This book is a brilliant read for lovers of historical fiction and fantasy.
It is a unique story of love that will capture the reader from the very first page.
Some of its themes are dark but hold substance to the plot whilst the love that the two main characters have transgress time and dimensions.
Beautifully written
It is the second book in Scarlett Reeds the Death Dimension series byr can be read as a stand alone novel.
I can’t wait for the next

I really enjoyed this book. I have not read the first book but you can read either one as a standalone. I was invested in the characters and engulfed with the storyline. The author has a lovely way of creating a world that was written very well. For me it was a page turner. I felt the true love between Niklaus and Avaline. I can’t wait to see what more becomes of Niklaus

This is a story about Avaline Addams, who hailed from colonial Virginia and was promised to the Viscount Harmsworth-a man crossed with familial and financial expectation. Teetering on the cusp of entering the aristocracy, Avaline meets Niklaus Davenport: an enigma, really, and an Angel of Death on his maiden voyage into human life. That roadside meeting stirrups something in Avaline, subtly unbalancing her curiosity, while being an indication toward a deeper connection that is darker than societal norms would dare permit. But when she enters the arranged marriage, it becomes clear that Harmsworth's ambitions are transactional in a way that complicates Avaline's visions of love and partnership, in striking contrast to the enigmatic allure of Niklaus.

Though Avaline does her best to bend herself into the mold of a dutiful bride, she somehow finds herself irrepressibly drawn to the aura surrounding Niklaus-one that tells of calm yet intense intrigue. Meanwhile, Niklaus grapples with the sensual richness of mortal life-a world of beauty and darkness-pressing in upon him, ethereally, toward Avaline. As Avaline prepares to consummate her marriage, the multifaceted relationship of these three individuals unravels and forms a very strong foundation for a realistic study of fate, obligation, and longing.

Avaline at the outset is a woman of status, committed to the goals that have consumed her family. Her marrying Harmsworth is to benefit her family, though she herself desires love and regard from her future spouse. Throughout the book, her inner struggle rises, and this is because she has to constantly choose between societal pressures and personal desires, each time Niklaus is near. Her intentions have been carved out by her family expectations and wanting to be a "perfect" wife, but she needed more than what this transactional bond Harmsworth was offering her.

Niklaus is an Angel of Death in a human shell, and everything seems new and bright yet weighed down by emotions and weaknesses he has never known. His attraction toward Avaline seems to be sourced by fascination with the sphere of human life, especially since he now goes through a few complexities of attachment versus duty. This makes him inquisitive yet restrained; his attraction to Avaline balances with his role in the world as a supernaturally mechanical onlooker. Niklaus's nature as a bridge between life and death brought forth an unusually contemplative character, often weighty with thoughts of mortality and love.

Of the three, Harmsworth is probably the most tormented; he is wracked with debt and family obligation, yet attempts to cling to his aristocratic status through his engagement to Avaline. His motives revealed a man in contention between doing the proper thing and giving in to personal weakness. His relationship with Avaline is based on expectation rather than any affection; this shows his belief that marriage exists to help a person find a place socially and economically, rather than in fulfilling personal happiness.

Secondary Characters
Avaline's aunt, among other peripheral characters, adds to the social weave that surrounds Avaline, with each character reflecting facets of the societal values. The few relations she does have with these figures heighten her isolation and inner war all the more because she compares and contrasts the ambitions and priorities of the various characters against her own desires.

The Duty versus Desire theme is quite focused; a lot of Avaline's struggle lies in what her family demands of her versus what she desires for herself. This characterizes conflict between social duty and emotional fulfillment. With Niklaus's position as immortal, the existential perspective comes in and he pressures Avaline to seek meanings deeper than those from her mortal duties.

Harmsworth and Avaline's family took to the institution of marriage for consolidation of status. The power imbalances of their world are underlined, therefore. The increasing cognizance of agency within herself by Avaline, amidst transactional motivations for and around her person, suggests the possibility of personal growth beyond the constraints of societal expectations.

Where Niklaus was an Angel of Death, the brevity of life and the depth of human experience became a strange consideration. This subtlety weaves subtly into his interaction with Avaline, since through their bonding, she brings him closer to mortal emotions-an interplay between life and death, hauntingly beautiful.

Scarlett Reed ensures that her writing is immersive and evocative, fully packed with detail and atmosphere that pertains to its historical setting in Death's Lover: First Encounter. Reed's narrative method-embracing a close third-person point of view and associated slow and deliberating pacing-allows the reader participation in the inner worlds of the characters with great nuance. The formal, lyrical language, echoing the historical setting, gives the book one of its defining romantic and ethereal undercurrents.

Reed uses some of the most adept figurative languages, most especially when describing emotions and sensations that develop the atmosphere in this story. Since Niklaus is an Angel of Death having his first mortal experience with the world, this makes these descriptions very new and intense. His feelings of awe, juxtaposed with the inner turmoil in Avaline, created a counterpoint that amplified the romantic tension. It is through such judicious use of language and sensual detail that the reader can experience the story through the mindscape of the characters, especially in the longing of Avaline and the cautious fascination of Niklaus with her very humanness.

This pacing, while it contains some slowness, is a mirror of the gradual building up in Avaline and Niklaus's relationship attraction chiaroscuro and thereby reiterates the repression of tension between duty and desire. More importantly, Reed chooses to make the novel deep with regards to character relationships and social undertows affecting the era within which this novel is set. Such a contemplative nature in this book will go down great with those readers who love slower-paced introspective build-up romances where one lingers over the interactions and gestures.

Death's Lover: First Encounter by Scarlett Reed is something different for historical fantasy romance-classically otherworldly yet contemplative with regard to love, mortality, and free will. Reed develops well-rounded characters while considering themes of duty versus desire, social hierarchies of power, and what it is to live a life through the eyes of an outsider to the human experience. This the author conveys rather nicely, not making this story about romance per se but actually a reflection of various existential questions.

She does not fail to pay attention to history, using expressive sensory language and deeply exploring her character's psychological depths. The character dynamics are great, especially the relationships of Avaline and Niklaus, each relationship showing a deeper turmoil or want in the characters. Probably the greatest disappointment is found within the pacing of this story and may make those readers who enjoy fast action or immediate plot development just a little impatient.

The novel is contemplative, almost melancholic in tone, bringing forth a new perspective on rather familiar themes of romance, while the supernatural element does create an interesting twist in human connection and mortality. Comparatively, Death's Lover: First Encounter shares similarities with works of Gothic romance where dark atmospheres, psychological depth, and intense emotions stand in the foreground. Yet Reed's concern with existential motifs, with the otherworldliness of her protagonist, already signals that this is both homage and departure from traditional historical romance in another way.

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Writing Style: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★☆
World-Building: ★★★★☆

That would appeal most to any reader who relishes historical romance with dark supernatural twists and introspective character-driven stories. All lovers of Gothic romance, Victorian literature, and even authors like Daphne du Maurier and Anne Rice would likely find Death's Lover: First Encounter engrossing.