I can't do gods and I am not interested. in a book that has a open door scene . thank you publisher for the arc

Wild Reverence is Ross’ best novel yet. It has the character and charm of the Letters of Enchantment duology, but it adds to that world building in a wholly unique way. Matilda is a unique goddess - she is born of a god from the upper realm and a goddess of the under realm, which is extremely rare. Her future is read in the stars - not only will she be a messenger to the gods, but there’s something else, too. In a betrayal heavy world, she needs to be careful about revealing her true self. There’s also the issue of the mortal boy, Vincent, who has been dreaming of it, even though they’ve never met. Following Matilda’s life was incredibly fascinating. It was interesting seeing her grow and figure out how to survive in this world. Of course, the readers get to see some familiar characters from Divine Rivals, though this story takes place first. Vincent is a really interesting character too. I liked that his perspective was slowly introduced, so as Matilda got to know him, so did the readers. The plot is really well organized too. At no point did I feel like it dragged or I was eager to finish up. It was perfectly structured and really well done. Overall, this is the best Ross book so far and I continue to be excited to see what’s next for her.

Wild Reverence is a journey between two characters who are forbidden but their destinies are intertwined. Matilda who is a god winds up in the dreams of Vincent when they are both children and find each other again as adults.

Matilda, I think is pretty relatable. She has been taught her entire life to keep her shield up and to never trust anyone. As the outcast of the gods, Matilda has grown up lonely and every act of kindness she has received has been some sort of transaction.

Vincent was down bad for Matilda even when she was a complete mystery to him in his dreams. Their love story became one that blossomed from dreams and yearning, but sheer determination and so much damn time.

This story made me want to pull my hair out so many times because the odds seemed as if they were stacked against them so many times, but also I think the bittersweet ending that was given (even though I wish it was a bit longer) was a perfect setup for the Letters of Enchantment Duet. I think it was beautiful and haunting and something that sits with you a bit after you’ve finished.

Overall, my rating is 4 ⭐️’s. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the arc!

Having previously read the Letters of Enchantment Series by Rebecca Ross, I was excited to have this opportunity to read Wild Reverence. It did not disappoint. Ross weaves an epic tale of betrayal, power thirsty gods, wars, and a love that was always waiting.

Matilda was a beautiful character to follow as she came into her vast powers and grew in age. The trials she faced and the bargains she made often put others first, sacrificing for those around her. I feel like all women can relate.

This tale was well written, and I will continue to follow and read all of books that Ross writes. Bravo!

I received this book as an ARC and having never read any Rebecca Ross books previously! I. Am. A. Fan. Absolutely devoured this book. There was a twist and turn at every corner. I appreciated that it wasn’t so complicated where you’re constantly trying to remember who’s who and how everyone is connected. The relationship between Matilda and her love was a slow burn in the best way possible. You could argue friends to lovers, even. But the story outside theirs was what I craved! Truly couldn’t put it down. Top of my fantasy reads for sure and now excited to dive into her other books!

This is a beautiful epic fantasy set in the same universe as Divine Rivals, (book one of the Letters of Enchantment duology.) It can be read as a standalone, or either before or after the Letters of Enchantment series.

The story begins with Matilda, a new goddess born of underworld and skyward parents. She is herald, a different kind of deity unlike any before her. Spanning decades, the story follows her as she grows, gaining and losing both allies and enemies. Her fate becomes deeply entwined with Vincent, an immortal she first encounters in her youth.

This novel is breathtaking, haunting, and unforgettable. It stands strong on its own with lush worldbuilding and a fascinating magic system, while also enriching the experience of readers who loved Divine Rivals by offering more insight into the gods who played such pivotal roles.

I loved this book, and it has me eager to reread Divine Rivals!

Spice: 3/5
Plot:5/5
Writing: 5/5
My Enjoyment: 5+/5

*** I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

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

4.5 ★. For anyone who enjoyed the 𝘓𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 duology, this is a MUST READ! Rebecca Ross has delivered another beautifully written story, set in the same world introduced in 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘴 but in an earlier timeline. 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 gives a closer look into the world and background of the gods and goddesses and also helps bring so many things full circle. As with many fantasy reads, it does take a quick minute for the world building and story set up, but once it took off I was hooked.

A young goddess, Matilda, is born with a soft heart into a hard world of the divine. Never quite belonging to one place, the threads of fate continually bring her back to a mortal boy, Vincent. Filled with yearning and a slow burn, their love story is one that you can't help but fall for. After all, what's more doomed than love between a mortal and a goddess who will never die?

Thank you to Netgalley, Rebecca Ross, and St. Martin's Press/Saturday books for this ARC read.

Matilda is born into the cold world of the Under realm to a mother in an alliance with other gods and goddesses. As a child, Matilda observes multiple moments she doesn’t understand but there are also the gifts of a young man’s dreams and the training of her mother’s ally, Bade. When alliances are broken, Matilda is thrown out of everything she knows.

Vincent is deeply afraid of drowning. His nightmares revolve around the river currents pulling him under. But within his dreams, there is a beautiful red head there to keep his head above the water.

What is to come if Matilda and Vincent cross paths? Who will Matilda be as a young goddess? What will it take for Vincent to avoid the depths?

As this story unravels, I was deeply enthralled. The writing is incredibly beautiful and the tale pulls at your heartstrings. The plot had me on the edge of my seat as I waited impatiently to know what was going to happen next. Rebecca Ross is truly gifted and everything about this book was mesmerizing. It felt like reading a Greek myth. The slow burn romance is so rewarding despite the problems that still arise. It’s a story I’ll visit again and again. Huge thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for this ARC. I feel honored and I loved this book so much.

It’s been 24 hours since I finished this book and I’m still thinking about it. I have no complaints. Just endless compliments. And maybe a tiny book shaped hole in my heart called...Wild Reverence.


Thank you netgalley for my ebook arc!

I did not think Rebecca could top Divine Rivals. Alas, I was entirely wrong. I should have known Rebecca would find a way to surpass herself with this new story set in the world of Divine Rivals.

I absolutely loved this story. I just felt really connected to Matilda’s character. As a female main character, I was expecting her to train and become the most powerful goddess because for female characters, they are either the strongest or the smartest. But for some reason, Matilda is a perfect balance of both characteristics. She is strong, but she fails sometimes. She is smart, but she’s not afraid to fight for what she believes in.

Matilda’s friendship with Vincent is one of the main themes in this book. I really enjoyed reading about them as children and the evolution of their fears. As children their fears seemed so large and unavoidable, but as they grew up those fears evolved and became more real and closer to them. Despite the years they were separated, once they meet again that trust and fondness they had for each other comes back.

I have to say that as much as I loved Matilda and Vincent, my favorite part and relationship in this book was Matilda and Bade’s. The book begins with Bade the day that Matilda was born and I believe this is the perfect introduction to what their relationship will become. I just loved the comparison of Bade needing Matilda to save what was most important to him, to being there for Matilda when she was in the same position.
This book has become my favorite read of 2025. There is nothing I would add or remove to this story as I strongly believe it is perfect the way it is. As soon as I finished reading this ARC I preordered my copy because this is a book I love and want to own when it comes out.

For every Divine Rivals fan, this book is the perfect story to fill that small void since the duology ended.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc. I’m sad to say this will be a DNF for me at 60%. I finish most books within 3-4 days, and longer ones in maybe a week. I’ve been working on this one for two weeks now, but it feels like longer. I just can’t seem to connect to the characters or the story. The first portion of it, when Matilda is younger, felt like reading a mythology story in a wider scope without much intimate detail or nuance. When we jumped ahead, it felt like a lot of telling rather than showing. I never felt the connection between Matilda and Vincent, and it seemed like there was simply too much going on. I absolutely adored Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows so I had really high hopes for this one, but maybe my expectations were just too high. I would have preferred to leave this review without a star rating, but as it’s required, I’ve given it two stars instead of one because the writing itself was really quite fantastic.

Stunning. Pulled me into the worlds of the gods and goddesses. Set centuries before Divine Rivals and its sequel, it can be read as a standalone. If you've not read those books, you will want to after you've read Wild Reverence. More, please!

This story is unforgettable. The plot, the world-building, the characters, it is all so unique. I literally could not put this down. I forwent sleep so I could read this.

I loved meeting Matilda and learning about her powers as a goddess. I also loved seeing her interactions with Vincent in dreams, and then meeting him in real life, too.

Also, Bade and Adria? Top tier secondary characters. I loved everything about this book.

ARC Review: Wild Reverence
Release Date: September 2, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.25 stars)
Wild Reverence is a beautifully written novel that blends originality with an intriguing premise. The author’s worldbuilding and thematic depth drew me in immediately, and while the magic system felt underdeveloped in places, the overall concept was compelling.
I did encounter some challenges with pacing—certain sections moved more slowly than necessary and could have been streamlined to strengthen the flow and reduce the length. In addition, while the characters were well-drawn, I hoped for a stronger emotional connection to their journeys. The central love story, in particular, had the potential to be deeply moving but didn’t fully capture the resonance I was looking for, leaving the conclusion without the emotional weight it might have carried.
Even so, this was an engaging and memorable read. The creativity, layered storytelling, and unique vision outweighed its shortcomings, making Wild Reverence a book I’m glad I experienced. Readers who appreciate thought-provoking narratives with rich themes will find much to enjoy here.

Anything Rebecca Ross will always be an auto-buy, auto read for me. From Divine rivals/ruthless vows to a river enchanted/a fire endless her writing always helps me dive right into the world she has created with ease.

**Spoiler free overview of the book**
Wild Reverence is set on the same back drop as Divine rivals, with the events occurring before Iris and Roman and there magic typewriters, before Enva played her lullaby putting Darce to sleep.

Matilda is a young goddess who is trying to forge her place between the skyward realm, the mortal realm and the underling realm. With the ability to travel between realms as a herald.

Vincent, a mortal who is also trying to find he way after the tragic events of his life, he is tethered to Matilda at a young age via his dreams. Until one day he abruptly stops dreaming of her.

After a decade of no communication Matilda is sent to deliver an urgent message to Vincent. With war on the horizon, will there childhood friendship/bond via dreams be enough to trust each other, protect each other, and win the impending war.

I rated this book at a 5 star, the writing is beautiful. The story caught + maintained my interest through out. I loved the characters and was sad when the book ended to let them go.

Rebecca did it again! Fantastic read, wonderful storyline and characters and the entire plot was CHEFS KISS. The Goddess X mortal trope had me in a chokehold and I devoured it! The yearning was so delicious, and I was SO STRESSED by the end!

Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross was a great addition to the Divine Rivals universe. I love a book devoted to the Gods and their magic. This was a fast read that kept me hooked the entire time. The world building was phenomenal and the characters were well-written. Rebecca Ross is a wonder at writing fantasy and specifically Romantasy. This book was a beautiful story and would be great for any fan of the Divine Rivals series.

This entry into the Divine Rivals universe was very inconstant but ultimately I was glad I stuck with it. The POV from the gods this time was interesting though once again they might as well have been mortals with the usual foibles.

Story: Matilda is born of the goddess of Winter and an unknown father god. She soon learns she is to be a herald, shuttling messages between the realms. As she grows up, she becomes embroiled in the political machinations of her powerful relatives. Can she survive without being murdered and her power stolen? And why does she continually dream about a mortal boy?

There are two POVs here: young goddess Matilda and noble-born third son Vincent. Vincent is dealing with betrayal and politics on the mortal realm while Matilda is forever dancing around divine politics. Both worlds will intertwine thanks to the machinations of powerful people in both the mortal and divine realms.

As a character, Matilda could be frustrating to read. I believe the author wanted to give her some naivete suitable to her youth to provide character growth opportunities later. But at times the character was so frustrating and the deus ex machina (no pun intended) of the plot felt heavy handed and unrealistic, making her even less likable. Several times, I was seriously considering giving up and moving on, most because of how annoying Matilda was (or the situations the author choses to put her in just to further the romance plot). Vincent was a bit of a cipher - very earnest and perhaps a bit too 'good'. But that positive idealism is a hallmark of atuhor Ross' characters.

The plot was slow until finally at the end it was very exciting and had me riveted. I was glad I stayed with it until the end, a rarity situation in most books today that too often do not reward patience. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I love the Divine Rivals books and the world building and magic atmosphere in those, so I was so excited when I heard Rebecca Ross was writing a book in the same universe involving the gods and mythology that connected to the duology.

The thing Rebecca Ross does so well for me is create such fascinating worlds and lore, and make me care about the characters. I was sobbing, I was fuming, I was absolutely absorbed in this book from chapter 1. The characters were so vivid and truly came alive on the page. Mathilda and Vincent's love story was such a beautiful tale of star-crossed lovers. This story gorgeously tells us that some things are worth fighting for and that even if something cannot last forever, the time you have with it can be joyful and special. I also loved how this story wove together and other myths and love stories were mixed into to this book. Ultimately, I think everything was masterfully written and everything was exactly how it needed to be to tell this story.

On to spoilers:
<spoiler>I just need to hear from my fellow Warin haters real quick because the SECOND I saw that man on the page, it was on sight.
When Mathilda called Bade father I was sobbing my heart out!
Bade's love story and the softening of his heart was one of the best things about this book in my opinion. The toxically stoic masculinity breaking down because of his love for Adria and Mathilda was so wonderful
Mathilda being the herald of souls and the extra constellations was such an interesting direction I was not expecting
Adria's powers to tie the other god's powers to them was such a cool addition </spoiler>

I cannot recommend this book enough! 5 stars! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

4.5/5 ⭐️

I absolutely devoured this book. I loved it!

Matilda is a goddess that was born from both a god of the sky and a goddess of the underworld. This does not normally happen. She is a messenger that can take notes through any of the realms. Vincent is a boy who dreams of a girl with wild red hair, and she saves him from his nightmares.

I loved getting to see Matilda as a child and watch how she had to grow up to survive in a place where gods kill each other for power. Her relationship with Bade is everything to me. It was also really cool to see how her and Vincent knew of each other as children and how they needed each other throughout their lives.

The reason that this is a 4.5 is because I wish we saw a little bit more of Matilda and Vincent actually being around each other.

I liked seeing how this tied into the Letters of Enchantment series and now I want to reread Divine Rivals!!

Thank you Rebecca, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my thoughts & review.