Overture of Eden and Ash

by Gwendylan Quinn

Northwestern University senior Zoe Adams has spent her fifth incarnation on the run. Abused and abandoned by those she once trusted, Zoe turns her back on a duty her soul accepted lifetimes ago to focus on a music career in this one. Until her Gemini’s untimely arrival forces Zoe to choose between a love she can’t remember and a life she’s always dreamed of.

Cade Adams has waited twenty-one years to reclaim his beloved soulmate, but his elation is short lived. As Zoe struggles to let go of her human life, demons from Cade and Zoe’s past threaten the Gemini, and they find themselves living on borrowed time.

The Tree of Souls is empty, and only the Eternal Sacrifice can refill it. Is forgotten love worth dying for, or is five incarnations more than one soul can take? With more than just the fate of their reunion at stake, love becomes an Eternal Sacrifice Zoe and Cade may not escape.

Overture of Eden and Ash is the first story of an Adam and Eve retelling. It's a slow burn modern romantasy/urban fantasy romance series.

Tropes: Slow burn, reincarnation, forgotten love, forgotten identity, heroine's journey, found family, fated mates, second chances, with angels, demons, immortal beings, angst, and an epic love story that spans and lasts the test of time.

428 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 21, 2016

About the author

Saving the world, one love story at a time.

Since sneak reading her first romance as a teen, Gwen has been addicted to Happily Ever Afters. Although playing pretend with book boyfriends often keeps her sleep deprived, she'll never complain about dreaming in dialogue.

Gwendylan Quinn writes socially conscious Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Romantasy about smart, strong women overcoming traumatic pasts and leading their found family in epic, life-altering adventures. Before she can slay their demons, however, she must first learn that she can’t do it alone – not without the help of her fated mate beside her, who's never intimidated by her position of power.

A total fan of pop culture, Gwen loves watching reality shows and listening to audiobooks or her favorite songs that she'll replay, over and over, and never get bored. When she's not playing goddess of her fictional universes, Gwen can be found spending time catching up on shows or playing board games with her four kids, who she shamelessly steals worlds like 'fire' and 'slay' from, and her very own Second Chance Romance hero husband, who often inspires the love stories she writes.

Reviews

[Franjessca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overture of Eden and Ash is the first installment in Gwendylan Quinn’s GEMINI Legacy series. This is a different Romantasy than I’ve read before, featuring a retelling of Adam and Eve in a modern-day setting. It involves angels, demons, as well as others mentioned, and it’s told in dual POV via first person.

The FMC, Zoe, is in her next reincarnation and has no memory of her past lives. She’s determined to live her life and finally let her music career come to life, especially since this life hasn’t been easy for her. She does have friends who have been there for her, and they remind her of her duty to be with her Gemini, her one true soulmate. When he comes into her life, she has to decide whether she truly wants to be with him, even without recollection of their past lives, or finally live a human life and fulfill her dream. The issue is that if she doesn’t fulfill the sacrifice she’s always made for humanity, she risks its downfall.

This was a new adult fantasy/urban fantasy that was intriguing, and it had potential, but I may not have been the right audience for this story. I loved the idea of a retelling of Adam and Eve’s story in modern times, with twists and turns along the way and many side characters to keep up with as they helped Zoe and Cade with their romance story. I just found myself putting down the book several times to pick up other books when it became repetitive and had little to no action that kept my interest. There were also a lot of side characters to keep up with at one time.

I was determined to push through, which I’m glad about because it did eventually catch my attention. The first half introduced the storyline, the characters, and who Zoe truly is and why she keeps reincarnating. It’s interesting to learn who she is and what she did back in her first life, and why she’s had to give up her life each time. She doesn’t remember those lives, and I felt for her because she just wants happiness and to finally live a normal life, especially since her current one wasn’t easy. She has her friends and others to be there through it all, even if some broke her heart.

I liked that Cade had his POV, and he was determined to be there for Zoe, and he never gave up on her. He ends up doing something in this book that makes her realize what she needs to do and that she truly loves him. She’ll do anything to be with him at this point. It was about time, in my opinion.

There is eventually some danger and drama in this book, with antagonists who definitely raise the stakes for the retelling. This is also a slow burn, and it takes Zoe and Cade some time to finally have their love come back together after danger between them. One has to rescue the other. In the end, though, the story does have somewhat of an HEA. I know there is more to the story to come, and this is only the first book, so I’m intrigued to read the second book. Overall, it was a unique story and much different than what I normally read in an Urban Fantasy/Romantasy storyline, and I give it 3.5-stars.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you are looking for a different kind of Romantasy with a modern-day Adam and Eve retelling that involves soulmates and reincarnation, then this book may interest you.

What to Expect:
✔️Modern Myth Romantasy (Urban Fantasy)
✔️Fated Mates/Destined Mates
✔️Reincarnation Romance
✔️Slow Burn
✔️Found Family
✔️The Chosen One
✔️Angels/Demons

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Inkslinger PR. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overture of Eden and Ash is the kind of fantasy romance that feels written directly for readers who believe love can withstand time, death, and even memory itself. It’s emotional, epic, and packed with the kind of longing that aches in the best possible way.

At the heart of the story is Zoe, a girl who has spent multiple lifetimes carrying burdens she never asked for. After enduring betrayal and abandonment, she finally wants something for herself, a chance to pursue her music and live a normal life. That desire makes her instantly relatable, even in a story filled with reincarnation, soul bonds, and ancient destinies.

Then Cade arrives.

And my heart was never the same.

Cade has spent twenty-one years waiting for the return of the woman he has loved across lifetimes, only to discover that Zoe doesn’t remember him. Watching him struggle with the joy of finding her and the pain of losing her all over again creates some of the most emotional moments in the book. His devotion is unwavering, but the story wisely doesn’t make their reunion easy.

The soulmate aspect is beautifully done because it isn’t just about destiny, it’s about choice. Zoe is forced to decide whether a love she can’t remember is worth sacrificing the life she’s worked so hard to build. That internal conflict gives the romance incredible depth and raises the emotional stakes far beyond a typical fated-mates story.

The mythology surrounding the Tree of Souls, the Gemini bond, and the Eternal Sacrifice adds a rich fantasy layer that keeps the plot moving while constantly reminding readers that love alone may not be enough to save everyone.

And the angst? Absolutely devastating.

Every revelation feels weighted with centuries of longing, loss, and sacrifice. The story asks difficult questions about fate, identity, and whether even the strongest soul can endure endless cycles of heartbreak.

[Sabrina Mordini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🫑

Overture of Eden and Ash is an interesting retelling of Adam and Eve's story in a modern setting.

I found the premise of the story compelling, but in the end it didn't fully work for me. The first part of the book was interesting, and pulled me in. We get the lore, we get glimpses of the origin of the story, and we get a wide cast of secondary characters.

Moving forward, however, things started to feel repetitive, and a bit confusing. We go over and over the same plot points, some conversations seem to happen out of a linear timeline, and overall, I got the feeling that nothing was really happening, but we needed to fill up page space. That gave the love storyline a huge dose of angst and yearning, but it made me lose interest in the overall plot.

Toward the end we finally get some action, and things pick up slightly, but it wasn't really enough to make the story fully compelling.

I'd say this one is for people who like retellings in modern settings, and are looking for a slower pace and no real spice, but are looking for a big emotional romance.

[Reading is escaping reality · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding her way back to him. Oh this was such a ride! It had me hooked from the start and the way she had to learn on her own but her friends and Cade never gave up on her. Their connection was bound to be everything and more and the ending!!! Omg I loveddd!

I am so excited for what to come next with this series.


I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Reading_with_AAron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really struggled to connect to this story or the characters. It has a great storyline , I just couldn't get into it. I finished the book hoping that the end would be where the good action would happen and it just didn't do it for me.
Thank you to the author and InkslingrPR for the arc. If you like retellings then this may be the book for you.