3.9 (73 ratings)

Sour Rot: A Gothic Romance

Name: Sour Rot: A Gothic Romance
Rating: 3.9 (73 reviews)
Author: Lily A. Grace
ISBN: B0G6KB3GK5

by Lily A. Grace

ghosts

About this book

After the sudden death of her parents, Grace Lockett abandons her decaying cottage for a grim apprenticeship in London. She finds herself under the tutelage of Nicholas Crowthorne, an enigmatic, surly funeral director who treats the dead with a devotion that borders on the divine. Amidst the scent of formaldehyde and the silence of the morgue, Grace discovers a unsettling affinity for the macabre, realizing that her new mentor sees both a kindred spirit and a haunting reflection of his long-dead fiancé in her eyes.

This gripping debut marks a fresh entry into the gothic horromance genre, blending the atmospheric dread of a Victorian estate with the sharp edges of a modern-day setting. It is a slow-burn tale where love does not bloom in the sunlight, but festers in the cold, wet soil of obsession. As Grace navigates the toxic allure of her employer, she must confront the chilling truth about the man who holds her future in his hands—and the woman who haunted him first.

Perfect for fans of dark romance and academy-style secrets, this story explores the thin, gruesome veil between passion and possession. When love is synonymous with death, how much of yourself are you willing to bury?

Publication Date: May 25, 2026
ASIN: B0G6KB3GK5

Reader Reviews

Unresolved Past Characters

April 1, 2026

A small town young woman moves to London and takes up a job with a handsome funeral director. She trains to prepare bodies before they are buried or incinerated into ashes. In spite of the gruesome vocation, Grace Lockett and Nicholas Crowthorne, fall in love with each other. Nicholas tries to resist Grace because he's older, but his effort doesn't last. Both characters grew-up with individuals that haunt them at the end of the story. The Gothic Romance, told in first person, includes Nicholas...

⭐⭐⭐ gothic, eerie vibes pulled me in

March 26, 2026

⭐⭐⭐ gothic, eerie vibes pulled me in Eerie in all the right ways, with a gothic setting that hooked me from page one. An entertaining, moody read if you love dark, crumbling Victorian estate vibes with shady dealings and secrets. #gifted (NG) )

A great gothic horrormance debut!

April 6, 2026

After the death of her parents, Grace abandons her crumbling cottage and seeks out a new life as an apprentice at a funeral home that is steeped in silence, decay, and secrets. There, she meets Nicholas Crowthorne, a man as cold and captivating as the bodies he tends to. Nicholas sees something in Grace, a darkness that mirrors his own. But it's not just her nature that unsettles him, but also the uncanny resemblance to Louisa, his long dead fiancee. Drawn together by grief, obsession and...

Rotten and Delicious

March 6, 2026

There’s something deliciously unsettling about a story that treats death not as an ending, but as a profession. Sour Rot: A Gothic Romance leans fully into that tension, unfolding in the shadowy corners of the funeral industry where grief, intimacy, and decay sit side by side. Lily A. Grace writes with a quiet, creeping dread. The atmosphere is thick—like the air of a room that hasn’t been opened in years—yet the story never feels stagnant. Instead, it slowly ferments, revealing the strange...

Love blooms in a gothic mansion

March 3, 2026

In Sour Rot, we follow Grace as she begins a new stage in her life. Always drawn to darker, more macabre things, she is excited to apprentice at a funeral home. When she meets her new boss, Nicholas, they both have trouble denying the chemistry and pull they feel towards one another. As she grows closer to Nicholas, Grace begins to have more and more questions about his past, and especially a particular woman from his past. This book has gothic, haunted, and moody elements in spades! There is...