Nic, Goodreads (5 stars)

This book 🙌🙌🙌

5/5 ✨

It’s one of those books that completely pulls you in with its atmosphere, characters, and a story that unfolds in such an unexpected way. I literally could not put it down!

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At first, it feels like a deeply emotional, character driven novel about grief and starting over, but then it slowly unravels into something SOOOO much bigger!!!

Adding in that it was an incredible slow burn that I could not help but become obsessed with !! 🤭

The main characters make you feel everything they are feeling.

Roe, who carries the weight of her past, but is also strong, practical, and just trying to find her way.

Then there’s Bryn, who is… well 🤤

I would love to read a hundred more pages of him 😂

Their dynamic is everything 🙌 and I loved how their relationship developed naturally rather than being rushed.

The side characters are written in a way that you grow attached to all of them.

The world-building is done so well!!

The setting in Ireland added so much depth to this with the fantasy element its unlike anything I have ever read! (keeping it spoiler free so more on that later) 🤭

The twists hit at just the right moments, and the last chunk of the book had me flying through the pages!!

You need to read this just be warned: once you finish, you’ll be desperate for book two! 🫶

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Autumn, Goodreads (5 stars)

This book is a must for all romantasy lovers! It was one of those books where you find yourself annoyed with real life because all you want to do is read it. I found myself captivated by the magic of Ruhaven and swept away by the descriptions of Ireland. The story of mates that spanned time and worlds was more beautiful and heartbreaking than I expected. And I was touched by the love explored between friends and siblings as well. I can’t recommend this book enough!

Birna, Goodreads (5 stars)

Just WOW!

I had (I think) moderate expectations when I started reading but this story had me hooked by first chapter.

How the atmosphere and scenes are described just pulls you in, it feels amazingly alive and the writer just brings 90's Ireland to you. It's so refreshing getting to read a romantsy that goes a whole different route than most others.

The ending was not sth I had expected and it was deffinetly surprising. I really loved that I could not antisipate anything in the storyline. Everytime I thought I had figured something out I got surprised with a new twist. The story is nothing like anything else and is really beautiful. I can't really recommend it enough!!

In a nutshell, I am mesmerized with this book and I can't stop thinking about it, I desperatly need more Ruhaven!

Anny, Goodreads (4 stars)

This book was undeniably a work of art- and if you know what kind of art this author creates it makes perfect sense. I was fortunate enough to be able to discuss themes in this book with the author herself, and when she told me all the details and intricacies woven into the book it really made it come alive. It also made this novel even more impressive than it already is. If you like magical realism, Ireland (a beautiful country), a slow burn and some mystery- I would highly recommend this. It’s different than any other fantasy I’ve read- I would peg it more as a scientific fantasy- but it was so intriguing and drew me in from the first few chapters.

Victoria, Goodreads (5 stars)

Rowan, I told you once you are written upon my very bones. Do you think I'll allow my soul to be separated from yours?

6/5 ⭐ I ate that one up 🔥🔥🔥 I was blessed with the opportunity to read an ARC of this one in exchange for an honest review! The book comes out on Apr 15th 2025

Finally this book is on Goodreads so I can properly rave about it! I've been keeping it all inside myself for months so strap in because a long, in-depth and spoiler free review is coming your way.

Inside you'll find:

✨ A unique twist on fantasy and world building

🎉 Adult characters and no insane age gaps

🌄 Dreamy 90s settings

🎵 Music references

💘 Fated soulmates

🎞️ Past lives

🔥 Slow burn

👽 A l i e n s

All of this plus insane plot twists, a lot of action, and at least few chapters that had me sobbing real tears. Honestly, this book has it all - and I implore you to give a new indie author a chance because it's truly better than 70% of the published authors in this category.

🔧 Our FMC Roe Tullum has been dealt one hell of a blow - she suddenly and tragically lost her twin Willow and it ruined her so completely, it changed the course of her life. Three years later her life is still in shambles, so she hops on the opportunity to leave her Canadian hometown behind and go to Ireland to work in Hotel Naruka as a handywoman.

I truly love Roe! She feels like a real person, her love for her lost twin shines through in everything she does, she's a bit pessimistic, which is both realistic and refreshing. She feels like an actual adult, and is careful and not easily fooled, yet her heart is in the right place and she treats the others around her with kindness. It's heartwarming to see her growing during her journey battling with grief and learning to open up to her new found family.

🎨 And then there's Bryn Stornoway who's perfect in every way and could do no wrong 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️ I'll try to be at least a bit objective here, but you should know that I'll be marrying this man in a heartbeat and he's been escalated from a Book Boyfriend to a Book Husband expeditiously. I mean he's blond, covered in tattoos, Norwegian and is a painter, what more can a woman want?!?!

But I digress, so let's try to return to actually trying to do a review and not just panting after Bryn. After suffering a tragic accident, he gets a permanent leg injury which saddles him with a good deal of trauma and PTSD. This leads to him being banned from Naruka... at least till he's desperately needed again and Roe is sent to fetch him back and they meet for the first time 🧨

🎀 And then there's Tye, James and Kazie who are absolutely magical and feel so human and real. You're bound to feel for them, and as the story progresses and not all Naruka residents are of the same mind, you as a reader often feel quite torn in who to support because Kayla M Martell did such a good job of making them all relatable and likeable. Overall that's something that really jumped out to me in this book - how all of the characters feel so alive, so realistic!

✨ Lastly, let's talk about the fantasy element. Or more likely not talk about it, as I promised a spoiler free review and I'm unsure on how to talk about it and not spoil it as it's such a unique blend of sci-fi and urban fantasy.

With the book being set in Ireland I was 100% sure we're going to meet the fae and let me tell you - I haven't been more wrong in my life 😂 The past lives aspect was so well done, and again - such a unique twist! I read mainly fantasy, and I've read a lot of books so I'm usually never surprised by the way the magic works but this one was great and felt so fresh!

You need to be a bit patient with the book as it's book 1 from a series and it takes a bit of time to set up the scene and do the world building but the veterans in the fantasy and sci-fi genres know the drill 💪 But it's totally worth it as this is well balanced by all the action scenes and the reveals.

The plot twists were very well done, with KMM giving you enough clues to be able to deduce some if you're paying attention, and in the same time taking you completely by surprise with others! I always consider when that happens a job well done as I enjoy a fair bit of foreshadowing but I also don't like being able to guess everything 😅

Finally there's the last 10% which are horribly dramatic!!!! Once you reach them you won't be able to put the book down, and also would immediately need to sink your teeth in book 2. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger and most things that pop up in The Minor Fall are resolved but trust me when I tell you that you'll feel the need to grab book 2 immediately 🔥

In conclusion - please get this book, and help spread the word because we can truly do something great here and make book 2 happen 🙌

Annie, Goodreads (5 stars)

I LOVED the first 600 pages. (My Kindle believes this book was 808 pages so I'll reference it how Kindle does.) I giggled, swooned, kicked my feet, and fell in love with the characters. It's a unique plot; it was descriptive, immersive, and funny. Everything in Ireland is wormy apparently. Ha! But it had everything I hoped it would have... smoking hot MMC, relatable MFC, found family, and magic. I HATE boats but I think... no, I KNOW I'd live on a boat with Bryn. He was SMOKING hot and had me dreaming about him. If you're a person who reads for characters, you're going to love this book. My brain loved the different accents for the different characters. Did anyone else read Tye in Matthew McConaughey's voice?

Natalie, Goodreads (5 stars)

Fantastic book. Beautifully written,

The heart of the book is very much in Ireland but with a romantic edge to it of another world! The slow burn romance was divine and gripping and left me wanting more. My heart now longs for more Bryn in it. If you like romance and fantasy this is for you! The last page got me all emotional. Beautiful book, that I wish I could erase my memory and start all over again. 5 stars!!!

Justin, Goodreads (5 stars)

I want to start off by saying that this book was a fantastic read. This was an epic journey, and when I first read what the book was about, I was intrigued, but I didn't really know what else to expect. But holy moly!

The way the characters get built up throughout the story, the funny banter happening between them, but also the very deep connections they all develop, amazing! The way new characters get looped into the story early on kept me interested and made me remember what the connection was throughout the storry to all the other characters, same goes for the characters that get introduced as the story goes on. I really enjoyed that I didn't keep forgetting and having to keep going back to try and remember what the connections were between the characters.