I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who has read this author before, I mostly knew what I was getting into. But, as a kid who grew up in a south Minneapolis suburb, I had so much fun with the little local references. This was a wonderful story, and even though I’d love if it was the start of a series, it was a great stand alone.
The characters were well written, the story was layered and though it was easy to see where the story was going, it wasn’t necessarily one you could say what was going to happen by chapter two.

If you’re looking for a fun new read, give this one a try.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc

Amara has zero interest in the family business, but is forced into it when her dad, the grim reaper, becomes gravely ill.

With the help of her best friend, her mother, and a host of death gods, she learns the ropes and uncovers a lot of truths about herself and her family.

Overall it’s was a really enjoyable read, there were some relationship aspects that could have been more in-depth, but being a standalone novel there’s enough background that it isn’t feel like rushed instalove. It was a quick, fun, thoughtful read.

This was a fun read. I always enjoy MaryJanice Davidson's dialogue in her novels. There are so many fun references and laugh out loud moments.

In this novel Amara's father is sick and she has to take over his duties of reaping souls. However she wants no part of this job. On top of this she is worried about her best friend aka love of her life, Gray, who is destined to die soon. Gray has had a difficult childhood and he is the only friend who knows about's Amara's secret. Amara must find out what is making her dad sick and find a way to save Gray.

This is a great supernatural and light novel. It reads quickly and it is a unique look at death. There is some romance and lots of witty dialogue.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC.

Within two pages, I felt like I had stumbled over a dark, sarcastic version of the crew from Four Weddings and a Funeral - in a good way. Humor and relationships between family and characters here was at an all time high and kept me engaged and interested in what would happen next. However, the promise of great spice, was not entirely fulfilled; perhaps it would be smart to put a chili pepper rating for folks - this one would be 1.5. Overall, the coming of age story, set against an incredibly poetic and creatively dark set of individuals worked for me - I would dial up the spice to make this a real hit.

I have been a fan of Mary Janice Davidson for years, and it was so fun to return to one of her worlds! As a Minnesotan, I loved all the Nordic references and Midwest style banter. I found myself laughing out loud several times. It is clear that this is a start to a series, and there is quite a bit of groundwork that needed to be laid before you could get into the plot/conflict. Due to this, it did feel that the ending was a bit rushed. Honestly, I was a little confused by the ending until the main character went back through and explained her reasoning and actions to those around her.

I am very interested to see where the story goes from here.

Although I felt like this story had a bit of a slow start, by the end I was fully invested in our main character and the mystery. I enjoyed the banter between our FMC and MMC, and the modern take on death god folklore. I wish there had been a bit more backstory and build up to the love story element, but overall a fun read.

With a quirky twist on the fantastical, bringing myths of death and reapers from all over the globe into one story - I adored the imagination and heart in this book! I wished it would have gone a little deeper with some of the side characters, and that readers received some insight of the MC’s final plans rather than just being revealed as she reveals it to the cast of characters, but other than that—I just wish it had been longer!

So I have been a fan of the author for years, her writing style and characters are usually hilarious, and you are in for a funny and witty read. So when I saw this new book from her was excited to read it.

The concept of Death retiring and his Daughter Amara Morrigan taking over the family business as the grim reaper, very reluctantly, was a great idea, I thought. I do enjoy her writing style and found myself laughing out loud whilst reading, but I felt the book needed more character development. I did enjoy this book, but I just didn't love it. I found myself trying to like Amara, without success, until halfway through the book. It gives “Little Nicky” vibes to anybody who has seen the film with Adam Sandler. I am sure any fan of the author will enjoy reading this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This started off strong and then kind of plateaued, I unfortunately DNF around 25% - I had a really hard time with the formatting and the general flow of the book. I think this has the potential to be a super cute paranormal romance & I will give it another go when it's published (and hopefully in audio format)

I loved this book and it was a super easy/fast read. However, I don't think the cover matched the vibe of the book at all. I think the cover should be more victorian or witchy.

While I am a huge fan of Ms. Davidson I can’t read this book at the moment. I have had multiple deaths in my family this year and can’t read a book about death right now.

This was a fun paranormal story with elements or humor, mystery, and romance. I appreciated the combination of multiple mythologies. Characterization and dialogue were great!

The Reluctant Reaper is a book by MaryJanice Davidson. MaryJanice Davidson is well known for her humorous paranormal romances, such as the Undead and Unwed series featuring Betsy Taylor. This book has the same feel funny, snarky, a bit irreverent. I look forward to meeting these characters again. if you are a fan of the Betsy Taylor books—where the heroine is more concerned with shoes than slaying vampires—then this book will feel like familiar territory. Amara takes on being the new grim reaper like Betsy took on being a vampire.

📖 Bookish Thoughts
Very cute paranormal romance! The millennial in me will never turn down a good one, and this totally scratched that itch. I loved Amara! She was hilarious, and genuinely fun to follow. I’m actually excited for the audiobook release and plan to listen the moment it’s out!

🗓 Pub Date: November 11, 2025
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I’ve been a longtime fan of this author so I was thrilled to dive into her latest book. Lately, I’ve become quite selective about my main characters, and I didn’t immediately connect with Amara. But by the end, I found myself rooting for her as well as Gary, her friend and love interest, whose tragic backstory really pulled at my heartstrings. The side characters were equally compelling, and I’d love to see more of them in future stories.

As expected, this is a beautifully written novel, filled with sharp humor, an engaging whodunit, and a twisty, unexpected ending. Fans of the author will definitely be pleased. Highly recommend!

I didn't love it but I didn't hate it.
The beginning chapters had me hooked, I wanted to keep reading. But as I kept reading, it started to become a struggle to want to keep going. I loved the idea about of this book. Death's daughter need to fill his shoes and take over but she's reluctant to do so. I enjoyed the dialogue, parts of it were funny and could you make you laugh. World building and the characters could've had a bit more to them.

~Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the chance to read this arc.

3.25 ⭐️

this was so quirky and fun, very fast-paced and it made me feel like i was watching a sitcom about amara and her whole wacky family. the dialogue was naturally very funny and some of the things coming out of the characters’ mouth had me laughing out loud (especially gray), and their humour was my favourite thing about this book. i liked the lil mystery element to it and that each character had a different personality, which we got to see mostly from the way they talked

i do, however, wish there had been more world-building or maybe more i depth to the characters beyond their lines - it read a bit like a script with some fluffing around. maybe if it wasn’t solely focused on just dialogue, i’d have enjoyed it more.

i did really enjoy the relationship between amara and gray and loved that they were practically partners in crime (solving it anyway) but felt the last act was too rushed in suddenly having their feelings come to the surface. it was a bit confusing when the speed amped up but overall i thought they were very cute !!

thank you netgalley & the publisher for the arc!

I loved this book! It was a sweet, humorous love story. The FMC is witty and smart and the MMC gives it right back. I have loved other books by this author but this one was a pleasant unexpected read. Definitely would recommend

I’ve been a fan of this author for years, probably closer to decades, so I was delighted to be able to read this newest by her. Lately, I’ve been particularly picky about my main characters, and I didn’t click with Amara right away. However, by the end of the book, I was cheering her on as well as Gary, her friend/love interest who I felt so much for because of his tragic backstory. I’d like to learn more about the side characters because they were so captivating, too. Of course, this is a well-written tale (I really wouldn’t expect anything else) but it also has snarky humor, an interesting whodunit, and a surprising ending. Sure to please fans of this author. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Enjoyed, characters will be fun if the series continues. Sometimes it drags just a bit, but it is also understandable as the characters need to be flushed out.