I absolutely devoured Fates Illuminated - I wanted to read something fun, that would make me laugh but that still had some fantasy and did this ever hit the spot!

We meet Shelbie at a moment where she is unhappy in life and feeling behind compared to her bestie and brother. Thankfully, she at least has a great pup called Thor! To shake things up, she goes on a solo trip to Sweeden and bam! Ends up time traveling 😂. Her meeting Donmari was definitely not a meet cute, try a meet disaster! But nothing a great found family of Vikings, some forced proximity and one bed can't fix 😉.

This book reminded me of Outlander - the time travel oups, meeting an irritating (at first) but unmistakable hottie of a warrior, the historical elements/lore woven into the tale and epic side characters that make up the best found family. So if you're looking for a book that scratches that Outlander vibe itch, try this! Fates Illuminated does have more humor and magic woven in, which I loved! Oh, and there's dragons 😍.

I loved every single character we've met so far (well, other than the baddies, they sound terrible), but I have THE BIGGEST girl crush on Signe. She is just such a bad@ss.

I've already binged book 2, Fates Promised, and Book 3, Fates Defied, is coming out towards the end of June! Get reading!

A big thank you to Revel Books and NetGalley for the ARC for review. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

The Fates Illuminated is a cozy Norse fantasy with romantic elements that quietly pulled me in. What really won me over was the main character—Shelbie. She’s relatable in every sense of the word, which made it easy to fall into the story and just enjoy the journey. While this isn’t a high-stakes fantasy, it delivers all the magic and charm of a well-crafted world.

The characters are the heart of this book. Shelbie, a woman in her 30s, is looking to break away from her everyday routine—and her adventure begins with a trip abroad that unexpectedly turns into a time-traveling plunge into Norse mythology. If you’re looking for a main character you can relax with, Shelbie is it. And the male lead? Just the right amount of broody. Watching their relationship slowly unfold was one of my favorite parts of the book.

The story itself is a slower-paced read, and for me, that worked well in the context of what this book offers. It’s not about epic battles or nonstop action—it’s about connection, family, and soaking in the world. I’d absolutely recommend this as a cozy fantasy for when you want something thoughtful and atmospheric.

If you’re in the mood for a romantasy with a relatable FMC, slow pacing, and a strong thread of Norse mythology woven in, The Fates Illuminated is worth the read. Perfect for fans of softer magic, slower stories, and characters who are simply trying to find their place—one mythic moment at a time.

A combination of time travel and fantasy romance, the novel finds Shelbie extremely discouraged in her life. After booking a once in a lifetime trip to Sweden, she continues to realize how unprepared she is. When her horse pushes her off a cliff, she wakes up somehow in 1060, rescued by a grumpy Viking. Her immediate welcome in his village and with his family leads to love, but she finds that they both have had meddling in their life from the Norns, the three Fates. Love alone cannot keep them together when Shelbie has family waiting for her in her own time.

I adore the grumpy/sunshine trope, especially as Domari opens up to Shelbie and gives in to the inevitable. The descriptions of life in their village and the way they all just take Shelbie for who she is warned my heart. And of course the love story is HOT! But the dragon and the lead up to book 2 made me even more excited to see where the series is going. I loved all the characters and want to see more of everyone!

I was drawn to this book because of my love for vikings but was iffy about the time travel aspect. Thankfully, I ended up loving the entire story and most of the characters. It did start out slow due to character building which was important and needed, I was just impatient for the time travel. A character list would have been handy as well, there were a lot of people to remember who was who.

This was such an interesting book and as someone who doesn't normally like time travel related romance, this one had me hooked. The story is super interesting and something I didn't know I needed in my life. It has fantasy plus Vikings. What more could you ask for! This book does end on a cliffhanger but the next book in the series is available.

I will say this book did start off a little slow, but I understand you have to build up to the big story when it comes to a series. I did love that the FMC was older though. Being in my 40's myself, I find them more relatable.

I simply adore Aimee Vance and this was no exception. Time travel fantasy with an FMC in her 30s? Absolutely yes please.
I recommend this to everyone when I hear a request for some fantasy romance reads.

As a fan if Deadlights Cove series and Aimee Vance in general (she is a delight!) I don't know why it took me so long to read this, but I’m glad I finally did! I live for a good time travel fantasy romance and this was absolutely magical (pun intended). Also a FMC who is not a teenager but a grown woman in her 30s? Give me more of those. The book ends on a cliffhanger but I am glad book 2 is readily available.

Why did it take me so long to pick this up? It took a few chapters to get to my vikings part, but once they came, it was so good! I could picture everything, especially after watching vikings/vikings Valhalla/last kingdom. It was fantasy, with time travel but also historical fiction with Vikings.

I need more of Domari and Shelbie and Hadriel! I loved their story, and did not want it to end! Aimmee did such a great job of setting the stage for this series.

This was an easy to read book with an interesting premise. I love viking books and books with older MFC are far more interesting. My only issue with this book was that it was slow. The true plot of the book doesn't start until a decent way in so while it is a breeze to read I had to keep stoping and coming back when I got a bit bored with the fun part of the book not happening yet. Once you get past the beginning and she actually goes on her trip things picked up. If you are looking for a book with a MFC who you can relate to as an older adult this is definitely it. Fans of Midlife Bounty Hunter and A Forty Something Fury will love giving this a read.

This was a nice paced book about time travel! The author knows how to build characters for sure. Heroin is not the whining leading lady. I might have done fist pump when the main character states she hates that! But the story doesn't end here. I like the dialogue and the clean cut writing. Definitely downloading the second. Probably subscribing!

This was such a fun book! Really enjoyed seeing an FMC in her 30s having a crazy adventure. It was just so much fun, swoony and witty.

I had read this book back when it was originally published and it only improved upon a reread - the writing style and characters fit perfectly in the time travel/fantasy romance genre and I /still/ can’t believe I didn’t understand how a viking home was laid out until reading this book. Every moment of research time was well-spent, 100%

I started this book but did not finish it on NetGalley before it was archived again. I did promptly go buy it so I could finish the story. Thank you for getting me hooked on the series, I can’t wait to see what else you have up your sleeves Aimee Vance! I am glad I knew this book would be part of at least a trilogy before I got started, so hopefully I can pace myself until June. Thank you to Revel Books for the chance to read this book to get me hyped for the rest of the series!

Hopeful start to a series, and I like the setting. FMC is a tad whiney and immature and you live in Colorado with a giant dog, how is she not outside all the time? Pacing is a little on the slow side, but again, first in a series so its part of the package. Overall, I think I'll continue on with the series

This was a fun little time-travel fantasy romance adventure! Shelbie gifts herself a trip to Sweden for her 31st birthday even though the trip is outside of her comfort zone. However, she never really gets to experience her journey because she falls into a time warp and spends some time with some hot vikings instead.

Overall, I really enjoyed elements of this book, but it felt too much like it was setting up a series than standing on it's own. I didn't really need all the prep Shelbie does for her trip, even though it does some good to establish her home life and gives her something to go back to. The parts where she is with the vikings are so enjoyable! I loved the relationship development and all of the side characters in this world. What I really wanted was more of the magic! I hope the future books will give us more of that.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this title and thank you to Revel Books for providing me with an eARC, however I am prioritizing other books on my list at this time. I will amend my review to reflect my thoughts, should I read this book in the future.

I love this book so much. This was a reread for me - but I enjoyed it just as much (if not more) this time through. It's a perfect mix of romance and fantasy. It's lighthearted but also emotional. I love the world that is created and the characters are incredible. This is one of my favorite series and I cannot wait until the third book is released.

It took me awhile to get in to this one and that might be because it started off pretty slow. Almost half the book was set in modern day, which was alot more than I was expecting. The first half also kind of felt like a training montage which I found kind of boring and unnecessary. Once we got to the Viking times I enjoyed the characters but I didn't feel very convinced by the relationship - I feel like they didn't build enough before getting together. I would have liked to get more of the lore and world-building as well. I don't think I will be continuing the rest of the series. I just wasn't invested enough by the end.

This was about half and half modern times and Viking times and it was the right combo for the story.

She’s at a standstill in her life and a horse sees fit to kick her back in time to the hottest Vikings she could find. What a pal.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Fates Illuminated by Aimee Vance
-Call of the Norns Book 1-

3.5/5⭐️
1.5/3🌶️ (spice)
2/3🦋 (swoon)

•My Thoughts•
Have I mentioned I am immediately summoned by Vikings? This book also promised time travel and dragons and I RAN! I was so excited to read this one and while it was cute, I found myself a bit…bored. The world building was very minimal and easy to grasp but I thought there would be more action and story tension (hello, they’re Vikings!!). I did like all the characters but had some trouble connecting to them or feeling invested in the relationships. The romance was pretty instant and left me wanting a bit more depth. There were definitely some moments and side character that made me chuckle (looking at you, Charlene) but everything felt a little too easy up until the last bit. That last portion was pretty interesting, if even a bit confusing with some reveals. The cliffhanger does intrigue me and considering this book was only 300ish pages, I’d consider reading book 2. Definitely a cozier vibe for this one which would absolutely appeal to many!