The Gods Time Forgot
Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez
3.75⭐️

Pub Date: 4/8/2025

This is very interesting. The concept is not new and original but it was still a good read. Basically body switch "isekai" into someone else's world. It's a mix of historical fiction and fantasy/folklore. Waking up in a new body in 1800s USA with patchy memories, an overbearing mother, and finding footing in high society and its pressures - talk about overwhelming! But our FMC Rua finds this charming man that gives off hints/deja vu moments, electric chemistry, fantastic banter, sloooow burn and teasing (as we would expect from 1800s high society) made it all worthwhile but also, all the more confusing for her. The writing style is great- I thought it was fast paced enough, even though there's not much action. And the mystery surrounding Rua and Finn was also intruiging enough to keep going. There's also the very annoying premise that women should behave a certain way, and while that's true for all genders, 1800s society's expectations were just too much. And with Rua being different, she was called crazy.

Obviously, I liked this one, but there were just parts of this book that didn't hit quite as well as I hope it would. The build up was done well in the middle, it was disappointing that I felt rushed towards the end and it didn't give me the satisfactory finish I thought it deserved. The folklore aspect, which I hoped would be more prominent towards the later part of the book, ended as a dud too. I wish there was more to it. Still a good book. For people who are looking for a darker Bridgerton with a hint of fantasy, put this on your tbr!

Thank you @netgalley and Alcove Press for this gifted e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️½ – 3 ⭐

This book was okay for me. I loved the idea of Irish mythology colliding with Gilded Age New York—it sounded so unique and promising! But I really wish there had been more magic, more world-building, and just a little bit more fantasy overall to bring it to life.

Rua’s amnesia and her pretending to be Emma Harrington had potential, and the slow-burn tension with Finn (the mysterious Lord of Donore) was intriguing at times. But the story often felt repetitive: lots of scenes focused on balls, gowns, and navigating New York’s high society, rather than truly exploring the magical side that was hinted at in the premise.

I think readers who love historical romance mixed with just a touch of fantasy might enjoy this more than I did. For me, it just needed a deeper dive into the mythology and a richer, more immersive fantasy world to really stand out.

I tried. I really tried. But The Gods Time Forgot just didn’t do it for me. I kept waiting for something to grab my attention, and it never quite showed up.

The book kicks off with flashbacks almost immediately, and I found myself squinting at the pages like, “Am I supposed to remember all of this?” It felt like I was being thrown into the deep end without knowing if I was supposed to swim or just tread water while things vaguely happened.

The dialogue between Rua and Finn had some potential; it was the most engaging part of the book for me. However, even that started to lose its charm as their conversations dragged on without anything truly happening.

I made it about 20% of the way through before accepting that this book and I just weren’t meant to be. I’m sure it has its fans, but for me, it was a no from the beginning, and definitely a DNF.

The premise here has a lot of promise, however it is never really realized. I had high hopes because there are a lot of elements to this story that I generally really like, but it was ultimately quite boring. Without spoiling any reveals, the romance relies heavily on the reader being told the characters love each other leaving no chemistry between the love interests on top of them being uninteresting to be begin with.

Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.

3.5 ⭐️

“But not everything needed to burn brightly to be worthwhile.”

The Gods Time Forgot is a romantic historical fantasy based on Irish mythology set in New York City during the Gilded Age. I’d consider this to be very low fantasy, as it mostly felt like historical fiction with mystical mythology-induced amnesia.

Rua wakes up in the body of Emma Harrington, the missing daughter of an upper class Manhattan family. Having no memories, Rua goes along with it. She struggles to fit into Gilded Age society, where women aren’t allowed to have opinions or intelligence.

Emma’s mother continues to threaten to send Rua to an asylum because of how she acts out and calls out the ridiculous rules and customs of New York City high society. She constantly is embarrassing the family by speaking her mind and making blunders at balls and in social situations.

From the moment Finn meets “Emma” he is inexplicably drawn to her. It’s as if they’ve met before, as if he’s known her in another life.

Finn, the Lord of Donore, is new to town and a rich, eligible bachelor with many families fighting for his hand in marriage. He uses their favorable opinion of him when he constantly steps in to save Rua/Emma from ruining her family’s image further.

I did really enjoy the romance between Rua and Finn. Finn overall was such a great character; I loved him. There was a lot of banter, but also deja vu moments which were fun.

Unfortunately, I felt that the pacing wasn’t consistent and the ending was very rushed. Some things had been quite obvious to me from the beginning, but I left with more questions on other aspects of the story. Overall, the ending just left a lot be desired, and I wish there was an epilogue.

☁️ Irish Mythology • Amnesia Trope • He Falls First and Harder

Thank you, NetGalley and Alcove Press, for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have received an advanced copy of The Gods Time Forgot from the author, and Alcove Press! 🫶

DNF at 60%

The Gods Time Forgot has a ton of potential and I truly thought the premise and overall storyline sounded amazing. I wanted to love this and I kept on reading hoping my mind would change but I had have difficulty with connecting with the characters and that made it hard. I did enjoy the writing style though and I will check out future works from the author in the future.

This was ... fine. Good, even. Honestly, there isn't much about this that I technically didn't enjoy, but it was oddly frustrating? The characters just really pushed my buttons with how they danced around each other. It's a good slow burn historical romance that didn't quite pull it off.

Unfortunately I DNF'd this at 68% after trying for more than a week to get into it.

The premise and blurb for this one was beyond intriguing and maybe my hopes were just too high but I have pushed and pushed and feel its just a let down. There is a major lack of fantasy in this and personally the romance part didn't help keep the story interesting. I feel as if it tried to do too much and thus lost itself on the way. I've not the interest of seeing where it goes as I am that uninvested and did not find Rua interesting at all.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my e-arc of The Gods Time Forgot. Stunning cover - obsessed.

This book follows Rua, who awakens in Guilded Age New York with amnesia as 'Emma Harrington' - an socialite debantee. Rua must try to find herself again, without being caught up in a social scandal. Navigating the complex social scene of the 1870's, she meets Irish lord Finn. Their banter is witty and smoldering - even though there is no spice in this.

This leans more heavily to historical romance with highlights of fantasy and Irish mythology.
I found it hard to get into, but the second half of this just flew by.

My hopes were high, but my expectations were not met. This was so incredibly slow. Everything interesting happens in the last 70% of the book and even then, there's still questions left unanswered. The entire book is just Rue trying to fit into the life she found herself in with little snippets of her memories from her past life. I was expecting there to be more mythology and lore but all you read about is everyone bickering about Emma's (Rue's) behavior.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. It’s a fascinating tale told in an unusual way. Although interesting from the beginning, from about halfway through the story, I found myself unable to put down my reader, forfeiting sleep to find out what would happen.

Rua returns from a Hellmouth in upstate NY as Emma Harrington, the daughter of a very well-to-do family trying to fit into the top echelons of NY society. She doesn’t know how she got there or why, but she knows she’s not Emma, even though she looks almost exactly like her. She wants to return to the woods and the Hellmouth, believing the answers she seeks will be there, but everyone is keeping a close eye on her. Her only ally seems to be Mara, her lady's maid, but Rua isn't certain if she can completely trust her. Before she knows what’s happening, her family has relocated to the city. Her mother is a shrew who tries to control her every move (and thought), constantly threatening to have her committed to an asylum. She is the definition of social climber, embodying every negative quality of someone with no morals, focused entirely upon their own status. Adding that to her near-constant denigration and verbal abuse of her daughter, she’s a monster.

There was a great description of Flossie that I highlighted: “Flossie rose from her seat like a queen in her bright-yellow gown. It wasn’t the cheery kind of yellow that filled a room with joy but rather the kind that would take your eyes if you stared at it too long.”

When they get to NYC, Emma’s mother (whom Rua refers to by first name, Flossie) is determined to find the right spouse for her. She sets her sights on Finn, the Lord of Donore, an immigrant from Ireland who is handsome, rich, and well-respected. Apparently, every other debutante and her mother has also set her sights on him. From the moment they meet, there is a strong, inexplicable pull between them, and the only hints they might have known each other before come through flashbacks and dreams. I’ll admit, sometimes, it’s confusing. It’s never clear who Rua can trust and whether Finn can even trust her. Mara, Emma’s maid, seems to be her friend, but again, Rua feels there’s something untrustworthy about her. As Rua becomes more aware of who she is, she tries to hide it from everyone.

Finn had his whole life planned out—move to NY, make connections with powerful people, and use his influence to help Irish immigrants. He funds an orphanage for needy children which is overseen by nuns. Finn’s mentor and sponsor into society is Richard Fitzgerald; who has decided Finn should marry his daughter Annette. And Finn sees it as the key to his acceptance, so he is willing to go along with it. But each time he’s around Rua, he feels something he can’t explain—and can’t control. To attempt to control his attraction to her, he avoids her, but he thinks of her almost constantly, even dreaming about her in what appears to be a past life. Meanwhile, Annette and her friends are maliciously creative when it comes to taunting Emma, and Finn often finds himself coming to her rescue. When he becomes aware of just how evil Annette is, he wants nothing more to do with her, but Richard has other ideas.

As Flossie tries to push Emma and Finn together, it seems as if everyone else tries to push them apart—even Mara, for reasons Rua cannot figure out. Rua and Finn play the part of star-crossed lovers who aren’t even sure they want to be together—or, to put it more succinctly, whether they can be. And it certainly seems unlikely, up until the very end.

If you’re expecting a neat ending to their story, you won’t find that here. It’s not a simple HEA. The story left me teeming with questions and churning with thoughts of all of the possible outcomes. It forces the reader to think, to ruminate on whether Rua and Finn can ever actually find peace together. But it also leaves the reader with hope that they can overcome the significant obstacles placed in their path. After all, there’s more to this world—and to Rua and Finn—than meets the eye.

I was very bored throughout the story, and had trouble connecting with the characters.

For some reason, Rua was giving off an energy I hate about main characters (I believe they are called pick-mes). The storyline was a little confusing because it felt like the author was trying to squeeze in everything she loved into her book. Maybe that’s why I got exhausted while reading.

Still, the writing was decent and if you like the mix of the old and modern (relatively) times, do give it a read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review, and congrats to the author for the release!

This book was... a rollercoaster, to say the least.
I loved the premise from the begining and I was soooo hooked through the first 50 pages, then I lost track of the story and I had to leave it aside for a few days, BUT THEN I WENT BACK AND ENDED UP REALLY LIKING IT (?)
The banter between the two main characters was to die for and so swoon worthy, but the pacing was a bit lacking (I think that's why I had to leave it aside for a few days). Nonetheless, I really liked it and if you're looking for a historical romantic fantasy set during the 1870s you should definitely check this out.
Thank you netgalley for the arc!

This was sent to me by the publisher, but unfortunately it was really not for me. The writing needs some reworking, but the irish mythology aspect was pretty interesting.

A good read with great potential. The mix of folklore is great and the story has great potential but the reading of the book isn’t the smoothest.

I enjoyed this story. There were definitely some interesting plot twists and kept me guessing as I read.

I don't know much about Irish mythology and wish I knew a little bit more to fill in some gaps in my understanding.

I liked the character of Rua - crawling out of a hole and having no memory of who she is was an interesting way to begin the story. As her memories come back, there are a lot of details missing.

Flossie was a character that was very unlikeable. I wish there was more of Emma's dad in the story.

I am really glad I read the story.

𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰. 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆. 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗻

𝘐𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘮𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘨𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴-𝘵𝘰-𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘖𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.

I’m still reeling. Imagine waking up in 1870s New York, no memory, covered in dirt and blood, and everyone insists you’re a missing socialite named Emma. That’s Rua’s reality. As she navigates the glittering yet suffocating world of Gilded Age Manhattan, flashes of ancient magic and forgotten gods begin to surface, hinting at a past far stranger than she could have imagined.

Enter Finn, the enigmatic Lord of Donore. Their chemistry? Electric. Their banter? Chef’s kiss. But as their connection deepens, so does the mystery surrounding Rua’s true identity and the dark forces at play.

Read this for:
🌀 Amnesia & identity mysteries
⚔️ Enemies-to-lovers tension
🗽 Gilded Age glam with a twist
🍀 rish mythology interwoven with history
💥 Slow-burn romance that sizzles

3.5 ⭐️
The Gods Time Forgot follows the story of Rua and Finn, characters who wove through time to find each other in a life that was never meant to be theirs.

Rua’s unbridled attempt to recapture who she used to be, armed only with her name and a deep longing to be known, entangled her in the duplicitous fringe of polite society. While the elite tried to define Rua before she could, Finn became charmed by her wit and yearned to find out why her feigned air of inconsequence made her shine brighter to him than those abiding solely by the hierarchy of societal class. As the two began to notice that the magnetic pull between them is not only attraction but familiarity, the paths they continuously crossed become blurred with who they once were to each other.

The refreshing take on magical realism in a high society setting was one that kept me invested in these characters finding the answers they were searching for, and their connection was one I was rooting for from the very start. However, the balance between present day and the ways that their past lives intertwined needed a bit more fleshing out, as some of the glimpses of their previous love story left me wanting more with some questions left with unsatisfyingly brief answers. Overall, this story felt very immersive and cozy with an interesting mysterious overlay, and I hope to read more from this author again!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

The premise of The Gods Time Forgot was very compelling, in particular the setting of 1870s manhattan really drew me in. However, there were some parts of the book that I felt could have really benefited from some further developmental editing.

There were parts of the book that I really enjoyed. I think that the setting was very well written throughout the book, it felt believable and well researched. I also enjoyed the time traveling aspect although I do wish we got some further explanation on it. I did also enjoy the characters of Rua and Finn and although there wasn't quite as much of a romantic plot as I had anticipated, I did enjoy what was there.

Where I struggled with the book the most was in the fantasy aspects and the pacing. Yes, there was the time travel but it didn't go in depth in the way I had hoped and the book fell so far into the Manhattan setting and drama that it felt more historical than fantasy. I don't necessarily have a. problem with that however it felt like it didn't quite match the way the book was marketed. The pacing I do think was the biggest issue, the ending felt very abrupt and I was left feeling like I had a bunch of unanswered questions.

I do think that that The Gods Time Forgot was overall an enjoyable read and I do think there is a market for it but I think that the blurb doesn't quite sell the parts of the book I enjoyed the most.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the ARC!

An Irish folklore tale mixed with the gilded age in this romantasy. I really liked the concept here but felt the execution was lacking. The writing felt really choppy and the characters were just ok for me. I was so excited for this but it didn't live up to my expectations.