Review: The Gods Time Forgot by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez

I received this book via the publisher Alcove Press. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

The Gods Time Forgot by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez
Published by Alcove Press on 2025-04-08
Length: 331 pages
Reviewing eARC from the publisher Alcove Press
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2025, 2025 New Release Challenge

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.

Manhattan, 1870. Rua knows only two things: her name and that she has no memories. So when the wealthy Harrington family mistakes Rua for their missing daughter, Emma, Rua goes along with the charade, hoping for answers about who she really is. As she tries to blend into a society she doesn’t remember, she’s drawn to a firmly off-limits man: the Lord of Donore, a newcomer to Manhattan society who is somehow familiar to Rua.

Finn is new to this side of the Atlantic and knows that the best way to fit in as Lord of Donore is to make friends in high places and play by the rules of society. He knows he shouldn’t become involved with a mysterious, recently missing debutante, but he’s intrigued by Emma Harrington, and Finn has an uncanny feeling that this isn’t the first time they’ve met.

With societal pressures mounting on both sides, Rua is determined to discover the truth about the missing Harrington daughter and her own past. But when her memories begin to return, they’re of a world far stranger than New York and traced in dark magic.

As ancient secrets unfurl in Rua’s memory, Rua and Finn are forced to uncover the mystery of their past and try to save their future. In this gritty and glittering romantasy, nothing and no one is as they seem.

The Gods Time Forgot by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez is billed as a romantasy, but reads more like a historical romance with a touch of fantasy. Rua emerges from a hellmouth in Manhattan during America’s Gilded Age knowing only two things: her name and that she is not Emma Harrington, a girl who is missing and looks exactly like her. With no memories. Rua goes along with the Harringtons, pretending to be their daughter and hoping to find answers to who she is. As she tries to blend into high society, Rua finds herself drawn to the Lord of Donore, but the question is why is he so familiar to her.

Rua is an interesting character. She is headstrong, feisty, and not at all what you’d expect from a high society young lady. Her mysterious appearance adds to the rumors as she discovers more and more about who Emma Harrington was before she disappeared. Rua’s inability to submit to her mother’s whims gets her into a lot of trouble early on with whisper of devil worshipping and witches. Her problems escalate when she catches the attention of Finn.

Finn is the enigmatic Lord of Donore, a wealthy and recent Irish immigrant to the States. He is building a hotel with Ned Harrington and the Fitzgeralds, who control the gossip and clout of New York’s high society. While he enjoys the work, he doesn’t enjoy the pretenses that come with it. When he meets Rua, he is intrigued and fascinated by her. Her, for lack of a better word, unfiltered opinions are a breath of fresh air compared to the duplicitous nature of the rest in their society. But more than that, he recognizes her on a soul deep level that he doesn’t quite understand.

I really wanted to love this book. I was so excited to read it, thinking that we’d have a lot of mythology built into the book, but alas that wasn’t the case. While billed as a romantasy, the fantasy portion made up *maybe* a quarter of the book, if that. There were a few memories that Rua remembered throughout the book, set aside in the text with italics, that featured her past life, but they were few and far between until the last 20% of the book. Seriously, I looked at when it all came to a head and I was at the 82% mark in my digital copy. Then the ending….it just ends. There’s this big build up, and then it is over. Unsatisfying to say the least.

Overall, The Gods Time Forgot was just okay for me. It wasn’t the best book, but also not the worst. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I’d known going in that the fantasy was light, and it focused more on the historical aspects. The romance itself was ok, I wasn’t rooting for it to go either way. I think I was waiting on the fantasy too much to worry about the romance. If you are a fan of romantasy, be forewarned. If you are a fan of historical romance with a touch of mythology, I think you’ll enjoy it.

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