I really appreciated the dual narrators for the two main characters. They were easy to listen to and pulled me into the story. This novel started off strong with an intriguing concept. The main character, Rua, finds herself in unfamiliar surroundings in the late 1800’s. Those around her believe she has amnesia, but she is convinced she is not who they all think she is. She navigates this new life while trying not to make mistakes that will negatively affect her “family”. As she tries to recover her memories and solve the
mystery of who she is, an undeniable attraction draws Rua and the Irish born Finn over and over again even though he knows he should stay away. The interaction and romance between the two is satisfying to read and I was invested in the outcome of where their paths would lead, However, just as the final arc tension was mounting the story ended. It felt abrupt and frustrating. I truly expected more of a battle between the characters, as if the final chapters were missing. Had the ending gone a little further into the story I would have given it 4 stars.

This is a 10 star for me! I absolutely enjoyed it from start to finish and have already recommended it to 3 people! lol
The characters were well thought out and the plot was really interesting! I can’t wait for the next one and all the special editions will be sitting pretty on the shelf!

This book gives me fifth season vibes. I loved every moment listening to it. The way the female main character was interacting with everyone else was interesting to watch play out especially with the main male character.

I am writing this review a little less than 24 hours after I have finished the book, so I am going to try my best to emulate the feelings I had during and immediately after reading. When I go from one book to the next with very little time in between, some books I genuinely enjoyed get lost in the stack. While I can safely say that this has happened before with books I have recently finished, I think I can still say that this was the best book I’ve read all year. I understand that this seems a little less impactful given my previous statement, but with so little time left in the year, I stand by it regardless.

For starters, I requested an arc for this book because I knew of the author from social media. I had seen videos about her writing for over a year, and while I loved watching her work, I would not have requested the novel if it weren’t for the intriguing plot and time period in which it was set in. I expected this book to be like the majority of the ones I had read this year – another story that fit the mood I was in at the time, but maybe would not have been as memorable if it were not a book I was in the mood to read.

When looking at the clothes on the characters in the cover and thinking of the overall setting of the novel, I pictured it to be a fall read, one that I unfortunately was unable to pick up at the time as a result of school. The year is coming to an end, and I knew that when January started, it would be back to spring/summer in my mind, and I would no longer feel that I could read books such as these because they would not fit the season. Determined to start and finish this book while I still felt a chill in the air, I began reading.

While I had favorites throughout the year, I don’t recall that I had a book so far that I was constantly thinking about as I did with “The Gods Time Forgot.” I don’t believe that there was a book that I sped through as fast, nor was there a book that I was so eager to get back to. Rua and Finn were a delight to read about. I read on my Kindle, and every time they were together in a scene, I had highlighted and tabbed every page.

In 1870 New York, Emma Harrington emerges from a hole in the ground, immediately grabbed by the townspeople. She is thrown into the world of America’s Gilded Age, being dragged from event to event under the stern watch of her mother, Flossie Harrington, and warned that the only way that she will be able to make up for her expulsion from boarding school is by winning over the affection of newcoming immigrant, Irish aristocrat, and Lord of Denore Finn. Finn is intrigued by Emma; she does not seem to fit into their society, and while he knows his reputation is at stake, he can’t help but fall for her; it feels as if he’s met her before.

Finn is right – there is something different about her – she’s not actually Emma Harrington, and she can’t figure out why she’s here.

This “Emma Harrington” is actually Rua, and no one seems to believe her. All she remembers is waking up and climbing out of the hole in the ground. She has no memories from before, but she knows that while Emma Harrington may look like her, there is no way they are the same person. Desperate to figure out what happened to her and get back to where she’s meant to be, she must navigate this foreign world of social etiquettes, prove she is who they say she is, and learn of the true Emma Harrington’s whereabouts – all while keeping her true identity a secret from everyone.

If only she could remember what that identity is.

I will say it one more time, I absolutely loved this book. If I could find anything bad to say about it, it would be that I felt it ended too abruptly. While this may deter others, it instills a sliver of hope for me, a belief that there may be the sequel that I so desperately crave. I cannot speak for the grammar or the plot structure and plot holes, because while I didn’t see them, I am not qualified to comment on whether or not they were there. All that I can say is that I was so glad to find a book that made me wish to read faster so that I could experience the world and plot all at once, and I am thankful that I could find a story that was so interesting that it didn’t require me to be in the mood to read it.


Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the arc and the privilege of reading this novel and thank you Kelsie for writing such a beautiful story for me to enjoy.

Edit:
While this is from the original novel's arc that I received, I will make this work for the audiobook, too, because they are the same story.. My new additional thoughts are as follows:
1. The dual narration was the absolute best! I am so happy that you were able to do that, but also that you got Finn's voice actor to do an actual Irish accent! I was worried that it was just going to be a random mountain-man voice with no accent at all, but you didn't let that happen, and I am so grateful!
2. I wish I had this audiobook when I was reading the physical arc, because I feel like it would have made it so much more immersive. I was already hooked after the first chapter, so I can't imagine how much more obsessed I could get! However, I feel like this was probably here on the website when I read the novel, so that one's on me.

Thank you for allowing me to not only read this story, but listen to it too. It was truly a 5 star read.

A intriguing blend of historical fiction, fantasy, romance, and Irish mythology, The Gods Time Forgot centers around a woman’s precarious place in the rigidly patriarchal world in the 1880s — and highlights one woman's determined actions to defy it. I'll be honest, there was something about the cover or description that made me slow to pick this one up, but once I did, I found myself easily swept away.

The story begins with a bang: Rua awakes, digging herself free from a hole, hearing the voices of people searching for a lost woman. While she's not certain that woman is her, a deep and pervasive amnesia makes her desperate for help. When she stumbles towards them, the searchers immediately mistake her for their missing family member Emma, despite her insistence that Emma is not her name. Without memory of her previous life in their home, she continues to make missteps that don't jive with their family's standing in polite society. Convinced that she is suffering from a mental break, her controlling parents threaten her with entry into an assylm if she does not quickly confirm to their expectations. Enter: Finn, a business man who has traveled from Ireland to New York and is working hard to establish himself within proper society. Though he knows he should not involve himself with the fiery and controversial Rua/Emma, he finds her oddly familiar and irresistable. There is a low-key mystery vibe that provides some tension as Rua looks into the disappearance of Emma, her own murky history, and how she can get back to her former life.

It was easy to want to root for Rua to overcome the oppressions of a heavily patriarchal era, however her decisions, overall abrasiveness, and tendency to violence made me less sure. That said, her character felt fitting for the Irish mythology it was intended to reflect. I do wish the Irish folklore and her backstory could have been brought to center stage more effectively once introduced, so that readers would have gained an understanding of the folklore instead of just references to it.

The dual narrative from Kimberly M. Wetherell and Matthew Forsythe was well performed, with fluid pacing and emotional nuance. Thanks to NetGalley, Spotify Audiobooks, Alcove Press, and Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars...first off thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this audioARC of the book. I enjoyed this one. The characters were all lovable and I loved the plot. I really wanted to punch the mom many times and also the antagonist girl, Annette. This storyline was right up my alley. Hell mouths, Irish goddesses, murder, mayhem, societal woes. It's got intrigue, fantasy and some romance. I would definitely recommend this book to people.

Tropes:
Irish mythology
1870s era
Amnesia/Confusion
Historical Romance with a splash of fantasy

I loved the twists and turns that came with Rua and Finn's relationship.
It was truly wonderful to see how the ins and outs of 19th century NY old money and new money society.

I did not love how slowly the audiobook narrators read and sped it up to 2x speed.

Thank you Spotify Audiobooks and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully crafted, but frustratingly slow story. This was an atmospheric blend of mystery, romance, and very minimal folklore. It will probably appeal to someone who enjoyed the historical depth of The Gilded Age and Outlander (in concept only, in execution it's a far more stagnant situation). While the lush period details and gilded setting are immersive, the story's glacial pacing truly tested the limits of my patience. Somehow these 300ish pages managed to feel twice as long as they should have. There's undeniable craft here, but not enough narrative urgency - a stronger editorial hand could have given it the urgency it desperately needed. Unless you're happy to linger endlessly in the same scenes, you'll likely find your patience wearing thin well before the end.

The audiobook narration was lovely.

Thank you to Spotify Audiobooks for providing the ARC via NetGalley!

I was intrigued by this synopsis (and the cover) since I don’t know much about Irish mythology. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. We get only glimpses into the mythology and honestly some creepy aspects involving the occult which I’m not sure whether that is part of the mythology or not. The first half was very slow for my preferences and then the ending eventually felt rushed as everything came together. It also ended very abruptly. I usually prefer an epilogue as a nice closure.

I did like the narrators. Both did a great job with the accents and flow.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted copy of this audiobook. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Kisses/Makeouts

An amazing greek mythology retelling with a bit of mystery, romance and feisty FMC involved. definitely recommend for a historical romantasy.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Spotify Audiobooks, and Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of The Gods Time Forgot.

It’s been quite a while since I ventured into a romantasy novel—especially one where the romance takes center stage. While this genre is currently popular with both adults and young adults, I’ve only dipped my toes in until now.

What truly drew me in was the Irish mythology. In my opinion, we need more stories rooted in that rich mythos, and this novel hit a spot I didn’t even realize I’d been craving. The story is primarily set in 1870s Manhattan, with interwoven glimpses of a past in Ireland. At times, especially in audio format, the overlapping settings could be a bit confusing to follow.

I really liked the main characters, Rua and Finn. As for the rest of the cast… let’s just say I had a few unladylike things I wanted to say to them—but I suspect that was exactly what the author intended.

The plot was intriguing enough that I finished the audiobook in just two days. While the romance stayed firmly in PG-13 territory, I found myself both invested and just a little frustrated with how long it took the main couple to stop dancing around their feelings. That said, I was ultimately satisfied with the ending. It did feel a bit rushed, and I was bracing myself for a cliffhanger—but thankfully, it wrapped up neatly.

Overall, I enjoyed The Gods Time Forgot and would happily recommend it to my library patrons. It’s a great beginner-friendly introduction to the romantasy genre, with a bonus dose of Irish history and lore.

Rating: 3.75/5

I really enjoyed this audiobook! As a huge audiobook listener I feel I can come to appreciate any narrator, but these two really made the story shine! I’ll definitely be buying a physical copy as a shelf trophy and recommending this to my friends who listen to books!

This book had a lot of potential. It fell very flat and the ending was so rushed while the rest of the book was slowly paced.

I love Romantasy books but this was not it. I’d say it was more of a magic realism story.

I want to thank NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story itself was not what I expected, but in a good way. As it progressed, I kept wondering where it was going to go in terms of plot. The author does a great job of dropping small hints throughout to help leave a trail, but it really wasn't until the last few chapters that you're able to see how the story comes together as a whole. This build up of the mysterious background between each of the characters kept me hooked from beginning to end.

I loved how Rua and Finn's story unfolded. It has a great blend of cut throat society women to help you root for Rua, slow burn romance that makes you want to scream in frustration but keep reading, and, again, an ending that keeps you guessing all the way up until the end. All fantastic elements for an excellent read.

And then I got about three quarters of the way through, and something happened. The pacing of the story just didn't match the first part of the book. The events happening didn't quite line up with everything else that was taking place. Some of the characters story arcs just didn't line up with all that had happened to them so far. From this point to the end, I honestly felt like I might have been reading a different book altogether, that's how off it seemed. Even the final conclusion seemed to be missing something, and didn't quite hit the mark for a satisfactory finale.

Overall, I still very much enjoyed the story, its characters, the mix of history and mythological fantasy. It was just the unsatisfactory ending that left me feeling like this could have been more that really did me in. I do hope to see more of Kelsie in the future though, because I feel this type of fantasy/history blend is great, and she did a good job with the world building, and setting up the story and the characters. This tale was off to a wonderful start, but the final portion of the book could have used some better tuning and story expansion to help it really stand out overall.

New York, 1870. “The Gods Time Forgot” begins with Rua climbing out of a hole in the ground and everyone mistaking her for the Harrington’s missing daughter, Emma. Rua’s memories are gone. She has no idea who Emma was or why they seem to have switched places, but rather than striking out on her own in an unknown world, Rua goes along with the charade.
Finn Donore is an Irish Lord, trying to make his way into American social society. He meets Emma and feels certain that they have met before, while Emma is drawn to Finn who is equally familiar to her.
I listened to an Advanced Copy of the audiobook. The narration was split between Kimberly M. Wetherrell as Rua and Matthew Forsythe as Finn. Both do an excellent job of bringing the characters to life.

The vibes were there for this book, but it just didn't hit like I wanted it to. I loved the tropes, I loved the time period as well, but the pacing of it just did not work for me.

Rua has no memories, but when she's found in the woods and is told her name is Emma, she reluctantly goes along with it, hoping to find answers as to who she is. Trying to blend into society, she meets and is immediately drawn towards the Lord of Donore -- Finn. Finn is drawn to Rua, feeling like he knows her from somewhere, but can't quite place his finger on where/how. So when she starts breaking the rules of society, he steps in to help her, despite knowing that he needs to try and make the right connections and friends if he is to survive here having recently arrived from Ireland. As Rua starts to uncover her memories, she starts to realize that she isn't from this world, but something older, filled with dark magic and ancient secrets. The two of them will have to discover the truth of their past before it's too late.

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

Okay, so we've got Irish/Celtic mythology set against the backdrop of New York society in the 1800s. Let me start by saying this: the truth about Rua and Finn was amazing. I loved the way we slowly discover things at the same time that they're remembering it themselves. The layers of memory that they have to uncover while also dealing with the mystery of what happened to Emma and who they can trust within the Harrington household is done beautifully. Never once did I feel confused or overwhelmed with the information I was given. And then there's the weaving in of the mythology. It starts out subtle at first and then slowly piles on until you have the entire picture and it is just **chef's kiss**. And to be honest, I never say any of it coming. I highly recommend this romantic read filled with mystery and magic.

Bonus: the audiobook is so well done. I loved the voice narrators, especially the male voice for Finn. They did a fantastic job bringing Rua and Finn to life.

Thank you @NetGalley for the ALC!

5 stars. I know this is going to be one of those beautiful love stories that I will think about ALL of the time.

The hook:
This story follows a woman thrown into a world where she knows nothing but her name, Rua. She is mistaken for her likeness, Emma Harrington, a new money socialite in 1870s New York. As she tries to understand how she found herself living someone else’s life with no previous memories, she meets Finn. Rua and Finn get to know each other more and more and realize this isn’t their first lives knowing each other.

My general thoughts:
This story teaches you Irish mythology - which is not something I had any prior knowledge of. Any mythology can be confusing and is not usually a favorite but this totally blew me away. At its very core - this is a love story. I don’t know if I have enough words to do this review justice. I went in blind and I am so thankful I did, because it made the experience so special to me. There’s so much romantasy out there that they do tend to blend. This is a true stand-out for me.

Also I was so endeared by the acknowledgements and really excited to follow this author.

Audiobook specific notes:
-This was dual narration
-Third person dual POV, which I personally don’t think is the best for audio, but enjoyed the title nonetheless.
-Any audiobook with different accents can be really tough and the standard is high. I think the narrators had very engaging performances, with the female narrator a particular highlight for me! She brought so much life to Rua and Emma. I had a bit more trouble understanding Finn, but that might just be my American side speaking lol!
-There were some parts of the story that jump into flashbacks that aren’t super easy to understand in audio - which I cannot necessarily say is avoidable given the format but it did throw me off a few times, especially with change in accents at times.
-This may be just me - but I did notice specifically for our male narrator, it seemed like the tone of his voice would change at random times for certain lines. It sounded like to me that it was edited, re-recorded, and spliced in. I cannot say I am any audio professional but that was something I wanted to call out as it could be distracting from the story. It almost sounded like a different person narrating that line.


What I can criticize:
-I do feel like the start was a bit slow and hard to follow. I listened to the first 20% over a week (between other listens). It took me about 20% before I was so engaged I couldn’t stop listening and finished the rest in one sitting.
-A small pet peeve of mine - the POV switches aren’t noted by chapter - meaning it will jump to next POV without it being the start/end of chapter.

The premise was interesting enough. Rua wakes up in the body of Emma, a young woman and daughter of new money in Gilded Age Manhattan. Who is she? Why is she so 21st century in her attitudes? Will she avoid being sent to an asylum for not meeting social norms?

The description mentioned this being for fans of Outlander. Even though the description said fantasy, I kept hoping this would be a time traveling historical romance with body swapping like Quantum Leap. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Instead, we get a very modern sounding 21st century woman who just can't fit in for about 70% of the book. Flashbacks done in Irish accents (I listened to the audiobook) hint as to the Irish Mythology and who Rua is so it wasn't a surprise when the climax reveals this.

However, the buildup to get there was so incredibly slow (I listened to it at 2.5 speed to pick up the pace) and messily done. The reveal at the last 20% seemed to come out of nowhere despite the flashback hints. I get what the author was doing, but to me it made much more sense for Rua to have been a time traveler from modern day.

Also, this is in no way a romantasy. I kept expecting the characters to go to a magical fae land like in Irish mythology but they never did. The fantasy aspect is very, very minimal and only in the climax. I would recommend this for fans of Historical Romance who like modern women who don't fit in and men who "aren't like the other men" and have very feminist attitudes despite living in 1870.

The dual narrators did a great job, though at times the male voice cut in and out like they had fixed mistakes made in the original narration.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for the review copy.

To start with the narration of this audiobook, I enjoyed the dual narration and that we had two different narrators. I also enjoyed the female narrators and thought she did a very good job. However, I struggled with the male narrators, especially with the accents and feel like he kept slipping in and out of the Irish.
Now onto the story, this was set in 1870s new York and has a twist on Irish mythology. The best parts of this book is easily the romance. It is done very well and has a lot of sweet swoon worthy moments. O. The other hand the fantasy aspects were almost non existent and needed to be developed further. The pacing of the book struggled as well. The first 80 percent dragged while the last 20 percent rushed to the point of feeling clumsy and non conclusive. There is a lot of good to enjoy in this book but I do wish there was more editing done especially to the pacing.