Samuel was a fast, enjoyable read. It was a little predictable at times, but I will almost certainly read the following books with his brothers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Enjoyable, but not unforgettable

Samael has a solid paranormal premise. Death’s son seeking redemption but doesn’t fully deliver on its potential. The world-building is intriguing and Samael himself is a compelling lead, but the pacing drags at times and the heroine lacks depth. It leans heavily on familiar tropes, which makes the story feel predictable. Still, if you’re a fan of moody, brooding heroes and dark romance themes, it’s a decent read just not one that stands out.

3 stars.

I liked the writing but sadly, the storyline it wasn't for me. I didn't believe the love between mmc and fmc. I'm not very keen of insta love trope.

Thank you Netgalley, Entangled Publishing, and N.J. Walters for sending me this advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

While I did enjoy this book, there was a lot of repetition. It's also it's light on the worldbuilding. It took a little bit for me to finally settle into how this world works.

The pace was really quick, but I wasn't a fan of how fast the insta-love happened. I would have loved more time for the characters to bond. It really felt like only a few days before they were all over each other. There wasn't a lot of spice, but what we got was pretty good.

I really liked Adrianne, and it was nice to see a strong female character that wasn't super snarky and irritating. She was really good handling whatever was thrown at her.

Sam is your standard dark broody dude that falls in love. He was okay, but not that memorable. I felt like I never really got into his head the same way we did Adrianne.

This was an interesting read, but I'm not sure I will continue the series.

Samael, the son of death, is forced to live in a small town after his father realizes that he no longer takes his job as a reaper seriously. Samael is more focused on his own luxuries and life than the meaning of death and comforting those who pass. As part of his punishment, Samael must reap Adrianne, a local girl from town, after getting to know her so he can understand compassion. Adrianne moved from a big city back to her hometown after being stalked and threatened by an unknown man. She tries to find safety back home on her family's lavender farm but it seems that her stalker has followed her home. Samael offers to protect her and in doing so, falls in love. Now he's stuck between following his father's wishes and saving the life of the girl he loves.

Samael was a fun, fast-paced read but the characters felt two-dimensional at times. I appreciated the mystery aspect of the book and trying to find out who the stalker was. Overall, I would recommend this book to someone who wants a light paranormal romance with mild spicy scenes.

The grim reaper’s son? Yes!
The premise is interesting. A reaper being sent on a specific mission to learn empathy. Naturally, he falls for the woman he was sent to learn from. This is a very fast paced book in terms of relationship but the main conflict falls flat in my opinion.

The first few chapters had me a bit aggravated thinking I was going to be able to predict this story fairly easy and I did... for a while. Samael as a reaper who was spoiled to the max without emotions falls for a girl he thinks he can't have. I loved the mystery behind this book and it is what kept me reading. The romance was sweet but nothing I haven't read before. I do wish there was a bit more character building and personality to them. The story was fantastic and very different from others I have read but it didn't leave me wanting for more.

I did not finish this book unfortunately.
Thank you for this opportunity!
I hope others enjoyed this book!

This book had me sat in my seat! The instant banter and attraction had me giggling. I honestly had no idea who the villain possibly was until it was revealed and I was like “WHATTT” so taken aback!

Broody reaper meets cinnamon roll lavender farmer?
Yes, please.

Samael is an emotional and suspenseful paranormal romance that pulled me in from the very beginning. N.J. Walters delivers a story that blends steamy chemistry, heartfelt emotion, and just enough danger to keep you on edge.

Samael, the eldest son of the Grim Reaper, starts out aloof and detached from humanity. But when he’s stripped of his powers and dumped in the small town of Redemption to complete a mysterious reaping, things don’t go as planned. Especially when he meets Adrianne—a kind, resilient lavender farmer with a painful past and a stalker lurking in the shadows.

Watching the brooding reaper fall hard for the very woman he was sent to reap was such a satisfying arc. The romance is fast moving but genuine, with that classic opposites-attract energy. Adrianne brings out a softer side in Sam, and their dynamic has just the right mix of tenderness, spice, and emotional weight. And yes, the bed breaking scene lives rent free in my head.

I also appreciated the suspense woven through the plot. Adrianne’s stalker added a layer of tension that made the stakes feel real. The twist? I didn’t see it coming which is always a win in my book.

If you enjoy redemption arcs, found-family energy, and a paranormal romance where fate and free will collide, Samael is a must read. Plus, the setup for book two promises even more reaper drama

AS someone who enjoys character driven stories, I enjoyed this. The premise was interesting with Samael being sent down to find his humanity. The path to the FMC could have been developed more, but honestly I couldn't put it down. 4 stars, and 2.5 on the spicy scale.

I always like when this author puts out a new series, but also, the 1st books tend to struggle to get the world going. This one is no different.
I LOVE the premise. Eternal aged reaper son of the big Grim Reaper. Sent to the lowly humans to find his humanity. As you see inside Samael's head, you can absolutely understand why he turned hard and cold to avoid the pain of loss over and over.
I like Adrianne and how much of a fighter she could be. She was stuck in an endless cycle of being stalked and fairly powerless to get out of it.

Connecting these two people and coming out the other side was okay. Not great. It was strange how Samael just drops in and is accepted by everyone. The ending was expected. I hope the brothers' stories bring in the variety I have seen in other series by this author.

**Samael** by N.J. Walters is a dark, addictive, and utterly captivating fantasy romance that gripped me from the first page and refused to let go! Samael is the perfect tortured antihero—brooding, powerful, and unexpectedly vulnerable—and Adrianne is a fierce, resilient heroine who steals the spotlight with her strength and heart. Their chemistry is magnetic, their connection soul-deep, and the stakes? Absolutely devastating. Walters masterfully blends emotion, danger, and a dash of the supernatural into a story that’s as romantic as it is haunting. I couldn’t put it down. This is redemption, romance, and fate done *right*! 💀❤️ #Samael #NetGalley

A book that blew my expectations!

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I had very little expectations when I got this book but it blew me away.

It’s written in 3rd POV which isn’t my go to and there was an initial POV shift that got me confused but once I got past my initial struggle I couldn’t put this book down!

While some parts felt like it went how I’d expected it to go there was still a huge chunk that caught me completely off guard.

Tropes:

🪦 Paranormal Romance
🪻 Opposites Attract
🪦 Family Drama
🪻 Trauma
🪦 Small Town Romance

Interesting story with some emotional moments, but the pacing felt uneven and I didn’t fully connect with the characters. Worth a read if you like darker, character-driven books.

Surprising romance between a human and an immortal; 4.5 scary stars
Ms. Walters can write the most angsty, tortured main male characters; no matter, we cannot help but fall for them and hope they get that seemingly out-of-reach HEA. When Samael is given his assignment, he has no idea that the choices he will make could change everything, including himself.
Sam has gotten complacent in his job as reaper; according to his father he lacks compassion. His father, Death gives him a new assignment with an ultimatum in which Sam is given his last chance. If he cannot show compassion to the dying in this case, he will be pulled back to Shadowland and remain there forever.
His father does have a sense of humor as he takes away all his fancy clothes, credit cards, car, everything and plops Samael down on the side of a rural road on a very hot day. Along comes Adrianne Sharp who offers him a ride into town, Redemption where she was headed. Sam ends up hitching a ride to her lavender farm and thus begins a very intriguing, scary at times, steamy story about Sam getting his compassion but will he lose something else? Death has three sons: Samael, Alexiares and Kieran. I am looking forward to the next brother’s book! I volunteered to review an ARC of it through Entangled and NetGalley. This book will haunt me for a while.

DNF (9%)

The idea of the book sounded interesting, but unfortunately the writing style wasn’t for me. There was a lot of unnecessary repetition like Samael mentioning multiple times how he missed his hot date during the same chapter.

The spice was low in this book (which is totally fine), and in my opinion, the stalker aspects were slightly lacking, I felt like something was missing. I still enjoyed this book though. It was quick, and easy to keep up with and the bed breaking scene was HAWT! Both of our main characters had to make some sacrifices and I am curious to see if there will be any consequences for that.
even though I enjoyed this book, it didn't leave me begging for more and I didn't feel a very strong connection to these characters.

I won’t lie, it took a minute for this one to hook me, but once it did I couldn’t stop. Samael, the son of Death himself, gets pulled into a mission far more personal and emotional than he expected. I loved the small town setting with the lavender farm and Adrianne’s less-than-enthused cat! These aspects made the thriller/suspense plot a bit lighter and not as intense. Overall, I enjoyed this read and was definitely surprised by how emotional the ending left me (yes, I may have teared up a little 👀).

That said, I gave it 4 stars mainly because the repeated “I can’t interfere” line wore a bit thin—especially since he kept slightly interfering within the investigation and in a romantic sense. I also found the third-person POV less immersive for me personally, though that’s more about preference than any fault in the writing.

Overall, this was a suspenseful, quick read with action, romance, and a hot reaper trying to learn empathy. If you like supernatural, forbidden connections, and a small-town stalker vibe, Samael is perfect for you!

A solid 4 star book.

A seemingly impossible task was given to the grim reapers son, Samael. Learn empathy or be stripped of your powers and banished to the shadow world for eternity.

Sam was dropped in a town called Redemption (fitting right?) where he had $500 and a job to do. With no way to contact the outside world, Sam got to work.

This was one of those “love can conquer all” stories. Thanks to entangled publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thanks to NetGalley as well!