line editing. Also, while some of the descriptions were awesome, others could have done with a bit more polish.
Finally, in terms of characterisation... It’s tricky for me to describe exactly what doesn’t work. It’s not that the characterisation is unbelievable or clichéd; it’s that there just isn’t enough of it. I liked Piper, Zeke, and Grim. But I still know very little of their inner lives; there isn’t enough on the page to elevate them into true characters, with hopes and dreams and desires.
The mark of an inexperienced author is lack of depth—this was true even of my own first novel, and of nearly all the first novels I’ve read by fellow authors. (In a way, then, this isn’t a terrible criticism.) It’s usually side-characters that suffer most, but this wasn’t true of the side-characters in this story. I feel that, actually, the antagonist suffered most. Gaige could have been a really interesting, but he was just totally underdeveloped.
OK, that’s enough from me! I enjoyed this book for what it was: a fun, easy paranormal story with a cute romance.
Rating: 3/5
September 20, 2020
Becoming Grim written by the author Ashley Tomlinson is a Young Adult novel. The protagonist of the story is a woman named Piper. After being cheated by her boyfriend Toby, Piper is going to her parents house and leaving New York. Piper never received her parents support in her decisions. Her parents have asked her earlier not to move in with Toby.
As the story progress, Piper finds herself waking up in an unfamiliar room and she is in the same clothes that she wore on the plane. A man in hooded cloak comes to that room. He told Piper to call him as Grim. From him she learnt that she is dead. Piper died when the plane on which she was there crashed. Grab a copy of this book and read it yourself to find out what happens further.
The cover page of the book is so eye catchy that it will immediately capture reader's attention. Writing style of the author is nice. Language of the book is easy to understand. The story is so intense that you can binge read this book.
As the story progress, Piper finds herself waking up in an unfamiliar room and she is in the same clothes that she wore on the plane. A man in hooded cloak comes to that room. He told Piper to call him as Grim. From him she learnt that she is dead. Piper died when the plane on which she was there crashed. Grab a copy of this book and read it yourself to find out what happens further.
The cover page of the book is so eye catchy that it will immediately capture reader's attention. Writing style of the author is nice. Language of the book is easy to understand. The story is so intense that you can binge read this book.
September 25, 2020
Becoming Grim is the first novel that I have read by author Ashley Tomlinson and the story gripped me right from the first chapter. The main character Piper is perfectly penned down with her flaws. Piper is running away to her home leaving behind her cheater boyfriend Toby. The plane on which she stepped got crashed unfortunately and Piper instead of going to hell or heaven goes to whole other place of existence.
Piper's encounter with Grim in an afterlife made the story more interesting. This is a captivating tale with great world building. Reading this story was a rollercoaster ride for me and I felt like I am witnessing everything happening in front of me. There is nothing that I didn't like about this book. Smooth narrative added more to my interest in enjoying this story. This book is perfect for Young Adult readers. They gonna enjoy this story a lot. I am definitely interested in reading more books of Ashley after reading Becoming Grim.
Rating 4.5/5
Piper's encounter with Grim in an afterlife made the story more interesting. This is a captivating tale with great world building. Reading this story was a rollercoaster ride for me and I felt like I am witnessing everything happening in front of me. There is nothing that I didn't like about this book. Smooth narrative added more to my interest in enjoying this story. This book is perfect for Young Adult readers. They gonna enjoy this story a lot. I am definitely interested in reading more books of Ashley after reading Becoming Grim.
Rating 4.5/5
December 9, 2023
BECOMING GRIM, by Ashley Tomlinson, is the story of Piper--a girl who leaves a cheating boyfriend only to die on her way home--and her new role as one of Grim's "reapers". A new sort of paranormal romance--and the romance happens almost instantly.
I liked the idea of the reapers, and how they do their jobs (actually some beautiful descriptions there!). The antagonist was very easily guessed, although I felt that this was more of a middle-age read than young adult, so that may be why. The writing was smooth flowing, and easy to keep going on in.
Overall, a nice, light read, for those looking for a little extra in a romance.
I liked the idea of the reapers, and how they do their jobs (actually some beautiful descriptions there!). The antagonist was very easily guessed, although I felt that this was more of a middle-age read than young adult, so that may be why. The writing was smooth flowing, and easy to keep going on in.
Overall, a nice, light read, for those looking for a little extra in a romance.
September 19, 2020
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Blurb:
Piper is running away from her cheating boyfriend to her parents' house but her plane crashes and she finds herself in a different plane of existence. She is a reaper and learning the things of this new world, Zeke (a handsome reaper). Everything is going well when she sees something mysterious and then the story proceeds. Zeke is my favourite character. Author has done the characterisation very well. She has written in simple language which makes it a good pick for beginners.
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July 15, 2019
I got an early copy of this book and I loved it! It has an interesting take of the after life that I've never read it another book before. And the romance in it is cute.
February 15, 2022
I absolutely loved this book! It was a quick read and highly intriguing from the moment I started to the moment I finished.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews