A funny and interesting story, it shows a new point of view on Fae that has the flavor of actual Celtic fairy tales, even with its dark places.
The main characters are well described and very believable (even if they're magical beings) and secondary characters make the story funny and grounded at the same time.
Recommended.

Scott Colby's "A Date With Death" reads a little like "Tales from the Gas Station", or the "Welcome To Night Vale" scripts, in the sense that there's a lot of quirky stuff going on and the humour is of the slightly bizarre sort. Having just moved back in with his mom after losing his job, Kevin thinks that his life officially can¡t get worse. But then he discovers that the gorgeous woman he's been dating in his dreams is real; and that her ex-fiancé is actually, oops, the Reaper, who has been too depressed to reap souls since he was left at the altar and is thus endangering the Magic Community, and the balance of the universe itself. Now, Kevin must find Death's perfect match..., before Death finds out that Kevin was the reason he got his heart broken in the first place.

Such an enjoyable read! Kevin's shenanigans as he tried to fix Death's love life were quite adventurous, and there were so many things happening. Demons, kidnapping, Kevin's ex coming back to town, one of his best friends being directly involved with Kevin's job loss... Although sometimes it got a bit too much to follow, it was nonetheless an action-packed read. There was also the matter of the magical world Kevin finds himself in, which was rich and vibrant. Would definitely recommend for fans of the media mentioned above!

this was a great start to a series, it was a great blend of morbid and fantasy. The characters were well-written and I had a lot of fun reading this book. It left me wanting more in the series.

This book was great and I really want to read more books from the author in the future. I really enjoyed the writing style.

A Date With Death has a really cool premise. Kevin has lost his job and moved home to his small town to figure things out. A girl he thought was just a fantasy, someone he saw in his dreams, he discovers is real. Nella used to be engaged to Death and she left him at the alter once she realized Kevin was back in town. A depressed Death has stopped taking souls and is on Strike. Kevin is tasked by the magic community to fix this issue.

Let’s talk about the cool stuff in the book:

There is an interesting dynamic in the world. A magical community that includes elves, demons, pixies, water nymphs, grim reapers and much more. There seems to be some hierarchy and structure to it and general rules for that community.

The town Kevin lives in, has some quirky characters and Kevin’s mom is a trip. She was a holy roller that at one point sprays some of the people in town with a super soaker filled with holy water. Later she has something of a midlife crisis and well, goes on a bender of sorts.

The idea of finding Death a new girl so he isn’t so bummed about losing Nella and will get back on the soul reaping train so that the people in the sleepy little community start to die again.

What the book could have done better in my opinion:

Sometimes this felt a little all over the place. There is a lot of competing things happening. Kevin’s best friend being part of the reason that he may have lost his job. Kevin’s ex-girlfriend showing up in his town. The entire demon angle and being kidnapped by a magical creature. It seemed like there could have been 2 separate stories that both could have been perhaps streamlined a little better.

The love story is a bit rushed. Kevin and Nella might be a good match but it is difficult to connect to them since she is just the girl he thought was a dream. We meet her, find out she is real and then he spends a lot of the book speaking of how much he cares about her. They really didn’t get much page time together. I think that the reader might have benefitted from a few flashbacks to their time together and how they fell in love.

Overall:

It tool me awhile to finish the book and that could have just been because I was distracted by both the holidays and current events, but my engagement level definitely wasn’t as engaged as I normally am. I might give the next book in this series a try to see if some of the set ups from this book pay off.

This book is rich with description that really put you in the head and shoes of our main character, Kevin. Usually there is the drag of needing to suspend disbelief as the characters in a story just accept what's happening to them, especially in the supernatural genres. Kevin circumvents much of this by remaining skeptical and maintaining an observant eye to make sure he isn't falling victim to someone pulling a fast one. While there were a few elements that felt clunky, the environment never lacked and the pacing was solid. I enjoyed this immensely, if for no other reason than the familiarity with boonie squalor that Colby's writing evoked. Actually, scratch that, it was for far more than his writing descriptions that kept me invested, but you'll have to read it yourself to find out more.

An interesting and unique story about a guy who finds out the girl he’s been seeing (in his dreams) is actually real and that, oh her ex is a reaper and he’s in deep trouble if he can’t solve this. Kevin is sort of just lazing around as he has lost his job, moved back in with his mom, and the only relationship he has is with a gorgeous blue woman who only appears in his dreams..... until now. Kevin get’s pulled into the world of magic and is tasked with fixing the reaper who his (dream) girlfriend turned real life nymph left at the altar, since the reaper is out to kill him. Lots of fun shenanigans and a nice romance between Kevin and Nella. Overall, a fun read that wraps up nicely! The magic world in the book was fun to read about and I enjoyed it.

*Thanks Netgalley and Outland Entertainment for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*