This was such unique story. I don’t think I ever read something like this. The Irish mythology was so interesting to read about. The writing was also really good in my opinion. It kept me entertained and I love Rua and her determination to just be herself in a world where money and prestige is everything. The only thing that I wish was different was the ending. There’s this really good built up and the ending happened just so fast. It felt rushed and I wish it was a bit more developed.

Lovely writing and strong dialogue. The plot thinned a bit for me in the middle and was tricky to follow along with identities and stakes. Overall, a solid read for those who love the Gilded Age.

Unfortunately I DNF at 8%.

I don't know quite what it is about the book but I found myself unable to connect with any of the characters enough to care to keep going. Rua seems like she would be an interesting character but instead she just comes across as flat and one dimensional. I am sure that if I kept reading I would have been able to connect with her more, but as I wasn't really enjoying the story I found no reason to continue. I couldn't connect with her plight of missing memories and desire to uncover who she is. The flashbacks weren't enough to keep me interested.

I stopped reading right when our FMC, Finn was introduced so I don't know much about his character.

I hope that this book finds its target audience, I just don't feel like it's me.

What a creative historical/fantasy romance!

I really enjoyed the Irish mythology and how it played into the story. The amnesia storyline made sense and was well executed. The romance was swoon worthy and filled with plenty of memorable banter too. The world building was well done and didn't feel like an info dump.

If you enjoy fantasy romance, you're gonna love this.

The Gods Time Forgot by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/ 3.5

Fans of Outlander and Bridgerton, get ready for a twisty turn around the ton full of scandal, suspense, and undying love.

I really enjoyed this one! The writing was gorgeous and well developed, the setting was picturesque, and the story was very intriguing. I loved the relationship between Rua and Finn, the banter was full of wit with just the right amount of snark. I loved learning about their mysterious past and strong familiarity with each other. The story was full of drama and intrigue to captivate a wide range of audiences.

Blurb:
When Rua wakes up in a shallow grave with no memories, she can’t help but think something has gone terribly wrong. When she emerges, a search party is in full swing for a girl named Emma. Things get a little dodgy when they claim Rua is the lost girl and she must be delirious to not remember her own name. Rua is dragged into the high society world of elegant balls, walks around the ton, and fine etiquette. Rumors about Emma’s mysterious disappearance and recovery swirl around town leaving it hard for Rua to fit in. Especially when she meets the Lord of Donore, whom she feels the strangest familiarity to. The Lord of Donore always finds Rua where she isn’t supposed to be but can’t help but feel drawn to her, captivated by her gorgeous red hair.

I have to say that I love that this took on Irish myths and legends. Being a redhead myself and Irish I love anything that has to do with Ireland. I enjoyed reading the book, it gave off Pride and Prejudice and Bridgerton vibes with the twist of magic and gods. While reading it I was dying because I just wanted Rua and Finn to kiss they had so many opportunities that they kept missing. It was a great build-up for when they finally did kiss. I was upset with Finn for him still wanting this easy life and marrying Annette, I was glad that he ultimately decided that he wanted his life with Rua. The author did a great job of portraying a mother of the time with Flossie. I hated her, and how she would take everything out on Rua like it was all her fault when it wasn't. Her father Ned what a coward of the times. I can understand that she was no longer their daughter but then why put on this show? Then there was Mara a child who didn't know what she was getting into and got her friend the real Emma killed. She was just asking for the end that she got. I like that we get the full story of what happened and why Rua was here in the end and not the middle of the book and spend most of the book trying to solve the problem of getting home. The end of the book was nice, however for me it just rapidly ended. I wanted more, I wanted to know if they get home or where their story would take them next. Will her sister come after them? I do hope that there is a second book.

Thank you to the author, Crooked Lane Books, and Alcove Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this story. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Very cute YA novel! It definitely kept me engaged while reading it and I really did like the characters (ok, maybe not ALL of them, but the main ones are a yes).

Something about the ending to me felt off, and I can't quite put my finger on it. I think it just felt rushed and had a different pacing as opposed to the rest of the book, like I was missing more to the story or there is going to be a follow up novel.

3.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and Kelsie for the early access to read The Gods Time Forgot. The banter and the FMC character (Rua) . I really enjoyed it- but I feel like the plot was missing something. Not quite sure how to put my finger on it!

Thankyou to NetGalley for the chance to read an arc of The Gods That Time Forgot.

There was an idea somewhere in here which was intriguing and could’ve been woven into a fun Irish mythology retelling brought into a historical fantasy/mystery - but this fell short.

The pacing was off - the first third was very mysterious and gave gothic horror vibes, but without any real atmosphere built. Then we lurched into a Victorian era New York courting world, where the characters didn’t stay in character or were so stock/stereotype that eyes glazed as they came to the page.

The main plot - underlying romance/mythology mystery wasn’t written well enough to save the rest of the book. All was told through flashbacks and the lack of on page development or chemistry between the characters wasn’t what made me vie for their HEA, instead I just wanted the archetypal secondary/‘bad guys’ off the page.

The ending was hasty and fell flat. 2 stars for a solid idea and back bones of a plot/genre mix idea that could be excellent - shame about the execution.

Die Kombination aus dem New Yorker „Gilded Age“ und irischer Mythologie hatte Potenzial, aber leider fehlte mir in den ersten drei Vierteln des Buches fast jede magische Tiefe. Die Geschichte zog sich stellenweise und konnte sich für mich nicht richtig zwischen der historischen Romantik und der Fantasy entscheiden. Der Wortwechsel zwischen den Charakteren war zwar charmant, aber die Romantik hat mich nicht wirklich gepackt.

Das Tempo war im ersten Drittel sehr langsam, und das Ende kam viel zu abrupt. Ein Epilog oder eine ausführlichere Auflösung wären wünschenswert gewesen. Die Protagonistin wirkte etwas vage und schwer fassbar, während der männliche Hauptcharakter interessanter war. Leider fehlte mir auch der Hintergrund zu beiden Figuren.

Insgesamt war das Buch unterhaltsam, aber es konnte meine Erwartungen nicht ganz erfüllen und hinterließ am Ende das Gefühl, dass es an Spannung, Mythologie und emotionaler Tiefe mangelte

The cover and the title caught my attention, and the synopsis promised something that it didn't deliver on.

I was invested for the first 10-15%, then things slowly devolved for me. I didn't really like the characters very much. I didn't find their banter charming, and the magic wasn't interesting enough to hold my attention for long. I kept forgetting what era this was supposed to be set in. The way people talked didn't make sense for 1870s America, and the way the clothing was described didn't make sense either. I am no expert, but I was more often than not left confused with how things were described.
I don't feel like the author did a lot of research on Ireland before writing this book. Particularly with Ireland in the 1870s. Or 1870's New York for that matter. For supposedly being set in the Gilded Age, it was very lackluster.

*I received this book as a free eBook ARC from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for inviting me to read this book. *

When you open a book, you don't always know what is going to happen.

I have never read a book with elements of Irish mythology, I don't think I would've read this book had I not been invited to do so. I never would've known the gem that it is.

This story starts in a peculiar way. A young girl wakes with no memory besides her name and she is being forced to live the life of Emma. Emma who is a part of a wealthy family in the nineteenth century. But she knows the truth. She knows that her name isn't Emma. She is sure her real name is Rua, and she will find out who she truly is.

As her family goes to Manhattan for Emma's father's business, there she encounters the Lord of Donore (Finn). When she meets him, something odd happens. It feels like she knows him. Not as Emma but as Rua.

The writing style was remarkable. From the moment that I started to read this book, I could not put it down. It was fluid and the vocabulary was easy to understand even though it is based in the nineteenth century.

For the world building, I enjoyed it. It's not a huge one, and as a reader, you are getting the information as Rua does. It's a method of world building and information that I appreciate. You are getting the information at the same time as the main character does, so it's not difficult to understand, and not confusing at all.

The main characters, Rua and Finn, were likable from the start. I was entertained by the actions and the rage, the drama, the affairs. Everything. Their relationship was amazing, the built up was on point. It was perfect. The side characters were insufferable, but it was bearable because it was so fun to read the inner thought of Rua and Finn when there was some kind of interactions between them all.

For the Irish mythology, I am not an expert on it so I can only assume that it was done well.

1.75⭐️1.5🌶️

Memory loss
New York Setting
Dual POV
Irish Foldlore?
Irish immigrant MMC
Forced proximity

The cover of this book is gorgeous, but sadly, the story didn’t quite live up to it. The time period feels a bit unclear—likely sometime after the Revolutionary War in New York, probably before 1876, since Central Park is still wild and undeveloped. However, the setting has more of a Gilded Age vibe, which doesn’t really match the historical details.

The book also includes a lot of modern references that don’t quite fit the time period. It felt like the characters were living in a different world than the one described, which made it hard to fully immerse in the story. And just to clarify, I’m not talking about the mythical Irish folklore the plot is based on—those elements were fine, but the modern undertones threw me off.

The plot itself is filled with clichés, with situations piling up in a way that doesn’t always make sense. There are a lot of loose ends and plot holes that left me feeling frustrated rather than engaged.

While the main characters had potential, they were overshadowed by underdeveloped minor characters and unfinished dialogue that contradicted the characters’ arcs. Plus, withholding the full myth/fairy tale until the very end didn’t add mystery—it only detracted from the overall story.

Overall, it was a difficult book to get into.

Thank you NetGalley and Aclove Press for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

My very first book by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez and I loved it. The Gods Time Forgot had all the correct vibes, strangers to lovers trope or one can say not so strangers to lovers trope. Irish mythology tangled with 1870s New York era, it really had me hooked.

The banter between FMC and MMC was hot and spicy, and clever. It made me laugh and blush both at the same time. I hated Flossie and Mara both. Rua although wasn't my favourite but she slowly grew up on me. Finn was too good, but again ain't they all. Sigh!!!

It was frustrating at times to see women's predicament but I understood why it had to be like that. Still it got on my nerves. I feel the love seemed rather fast , easy and instant. Sometime should have been spent on developing their love story even more. That push and pull would have worked quite well. What disappointed me the most is the ending, which was abrupt and hasty and for such a powerful book made little to no sense.

Overall it is quite well written, the prose was wonderful and enjoyable. I just wish it had been better executed.

Thank you Netgalley and alcove press for the wonderful ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Everything about this book, from the setting, the time period, the characters, was so immersive. I really enjoyed it the whole time and devoured it within days. As a debut, I think it was fantastic. Rua, as a main character, was so good at being so many different things to different people but as you read it you always knew who she really was. Similarly with Finn, as the MMC, it was so nice to get his POV as well and also I enjoyed that it was in third person but a very readable third person, which can be a fine and difficult balance sometimes.

The slow burn was indeed slow but in the most satisfying way. We got to feel all their raw emotions and love for each other in a world and time defying way. I would love if this was part of a series, but where it left off still felt like an acceptable ending for a stand alone. It definitely had a bit of an outlander vibe to the whole story but again in the best way. I thoroughly enjoyed this and have already recommended it to friends.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really lovely read! I wish it weren't being compared to A Fate Inked in Blood because I think it's significantly more nuanced and better written - the way the mythology is woven in is fantastic. Will definitely be recommending to my mythology-fan bookclub!

Thank you Alcove Press & NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC!

I really enjoyed this! The story takes off running from the first page, and I didn't really want to put it down until it was over.

I would've liked to read less about time in Manhattan (and the EVIL, vapid girls there - good GOD), and more about Rua/Finn discovering who they REALLY are/their history.

Also that ending was ABRUPT and not the most satisfying - I feel like there must be more? ....Right? There could be a whole other book that does a deep dive of Rua & Finn, and what comes next for them.

Overall, a pretty good read (and I hope we get another book!)

3.5 stars

I want to thank Alcove Press for offering me an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel through NetGalley!

I had seen a small snippet of The Gods Time Forgot on TikTok as well as its prompt (gilded age New York meets Irish mythology) and was instantly hooked. Upon starting the novel, however, I felt a little lost at first: mostly because the Irish mythology wasn't present in the way I had expected. However, I think this picked up significantly throughout the novel and it was incredibly interesting and refreshing to learn the stories of a different kind of mythology than seen often in the media (greek, roman)

The writing was overall incredibly good--often with ARCs there are still little typos or missing punctuation or smasll mistakes on sentence level. However, with this novel that was not the case at all, and I thought that the writing was clear and well-structured. It had the exact right balance of description and balance in order to always keep the reader hooked.

The plot itself was a little predictable based on the title, but the ending really redeemed itself in that it took a few twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. However, I think more extensive flashbacks would have given the reader/me more of a connection to the previous timing. I also would've loved to see more of Badb's character, and felt as if Mara's connection to the Mórrigan could have been explored more, although I definitely think something sapphic was going on between her and Emma, just saying!

Overall, I enjoyed this book but it unfortunately wasn't my favourite plot-wise. I would however definitely still pick up the author's next book.

4⭐
No 🌶️

The perfect escapism I needed right now. If you loved the Luxe series with the big dresses on the cover in the 2000s, this is the adult romantasy high drama society meets Irish mythology story that you'll get sucked right into.

Thus was so unique and a breath of fresh air in romantasy! I did think there were a few issues with pacing and plotting in the middle which made the book feel drug out a bit, but overall a fun read!