Rebecca Ross's has a way to build a story and a world which will both enchant and enthrall. Wild Reverence follows Matilda from a godchild to a goddess and her link to a mortal boy named Vincent.

The magic weaved throughout this story is both heartbreaking and beautiful. Bargains and vows make Matilda and Vincent's lives full of both unknown possibilities ans threats.

This book was exactly what I needed right now. This was the whimsy of Emily Wilde meets Circe. Rebecca Ross’ writing style is so captivating, I didn’t want to put this down and the romance was exquisite! One of my favorite books for the year.

I enjoyed this Divine Rivals spinoff overall but would describe the plot as both bumbling and chaotic? There were so many plots and subplots in it that it felt like three stories in one, so let me try to summarize:

1: Young Matilda, a humble herald born of a taboo relationship between a Skyward god and Underling god, grows into her goddessness and learns the politics of the gods in the Underling court such as: sky gods and underworld gods hate each other and gods sometimes kill each other to take each others stars. Every star you have essentially lets you level up your god powers (someone should pitch this to Sony TM)

2: Vincent, jaded that Matilda ghosted him in his dreams when they were tweens, reluctantly forms an alliance with our young goddess in order to try to thwart his evil uncle who is trying to take his castle. Matilda, who knows nothing about military tactics, steps in to offer Vincent helpful tips like “do you have ANY allies that could come help us? Did you consider evacuating your people?” which makes me think the uncle should just take the throne at this point tbh.

3: There is a plot that revolves around death and a nightmare realm which ties in the mortal-immortal romance subplot. Will not further elaborate because spoilers.

The plots, though convoluted, do come together and wrap up fairly well but the journey to get there felt reallllly tedious. I will say the story was original, the prose was lovely and I loved the characterization of the gods, but I was left with many questions such as:
- What happens to a god of war if he’s just effin tired of all the fighting? Is he still a god of war?
- why are we calling our left hand sinister but not calling the right hand dexter?

Aside: This novel is set in the same world of Divine Rivals which is definitely not required reading as there is barely any crossover (you may miss a few Easter eggs). Overall: 3.5 ⭐️

<i>Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Wild Reverence did not disappoint! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This prequel to Divine Rivals follows Matilda, a young goddess with unique powers, who falls for a mortal lord. The two get caught up in a dangerous war, facing battles, and betrayals. Matilda must decide between her legacy and her heart.

I loved every minute of it, the suspense, the yearning, the magic, and the gorgeous writing. It’s one of those books you don’t want to put down and never want to end.

I'll admit that I own both of the other Divine Rival books, but have to read them, because my tbr pile is out of control. However, the cover of Wild Reverence really caught my attention, so when I was approved for this arc, I figured this was a great place to start. This prequel was so beautifully written. I'll just say, I get it now. I was fully invested in this story largely in part because Rebecca Ross can write a story that just you get immersed in.
Before Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows, we get Matilda and Vincent's story. Matilda is born to both courts, the Underling and Skyward. She can deliver messages between courts. Asking the way, she meets a mortal boy when he starts dreaming about her. This is how their story begins.

Years later, they're brought together austin by fate but now Vincent is a Lord.

This book had me fully invested in all the characters and the plot. I don't read romantasy often, so I was shocked by how much I loved this book.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Saturday Books, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

No one talk to me, I’m emotionally devastated and I need AT LEAST 3-5 business days to process!!!

If Rebecca Ross has no fans, I am dead. She imbues all of her stories with an incomparable sense of wonder and longing that I will eat up every single time. I don’t know how she does it every time, but her stories just feel like they are made for me.

I was maybe about 50% of the way through when I just KNEW Rebecca was going to wrong me and wrench my heart out, but no matter how many times she does it I will keep coming back. I will read anything she wants to put into the world for the rest of forever.

Thank you to NetGalley and author Rebecca Ross for this arc for my honest review below.

This was actually a 4.5 Star read for me. The story was unique, in that I have never read a romantasy that follows the Gods realm before. Vampires, witches, fae sure, but never the gods. The works building was exquisitely thought out and intricate, the characters were well planned and developed. I particularly loved Bade the God of War and the connection/relationship he has with Matilda (the main character). The magic the characters use throughout was fascinating. My only complaint is that I do not particularly love the insta love theme that's often found in novels. Vincent dreamt of Matilda as a child but after finding her in the real world it just felt too instantaneous for my liking. I prefer love stories that involve more verbal or emotional connection. I understand this is a contradiction as Matilda is not human, but a Goddess, but the connection between Vincent and Matilda lacked that special something for me. Maybe it felt too "fated" and there was not enough human connection for me? I'm not sure what it was exactly but it just lacked that special something for me. Everything else about this book kept me enthralled; the conniving ways of the gods and humans, the realms, the mistress and wastelands, the third born's disappearing, the goddess of music and how her music affects those of the underworld, the list could go on and on. I truly enjoyed the book and the world the author built, ultimately the love story just lacked that bit of soul for me.

Rebecca Ross is one of my absolute favorite authors, and I was beyond happy to find myself back in the Divine Rivals universe. There are no words to how perfect Wild Reverence is. It's just so beautifully written, and I devoured it in a span of 4 hours lol

I received this book from NetGalley. I absolutely love Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows and this book is the prequel of that duology. This is the story of Matilda and Vincent. The trials and tribulations that both of them go through is wrenching. As the story progresses, you can start to see how the duology falls into the story. Good book.

This is a 4.5 for me, this is a really beautiful, lyrically written addition to the Divine Rivals universe.
Taking place prior to that timeline, we do see the infamous typewriters in an epilogue. A solid read.

This story is about the Goddess Matilda, we walk through her entire life- from birth to death.
Matilda is born of both courts, the Underling and Skyward, making her completely unique.
Although she is deemed middling of power- a Herald of the gods, she can ferry messages between courts.

Gods and Goddesses are cutthroat and will often kill each other to seal more power for themselves, and godling child lives in danger. Her mother and her allies do their best to see her to adulthood, but she has a very eventful life. It just depends on if her power is interesting enough for the other gods to perceive her as a threat.
A boy named Vincent is constantly dreaming of her- they have a connection although it takes time to discover what it is and this is their story of their romance. Their enduring love for one another and the struggles of a goddess who would love a mortal.

They meet and separate and keep joining over time, and not even death can separate them
I really liked both of the characters, Matilda's growth and evolution, Vincent's struggles, loss and enduring vigilance - their lives very much parallel one another which bonds them together.

It's a beautiful, emotional love story. If you liked Divine Rivals, you should love this addition too.

Rebecca Ross has quickly cemented herself as one of my favorite authors. Her way of weaving stories is thick with a sense of nostalgia and longing, that leaves me devouring her work.
This was the slowest book for me to get into, and in truth I would likely rate 4.75 instead of 5. However, once I connected with the characters I was engrossed.

I would always recommend Rebecca to anyone craving the quiet tender side of fantasy, or wanting to feel real emotions and love in their reading journeys.

An instant buy, amd treasure.

THIS. BOOK.

The chokehold it had on me while I was reading it and even now just thinking about it, I can't move on. The storytelling, the immersive world, and the love stories told between lovers, father figures, and friends woven all together was amazing.

Overview:
𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘢, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘯, 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤, 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘖𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯; 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘢'𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘮. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘴.

𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘢, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.

I was constantly on the edge of my seat in so many areas of this book. It was always a mix of anticipation, stress because of the conflicts, and yearning.

Vincent and Matilda are both chefs kiss 🤌🏼 Their dedication and caring for each other was poetic and had you absolutely rooting for them against all odds.

Matilda's relationship with the god of war, Bade was also a huge favorite of mine. While it's primarily Matilda and Vincent's love story, the one between her and Bade was just as pure and beautiful. It had me tearing up constantly. The vulnerability they shared with each other at the end was something I re-read several times.

I will not be able to get this story out of my mind. I think it's even better than the Divine Rivals duology which I loved so that's saying something. The parallels to that story was also so exciting to see and understand. What a beautiful and amazing story. That's all. 😭😭

Rebecca Ross’s prose really shines in Wild Reverence, and while the plot had potential, I don’t think it fully lived up to it.

I loved the beginning, which felt like a coming of age novel about a young goddess. Once the plot turned and focused more on Vincent and his mortal woes, I began to lose interest. I really cared more about the relationships between the gods and that dynamic, including how they interfered with a seemingly inconsequential mortal warfare. But again, I just did not care about Vincent, our MMC. I also did not buy into the relationship between Vincent and Matilda. Maybe that’s because I am not a fan of these specific tropes, but the connection felt extremely insta-lovey without a lot of development. I also think there were way too many loose ends once the novel concluded. However, I do really want to highlight how great the worldbuilding for the gods were and how fleshed out those interactions felt.

While I still enjoyed this, I do think it was a let down. I wish this had been more of a fantasy about gods than a half baked romantasy. Thank you for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Rebecca Ross book. The writing was fantastic! So much great stuff in this book. The story. The characters. The deep emotion. The character growth. The conflict. Just wow. I loved Matilda and Vincent! There wasn't anything I didn't love about this book. I devoured it from start to finish! It started out a little bit slow at first. There's a lot of world building, but I expected that. It picked up about half way through, and I didn't want to ever stop reading once I started. I'm definitely going back to read Rebecca's previous books! I received this book from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[4.75 - 5 STARS] [Spice 1/5] SPOILER FREE
Thank you to Rebecca Ross & St. Martin's Press (Saturday Books) for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Prior to the events in Divine Rivals/Ruthless Vows before Dacre took Enva and she played her song... Before enchanted typewriters wrote such beautiful letters in DR, we have the "origin story" of Matilda, the Herald of the Gods.

When I see a book featuring a strong FMC, I am all-in, and this is no exception. She is a strong goddess that is from the Under realm, not knowing who fathered her beside he is of Skyward realm. Not ever really belonging in any realm, she longs to fit in somewhere. A young boy from the mortal realm begins dreaming of her and she feels a pull to him, but disappears from him for years. With Fate weaving the threads of their lives, they are one day drawn back together and beginning a beautiful, tragic, thrilling love story against all odds. Excellent pacing and writing.

Rebecca Ross writes such beautiful books to begin with, but her real magic lies within the relationships tangled webs of all the emotions and the vulnerability required when you give your heart. There were villains, great side characters, politics, battles, an extremely well-established world/magic system and lore. It was an extremely enjoyable read and I've already pre-ordered a special edition to add to the shelf. I never want to leave this world of books. Rebecca Ross can do no wrong! The only reason I might deduct .25 stars is because there were parts that maybe could've been a bit more concise and a bit less back-and-forth travelling wise, but not enough to take me out of the story.

4.5 / 5 Stars
This was a beautiful, epic story with a really well-written mythological system woven throughout that made me a fan of Rebecca Ross’s work. It is the story of Mathilda, a goddess born to an Underling mother and a Skyward father. Her mother has kept her hidden in the underrealm while Mathilda’s power as a herald matures. She will be able to carry messages between the two realms and the mortal realm but she has to watch her back as gods can kill each other to gain their powers. As she ages, Mathilda reads the dreams of a boy named Vincent and even meets him in the mortal realm but she runs away when the mortals try to capture her. As the years pass, Mathilda and Vincent’s lives intersect as their fates intertwine to create a beautiful love story.

You will probably like this book if you like:
💖 Fantasy based on a unique mythological system with gods
💖 Forbidden romance(s)
💖 Gods behaving badly and high court politics
💖 Friends to strangers to lovers
💖 Marriage of convenience

The writing was fluid, lush, and immersive. Reading this book felt like getting swept away by the wind to be taken on a big adventure. It felt a lot like a Greek epic poem ala The Odyssey with interfering gods and a protagonist who just wants to get home to their love. There were many side quests and Chekhov's guns set up to add hurdles for Vincent and Mathilda that kept the plot engaging.

Mathilda and Vincent are captivating on their own and magical together. Mathilda is smart, strong, courageous, and selfless. Vincent is kind, patient, and steadfast (he is also a big old Swoon McGoon which is a phrase I just made up and am rolling with). They both have been hurt by the world or taught not to be vulnerable but they peeled back their layers with the perfect pacing. Their love was quiet, steady, and inevitable even with the chaos of the world around them.

I also loved a lot of the side characters. The book started with a LOOONG list of characters and I was like “uh oh, I am about to be deeply confused” but I was not. Rebecca Ross did a great job of introducing the gods and mortals in a way that is not intimidating and was easy to follow. All of the gods had their own distinct personalities which is super impressive given how many there were. And the two times I cried were both related to Bade, the god of war, so I am calling for a book about Bade.

My only critique is that this book is almost 600 pages and at times, it felt that way. The beginning and the end felt fast paced and engaging but parts of the middle just felt long. And as someone who connects more with relationships and characters, there were times that I just did not want to read pages and pages of scenery description. And some of the old timey words would just not stick in my brain (I feel like I learned and immediately forgot so many descriptors for castles and architecture).

This book is a prequel to “Divine Rivals” and “Ruthless Vows” and I hadn’t read either of those and I still really enjoyed this one. I think folks who have read those two books may find cool intersections but I think you can also dive into this one on its own. I really enjoyed getting to read Rebecca’s work and look forward to reading these other two books!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Saturday Books, and NetGalley for providing the eARC! All opinions are my own.
Publication Date: September 2, 2025

If you loved Divine Rivals and wanted more of the lore behind the Divine that once ruled the world before Dacre & Enva began their war YOU WILL EAT THIS BOOK UP! Rebecca’s impeccably prose and deft weaving of words capture you instantly to deliver the most stunning prequel to her already rich world!

This book is absolutely incredible and deserves all the praise. I loved how Matilda’s story not only stood on its own but also tied so beautifully into the events of Divine Rivals. The first quarter of the book, where we see Matilda grow up in a world full of gods and goddesses, was such a strong foundation for the rest of the story. Her relationship with Vincent was breathtaking their characters are so well developed and written with such care that I couldn’t help but be invested in them. And as always, Rebecca Ross’s writing is stunning. It’s lyrical, emotional, and completely immersive. Wild Reverence is the perfect companion to Divine Rivals, and it left me in awe.

Thank you to SMP and Saturday books for the early copy to read and review!

It was incredible to be able to step back into the world that we are first introduced to in the Letters of Enchantment duology. Although we are experiencing a story hundreds of years earlier than the one told in the duology, there are so many connections that will have Iris and Roman lovers swooning and hooked.

The intertwining of the Underling, Mortal, and Skyward realms was brilliant done, with each having different descriptions and characteristics and notable gods, goddesses, and mortals. There are 500+ pages to get acquainted with all of the characters and the roles that they play, so although it can be overwhelming at times, I was rarely confused.

The dual POV of Matilda and Vincent was a brilliant choice by Ross, because we are able to get both the god and human side of the story, and it gave us the chance to see the blossoming slow burn love develop between the two characters. There were many times where the romance would be really sweet and longing, and I wish we had gotten more of that. It seemed like the actual time that they spent in each other’s company was somewhat short.

The pacing was a little slow at times, particularly at the beginning and about halfway through, but I was invested enough in the story to keep pushing, and each time I was so glad that I did. This is an epic story to be savored and appreciated, and it’s going to really stick with me for a long time.

Rebecca Ross continues the intrigue in her prequel novel to the Divine Rivals duology, Wild Reverence. This novel expands on her unique magic system, playing with the lines between worlds and life and death. Matilda’s character arc spans from her childhood to adulthood while she learns who she is and what she can do. Some characters felt underdeveloped and could have been fleshed out more in a few circumstances. Overall, the pacing and content were well written and kept me reading.