I wanted to love this more than I did. The title and cover pulled me in, however the story didn’t. I couldn’t stay engaged as much as I’d like to. Getting the pacing to go a bit faster would improve this a lot.

I loved the banter within; definitely a redeeming quality that kept me going.

The Time Gods Forgot by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez is an enemies-to-lovers historical romantasy with Irish mythology. And it’s the story of Rua and Finn and it’s perfectly reflected in the cover as well.
 
I really liked the concept of this book and it’s set in New York in the Gilded Age and Rua wakes up one day and doesn’t know where she is. We discover this world with her and that was really cool, and I was immediately hooked on the story. I’m currently doing an Edith Wharton seminar at university, so I was totally into the setting and time period. Rua has a difficult time fitting into the society and as a reader from the present time, I could totally understand that. I often don’t really like a story with memory loss but here I was rather intrigued, and it added a lot of mystery and I liked that.
 
Finn is also known as the Lord of Donore and he tries to fit in perfectly in society and knows all the right people. He is intrigued by Rua but he shouldn’t be interested in her. I honestly don’t want to say too much because it’s best to go into the story as blind as possible because it will hit you completely. If you’re like me and you like star-crossed lovers stories, you definitely need to check out this story.
 
The story had the perfect mixture of historical elements and really mysterious and thrilling elements and that made me practically inhale the story. Sometimes I didn’t fully know where the story was going but it all made sense in the end. I also think the Irish mythology vibes were really cool and certain parts totally reminded me of Outlander. But overall, the fantasy aspect was the smallest aspect of the book and definitely not the focus. I also think the ending was a bit abrupt but that was mainly because so much was happening towards the end.
 
If you like enemies-to-lovers and historical fantasy books, you totally need to check out The Time Gods Forgot. 4 stars.
 
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.)

This was an enjoyable read with a unique blend of historical fiction and fantasy. The Gilded Age New York setting was great —I loved the atmosphere, the society of the era, and all the other glittering details of that era with a little bit of magic thrown in.

The central mystery surrounding Rua’s identity kept me engaged the whole way through. I especially liked how the fantasy elements were slowly revealed—it felt like a natural unraveling, and it paired really well with the more grounded historical romance plot. The Irish mythology tie-ins were a fun surprise and added a deeper, slightly darker layer that I didn’t see coming.

That said, there were a few moments where I found myself a bit confused—mostly around what each character actually knew versus what they were remembering. It didn’t ruin anything, but I had to pause a couple times to reorient myself, especially when the memories and magic started to mix in more heavily.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this debut. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

What an amazing read! The cover was giving me serious Doctor-Donna vibes, and I absolutely loved this book from start to finish.

Although I was initially very invested in this story and the characters it doesn’t take long for the same scenario to replay over and over again making it feel like a weird loop of events. I liked the boldness of the MC but it got old after a bit and I was over by the end. The ending felt a bit rushed it overall it an okay story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

This is a romantasy that is heavy on the romance and light on the fantasy. The romance was a good historical hate-to-love full of tension and banter. I really liked the relationship between Rua and Finn and the battle they each have within themselves to not like the other for their own reasons. But no matter what, they continue to fall back into each other's orbits. The fantasy, on the other hand, was lacking. I did enjoy the Irish mythology, as it’s something I haven’t read about much before, but I wish there was more of it. We get glimpses of the fantasy, but we never get a full look at it.

The premise of this book is so delightful—two Irish gods are brought into the Gilded Age and expected to navigate the complex social hierarchies there. The comedy of manners moments were the strongest, when heroine Rua rebels against her supposed family’s expectations to the shock of everyone around her (and to her own disorientation, at times). The vulnerability of the misplaced gods also was endearing—they don’t know who they are, and they are both vulnerable to the desire to fit in.

Where this book struggled, for me, was in the writing and the pacing. The writing at times felt like it was “telling rather than showing”—I didn’t feel fully present in the scene but rather like I was watching it from a bird’s eye view. I also felt as though the first 3/4 of the book could have been condensed and the ending could have been expanded—the ending was the most interesting to me, and I felt as though I didn’t get to spend much time there as a reader. It’s an interesting story but the execution of telling it needed a bit more polish.

After giving my initial decision to not give feedback on this book due to dnf'ing it some thought, I have realised that I did get 50% through and I believe that if a reader is not hooked at that point, something isn't quite right.
This book is said to be a historical romantasy, but I really think there was a lack of fantasy. While it was present, it seemed so minor that I got bored constantly. Other than that, it was very repetitive. MC tries to fit in, but fails, LI saves her. I am also, as with a lot of books, not feeling the enemies? The lovers, yes, but i was promised enemies first.

Lastly, something small that bothered me was Finn's height. I cannot take a character seriously when he has to take the stairs because the people in the elevator were soooo scared of how tall he was.

Overall I enjoyed this novel, but I do not think it should be compared to Outlander in any way. That is part of why I chose to read it, and it led to a bit of a let down. I don't feel that it quite lives up to its hype, but again I did enjoy it, just not as much as I expected too.
There is romance which I felt invested in, but it's a tad lackluster and a smidge frustrating. It's incredibly slow burn, with the storyline being quite drawn out and then rapidly concluding all at once. In my opinion the pacing is off. However, I did find myself cheering for Rua and Finn to make things work.
When all is said and done it is a good plot, I do enjoy many of the characters, and many of the situations they get themselves into. I just feel like maybe one more round of editing would have helped elevate it to a truly excellent book.
3.75 stars rounded up.

Celtic folklore
Forbidden love
Slow Burn
Body swap
Historical fiction
Fantasy

I love a historical romantasy and The Gods Time Forgot is that and more. There is amazing banter, slow burn romance and a great FMC. 3.5 stars

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I went into this thinking that the dialogue between the love interests would be my least favourite thing, and, surprisingly, it turned out to be quite good. I'm not usually a fan of all that 'banter' in romantasy books, it's often cringey and not very well written, but the banter in this book didn't feel like that at all. The writing style was also quite good, when we travelled to a new location I did feel like I got a good sense of what everything looked like and could picture it quite well in my head.
Some phrases and scenes in this book had me out loud laughing, and I think for the wrong reason. Our POV characters were *very* obsessed with each other, and while that is not necessarily a bad thing, it did make for some annoying comments when we were in their heads. In one chapter the MMC remarks how clever and quick-witted the FMC is (and continues to do this in subsequent chapters) which I was just at a loss for. I didn't get any of her supposed intellect; she seemed impatient and snarky, sure, but she never thought things out in a smart way and tended to just bulldoze into things. Which would be alright, but it conflated massively with what he was saying she was like. It got a little 'tell, don't show' at points and I found it easy to point out.
I wish we had done more with the world as well. Our characters don't remember anything until right at the end, but there is little worldbuilding with the supernatural elements which I found disappointing. The vibe with the 1870s was better, but the almost supervillain way the other high society women acted was laughable at times. The ending comes on super abruptly, and had another bit to it that made me laugh and go 'what even is happening?'
Overall, not a hit for me.

This debut novel pulls on ancient Irish/Celtic mythology to create a complex narrative and a fantastic setting for our main characters, Rua and Finn. Rua, strong-willed and fiery, knows only her name and that she is not the person society thinks she is, but she has no memories of her past. I liked the fact that even with her lack of memories, she didn't just blindly follow along with folks telling her she was a missing debutante. I feel a lot of amnesia-trope stories take that as the easy road.

I really enjoyed the slow-burn romance with Finn. The heady pull towards each other, despite knowing it was disastrous for them to indulge themselves, lent a very satisfying tension to the story and added to the need to find out their history!

I also liked the twist at the end, and that we did get our HEA. Definitely will check out the author's future works!

I liked this book overall. I think that there are some issues that made it a little difficult to read. Gonzalez definitely needs to work on pacing the plot. The beginning of this book is long and drawn out. I could not figure out where the story was going. It appeared that there wasn’t a middle to the book. There was just a beginning and an end. The ending of this book wasn’t long enough. By the time that I really got into the story, about 60% into the book, the actual substance appeared increasingly rushed. The FMC wasn’t nearly as intelligent as she should have been. She had to look over glaring obvious things to keep the story going.

Gonzalez also did not give nearly enough information about Irish mythology. I found the mythology to be interesting, but I was left confused through a lot of the book trying to figure things out. I understand wanting to keep something things a mystery for suspense, but there was too much left out for me to follow anything.

Overall, I think if the book started at the middle it would have been much better. I still think it was a good read, and I think Gonzalez will be a strong writer.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Alcove Press.

i think what frustrates me the most is that i saw so much potential within this novel because of how much time was spent on it just for it to fail my expectations. everything i wanted in this book was what happened in the last ten percent and that was the only bearable if lackluster part of the book. the rest just bothered me. the rest was boring. just wish there was so much more. and there was not a female character on the side of our main character. like what do you mean she has no female friends?? idk this is stupid. i was v mad about it

I tried to read this first with only my eyes, but didn't get into it until was able to get the audiobook from my library.

The narrators were great, switching accents when needed. The story was interesting, but the pacing of how it was told seemed a little off to me.

I'd say it's definitely worth giving it a try, but I can't say I'll be picking it up for a re-read.

I loved the vibes, the time period, the banter and honestly so much of this book was done so well. But the pacing really through me for a loop.

This novel completely swept me away from the very first page. The pacing is masterfully done, with every chapter working for something. It never lags, yet never rushes, weaving historical detail and mythic magic together in a way that feels effortless.

Rua is a compelling protagonist. Sh3 is fierce and vulnerable. And Finn? The perfect brooding hero with secrets of his own. Their enemies-to-lovers arc is well executed and has great payoff.

With Irish mythology crackling just beneath the polished surface of 1870s Manhattan, this story delivers a lush and layered world where nothing is as it seems and I loved every twist. Perfect for fans of Outlander and A Fate Inked in Blood, this romantasy debut is not to be missed.

The premise behind this was pretty good. You have a case of mistaken identity and mythology. I think parts of the book were a hit and others not so much. I would be interested in reading more by the author because there is some great world building.

Thank you alcove for the gifted ebook.

Interesting premise and read. I had fun reading. Loved the romance. Will check out more from this author.

A unique and engaging fantasy read. The world building and intrigue left me hooked and wanting to zoom through the book to get my answers.
Rua and Finn are a pairing for the ages, the slow burn was to die for though I do wish that the final chapters were a little less rushed I very much enjoyed the book
This is a book I would recommend!