This was decently enjoyable. I'm a sucker for a Grim Reaper (or reaper relation lol) story.

An MMC with a miserable life, an FMC who is pretty likable, and a scenario that is literally life and Death (get it?!)

Anyway, Samael is sent to a small town by Daddy Reaper "to learn empathy" or reap the consequences (again, pun queen!).

There is insta-lust/love, but it didn't make me stop reading. There are also some super questionable decisions made by both characters - but just suspend reality (this IS a paranormal romance).

There were some pacing issues, in my opinion, but when THE THING (no spoilers) finally started happening, the rest of the book flowed really quickly, but well.

I enjoyed how it all wrapped up, and I'm interested enough to read book 2 (about the brother of the MMC if the lead up is correct).

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for this gifted e-arc!

2.75 stars

Samael is the kind of book that has an interesting premise with a lot of potential. Death’s son getting knocked down a peg and finds out he has to reap the one woman he can’t stop thinking about? Say less. I expected that this story would have me in a chokehold; unfortunately, that was ultimately not the case.

Personally, I think this story would have benefitted with more showing and less telling. I just did not believe the instant connection/love between Samael and Adrienne, in spite of the fact that I was being told to believe it. Instalove is a difficult trope to pull off under the best of circumstances, and it just did not work for me this time.

And, this might be a little bit petty, but no one is wearing capri pants in the year of our Lord 2025 unless they are over the age of 65 or doing so ironically. I always lament when authors infuse fashion moments into the text that feel dated or inauthentic to a character’s age. This is one small example of how I just did not connect with the story at all.

Even though it wasn’t for me, this book might be for you. And it ends in an interesting place that opens up the story even more for future books.

An insta-lust, paranormal romance between the son of Death and the woman whose soul he is meant to reap . 3.5 🌟s

Samael Blackwell has been a reaper for a millennia and is used to death. Maybe a little too used to it. Sam has one chance to learn to reap with compassion or suffer the consequences. Dropped in the beyond-small-town of Redemption, Sam meets spirited Adrianne Sharp. Adrianne is hiding from a difficult past but her time is running out. Sam has never met anyone that affects him the way that Adrianne does but he can’t let his growing feelings interfere with Adrianne’s fate or he’ll lose his only chance to get his old life back.

This was a simple but fairly enjoyable read. Sam and Adrianne’s relationship is very insta-lust and attraction on both sides. The story hooks from the start with the attraction and tension, but also with a bit of mystery thrown in as well. There were some minor aspects of the story and descriptions overall that didn’t work for me. I did like Adrianne’s character. She has some rough moments but most of her actions and self-reflections show her growth from what she considers mistakes in her past. My favorite character was the curmudgeonly but lovable cat, Chester.

Many thanks to NetGalley, NJ Walters, and Entangled: Amara for the opportunity to read this in advance. All opinions are my own.

Samael is a fast-paced supernatural romance starring a woman who returns to her hometown to take over granny's lavender farm and avoid a stalker, and a reaper, who has to learn compassion.
This was a quick to love romance. I wish there had been more reaper and a bit more follow up with the stalker, however, it was an enjoyable read. 
Thank you @NetGalley and @Entangled_Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

If you’re into steamy paranormal romance with a dark twist, this one delivers big time. Samael is this broody, tormented demon who’s all alpha but has that hidden soft spot (you know the type), and I was totally here for it. The chemistry between him and the heroine crackles from the beginning, and it only gets hotter as the story goes on.

What I really liked is that even though there’s lots of heat, there’s also real emotion. Samael’s inner conflict, his past, and his struggle with redemption all added some solid depth. Plus, the world-building is intriguing—dark but not too heavy, with just enough danger to keep things interesting.

Definitely recommend if you’re into paranormal bad boys with a heart buried under centuries of guilt and smolder. Can’t wait to check out more from the series!

Samael is a Reaper. Adrianne is a human. When Samael’s father, THE Grim Reaper, decides Sam needs a lesson in compassion, he is dumped in the small town of Redemption with an assignment. His task? To reap Adrianne’s soul. The catch? He must learn to connect with her, but not interfere with her fate. If he fails, he will lose the freedom he has spent millennia enjoying and be banished to Shadowland for eternity. At first, Sam thinks this will be easy. Then he meets Adrianne and realizes it will be harder than he thinks. Adrianne is kind, caring, beautiful, and stubborn. She also has a secret. After coming home 6 months ago to take over her family’s lavender farm, her stalker her from Chicago has found her, and her life is in danger. As they spend more time together, Sam finds that his plan to reap her soul and return to his life is quickly falling apart. Instead of doing his job, he finds he wants to protect her. The harder he tries to stay on task, the more he is drawn to her and she to him. With her fate quickly approaching, can Sam complete his assignment? Or will he risk it all to try save her?

I really liked this book. It’s fast paced, and well written. It’s a quick read, but still had enough substance to feel like a longer novel. The story is engaging and keeps you guessing until the end. I liked that even though a major part of the plot is centered around Adrianne’s impending death, it does not come across heavy. It has a light-hearted feel without being cheesey. The characters are lovable and relatable. It was very easy to get into their point of view and relate to how they were feeling. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an enjoyable quick read with substance. This is the first book of it’s series and I can’t wait to read the next one!

TikTok review will be posted on 4/25/25

Book Rating: ⭐️ 3/5
Spice Rating: 🌶️ 2/5

This was a fun, quick read that follows the Grim Reaper’s son on a job...only for him to start questioning his very existence and find a renewed sense of purpose. While the plot wasn’t the most inventive (it definitely gave me Lucifer vibes), it was still enjoyable and had some genuinely funny moments.

My biggest issue was that the tone felt a bit juvenile at times, and some parts stretched believability, even for a fantasy. I found it odd that no one in the town questioned this mysterious man showing up and inserting himself into their lives with zero suspicion. Still, the spice was light but entertaining, and the characters had fun, engaging dialogue.

Overall, if you're in the mood for an easy paranormal fantasy read with some moral dilemmas and a touch of romance, this one is worth picking up.

4/5 stars! This is a PNR by author N.J. Walters. I disliked Samael for the first 20% of the book, but I think I was supposed to. How else is he going to get his big wake-up call and start being swoonworthy than being a prick up until meeting the FMC lol. Once he meets Adrianne, I was all in. This was steamy and sweet and an enjoyable read.

If you love the push/pull of not wanting to fall, but falling anyway, romance, this is definitely the book for you! It is written in dual character, third person POV. I am not typically a fan of third person POV, but the story line in this one kept me engaged. I am a junkie of paranormal romance.

This is a HEA with a strong /stoic MMC and a proud/exhausted FMC. The MMC is a reaper with all the world at his finger tips. He is trying to prove to his grim reaper daddy that he is deserving of his place and lifestyle. The FMC is a girl just trying to start over and make a positive place for herself. She is trying to outrun her traumatic past and live with the guilt of leaving her grandma. They are brought together by “devine intervention” and a stalker situation.

The main theme that I got out of this romance read, is that people and relationships are more important than any material thing or really anything else in existence. Love conquers all - familial love and chosen love.

There were definitely parts that made me laugh, talking to the crow, and parts that made me get teary eyed. The emotional aspect of this book is pretty high. I do wish the paranormal and magic elements were more prevalent. I would have liked to have know more of what Sam was capable of in the magic department. I also would have liked more back and forth between him and his dad. A little more meat as to why his dad did what he did. The action does pick up towards the end, but it was over before it really began. More struggle, more action, more tension is what I would have lived to see.

There are a couple spicy scenes, which really aren’t my thing. And their connection was instant even though it took a while for them to act on it and admit there was a connection, to themselves and each other.

Overall I would recommend this for those who are just starting in the paranormal world, or those just looking for a solid romance read. 2 thumbs up and looking forward to the next stand alone in this new series.

I did receive a digital ARC of this book, thank you Entangled Publishing and N.J. Walters

✨Love her. Protect her. Reap her soul✨

Samael can’t change fate. It’s a cardinal rule—reap the souls, help humans pass to the afterlife, but never interfere with someone marked for death. Then again, he’s never met Adrianne Sharp. Back home from Chicago and hiding from her traumatic past, Adrianne has no idea that her days are numbered, nor that the man protecting her from her stalker has been sent to watch her die. Their connection is instant and earth-shattering, but as her st@lker closes in, Samael must decide: will he reap her soul? Or can he save it?

Look, I’ll be honest—Samael requires some serious suspension of disbelief. You’re telling me that a woman being actively stalked by a mysterious stranger would be remotely interested in a romantic and sexual relationship with, you guessed it, a mysterious stranger, less than two days after he shows up with no ID and no money in the town she moved to so she could, and let me reiterate this, ESCAPE HER STALKER?! It’s a hard sell, especially since the plot spans no more than a week—I prefer a solid slow burn to insta-love, and the timeline of the story, which takes place over a few days, doesn’t allow for the kind of believable tension or trust I was hoping for to develop.

That said, Samael reads like a Hallmark movie version of Lucifer, and once I forced my brain to shut up and get on board with the premise, I had a surprisingly fun time rooting for Sam to protect Adrianne, her little lavendar farm, her grumpy cat, and her complete lack of common sense and self-preservation. The ‘Grim Reaper seeking redemption’ angle, Walters’ straightforward prose, and the snappy (if somewhat Swiss cheesy) plot kept me turning the page, and though the story isn’t life changing, it’s quick, entertaining, and bingeable—a solid pick for thriller and paranormal romance readers alike.

3.5 stars

3.5 ⭐️

The grim reaper isn’t happy with how one of his sons, Samael, has been doing his job. He’s seemed to have lost all his empathy and dear old dad wants to change that. He sends Sam to a small town on a mission to reap a woman’s soul and prove to his father that he can dig deep to find that empathy once again.

Adrianne wanted to prove that she could make it in a big city and make a name for herself. She finds herself with a bit of a stalker problem and eventually moves back home once her grandma passes away.

I overall enjoyed the story of Sam and Adrianne but wanted a little more from it. The story of Adrianne’s stalker felt like it took over a lot of the book and Sam was almost an afterthought. I thought that this could have been a YA novel if the few spicy scenes had been taken out.

Thank you to the Entangled Publishing team for the ARC

Once I started I found it difficult to put down.
There is love, tension, mystery, slow burn that defies logic.
I loved the Reapers insight, it’s a first for me and I read a lot of fantasy.
I read a lot of controversial reviews about this book but I loved it, it hooked me right from the start.

Thanks to Entangled and Netgalley for letting me read it as an eARC.

4.5 stars.
This moved quickly in the beginning and got straight to the plot. I loved reading how the big bad reaper who didn’t care for anyone in the world suddenly developed feelings. So basically Samael made dad mad by not doing well at his job as a reaper, and not just any reaper, but the son of the grim reaper himself. Samael got dropped in the middle of nowhere with his powers locked down no money and no help. His mission: to learn compassion. Along comes Adrianne and complicates things. All Samael can think of is her and as a reaper he knows he is there to eventually collect her soul so he can’t get attached. Until he does…

I enjoyed this book it was fast, but appropriately paced. I also enjoyed the characters and the storyline. There were some minor redundancies, but nothing so dramatic that it took away from the book. In the story, we are introduced to Samael, a reaper and the son of Death who has become apathetic in his work and to the feelings of those he must reap. Death (aka his Dad) gives him a final chance in the small town of Redemption (oh, the irony) to learn how to be a better reaper and show compassion towards humans. While on this journey he meets Adrianne, a down to earth good person, who intrigues him in ways he doesn’t understand…but he is soon conflicted when he learns that she’s his next assignment. Adrianne has challenges that she has to face and Samael quickly has to learn his true priorities. Extra credit for Adrianne whose favorite movie is The Crow (with Brandon Lee) – I love that movie! Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the eARC.

Quick story about the reaper's son and what he is willing to do to save the woman that he has come to love. The story focused on Samael's actions and how little thought he placed into the lives of those individuals he was meant to guide over to the other side. We get a lot of action packed scenes in the book and some spice as well.

Thank you to Brittany and the Entangled team for the eARC!

Marked by Death, Saved by Love
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5
🪦This book surprised me in the best way. Samael, our reaper-turned-reluctant-hero, is as callous as you’d expect from someone who deals in death—but that cold demeanor slowly cracks, and what’s underneath is pure gold. His internal struggle not to care about Adrienne is one of the best parts of the book. He keeps telling himself he doesn’t care, but his actions (and the author’s clever use of language) betray him. It’s the perfect case of “bro’s in denial.”

The tension between Samael and Adrienne is so well done. There’s an initial attraction, but it’s not rushed into insta-love. It builds in a way that feels earned, even with the paranormal stakes at play. I especially loved the simplicity and emotional weight of a single hug between them—it was tender, intimate, and more powerful than most steamy scenes.

Adrienne isn’t just a love interest—she’s got her own arc, and there’s a genuine sense of mystery around her. Is she being stalked? What is she afraid of? And did Samael’s temporary humanity (thanks to his dad?) impact how deeply he connected with her?

The juxtaposition of Samael trying not to care, while slowly unraveling emotionally, is so satisfying. His charity work, his empathy, his realism—all of it makes his eventual vulnerability hit even harder. And that savory/spicy scene? I knew it was going to be a HEA, but it still brought me close to tears.

Samael’s father also had a surprisingly emotional arc. Watching him finally recognize his own coping mechanisms—and how they affected his son—was a standout moment that added depth beyond the romance.

If I had one small wish, it would be to see even more of Samael’s hidden romantic side. But even as it is, this book gave me tension, heartache, tenderness, and a beautifully-earned love story. 💀

Thank you to the author and Entangled for this ARC!

So good, I read it in 6 hours (I couldn't put it down!!).

Samael is one of the sons of Death, a Reaper, and his father isn't exactly happy with how he has been doing his job recently. His way to fix things? Drop Samael on the outskirts of the town of Redemption and have him learn compassion and empathy. He has one simple job: guide this soon-to-be-dead soul to the afterlife. Easy, right? Yea, that's what he thought...until he met Adrianne. The undeniable pull they have to each other that snapped into place the moment they first met. The catch? Adrianne has some dark secrets of her own. Oh, and she is the one who is going to die, the one Sam has to help pass. But can he put aside his feelings, or is he willing to give up everything for her?

I can't get over how fast I read this book (I think 6 hours is a personal record in how fast I read a book!). It was THAT good. Add in the fact that she has a stalker?!?! and I was SOLD. It had the perfect amount of suspense, romance, spice, and who can't forget the show-stopping, cantankerous, big grey cat 😂

The epilogue ending?! Book 2 needs to get here ASAP!

Being the son of Death cannot be easy and after thousands of years reaping souls, Samael Blackwell, has grown bored with it all to the dismay of his father. Giving him one last chance to show he does have compassion for those he reaps, Death sends him to the small town of Redemption. With little money and none of his usual Reaper powers he happens upon Adrianne Sharp. Adrianne is a little distant but kindspirited. But what seems like a chance meeting turns out not to be since it is her soul that he is meant to take.
Samael by NJ Walters was a good mix of suspense, paranormal and romance. I enjoyed the overall storyline and the mystery needing to solved. I liked the conflict and connection between Sam and Adrianne. The builded up towards the end is where I found myself most intrigued since there were many thrilling and emotional moments. The 3rd person POV worked well for this story since it has kinda an otherworldly feel. I definitely look forward to the rest of the series.
Thank you Entangled Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was suspenseful, sweet, steamy, fun and kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

I actually enjoyed this book, and found it quite a cute and easy read! while it didn’t blow me away, it was still a fun little escape into the world of brooding immortals and fated romance.

The characters were likeable enough, even if they didn’t have a ton of depth. The romance was definitely on the insta-love side, which isn’t always my favorite — but hey, sometimes you just want your paranormal hotties to fall fast and hard, right? The plot was predictable, but it had a nice pace and the stalker-suspense element added just enough tension to keep me turning pages.

The ending felt a bit rushed (like, wait… that’s it?), but it did leave room for the rest of the series to build on. If you’re into quick, easy paranormal romances with a touch of danger and a lot of brooding, this one’s worth a go — just don’t expect anything groundbreaking.