Wild Reverence is a gripping journey that explores the classic themes of honor, loyalty, sacrifice, and love. This story follows Matilda, a divine messenger who travels between realms, and how her encounters with a mortal lord named Vincent change the trajectories of both their futures. Ross’ lyrical writing and imaginative world of myth and magic allow the reader to escape between realms right along with Matilda.

I wanted the characters to have just a tiny bit more chemistry when they were together, but this book contained yearning and suspense that was superbly crafted. For those who loved Divine Rivals as much as I did, this is an exhilarating inside peek into the magical world that came before Iris and Roman.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martins Press for the arc!

**4.5 stars!** The way I screamed when I received the approval email scared both me and my husband. I was so excited. I LOVED the "Letters of Enchantment" duology and was skeptical about reentering this world again but I’m happy to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Set in a world where gods and mortals live across different realms tangled in familial and political conflict, we follow Matilda who was born in the under realm and is blessed with messenger magic. As the realm’s herald, she is able to traverse between worlds to deliver letters and messages. From a young age, she begins appearing in the dreams of a mortal boy though they’ve never met. A decade later, when she’s tasked to deliver a letter to Vincent–the same boy who dreamt of her, she discovers that Vincent begged for her help. After having his pleas unanswered, Vincent–now a lord of the river, has forgotten all about Matilda. That is, until she stumbled upon his bedroom window. From there, the two find themselves entangled in a bond that benefits just as war breaks out around them.

After finishing "Ruthless Vows", I wasn’t sure I needed more from this world, especially since the war of the gods always felt a little confusing to me. But Rebecca Ross proved me wrong. We’re introduced to a new cast of characters that each hold a space in the book and it was nice to see how the war between the gods came about in the LOE duology. While I was deeply attached to Iris and Roman, I found myself equally invested in Matilda and Vincent. Their story—a tragic love that sparks a new one—was beautifully woven.

The beginning of the book was a tad too slow, even though it was setting the precedent of the entire book, it took a while to have me fully immersed in the story. There was a lot of info-dumping and I had to really pay attention to retain all of the names. But this was overlooked by the writing. The author’s storytelling ability is exceptional with such flowery, intricate prose that ties in so well with the political intrigue.

I can’t wait for "Wild Reverence" to hit shelves and for readers to start creating fanart of these characters. If you loved the LOE duology, this is an absolute must-read!

As a dedicated fan of Rebecca Ross’ writing, I was very excited to receive the ARC for this much-anticipated story that is connected to the world of the gods from the author’s ‘Letters of Enchantment’ duology (e.g., Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows). For fans of that duology (of which I am a huge one), this can be read as a sort of prequel as it is set hundreds of years before Iris and Roman’s era, but worry not as it can be read first if readers aren’t yet familiar with them.

In “Wild Irreverence,” we readers are introduced to the female main character (FMC) who is a goddess named Matilda. Her tale begins from her unexpected birth and haphazard childhood amongst the Underlings gods (e.g., ruled by Dacre, for those in the know, remember him?!) as everyone awaits her emergence into her anticipated, low level magical powers (based on the gods’ power hierarchy) as a herald. Sprinkled into all this are her intriguing encounters and ongoing connection with the male main character (MMC), a mortal named Vincent, that begin initially when they are both children and then become more in-depth as they mature into adults.

I really like Matilda and her natural curiosity and intelligence as she navigates the external treacherous realms of the gods and mortals as well as her own capabilities and instincts that led her to recognize early on that she can trust Vincent. In fact, as anticipated, Ms Ross captures their love story poignantly with her lyrical writing and storytelling abilities so the reader can truly feel every implicit and explicit thought and feeling that these two ignite whenever they are together (or apart). Matilda tries to explain this later on:

“<i>He chose me first…he dreamt of me before I knew of him. His soul found mine before I even knew how to look for his.</i>”

Alongside the main love story, this book extensively focuses on world-building this unique context of Underlings and Skywards gods and how they co-exist with the mortals buffering them. This will most likely appeal to readers who enjoy mythology. Admittedly, although I did enjoy classical studies at university, and studying Homer’s works, I sometimes felt Matilda’s multiple side quests in the story detracted from Matilda and Vincent’s central story. I would have given this more stars if not for the fact that I felt she was spending more time with the other gods including her nemesis, the god Warin (who is, incidentally, an excellent villain), than she did with Vincent. Despite his incredible love for her, it seemed he was always left behind and became less of an active partner in her life, which I would have preferred seeing.

Ultimately, I do recommend this book because I liked the overall message and impact of Matilda’s observations from being in the Wastelands, which is akin to a departed one’s journey across the River Stix. It is there that souls have to account for their lives to the Gatekeeper who uses the scales of destiny to determine if they may enter to their eternal rest:

“<i>She did not want to hear about restrained living. She wanted to know how much of a mark a soul had left behind.</i>”

This is definitely a story that will leave its mark on the reader.

P.S. I am grateful to NetGalley for giving me an advanced reader’s copy of this story for which I am voluntarily writing this honest review.

I was very excited to receive this ARC from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in return for my honest review. SO excited it bumped to the top of my TBR and now here's my review!

Another excellent novel by Rebecca Ross. It delivers on the insight we all wanted into the godly world we only get glimpses of in Divine Royals and Ruthless Vows. It's a beautiful tale with great pacing, high highs, and low lows. You feel for Matilda as she comes into her own power and fights for a life outside the normal boundaries of godhood. You dream of having her ability to ride the winds and run swiftly through gem studded underground corridors. The human world exists pre-urban development 100s of years before two enchanted typewriters bring bitter rivals together, yet the tide of human resilience in the face of violence remains the same.

Love blossoms in an expected place, but is endearing nonetheless. The MMC is kind of inconsequential, but it is so fun to see a woman truly saving her man again and again. In this case, not because he's hopelessly inept, but because she is extraordinary. While a wholly less original and unique addition to the romantasy genre than Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows, the writing is still superb with the richness and quality we've come to expect from Rebecca Ross.

4.5 out of 5 stars from me because it falls a bit short of Rivals and Vows, but a deserving round up to 5 in GR.

DNF @ Page 135

This is such a highly anticipated book for this year following the success of the main Divine Rivals series but I hate to say this really didn't work for me. I'll admit I never had a mythology phase and sometimes find anything mythology adjacent to be a bit daunting. That being said I loved Divine Rivals and found the lore of the gods to be so interesting. When I saw that Wild Reverence would be a pre-quel of Divine Rivals I was excited to learn more about the gods and their histories.

Unfortunately this was very boring to me. I love purple prose as much as the next person but there was just so much of it in this book that it boarded on pretentious and really drug the pacing down to a crawl. A lot of focus was put on making the words pretty that the plot just felt all over the place. I had made it 130 pages in and felt like I still didn't have any vested connection with any of the characters or any real understanding of the conflict.

Thanks Netgalley and Saturday Books for providing this ARC to me!

Rebecca Ross has such a gift for storytelling, and Wild Reverence reminded me exactly why I love her books so much. This prequel to the Enchantment Letters series pulled me in right away and kept me up late more nights than I want to admit. It was beautiful, emotional, and impossible to put down.

Matilda completely stole my heart. She’s the youngest goddess of her clan, born with heralding magic that lets her carry letters and messages across realms. Through that, she reconnects with Vincent—a boy she first knew in dreams, who has since grown into a river lord. Their fated connection is equal parts tender and devastating, because in the world of gods, love with a mortal comes at a cost.

What I didn’t expect was how much I would love Bade, the God of War. At first, he seems like a secondary character, but he ends up being so much more than that. From the very beginning, when he names Matilda “mighty in battle,” it feels like foreshadowing—but it’s also a prophecy, and a recognition of who she truly is. As the story unfolds, his relationship with Matilda becomes one of the strongest bonds in the book. The way he steps into a father-figure role for her was everything—especially a scene toward the end that had my heart absolutely breaking but also felt so healing for Matilda. It was the kind of moment she had always needed, and as a reader, it was so satisfying to finally see her receive it.

Another layer I loved was the reveal about the gods’ fault lines—their weak points, either in the heart or the mind. To learn that Bade shares the same fault line as Matilda, the heart, says so much about the quiet strength of their bond. It gave their relationship even more depth than I expected and really set Bade apart as more than just the “God of War.”

The writing is lyrical and immersive, but it’s the emotions that hit the hardest. I laughed, I cried, I had to stop and catch my breath more than once. This book shows Ross at her best: a story full of romance, sacrifice, and hope set against a backdrop of myth and war.

Wild Reverence is everything I could have wanted in a prequel. Enchanting, devastating, and unforgettable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Ross, St. Martin’s Press, and Saturday Books for the early eARC. Publication date: September 2, 2025.

Honestly, it's been a while since I've read a book this engrossing from start to finish and Wild Reverence was exactly that. This book is set in the world of Divine Rivals, but is basically like a prequel and follows a young god called Matilda and a human lord Vincent. Right from the start, I really liked Matilda as a character, who started as young, naive and unsure and developed into someone confident and cunning at times. I loved that despite growing up with gods who often see humanity as beneath them, Matilda had a humanity that other gods would have thought of as a weakness. Vincent was great as a love interest and his letter to Matilda lives rent free in my head. This is a slow burn romance, but it is also a story of young girl growing into an adult and accepting her power. As always, Rebecca Ross' prose is beautiful, which is one of the reasons that I was engrossed from start to finish. I really loved Wild Reverence and it's one of those books that will stay with you for a while.

Rebecca Ross has done it again. A book set in the world of Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows immediately grabbed my attention. However, I was nervous about a prequel living up to the hype and beauty that the duology had. This book ended up having it all. It had a beautiful romance, a magical connection, and a story that kept me hooked from the very start. I adored our young goddess Matilda, and her development throughout the book. I also enjoyed how the epilogue laid a bit of the foundation into Divine Rivals.

I absolutely loved this!

In many ways, this feels like an epic story with gods, wyverns, magic, and magical realms, but at its core this is a love story. Matilda and Vincent's story truly touched my heart, and I loved seeing the way they fought for each other despite insurmountable odds. The writing is lyrical with achingly beautiful prose, making this story even more romantic. I love Ross's writing so much and this book is no exception to that.

Additionally, Matilda is incredible as the main character. She goes through so much, and you can't help but be desperate for her to find happiness. Her journey is beautiful as well as her relationships with those around her.

If you loved Divine Rivals, I HIGHLY recommend reading this. I want to re-read <i>The Letters of Enchantment</i> duology immediately after reading this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advance copy of this book. The above is my honest review.

Rebecca bravo this was unreal!!! I read the divine rivals duology and this was even better 😭 the epilogue explaining the type writers truly wrecked me, thank you so so much. The fantasy concepts in this were 10/10 and I enjoyed the whole thing!!!

📚 This book completely swept me away—even if it took a little patience to get there. The beginning was definitely on the slower side, with heavy world-building and lots of new terms that took a bit of time to sink in. But once the pieces started falling into place… WOW. The story took off and I found myself fully immersed. By the halfway point, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

💜 The romance was easily my favorite part. There’s just something so delicious about an immortal falling for a mortal, and Rebecca Ross made it feel both magical and heartbreakingly tender. Vincent completely stole my heart—sweet, patient, and utterly devoted to Matilda. Their love felt raw, real, and beautiful in every way. I was rooting for them so hard the entire time. 🥹💫

✨ The magical elements were also enchanting, adding depth and wonder to the story without overshadowing the relationships. And if you’ve read the Divine Rivals duology, you’ll find even more layers of emotion woven in here. The connections between the stories made me so nostalgic and honestly a little teary—especially that epilogue. Rebecca Ross has a way of pulling everything together that leaves you both satisfied and aching for more.

📖 While the slower start did keep me from giving this a full 5⭐, the second half more than made up for it. The pace quickens, the stakes rise, and the characters pull you so deeply into their journey that you can’t help but lose yourself right alongside them.

If you’re looking for a story filled with heart, magic, devotion, and a romance that will have you swooning, I can’t recommend this one enough. ✨

4.5 ⭐️'s

OMG, THIS BOOK!!!!!

For my Divine Rivals fans: this book is different from our beloved duology, but still fantastic! This is a must-read prequel!

"Wild Reverence" focuses on the goddess Matilda and her experiences with mortals, their world, and specifically Vincent, a boy who has been dreaming about her.

This book leans more toward a medieval fantasy setting, in contrast to the early 1900s vibes of the other books in the series. Ross did a fantastic job with the lore, both in the mortal world and in the realms of the Underling and Skyward. I don’t know if I’ve just forgotten some of the lore from the "Letters of Enchantment" series, but this book was FULL of details that added so much clarity and depth to the series as a whole. I can see how the worldbuilding could be confusing for some readers, but for me it was one of the strongest parts of the book. It was SO interesting and original, every magical item, mythical place, animal, and being felt fresh and exciting!

The romance was good! It’s a mix of “fake marriage,” “childhood friends to lovers,” “forbidden love,” and (loosely) “enemies to lovers.” It leaned a bit insta-lovey for my taste, but I still loved both characters deeply and rooted for them throughout the whole novel.

As usual, Ross’s writing is wonderful—her immersive language makes it easy to picture the medieval setting clearly. I did feel like the pacing was a little off. I flew through the first 30% in one day, but the rest of the book felt slower. There were also too many side plots for my liking. They do all come together in the end and are integral to the story, but I don’t think that helped with the pacing issues.

Overall, I loved this book! I’m not obsessed with it, but it’s very well thought out and a great addition to the series.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross.

This book has etched itself into my bones.

In Wild Reverence, we meet Matilda, a new goddess to the realms of the gods. We grow with Matilda, learn with her, and feel what she feels in this close, first-person story. There was so much in one book, I feel like I lived eons with Matilda. It was wholly pleasurable to be in Matilda's mind and realms just as it was a pleasant addition to get Vincent's voice throughout the book.

I loved how the book was structured; the characters being introduced and given time to take shape before the true conflicts flooded in. I loved the writing and how it is simple, but forceful in its elegance and delivery. I love that every character held secrets and depth.

Everything about this book was divine. Especially the yearningggggg. Vincent of Beckett, king of yearning, you will always be famous to me.

I want so badly to gush about tiny details and quotes and connections, but I also believe a story like this should be ingested semi-blindly. The turns the book takes are best left to surprise. You don't know where you may find yourself in this book; left, right, up, down, in the water or in a cloud, or in the place no one living should go. It is a guide to realms of wonder and if you take its hand and walk its paths you may find a smile dancing on your lips, salty tears burning your eyes, and fury spiking in your soul for a herald and a mortal. A goddess and a dreamer.

And also, the connections to Divine Rivals were little gifts because I miss Iris and Roman!!

I give it 1 million stars.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read!
So I liked Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows in a lot of ways, especially how epistolary it was, but my one biggest struggle was what felt like a lack of meaningful world building. I didn't totally understand the god worlds and how they interacted with the 'real' world and struggled.
Completely different this time around.
The world building here is LUSH and beautiful. We follow Maltida, the Herald of the gods, from childhood as she splits her life between her mother's Underling world and her father's Skyward world. We get to experience the interactions, policies, and lives of these different gods far before Dacre/Enva actually get together. In this way, I was immediately immersed into this world and completely invested in Matilda's growth and heroine journey.
Then there's the romance between Matilda and mortal Vincent, who meet as children in dreams and find each other much later in life. It's barely steaming, surprisingly chemistry laden, completely engrossing, and just RICH. You root for them both as lovers and separately as characters. It is so exquisite.
I LOVED this. Loved every single second of it. It's a prequel, yes, so you know the reality we're barreling towards, but how this story plays into Iris/Roman's story is so well done its pure perfection.

Set in the same world as Divine Rivals, Wild Reverence tells the story of Matilda, the herald of the gods, who falls in love with a mortal, Vincent. While fans of Divine Rivals will perhaps recognize the characters in this book, the tone and setting are much more akin to Ross's other duology, Elements of Cadence. In this romantic fantasy, Ross weaves a magical tale of love and loss sprinkled throughout with some political intrigue. Matilda is an instantly likable FMC. She is kind, clever, and easy to root for. The side characters who populate her world are both immortal and mortal and they all read as fully realized people. The main conflict takes a bit to get going but once it does I didn't want to put the book down. As someone who didn't care for the Letters of Enchantment duology as much as the rest of the world, reading Wild Reverence felt like a return to form. I hope Ross's future work is more like this!

“If heartless gods can be made soft by such love, we are all doomed.”

I loved this book so much. If you enjoyed Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows, Wild Reverence adds so much on to their world building and mythology.

Matilda is a god-child who grows into a goddess with the rare power to travel between all realms. Vincent is a mortal who has seen her in his dreams since childhood.

The yearning! The “I know I’m just a regular guy but I will fight a god for you”. The romance was so sweet and it felt so authentic and rooted in their histories that it was a nice change of pace from insta-love.

“We were doomed, she and I. One day, I would perish, and she would live on, endlessly as the stars. But if we were doomed, then let us fully embrace it.”

The plot was a truly enjoyable read. I loved getting to go deeper into the world of the gods. We get a glimpse into the history of the conflict seen in Divine Rivals, get to know some of the other gods, and the magic system was intriguing and unique.

Also, don’t skip the epilogue. The ending of this book had me needing to go lay down and then immediately reread Divine Rivals, I was not ready to leave Matilda’s world.

Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley for the eARC!

brilliance is rendered dull in the face of this novel. i’ve never before been so enraptured by mythology — stories of ancient gods and monsters.

divine rivals was any first favorite from this author. and it was such a wonder to trace its beginnings. to see the love that inspired a world of tender hearts and pure emotions.

i cried reading this book, because what it is to be loved unconditionally? i do not know. i am not sure i ever will. and that’s the magic of books — to experience something you may never hold in your hand or heart. to feel it as if it belongs to you. just for a moment, as with borrowing a couple of stars.

I couldn't wait to read something by this author post- "Divine Rivals" duology which I absolutely loved! This book really hit the spot and had beautiful main characters who I actually wanted to root for! The story itself is spectacular and the world building was incredible. You can really tell that Rebecca Ross has honed her storytelling craft!

10/5 stars !

This book was so utterly charming and honestly page turning that I had a difficult time putting it down. I loved divine rivals and found it such a great read then. Wild reverence is even better . With a FMC that embodies strength, kindness, and love. As well as a MMC that embodies humanity, love, and kindness. The story is about Matilda who is born of an Undeling God and Skyling God and her journey above, below , and on earth with the humans.

This story is SOO GOOD! I can’t say too much to prevent spoilers, but it is non stop action from start to finish. Bade has to be my favorite side character. He is chefs kiss.

Who doesn’t love a war with humanity and gods coming to play? Of course it’s much more complicated than that, but this book truly has amazing writing, character depth, and a satisfying enough resolution. I almost cried multiple times. I just wish for a bit more at the end before the epilogue. I was craving just a bit more 💜. Overall, can’t recommend this book enough and highly encourage you to read it , even if you’ve never read divine rivals and ruthless vows! Thank you to NetGalley and #Goodreads giveaway as well as Rebecca Ross, and St Martin’s press for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Set in the same universe as Divine Rivals, Wild Reverence focuses on the backstory of the two clans of gods. It gives an incredibly detailed portrayal of the intricacies of this universe and the tensions between various gods. All the attention to that detail, however, makes the plot move very slowly in the beginning. I really enjoyed Matilda as a character. She is bold and brave (even a little reckless) but the type of divine I can really get behind. Her connection to Vincent that spanned space and time was beautifully written and I found myself wishing and hoping for them to get their happy ending. It was a beautiful and immersive read. I enjoyed the ways in which it allowed the reader to be present for some of the events that precede the action of Divine Rivals.