Forget Me Knot

by Emery Lee

In this cozy romantasy novel, award-winning author, Emery Lee, reimagines the Japanese Red String of Fate myth in a blend of godly magic, hate to love, and witty banter

To make amends for his soulmate’s downfall, Toa is cursed to an immortal life spent unknotting strangers’ Red String of Fate, helping them connect with their own soulmates while never finding a soul bond of his own. When Toa encounters a devastating man who also lacks a Red String partner, everything he knows about Fate is called into question. How can a man so beautiful also be cursed to wander the Earth alone, never knowing true love or connection? And is it possible that two people denied love by Fate could forge a new love in each other?

Genres: Romance, M M Romance, LGBT, Queer

ebook

First published March 11, 2025

About the author

Emery Lee is an award-winning author based out of Southern California. Find eir books at emeryleebooks.com and emerylee.itch.io

Reviews

[Drache.... (Angelika)]

Setting this aside at 10% because it doesn't fit my current reading mood.
I absolutely want to read it, maybe on holiday.

[Emery Lee]

Hi all, I wrote this book, and have to say, I think it's pretty good! Before I leave it entirely in your hands, I just want to say that this book is near and dear to my heart specifically because it explores some aspects of Japanese culture and history that often get left out in Western interpretations of Japanese myth, especially the acknowledgment of all the ways Japanese history was very, very gay. I did my best to honor my cultural history, but keep in mind that this is still a fantasy series, not a 1:1 depiction of Heian-era Japan. You can read my full note on this here: https://emerylee.itch.io/forget-me-knot as well as in the book.

Thanks for checking out Forget Me Knot! <3

[Anniek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've technically already read this twice, because I followed Emery's weekly chapters on eir Patreon, and I read the ebook now that it's been released. I really enjoyed this story both times. The characters are all flawed and imperfect, and I found them so interesting to read about. I also loved the plot, which is on the cosier side of romantasy, and is a great twist on the soulmate trope.

[Ella Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Toa and Yoshiki are phenomenal characters; I loved their mean, flirty dialogue. Great blend of historical romance and fantasy elements too! Probably the best Fated Mates love story I’ve read.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

it took me a little bit to get into it, but once i did, i found it engrossing! i love how the author writes such vibrant characters. loved it!

[Thibaut Nicodème · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great premise, feels like it could have benefited from a little more room to breathe in the end to feel less rushed, considering it's fairly short

[Nehla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t usually reach for romance novels. In fact, the last one I tried—though fun—remains unfinished and slowly collecting digital dust. But when Forget Me knot by Emery Lee showed up on Kobo Plus, I figured I’d give the genre another shot. The cover was pretty, the blurb was intriguing, and I thought, Why not?

To my surprise, the premise really pulled me in. There’s this whole red-string-of-fate thing mixed with mythology, and the main character, Toa, is this tragic immortal stuck walking the earth, never able to fall in love. It felt like the kind of setup that could get emotional, dramatic, and maybe even a little magical—and I was into it.

The dynamic between Toa and Yoshiki, the other lead, had a nice spark. Their banter was fun, and the chemistry was definitely there when they shared scenes. But strangely enough, I’m still not sure how I feel about them individually. Yoshiki, for instance, is sweet and clearly devoted to his family, but that’s kind of all we really get to know about him. And Yurina? Yeah, I just couldn’t connect with her at all.

As for the romance—well, it had potential. But I struggled a bit with how fast things progressed between Toa and Yoshiki. The story does these short time skips that summarize their bonding, which made it harder for me to fully buy into the whole I would die for you intensity. I get why they’re drawn to each other, sure, but I wish we had seen more of them actually falling in love, not just the end result.

The pacing was fine overall—kind of a middle ground. But I kept noticing how many interesting ideas were introduced and then left hanging. I really wanted to know more about Toa’s job unknotting people’s red strings, or see more of the goddesses who barely appear. And don’t get me started on Emperor Ouri. I honestly don’t know what I’m supposed to think about him.

Now, the ending... wasn’t bad, but it didn’t tie things up in a satisfying way either. I had so many questions. What happened to the emperor’s other wives? Did one conversation really fix everything between him and his 29 lovers? Did he seriously just let Yoshiki leave? And what’s Yoshiki going to do now that he abandoned the whole reason he came to the palace in the first place—to support his mom? Oh, and Toa turning mortal—how long does that even last when you’ve been alive for who knows how long?

Still, in spite of all that, I’d recommend Forget Me Not as a one-time read. It’s soft, cozy, and easy to sink into. And the fact that a non-romance reader like me actually finished it? That says something. Romance lovers will probably enjoy it even more.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover of this book does it no favors and doesn't convey the tone accurately. From the cover, I expected a goofy rom-com type story and that's not what this is. The tone is actually fairly serious with lots of reflection about fate, love, marriage and family. I found the story intriguing but wish the main relationship had more time to grow. My usual complaint is that many books are bloated and should be edited better to remove unnecessary fluff. However, in this case, I think more length would have benefited the characters, especially as they don't even meet until 20% into the book.

[Cat Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toa and Yoshiki's story is so beautiful, and I couldn't help but feel incredibly emotional during a lot of the story, especially when so many things tried to keep them apart, but fate is always the strongest love.

And when someone is a reincarnation of a love you once had and find yourself drawn to, once because of that, but because of the person they are now, that just hits incredibly deep.

I'm so glad that I finally got to read this, just incredibly sad that it's only available in ebook format. I really want this in proper book format too!

[Morgan Biscup · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely story. I love flawed protagonists done well and the author does it well. The flashbacks throughout meshed nicely with the present in the story, and while the ending still leaves many questions I was happy with the resolution.

My only nitpick is I wish the emphasized lesson at the end was a bit different. I can see why the author took that direction, and it fits the story and the culture, it's just that I'm personally biased against that particular message given my own life experiences.

It's still a lovely story.

[Clover Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh my, what a treat of a read. i loveee the red string of fate trope- this was written beautifully. it was nice to follow toa's road to redemption after lifetimes of suffering with his regrets. i adored every little detail of toa and yoshiki's interactions. i am going to miss them both a lot ♡

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about human complexities and failures and redemption, it made me sad and it made me smile and I loved the wise, complex, meaningful truths throughout it, interwoven in a historical, magical setting that surprised me pleasantly many times.

[Lucky · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of queer historical romance, I was very hopeful about this, and boy howdy, did it deliver!

Angsty and bantery with a touch of fantasy and Lee's usual core of vibrant sincerity, this immediately rocketed to one of my top reads of the year.

The setting was vivid and inviting. The more fantastical elements of the worldbuilding were both cool and easy to follow. My absolute favorite part of this book was the characters, who felt real, difficult, and profoundly relatable. I'm impressed (though not surprised) by just how much Lee was able to fit into a comparitively small book.

A stunning love story all around. I hope Lee comes back to this world of eirs, I could read it forever.