Grim

De: Joe Arden, D J Krimmer

Narrado por: Maxine Mitchell, Andi Eloise, June DeBorahae, Joe Arden, Sean Masters, James Cassidy

We thought death was the end, turns out it’s just the prologue.

RUE

I died, briefly. Then I came back. Now I’m determined to make the most of every minute I have left.

Only problem is I’ve been saddled with supervision. Kane Deveraux is handsome, smug, and cold as a tombstone. So why does he make me feel something more powerful than death?

KANE

As a reaper, I have helped crossover thousands of souls. And not one of them have touched mine…until Rue Chamberlain. She’s stubborn, reckless, and maddeningly radiant.

And for this centuries-old spirit, she’s a living woman that is absolutely off-limits. If I follow the rules, I will lose her. If I break them, I might lose everything.

Grim is a darkly romantic, wickedly funny tale of life, death, and a love that refuses to rest in peace.

©2025 Blue Nose Publishing (P)2025 Blue Nose Publishing

This wasn't just a story, it was an experience!

4 stars for the story
5 stars for the audio

Thank you to BlueNose Audio for the ALC of Grim. I was really surprised to get it and thankful I did!

If we are talking about the audio here, it was phenomenal. This wasn't just an audio book story, but an experience! I think that it def made this really enjoyable. All of the narrators do an amazing job at literally acting out their roles and that makes me love audio.

The story was sweet on a dark level. The premise was really good, but felt a tiny bit slow in some areas. But overall I enjoyed it! The real MVP character for me was BIG D. The banter, his sense of humor, was EVERYTHING for me. Had me laughing out loud multiple times.

Emotional, Hilarious and so well done!!

There are no words for how much I love this story, these characters and this cast.
Grim is not just an audiobook. It’s an experience! It’s immersive, beautiful, hilarious and heartbreaking. This is a very special book and I am so grateful to have had the chance to listen to the story of Kane and Rue.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Get comfy, grab some tissues, some Twizzlers for Big D and your favorite comfort blanket and dive into this amazing experience.

An OtherWorldly audio experience 🖤💜

At its core, Grim is meant to be a reader’s escape; an existential experience that lures you in with the promise of a dark romantic comedy. The audiobook itself is an extension of all of this — and it also exists as a carefully constructed portal to the far reaches of our individual understandings of mortality. Does an OtherWorld wait for me? Am I tethered to Time and Fate in a way that is inevitable? How am I going to be delivered from this life to the next?

Joe Arden and DJ Krimmer use a graveyard, a gorgeously worn in and spirited home in New Orleans, and a bureaucratic AfterLife Processing headquarters as the backdrop to paint the portrait of a woman named Rue and her remaining nine days on Earth. We meet Kane, a centuries old Reaper who is assigned to her case…and who is befuddled by his inexplicable infatuation with her OtherWorldly journey. The introduction of characters such as Death, Time, Fate and Mercy gives voice to the prophetic wondering that serve as a part of a collective “what’s next?”

The soundscape of this audiobook experience gives subtlety to the settings without overtaking the story. Using originally written and composed music by Joe Arden and Jake Morris, the tone and intensity of a scene is given a language that is often felt but never heard. It is used with intention, as are the environmental soundscapes. The actors lend more than their voices to the melody as well — with a frequency that is impactful and not overdone are the deliberate choices of breath, volume, and overlaying of voices to pack a punch and make the listening experience more immersive.

Andi Eloise is cast as our leading lady, Rue Chamberlain, and this will be the performance that catapults her career to new heights. Her performance is emotional and raw, while also pairing well with the comedic timing of the rest of the cast. There are definitive chapters that catalogue the journey of Rue’s emotional landscape as she grapples with her remaining nine days — Andi wears Rue’s aesthetic with dignity and devilish determination. This is a performance that felt personal and professional in a way that was real.

Joe Arden, as Kane Devereaux, has a stunning evolution from lead Reaper to keeper of Rue’s earthly soul. The French accent Kane speaks matches the characterization of a centuries old French doctor who has seen hundreds of years of death and destruction. You can hear the gentle shift in Kane’s character as he becomes tethered to Rue’s existence and the aura that alights the two of them is a grumpy/sunshine meets graveyard bathed in shades of purple and gray. Personally? This is Joe’s best French accent to date.

This story would not be nearly as well-rounded if it wasn’t for the supporting cast. In fact, the structure in which Joe and DJ have written this story allows for these characters to live fully alongside the main characters with unique identities and stories that are equally engaging.

Death (Big D, Daryl) is performed by James Cassidy and is a standout performance in this story. Humor of the highest order is served up in a hollowed out skull; Death’s presence is grandiose in all the ways that matter and in ways I didn’t expect. James has a voice that can perform vocal gymnastics around all of Daryl’s eccentricities and still deliver an emotional and heartfelt character.

Sean Masters voices two radically different characters, both with entirely different British accents and with vastly different storylines. As Seek, Sean pulls at our collective heartstrings as Rue’s house ghost. One of my favorite and heartwarming scenes is between Rue and Seek in chapter 30. You will not leave that chapter without a tear skating down your cheek. And as Asher, he is a Reaper who may not always see “blade to blade” with Kane but has a heart that’s in the right place. Sean’s accent for Asher? Powerful, guarded and well done.

Lastly, Fate and Time are played by June DeBorahae and Maxine Mitchell. These two temptresses had me spellbound even though they wreak plenty of cosmic chaos in the OtherWorld. Their lyrical voices lulled me into a delicious trance; their power just as potent as the larger than life Death. Additionally, June and Maxine voiced many supporting characters. Of note? June’s delivery as Rue’s mom cracked my heart open, and Maxine’s take on ‘Claire Simone’ the New Orleans restaurant spirit is a captivating performance.

I could continue for pages, but I’ll leave you with this — this story is best experienced in both modalities. As I listened, I followed along with the text on KU when I could.

This printed word is impactful, and the audio is a graphic experience that engulfed my heart and engaged my senses. DJ and Joe, I am grateful this story and these characters exist. And to Blue Nose, the insurmountable talent you pulled into the studio to create this magic has yielded something OtherWorldly indeed.

Outstanding Story, Narration & Listening Experience🎧

Wow, this audiobook is an absolute masterpiece, and the shining stars of the show are not only the superbly talented voice artists but also the authors and their beautifully written story, too. D.J. Krimmer and Joe Arden created something very special, an otherworldly experience like no other, a story that is so engaging that it is impossible to put it down, the need to know what happens next is too strong, not to mention, it is just that entertaining, the performance and the story. Rue Chamberlain always knew her days were numbered, a curse of being born with a bad ticker, but did not expect to know literally. After a premature death, and meeting her reaper, she now knows she is meeting the big D in ten days, but she is going to make the best of that time, not expecting it to include a side-kick, the reaper who revived me, Kane Deveraux, and the one assigned to watch over her. Kane or as Rue calls him, Grim, has an interesting backstory, a heartbreaking one, and probably why he is so grim, and so good at his job, but he never had a Rue in his charge and she sure gives him a run for his money and his non-existent or beating heart. These two were amazing together, and the banter and witty dialogue was brilliant, as were the shenanigans, but there were also heartwarming moments, sad ones too, yeah, even Grim’s non-existent beating heart. It was great watching these two get to know each other and live in each other’s worlds, not only seeing their relationship morph into something so much more, but Rue throwing a loop into his world’s order, getting the sisters, Fate and Time, in a tizzy, and the Big D, aka Death, himself. We sure get to meet some interesting characters along the way, and a favorite of mine was quite ghostly, Seek! This is such a fascinating story, a cleverly plotted story with remarkable world building, character growth and development. A dark-humored paranormal fantasy romance with lots of drama, steam, laughs, cries, heart and a love that never dies. D.J. Krimmer and Joe Arden, thanks for this brilliant story and wild emotional rollercoaster ride. I hope this is not the last we see of this incredible world or the amazing and very interesting characters you created.

🎧📚🎧 And for this gem of a listen, a live in-studio recording performed by a mega-talented cast, led by Andi Loise and Joe Arden in the two lead roles, Rue and Kane, who did a phenomenal job bringing them to life, or death, either way, freaking amazing. The support cast performing the roles of the secondary characters were just as amazing and meaningful. Mitchell nailed it as Time, as well as various side characters, even a surprise appearance near the end of another important character. DeBorahae was fantastic as Fate, and then again in the roles of the side characters she performed. Masters killed it in Asher’s role and several others, including the adorable and playful Seek. Cassidy perfected the role of the Big D, Derrell aka Death, grasping his quirky sense of humor. Rounding off the cast are two guest appearances made by Candace Lawrence as Isabelle and Abbi Gillick as D’s assistant. You can hear the energy of these voice artists as they work off of each other in their performance, and I would have loved to have been in the room where it happened. I am not usually a fan of sound effects in my audiobooks, but no one did them quite like this, as a subtle background sound for the scene, and it was perfect, never taking my head out of the story or the sound change jolting me, which has happened in the past. So kudos to the person who did the sound design for the impressive job with the sound effects. This is an outstanding audiobook production with top-notch sound quality and performances.

Exquisite Goth Dark RomCon

Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!
“I am with you, brave girl. I am always with you. Even when I cannot be there. I am fused to you. Love knows not time and space. I am yours. In every way. In every place. In all planes of space and time, Rue, I belong to you. “Eros: I love you passionately. “Agape: I love you unconditionally. “Pragma: I love you enduringly. “Mania: I love you madly. Je t’aime toujours. De tout le chemin. I love you always. In all the ways, Rue Chamberlain.”

Grim was literally so well written and narrated, it’s transports you directly into the otherworld and to Rue’s aching heart. From deep connection and love to perfectly delivered romcom banter vibes in the most dark way. You get all the feels here, you laugh, you cry, you feel the love and the ache. The atmosphere, the metaphors, the banter, the longing and melancholy, it was all chefs kiss. The soundscape and the ambience, the simple background noises and sound effects, are all just spectacular. All the voice actors did an amazing job giving life to the characters making this an exquisite audiobook.

“Your father might’ve treated you like a princess Rue Chamberlain, but i intend to make you a queen. “