I liked it and appreciated world building and storytelling.
A more complete review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In this enchanting novel, we step into the mystical world of the **'enchanted eventide'**—a place where an esteemed historian, Dr. Neely Shaw, embarks on a captivating journey. Set in Alabama in 2016, Neely spends her Sundays exploring the back roads, seeking long-forgotten relics and new historical sites. When she stumbles upon the remains of an old farmhouse, she discovers a brittle envelope containing a handwritten letter from 1907, nominating an unknown hotel for the National Register of Historic Places. But how could this be, given that the National Register didn't exist back then?

Enter Josh Carraway, the project manager for the multinational company that owns the property. Together, they aim to save the old house from destruction and uncover the phantom hotel. With the help of Davis Stewart, the director of the Oak Springs, Alabama Archives, Neely unearths the once-beautiful historical jewel hidden behind dense wilderness.

But there's more: Neely and Josh discover a **portal to the past** that transports them to 1907. Here, they encounter mystical occurrences, ghostly sightings, and an eerie abduction. As they navigate this time-traveling adventure, they must balance their project with the supernatural forces at play. Could this journey into the past also shape their future?

Jaye Burke weaves a tale of time travel, romance, mystery, and vivid descriptions of rural Alabama's spectacular beauty. The transitions between different time periods are smooth, connecting the dots across history. Readers have praised the book's magical elements and the way it brings the past alive. Some reviewers have given it four stars, appreciating its blend of romance, historical fiction, and the touch of magic.

If you enjoy stories that blur the lines between reality and enchantment, "The First Lights of Eventide" might be a delightful addition to your reading list!

Thanks to NetGalley and VintageSouthBooks for allowing me to read this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thanks ti NetGalley and Vintage South for the opportunity to read The First Lights of Eventide by Jaye Burke. Being from the South and understanding the pull of our past, I loved this book. Finding a portal . . . man, how cool would that be . . .

This book started a bit slow, and honestly was a bit confusing at times - the timeline, how things pieced together. And I suppose, honestly, it will be one of those books that people will pick up and either really love or really hate.

I found myself intrigued by the story line - maybe because I am from the South were old buildings are hidden in the fields with vines. Or maybe because I spent my years while living in Canada seeking out the forgotten school houses, homesteads and churches - often in fields, often in the deep bush, and very often covered in overgrowth. Why? Because, like the MFC I love the pull of history, the whisper of stories forgotten, the romance of long forgotten things. So....for me this book had a pull, an interesting story. And I couldn't help but be drawn to it, even during the slow parts.

For me - I think it is worth the read, worth the time, If only for the nostalgic feelings it will evoke.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the author for this review copy in exchange for an honest review

Typically I avoid books that have a romance vibe about them, but I am very happy I read this one. Time travel, a murder case, and mysterious disappearances are all entwined in a delightful tale.

I grew up watching fireflies dance at dusk and next time I see them my thoughts will be of the mystical eventide that brings with it the possibility of 'time-crossed lovers', and the deeply felt ideas that your life should be led differently.

Neely Shaw spends her free time looking for old buildings and sites, the hidden gems of days gone by. Josh Carraway manages a property Neely happens upon that may or may not have been the site of one of these buildings.

I enjoyed the variety of characters we meet, both in the current day and in the early 1900's. There was a lot packed into this relatively short book and I enjoyed every page.

3.8/5
The writing style is lovely. It was a bit slow at first. It seems the main character got lucky with finding information on the place this book is about. It was a bit confusing following the timeline of events. It's one of those books where you either hate it or love it. I'm in between. It wasn't what I was expecting.
Thank you to NetGalley, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles, & author for this ARC.
I did post this on Goodreads.
#TheFirstLightsofEventide #NetGalley

Whilst the book did feel decently researched for the era, it completely fell flat with the narrative and the characters. I had no connection or grounding to any of the characters, the whole story felt like it was in a completely bland world and no life seemed to exist beyond the character's narrative. Nothing seemed to happen, the characters were very robotic and flat and I had no connection to them or their motives. The love story felt random and completely forced. And everything just *happened* at the exact time that it needed to become relevant. The court case, too, made little logic, and the random segue to the Ingram plot..... it all left me just going, "eh????".

The entire narrative is paradoxical in the end... how can Josh stay in the past and change the course of history with the hotel and then no longer exist in 2016, but when Neely does it, somehow she still exists in the future and manages to save the hotel in 2016 despite then having died in 1980's?? There was no consistency there for it to make any sense.

There was no feeling in the whole book. The entire narrative was 'tell', and there was no 'showing'. No thoughts nor feelings. Barely any description of characters and location. In the sections where Neely travels between past and future, the only way that this is identified is "now she is back in the past", rather than giving us some kind of magical sensation to show the magic of eventide working. It makes it incredibly boring.

I contemplated DNF'ing so many times through the book, but played on to the end for the answers. I feel like the story and the narrative had excellent potential, but it was just completely ruined by the lack of... well, anything.

Two stars - one for the author some-what committing to and completing a complex narrative, and the other for the research behind it, even if it amounted to nothing for the book. I didn't feel anywhere close to 1900s Alabama.

⭐ 3.5
🌶️ 0

This was an interesting story; it kept me moving through the book. However, I don't feel I really got to know any of the characters very well. Usually, when I read a book, I feel I get to know the characters, feel what they feel, and experience what they experience. That did not happen in this book; it all felt very surface-y to me. The story idea was so intriguing. Time travel, love across time, and more. But the execution was just not as rich as I would have liked. Everything felt a bit rushed and lacking depth. I did read the entire, and I did enjoy it. I wish I got more feels from the story than I did.

This is the most adorable time travel story that I have ever read! Dr. Neely Shaw sets the tone from the very beginning: she no longer wants to have anything to do with her parents, and she is over her troll boyfriend. So, she focuses on her career as the Senior Project Reviewer for the Alabama Commission of Historic Sites. The past is her passion and, after finding a note in the drawer of an old, derelict farmhouse, mentioning an old hotel called The Mountain Lodge Hotel, she decides to look for it, resurrect it, and list on the National Register of Historic Places.
While for it in the long-forgotten country paths full of overgrown weed and branches, she comes across a portal that takes her back to 1906 during the glorious period of the Mountain Lodge. There will start an exciting and heartwarming adventure where we will get to meet people from the old days, uncover dirty secrets that destroyed lives, and Neely will literally turn her life upside down by visiting the past.

This book was fun! I enjoyed meeting those people from way back when, solving mysteries, finding romance, overcome heartbreak, and what professional accomplishments really means in the big scheme of things. The ending was awesome. I am surprised though that I cannot find this title on Goodreads. I so wish more people could hear about it.

Thank you so much for this e-ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Despised it. It was as if the author was unsure of what story they were trying to tell. There were also major flaws with the dialogue between characters. It was forced and robotic, devoid of any real emotion. It made all of the characters feel one dimensional and stagnant. There was also incredible redundancy about the most inane things. How many times do we need to know that she has a Subaru and she calls it the Silver Bullet?

There was also the incredible issue that many of the characters were from backwater towns deep in Alabama and none had accents with the exception of one. The lone black character within the story that made a minor appearance had a heavy accent which I personally found to be uncomfortable and mishandled.

Let us also not forget that the story yanks the reader from one place to another both in space and in time. There is no consistency between the stories taking place and there is little drive to continue. It was drawn out, misleading, and annoying.

Dr. Shaw was not a historian worth her salt, either. For her to not know things about history that she supposedly did her PhD. thesis on was unrealistic and droll. Her being unaware of how those of the early twentieth century wore clothing, spoke, or acted was at odds to her having done her thesis on Alabama 1819 to recent.

Overall, not impressed and annoyed. Though, if one is looking for a book that is good to read when you don't want to think, that's probably the only time I would recommend it.

This was a decent read, I enjoyed it, it kept me interested! It just wasn’t my typical read, but I feel like it would be a 5 star for others!

I highly enjoyed reading this book. I was hooked within the first couple of chapters. The transitions between the different time periods was very smooth in my opinion. The way the author was able to connect all the different years together and keep it entertaining. I love reading mystery book however I tend to figure things out very early on in the book. With this book I didn't have it figured out till the author was revealing it herself. The character development and the relationship developments between each other was done nicely. I would recommend this to my fellow book lovers for a nice romance, history and a mystery all wrapped up in one.

The synopsis and cover of this book had me very intrigued. However I DNF at 40%.

I found that I didn’t really care for the main characters which is a must for me. With what could be a very interesting story, the pace was slow and the continuity of the story didn’t seem to be there. Some points that needed clarification were disregarded and the constant change in view point meant I was left confused for a large portion of the book I read.

I’m gutted because it could be a great book but it really needs a rework in my opinion

DNF @ 31% / chapter 14.

Thank you to netgalley for giving me a chance to read this one, unfortunately it wasn’t for me..

From the book description this sounded really fun and magical but I personally found it to be quite slow and lacked tension.

I found the characters of Neely and Josh to be wooden / non enthusiastic about the situation they found themselves in.

Without giving spoilers the MCs travel back through time to the early 1900s to a hotel that the FMC was viewing present day for her job at the historical preservation society. When the MCs arrive in the past there was no emotion or tension it was just like oh yeah we just traveled back in time no big deal.

I found the story also tended to skip things quite often without warning and jumped to another’s perspective without clarity.

Overall interesting premise but too slow paced / blasé for my reading taste.

I was initially drawn to this book by its intriguing description, but despite finishing it, I struggled to fully embrace the magic I anticipated. While the writing is solid, I found it challenging to connect with the story and characters. Despite this, I'm open to exploring another book by the author, hopeful for a more enchanting experience.

Jaye Burke's latest novel, a captivating blend of time travel, mystique, and rural Alabama's breathtaking beauty, invites readers on a journey with Dr. Neely Shaw, an esteemed historian, in search of the truth hidden within an old southern legend. As Neely stumbles upon a mysterious letter dated 1907, her quest to uncover the secrets of a phantom hotel from circa 1883 takes an unexpected turn. The hotel, absent from all historical records, becomes a puzzle that challenges Neely's skepticism and leads her into a realm where mystical intervention blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural. Burke's narrative skillfully weaves together mystery, romance, and vivid descriptions, creating an atmospheric tale that immerses readers in the enchanting world of the 'enchanted eventide.' Prepare for a journey where historical relics, ghostly sightings, and the allure of the past converge, leaving Neely—and readers—questioning the boundaries between the tangible and the mystical.

I loved the idea of this story, it uses time-travel perfectly and I was enjoying how good everything worked overall. The characters worked well with what I was expecting and thought they were written perfectly. I enjoyed the history element and enjoyed the mystery elements and how it worked with the romance element.

I liked the look and sound of this book, from its description. I finished it, but unfortunately, I felt like I never properly warmed to it. There was nothing wrong with the writing, I just didn't feel the magic that I hoped for, and didn't really connect with the story, or any of the characters. I would probably still try another book by this author though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

I was thoroughly intrigued by the cover and the synopsis of this book. It checked all the boxes for what I look for in a good historical/fiction fantasy mash-up.
I think readers will enjoy this book if they like any of the following - Mysterious old buildings; Time Travel; Archaeology; A hint of magic/fantasy elements; A romantic subplot

The summary of what this book described was excellent and captivating. However, as I was reading, I had this odd sensation of missing something… as I kept reading, I realized that the author was jumping around quite a bit. Later in the book the author even switches points of view. I still enjoyed the story but I think it would have been better if the author had focused on the main character more and not tried to weave in as many other ideas and characters. The concept and world this author created was a 5 out of 5 stars for me. But the writing style and skipping around in the story made finishing this book hard, hence my 3 star rating.
Thank you NetGalley for the free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A great story for historical magic, history lovers, and enchanted romance! I resonated with the characters and felt myself being taken back in time to the simple life of 1907!