You’ve Got Mail, Lois & Clark, WWII, and Clash of the Titans all rolled into one!
Rebecca Ross is truly among the elite of fantasy romance writers. This book is everything - an utterly enthralling and unique plot, lyrical prose, and a swoon worthy romance. The ending absolutely slayed me and I’ll be rocking myself in a corner until the second book is released.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favorite authors has a new series out. There's so much I want to say but itll give some major plot points away.

Dacre and Evna are two Gods. Dacre basically started a war, terrorizing the mortals to get her to come to him. Their story is told in passed along myth, but it will remind you a bit of Hades and Persephone.

The two leads are rivals for a position at their local paper. One rich, one poor, both talented and suffering from grief.

This is just the first in the series. The ending sets up the sequel nicely, moving headlong into the next stage of the war, with new narrative possibilities. Can't wait!

"Your letters have been a light for me to follow. Your words? A sublime feast that fed me on days when I was starving."

Rebecca Ross is one of those authors whose writing style is immensely satisfying. She uses words that evoke emotions and scenery in a way that always leaves me wanting more. This book was no exception. When I initially read the synopsis of this story, I wasn't completely sold. I am not one for major war stories, especially anything that resembles world wars. They bring me a lot of emotional heartache, and in the current times we're living in, I don't always have the mental capacity to read them. However, I've enjoyed all of Ross's former work and so I dove in head first.

This book follows Iris Winnow, an aspiring journalist with dreams to see her name on papers across the city. However, the one thing that seems to be a thorn in her side is her co-worker Roman Kitt, who is vying for the same position at the paper she works for. When she's not working, Iris writes and sends letters to her brother, who is currently on the front lines. When Iris thinks shes saving the letters by storing them in a crack in her wardrobe, she ends up getting a surprising reply. There are elements of fantasy present with the magic that is woven throughout the cities and the gods that are waging against each other. The plot was very unique as it seemed to encompass multiple genres. There are elements of historical fiction, fantasy and romance. I don't think I've ever read something that seemed so real but yet so much like an alternate reality. The side characters and the story line were interesting and I was turning pages so quickly at the end and had no idea where the book was going to end up. I anxiously await the second book as that ending gutted me and left me wanting more.

If you enjoy historical fiction with elements of fantasy, rivals to lovers, magical letters and atmospheric writing, I would highly recommend this.

4.5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. I am posting my review to Goodreads immediately and plan to post on my personal Instagram and Facebook accounts closer to publication.

I thought this was just going to be The Shop Around the Corner (or You've Got Mail, if you prefer a more modern reference) with magic. But I should have trusted Rebecca Ross, because it was so much more and by the end, I was on the proverbial edge of my seat.

For the first time in Ross' work, the romance seems to to take center stage. It's not a bad thing, but I was definitely a little surprised (and perhaps it's why I initially thought "Wait. Is this just a romance novel?"). The enemies to lovers trope is obviously a familiar one, but Ross does such a good job with it (as she has in the past) that the evolution feels truly earned and it never feels tired. The dual narrative was a big part of this--and I don't think it would have felt as authentic without it.

The setup was great. Rival journalists. Magic typewriters. And a war-torn country being ravaged by magical beings. The sense of place was all-consuming, especially when the story gets to the front lines. As always with Ross' work, it feels like the location is it's own character in the story.

I'm excited to revisit this story again when it comes out on audiobook and look forward to the sequel (I loathe to think of how long I will have to wait).

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

An enemeis to lovers fantasy. Two rival journalists facing a war of the gods. The romance between Iris and Roman was inspiring and swooning.... Both have their own demons to face but fall in love anyways. Amazing story telling.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Typo on page 233, there's a stray number 8. Divine Rivals was utterly charming and equally just as heartbreaking. It gave me studio Ghibli vibes. I loved the ww1/ww2 fantasy like setting. Roman and Iris are such a great pair, I'm obsessed. I did not know I needed a fantasy You've Got Mail, but boy did I. Devastated to have to wait an unknown amount of time for the second installment.

Rebecca Ross has done it again! Divine Rivals was an absolutely spectacular read. I loved the enemies-to-lovers romance, the lore, and the WWII-inspired setting. This was a lot different than any of Ross' other books: the magic didn't play the biggest part in the story, and the romance between Iris and Roman was the biggest theme. I really liked the way their relationship developed throughout the story, which only made the cliffhanger worse! I'm really excited to get more insight on the gods and mythology of the world in the next book!

Thank you so much to the Publisher for sending me an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review of this.

1000000/5 STARS

I am so blown away by Rebecca Ross' storytelling that anything she writes just leaves me speechless and Divine Rivals is no different. Although i do think this book is my favorite by far. Reading about Iris and Roman left me speechless and i kept wanting to shake each of them as they spoke to each other and i found myself wishing i had a physical arc of this so i can annotate it properly.

I'm also upset that i have to wait until 2023 so i can talk about it properly because let me tell you, if you loved A Lovely War AND the anime Violet Evergarden. This should be right up your alley.

Really enjoyed this!
I will update the review with the link to on our blog closer to publication date.

I'd like to thank the publisher St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the eARC of Divine Rivals!

Divine Rivals is incredibly moving and emotionally devastating. Rebecca Ross captivates readers in this stunning tale about two rival journalists- Iris Winnow and Roman C. Kitt. I won't give anything away because you will absolutely want to read this book and be surprised at every turn. Rebecca Ross' writing style flows beautifully and keeps you on the edge of your seat- always wanting more. Magical typewriters, a war between gods, and an enemies to lovers romance that will leave you swooning- Divine Rivals has all the right ingredients to leave you sobbing.

I highly recommend this book and will be pre-ordering for my shelf!

Truly the only complaint I have about this is that the sequel isn't out for ages and I need to know how it ends. This combines all my favorite trope of all time - the 'shop around the corner'/'you've got mail'/'she loves me', with a fantasy war epic. I was the target audience and I adored it. It's somehow both so dark and so light and fluffy all at once.

The characters were sublime and the world building was so different. It all worked in concert so well.

This book is profoundly beautiful. Divine Rivals is now one of my favorite books. The writing style is amazing (like everything this author writes) and the atmosphere of the book is stunning. Picture: warring gods, a magical wardrobe the two MC’s can (somewhat anonymously) pass letters through, a sentient house, lost loved ones, and a beautiful romance. The overall atmosphere of war-time, rainy days, and the MC’s working at the newspaper also make this the perfect cozy read. I literally couldn’t put this down and haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished it.

I can’t wait to read this again and again.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early eARC.

DIVINE RIVALS has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2023, so getting an e-ARC of this book was such a treat!

Two rival journalists during a war of the gods? I was instantly captivated by this story, and it was genuinely hard to put down once I began. It's compelling and magical -- and the romance! SWOON. It's well-written and unique, and weaves such an enthralling tale of magic with a story of war. It's unlike anything I've ever read and I can't wait to have a physical copy for my shelf! Well done, Rebecca Ross!

A big thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

I FLEW through this book, and now that I’m done, I can say that I want so much more. This was my first outing with Rebecca Ross, though from what I’ve heard, she’s had some very well-loved books come out. I can absolutely see why. Her writing style is lovely: it’s both descriptive and just flowery enough to be beautiful, but not overally full of purple prose. It strikes a balance of keeping your mind engaged with punchy sentences while also adding in pretty turns of phrase. The concept was fabulous. You don’t normally connect journalism and fantasy, which is what made Divine Rivals such a breath of fresh air since it was something I haven’t personally seen before. The rivals to lovers aspect added the perfect amount of tension to a romance that was so fun to follow, especially since it felt enteined with the plot. I loved the angst, and some of my favorite tropes were done very well without feeling tired. There are some content warnings for this book, but I’m very glad Ross included some of the unsavory aspects of war, as well as the realities of addiction. It made the book feel all the more geniune and realistic. I know a lot of reviews can feel like a constant stream of positives, but I very much loved this book and was so glad it was offered to me. Thank you SO much to St. Martin’s for this early copy, I can’t wait to have it on my shelf!

this worked as a great enemies-to-lovers story, I was invested what was happening in this world. Rebecca Ross has a great writing style and does what I was looking for in this type of book. The characters were well done and they were beautifully written. It was a well done story and I wanted more in this universe as it was well done. Overall this was a great story and it worked for the scifi genre, I can't wait for more from Rebecca Ross.

"The girls walked through the abandoned station, which soon spilled them onto a dirt road. Helena had given them instructions on how to locate their lodgings: Marisol’s B&B was on High Street, just through the station, third house on the left, with a green door that looked like it once belonged in a castle."

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.