The Afterlife of the Party

A BWWM Grumpy x Sunshine Gothic Romantic Comedy

By: Tia Zade

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

She orchestrates happily-ever-afters. He curates dignified-ever-afters.

Clemence Valentine, the sunshine-fueled force behind Vibrant Vows, is an explosion of color in the perpetually grey town of Parker. Her philosophy is simple: celebrate life, loudly. But with an eviction notice threatening her glitter-bombed empire, her signature optimism is running on fumes.

Bartholomew Blackwood is the grumpy, fourth-generation undertaker of the Blackwood Funeral Home, a crumbling gothic manor where the only residents more silent than him are his clientele (both living and spectral). He’s the custodian of quiet, the guardian of grey, and his family’s legacy is one tax bill away from ruin.

Their worlds collide when an eccentric heiress’s final will forces them into an unholy partnership: orchestrate her funeral. The catch? She wanted a traditional, somber procession followed by a glitter-fueled, jazz-blaring, Second Line street party.

The payout could save both their businesses—a cool half-a-million dollars each. But it requires cooperation.

He’s the silence she’s spent a lifetime running from; she’s the chaos that threatens his meticulously ordered world. They clash over every funereal detail, from casket-sharp lipstick to the structural integrity of a ceiling about to be hit with a holographic glitter bomb.

But in the quiet halls of the haunted funeral home, their battles ignite a different kind of spark. As they fight for a legacy, fend off corporate vultures, and maybe even learn to dance, they discover that the one person they can’t stand might be the only one who truly sees them.

Can the king of monochrome find color in his world? And can the queen of celebration finally find a quiet place to call home?

The Afterlife of the Party is a laugh-out-loud, steamy BWWM grumpy-sunshine romantic comedy with a gothic twist. If you love witty banter, forced proximity, haunted houses, and heroes who fall first (and hard), you’ll adore this story of finding joy in the shadows.