This book started off a bit slow and it took me a while to grasp the concept, but once it picked up I really enjoyed it!

*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of Divine Rivals in exchange for a fair and honest review*
Divine Rivals was absolutely... divine! This book was charming, witty, completely captivating, and superbly written! Ross drew me in early, sunk her claws in, and did not let go! I am days out from finishing this book and it is still impacting my thoughts and feelings.
This was an enchanting tale about Iris. A girl that was forced into womanhood due to a series of unfortunate events that life dealt her. However, Iris met these challenges head-on with stoicism and grace. During this time she discovers magic in writing letters to a mysterious stranger/pen pal. This unlikely relationship helped her to find her true self and discover a courage buried within her to change the course of her life from that point on.
The characters were incredibly well-developed. I fell in love with Iris and her wit, stoicism, and heroism. She was so very relatable and my heart ached for her and her hapless circumstances. I became enamored with Carver and even Roman eventually. I love the POV for both of our main characters and the peak into their lives and innermost thoughts and feelings.
While the world-building was good it fell slightly shy of great. I could tell this was loosely based in a British-esque setting with strong WWI vibes. My only real mark against this book was the lack of elaboration on their gods, customs, beliefs, etc. This book was spun to contain magic but there was very little to speak of. I was expecting a bit more. Otherwise, I have no real complaints against this novel.
This was a truly well-written, joyous, gut-wrenching, absolutely emotional tale. I am a bit upset with myself for not realizing it was a part 1 before devouring it and am EAGERLY anticipating its sequel. Bravo, Ross. You have gained a fan!

Divine Rivals was a surprising masterpiece. Every part of the plot meshed so well. The magic woven into the plot easily could have become messy and confusing and taken away from Iris's story but it didn't, it was perfectly balanced. Iris and Roman were such great characters too. The tension and the rivals to lovers was well-paced and the pyseudo-WW1 setting worked well to stoke the flames of their affection. I was worried I wasn't going to like this after DNF'ing A River Enchanted, but that worry was for nothing.

I can't wait to read the sequel and I'm thoroughly upset that I have to wait until 2024 for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

10000/ 5 stars
This book made me ache. It's full of beautiful prose, atmospheric descriptions, interesting characters, and gut-wrenching descriptions of war and the cost of war. Everything is mixed with a little myth and magic, creating the perfect storm of a romance story that has left me dying for more.
I had no idea when I started this book just how much I would love it. From the very first pages, Iris and Roman buried themselves in my heart and wouldn't let me go.
Things I loved: the enemies/ rivals to lovers romance. The You've Got Mail storyline with a twist. The little hints of myth and magic that tied together the world. The characters. All of them. The plot, which at first seems like it's going in one direction, then starts to twist and turn and change while dragging you along for the ride.
The absolute worst part of this book is that I have to wait forever for book two. This book, though, creates a great foundation and makes me itch to see where the story is going to go in the future.
So, in short, I loved this book, and I want more. Immediately going to preorder a hard copy so I can reread it forever and ever!

I was very unsure of this book at first. While I was initially enchanted by the concept in the blurb, the beginning pages didn’t hook me. I’m glad I stuck with it—I grew to love Iris, and I couldn’t help but adore Roman. The overall plot (warring gods) set the tone for the novel, sure, but Iris’ connection to that felt distant. She was just a random girl, but there were so many hints that “random” wasn’t in the cards, and I was a little bothered with the lack of *more* in that story arc, but I’m guessing book two will play into that a lot more than this volume did. It’s a solid story, and I’m looking forward to the next installment!

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for an eARC of this novel. Opinions are my own.

Wow, a full 5 stars. I absolutely loved this book. Such a beautiful world, and great for fans of Ross’s A River Enchanted because she is just an exquisite writer. Personally, I like it even better. Already rabid to get my hands on the sequel to this.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this beauty!
Tropes: Witty, witty banter, rivals to lovers, workplace rivals romance, guy falls first,
Double POV (I didn’t mind as much), slow burn, swoon-worthy romance
I was Entranced ✨with the romance, like I love these tropes. This book was a
mysterious dark historical fantasy, with monsters and war wrapped in a historical era.
I love the romance: he noticed everything about her, was possessive in regards to her health🥹 I was obsessed with the lap scene, the often staring (sorry, glaring), and petty workplace rivalry lmao.

Words literally fail me at the brilliance of this novel - but I will try. I liked Rebecca Ross' previous book,, but this one was stunning. I believe this one is her best yet! What a ride! An excellent, emotional, thrilling book by one of the top young adult authors (in my opinion), but anyone of any age would enjoy the twists and turns, the enemies-to-lovers romance, and the brilliant original plot. Excellent world-building, and wonderful, captivating writing gives this novel the depth and ability to pull in any reader. I highly recommend this author and all of her other book as well I have read have been nothing less than fantastic. She is definitely an auto-buy author for me, and I can't wait to own this novel in print. To Netgalley and the publisher, I cannot thank you enough. Twenty stars!

LISTEN UP FOLKS. I KNEW I LOVED REBECCA ROSS BUT THIS LITERALLY BLEW MY MIND.

From literally page 1, I was hooked on Iris as a main character - she's smart, brave, independent and loves her family. Her budding career as a journalist is really all she has left after her brother falls out of touch while fighting a war, and her mother descends into alcoholism.

She has what is very clearly going to be a rivals to lovers relationship with a man vying for the same promotion as her, and their banter and camraderie....INCREDIBLE.

The backdrop of this story is the war in their world: the gods, buried 500 years ago, are back and two of them are calling human armies to fight. The mythology is explained so beautifully with the actual stories told to us in a non-boring way (I often struggle with these)

Iris ends up as a war correspondent, and the way that war is shown is so heart-breaking and beautiful. It shows the perils, the bravery, and everything in between.

Every single word of this book was perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this one! This is the second book I've read by Ross, and I loved them both so much (shout out to A River Enchanted, if you haven't read that one yet then do it immediately). I can't wait to pick up more from her backlist. I was so excited to get an arc of this book because the premise had me sold. It's a great historical fantasy -- World War I-esque but with warring gods. It's got You've Got Mail vibes, but instead of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks communicating via slow dial-up internet, you've got the main character Iris communicating to a mystery person first from her bedroom and then from near the frontlines of the war via magical typewriters. Swoon. However, as Iris becomes more attached to her mystery penpal, she also clashes and grows closer to her work nemesis. The slow burn romance in this book was so fantastic. Ross also did a wonderful job of creating so much tension on the page in all of the war scenes, especially when Iris and Roman are at the front. It reminded me a lot of the movie 1917. I have never had such an engrossing but stressful movie-watching experience in my life. Ross did a good job replicating that in this book. I need the second book in this series now!

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother has been on the front lines for six months and she hasn't heard anything from him. To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish when letters start being replied to things start to get interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of Divine Rivals in exchange for my free and honest review.

This is a story of letters and falling in love. There is a war and its effects are felt but the story focuses on the letters written on magical typewriters and the people who wrote them. Following Iris

The connected typewriter storyline was one of my favorite parts of this book. A long lasting friendship that managed to transcend generations and get letters passed no matter where the recipient happens to be.

I wanted more of the gods and they mythology of this world. We got a few myths but not nearly as much as I wanted. Given how this book leaves off I'm certain (at least hoping very hard) that book two we will page time for the gods.

4/5 ✨

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

So i didn’t know if I was going to like this book at first as o was a little thrown off by the reporter and journalist part of it. It does feel like a very 1940s atmosphere book. And a lot of the war scenes do seem like something of World War I and ii. Expect in this book the world powers are replaced with gods and the small myths we hear about them throughout the book.

I enjoyed this story and got through it really fast for my schedule! I enjoyed the romance aspect of this book and i enjoyed the small mystery of Dacre and enva throughout.

The only thing I wish we got more of was the gods and more of that. I did like the Dacre chapter at the end and I feel like next book I will get my wish of more gods and meeting enva officially. I kinda feel like divine rivals will see our two lovers against each other on the opposite gods side aka divine rivals. I guess we will see! I can’t wait for book two!

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books/St Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If there is one book you need to pre-order it's Divine Rivals!

I have fallen in love with the way Rebecca Ross tells her stories. Divine Rivals is a gorgeously written story with a perfect rivals to lovers storyline. Iris and Roman are my new favorite bookish couple. The tension, the passion, the very sweet moments between them are all chef's kiss. Their love is tender and beautiful, I've swooned many times.

"...Your grief will never fully fade:it will always be with you - a shadow you carry in your soul - but it will become dimmer as your life becomes brighter..."

Inbetween the swooning and falling for both Iris and Roman, my heart was also breaking. Rebecca Ross does not shy away from the war between gods. Iris and Roman start off as rivals at a newspaper company but when Iris looses a family member she leaves the town of Oath to become a war correspondent. Iris is no longer sheltered from the war as she helps comfort injured soldiers and writes letters to their loved ones.

I can absolutely see Divine Rivals being optioned as a film or mini series in the future. Rebecca Ross's writing instantly transports you to a different world. You can feel the adrenaline of being on the front lines with Iris, you can hear the type writers clicking away, and you can see the devastation Dacre's following leaves behind.

I did not want to put my kindle down to do mundane tasks when I had this extraordinary tale in my hands. I could not get enough and I'm so glad "Iris at the Front" will have a sequel.

"He would always be grateful for his decision that night... when he decided to write her back."

There is a "You've Got Mail" element that I loved! I adore the film so whenever it is used in my new favorite reads, I love it even more. Iris writes letters to her brother, who is stationed far away. The letters contain her every day life and her ups and downs. After a few months, a letter appears from under her wardrobe door but not from her brother. She then begins a back and forth conversation with a mystery person who has been receiving her letters.

"Perhaps it begins with one person. Someone you trust. You remove a piece of armor for them; you let the light stream in, even if it makes you wince..."

The character development is on point, the world building is strong, and my emotions are constantly scrambled in such a good way.

I highly recommend if you've watch Violet Evergarden on Netflix. It's one of my favorite animes and also has a beautiful, heartbreaking story.

Rebecca Ross is an auto-buy author and, with every book that comes out, her stories get better and better. I can't wait for everyone to experience Divine Rivals in April 2023!

5 stars and beyond.

This book was SO amazing and I highly recommend it.

Here’s what I loved about Divine Rivals:
• Iris is so courageous and I love
her
• the perfect blend of fantasy and
history
• the letters!
• immersive and captivating writing
• THE ROMANCE
• the themes of hope and joy in
times of hardship

You will be turning pages, falling in love, and shedding tears before it’s over. I need book two asap!

Tip, read this book with a bestie like @and.a.good.book (but she’s mine so no stealing) for optimal enjoyment and someone to scream with.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5
Steam: one very mild scene
TW: war violence, death of a parent, gas warfare

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I loved so much about this story. Enemies to Lovers, writers, magical typewriters, intelligent characters, and a You’ve Got Mail theme.

And with all the magic, let’s remember that there is also loss, death, and warring ancient Gods in this war time novel.

Ross penned such a dark, beautiful tale of loss and finding love in tragic world.

I cannot wait to read the sequel.

Rebecca Ross' Divine Rivals is beautifully written. The scenery is very rich and vibrant and the characters will pull you in immediately. I will definitely be going back to read this one again.

A fantasy book, where 2 journalist fall in love during a time of war?
Sign me up!

I loved this book. Fantasy romance, in a story reminiscent of historical romance. I can't say enough good things about this book. It was unique and I don't know how I will wait for the next one!

Iris and Roman are aspiring journalist, fighting for a prestigious position at the column. Roman and Iris start off as my most favorite thing. RIVALS! muahaha. Slowly through their writing they begin to see something else in each other. The slow burn is the best part, am I right? Through her writing Iris deals with trauma and grief. Writing letters to herself (on her enchanted typewriter) she feels free to open up and express a lot of emotions should would keep to herself normally. Until, someone starts writing back.
All of this happens in a world ruled by sleeping god, who have recently awakened and started a war. For funsies.

This was such a unique take on fantasy romance! So refreshing!
Gimme book 2 asap! Thanks <3

I devoured this one in less than 24 hours and tried not to sob during most of it; not sure if I can give higher praise than that. Rebecca Ross really makes you feel what the characters are going through, their heartbreak and determination. Set in a relatable world, where resurrected dead gods are begin to stir, and pull the world into war.

Iris is a reporter seeking to write the truth, and desperately missing her brother, who has disappeared at the war front; she stars writing him letters, which through the magic of this world, wind up in the hands of her rival at the paper where she works-and this rival starts writing her back. Things move beyond the sheltered office of their newspaper, to the very war front itself, and I was eager to follow them every step of the way.

I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes an author's writing style just scratches me the wrong way, and I think Rebecca Ross is one of those cases. My biggest issue was dialogue: it felt constructed more than it felt natural, and often took me out of the story. Secondary to dialogue was romance. Iris and Roman were both interesting as characters, but I just wasn't convinced or compelled by their dynamic together. I'm also exhausted by the constant marketing of books like this as "enemies to lovers" when they are literally just. rivals. competitors. a whole other host of words that do more justice to the nature of the relationship.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 stars

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book based on the description. I also wasn’t sure how I would feel reading about a journalist. I am so glad I took the leap and read this book! I absolutely loved the characters, the scenery and the plot! Rebecca Ross has such a way with words and characters that I should have known!

Iris and Roman are rivals to lovers. The author did a great job of pacing their relationship. I loved that we got both viewpoints from the characters. Having those separate viewpoints really helped with character development. The author did a great job of weaving mythology throughout the story. I loved the anecdotes that were shared. It left the reader wanting more!

The author did a great job writing Iris. Iris had a lot of baggage to unpack in the beginning and the author did a great job introducing flaws and issues. I enjoyed seeing Iris grow in confidence in herself throughout the book.

Roman was a such a fun character to read about! He was complex and had a lot of his own issues. That didn’t overshadow Iris at all but instead complemented her story.

Overall this book was beautifully written. I loved reading about the mythology. I greatly enjoyed all the characters and their storylines! My only complaint how book 1 ended! I definitely need more!