What a delight this book is was. Magical, enchanting, and also heart-wrenching, brutal, and filled with the horrors of war. Throughout the entire story, there’s an absolutely beautiful and incredibly joyful enemies-to-lovers romance that starts with a shared passion of words and storytelling.

I’m not going to be able to write a cohesive review or to even formulate any paragraphs that convey how much I loved this book. It started from the very first pages when Iris meets her rival at the newspaper she’s working at. She and Kitt couldn’t be any more different, but there’s an undercurrent of pain and heartbreak that connects them. I adored the hidden identity aspect. Initially I thought for sure that it was going to throw a wrench in to Iris and Kitt’s relationship, but there wasn’t any deception or lying involved. Just a case of not connecting the dots and neglecting to read some letters. Speaking of letters, those were the best part of the story. I adored the Narnia feeling it gave me with the wardrobe, and I hope that continues (somehow) during the rest of the series.

All told, I loved this book to pieces. I meant to read it sooner but got sidetracked from life, and I’m so glad I finally picked it up. Definitely a new favorite and I can’t wait to have book 2 in my hands, especially after that epically brutal ending.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital arc.

Divine Rivals: Letters of Enchantment Book 1 by Rebecca Ross

357 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books
Release Date: April 4, 2023

Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Teens, Young Adult

Iris Winnow wants to be a writer at the Oath Gazette. She is in competition with her rival, Roman. She misses her brother Forest who went to war and writes letters to him. She puts them in her wardrobe, and they mysteriously disappear. Several days later, an answer appears. The sender is anonymous. Now she has to identify her mother’s body at the morgue and misses the deadline for the competition. The job of columnist goes to Roman. He wants it to be fair and asks if the deadline could be extended but is denied. With this missed opportunity, Iris decides to go to the frontlines of the war as a correspondent.

The book has a building pace, the characters are well developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The book reminds me of a cross between Chronicles of Narnia and You’ve Got Mail. The mysterious letters in the wardrobe with a secret pen pal is a cute storyline. As the reader, we know who she is writing to and who is answering. If you like these movies, you will enjoy reading this book.

Huge thanks to one of my favorite publishers, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was waiting for this gorgeous copy of Owlcrate’s edition of this book before I wrote this review because I needed this beautiful book on my wall. This was my first time reading a Rebecca Ross book and I really think I just found one of my new favorite authors. This book was fantastic. The plot kept me locked in the whole time with the mix of historical fiction, mythology and science fiction. The main characters are writers, yes please. The characters were also written well and four dimensional. I was in love with them from the very beginning. The romance was spot on. The side characters were lovable and became quick favorites. I’m just in love with book. I remember everything vividly even though I read it awhile ago. (This never happens.)

This is easily five stars and I’ve been itching for a reread. I can’t wait for the next book. Please pick this up, you won’t be disappointed.

Rebecca Ross nevers fails to write a beautiful fantasy novels that have you fully immersed in the world she has created. Her storytelling is whimsical and reminds you why you love fantasy. This book was so much fun because it had so many elements to it. The romance, the worldbuilding, the mystery, and the feeling of being on the edge of your seat!! I am so invested in Iris and Romans story. They are two strong amazing main characters that you instantly fall in love with. Rebecca did an amazing job of creating these characters and making them stand so well on their own before bringing them together. I feel like they are two independent characters that come to be there for eachother in ways they didnt realize they ever could. And the way that the author is descriptive with their feelings and everything else going on in this book, just wow! I cannot wait for the next book!

Absolutely blown away by this book.

First and foremost, this book has some of the most beautiful writing I’ve ever read (and I read a lot). The way the words come together hook you from the start. The author does an amazing job of capturing emotions and really engaging the reader. I got so sucked in that my emotions were ALL over the place. I was anxious when the characters were, I was falling madly in love alongside them, I was depressed when tragedy struck, etc.

I feel like the idea is unique, and I’m really hoping that the author does a lot more world-building in the second book. There is some world-building in this book, and it’s intriguing. It’s not thrown onto the reader all at once, which is nice. It’s woven throughout the story and something tells me that there’s more to it that we will find out during the sequel. I personally haven’t heard of this mythology before (except it reminded me of a Persephone kind of story), so that added to the overall uniqueness of the story.

I am the biggest Roman Kitt fan there ever was. He is such a romantic!!! Something about it felt timeless. I LOVED him and Iris together. They are the perfect fit. I truly enjoyed the way the author built their story—it didn’t feel rushed or unrealistic. Everything between them felt genuine, which added to the overall richness of the book.

*This book also made me realize how much of a romantic I am.*

With all of that being said, this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I am impatiently waiting for the sequel! All of my upper YA/NA fans should pick this book up if they haven’t already. (It’s not really smutty, so don’t go in expecting that.) I’d also recommend this if you’re a fan of genre-bending stories (this one is a historical fantasy romance).

Thank you so much Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this eARC! My review is live on Goodreads and Amazon. I’ll post it to Bookstagram the week of 07/17. It deserves all the reviews and recommendations!

I read Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca and loved it but this book I just don’t find any of the characters exceedingly interesting. I am definitely in the minority of not enjoying this book so definitely take a look at some others to get a better understanding.

First of all, it is so nerve wracking going into a new book written by one of your favorite authors, that everyone is raving about. I can’t explain why- but it is! I wanna love it just as much as everyone else and I want my favorite author to continue writing some of the best books on the planet.

Mission accomplished👏🏼

Holy wow. Rebecca Ross is just too good for words!! Her writing is so enchanting and spellbinding. I’ve never been so excited to be stuck in a plane (one of my least favorite things)! I had zero distractions and could just soak up every single syllable in this work of art.

Read this book!!

Oh my gosh…. I have never highlighted that much in a book. Rebecca Ross loves to rip my heart out and slowly piece it back together; except this time it was a repetition of rip, stitch, rip, stitch, rip all the way to that paralyzing cliffhanger at the end. Which by the way, I was NO WHERE near prepared for. Ruthless Vows cannot come quick enough!

Divine Rivals is a magical YA Fantasy about Iris and Roman who are competing for a promotion. While they start off as nemeses, they realize that they have a lot more in common than they think and they may need to put their differences aside if they want any chance at surviving the war between the gods.

I went from giggling and kicking my feet, to my jaw and stomach dropping so much while reading this book, that I had to take multiple mental processing breaks. This story is beautiful, hopeful, ethereal, tense, devastating, and mind blowing all in one. This book ruined me in the very best way. 5/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Your practices have blessed me.

As the gods begin to go to war, Iris Winnow is just trying to make the best life for herself that she can. Her brother has gone off to war, while her mother is succumbing to addiction in his absence. Her talent as a writer has gotten her a position at the esteemed Oath Gazette, but every day she goes to fight her own battle against her rival for columnist, the wealthy and handsome Roman Kitt.
To try and make sense of it all, she writes letters to her brother on her typewriter and leaves them in the wardrobe, where they mysteriously vanish. While she is certain they must somehow be magically making their way to her brother, unbeknownst to her they are actually being sent to Roman. When one day Roman decides to start anonymously writing back, they begin to forge a connection of the mind, body, and spirit. When a series of events lead Iris to become a correspondent on the front lines of the war, their connection, as well as their courage, vulnerability, and hearts, are put to the ultimate test.
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Wow. I am still in quite a state after finishing this book. It is so beautifully written, and I literally could not put it down (I finished it in 2 days). The WWII-esque setting and stakes, with slightly mythical and modern elements, is so immersive and cinematic. Aside from the major plot, this book reminds of how war destroys on a human level, and not always in the ways we expect. The building of Iris and Roman's relationship is.. well I'm not even sure how to articulate it to be honest. But my heart can feel it, and they way that they both grow and find comfort through each other is nothing short of magic.
I know for certain this is a book that I will return to, and I simply cannot WAIT until Ruthless Vows is released next year.

To set the right expectations, I think it's important to know 3 things before picking this up:
* While it's technically fantasy, it's low magic, and the fantasy elements are minor
* It reads like historical WWI fiction
* This is predominately a romance

If I didn't just hit any of your anti-buzzwords, grab yourself a copy, because this is absolutely worth a read.

When it comes to romance, I tend to pick up adult titles over YA ones, since I'm not the target audience for YA. Despite that, the romance between Iris and Roman hit all the right spots for me. It's rivals to lovers, with a slow build, and feelings that develop when they start writing letters to each other. Ross's writing is stunning as always, and really lends itself to heart-aching moments. Because both characters end up on the front lines of the war, there's a constant feeling of tension and high stakes when it comes to their relationship, and I honestly loved every moment.

It's very easy to root for Iris and Roman as a couple, but also as individuals. We follow Iris's perspective for most of the book, but there are a couple of chapters from Roman's POV, which I appreciated. I liked that we got to see what both of them struggle with, and that we are given enough information to understand Roman's motivations for the things he does, rather than having to guess at them.

This is very character-driven, which I absolutely loved, but the author sets up quite the story by the end, and I can't wait to see how it concludes.

OMGSH THIS BOOK!!!
I don’t think I could have loved it anymore than I did.
From the very first page I was enchanted with Rebecca’s writing. She has a way of captivating her readers and this book may be her best yet. I absolutely loved both of our main characters Iris and Roman. I also loved the rival to lover vibes this one gave off.
This story was written so beautifully touching on many deep topics and still left me wanting more.
And the cliffhanger-I cannot wait for book two!

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross is a Young Adult romantasy set in an early modern world in which warring gods call mortals to the battlefield. It’s packed with the sort of romantic escapism you’d hope: rival investigative reporters who secretly love the other’s writing, a boy following the girl he loves across the battlefield because he just can’t exist without her.

I don’t know what to say about this that hasn’t already been said. I absolutely adored this. This was a beautiful story about two rivals who find comfort in each other as their world is torn apart by warring gods.

I loved the slow development of the relationship between Iris and Roman. Their circumstances led them to becoming friends and then more than friends. The letter writing aspect was so nice. They opened up to each other before knowing who the other was and became the other’s support system.

The world building was done well. I thought the war and the reasons behind it were intriguing and I hope that plays into the 2nd book a bit more. The secondary characters and the town Roman and Iris become stationed in were some of my favorite aspects of the book. The contrast between the slow moments in town and the harsh realities of warfare was really well done.

When I finished this book, I immediately wanted to reread it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books, and Rebecca Ross for an e-arc of Divine Rivals in exchange for an honest review.

This is my favorite book of the year. I have been sharing with everyone through reader's advisory, book talks. and our book recommendation service.

I absolutely adore this book. I really enjoyed A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless by the previous author, so I knew going in that I already enjoy her style of writing. Ross creates beautiful, vibrant worlds that absolutely come to life on paper. She's a master of getting you emotionally invested with her characters early on and has such a gorgeous, lyrical prose that you just get swept away.

That ending, I’m still reeling from it!! Cannot wait for book 2! The setting was atmospheric and the romance had the perfect amount of tension! Absolutely loved it.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for this eARC.

I LOVED this book. I was worried because World War isn't usually my typical vibe. But the relationship between Roman and Iris and Rebecca Ross's beautiful writing completely won me over.

This book is both grounded and magical. We have warring gods, magical typewriters, and letters being magically transported. We also have two rival journalists and the relationship between them which is the heart of the book.

I loved both main characters and I even loved the world Rebecca built despite the fact that World War isn't my typical vibe. The story is both charming and even funny at times while also containing heartbreaking emotional moments. And of course the romance. Such a beautiful love story.

There's even some twists towards the end!

It's a book you won't want to put down and I can't recommend it enough. Rebecca Ross has become one of my top authors and everyone needs to do themselves a favor and pick up her books.

Rebecca Ross is the queen of the cliffhanger. I loved the academic vibes of Divine Rivals and CANNOT wait for the sequel.

This book is absolutely amazing, but anything that Rebecca Ross writes is.
Divine Rivals is a book that takes ahold of your hand and pulls you right in to the world. It was magical and as always felt so rich in characters design and development.

Rebecca Ross is a auto buy author for me and i will always be recommending her to other readers.

I think this book was okay but I don’t know that it lived up to all the hype I had seen about it. Thank you for the chance to read it.