
Member Reviews

oh wow what a ride!! I loved this book and I will be buying everything this author writes! she just keeps getting better!

So when I first got the arc for this book, I decided to read divine rivals first. It made it seem in the blurb that it was a prequel. It is, but not a necessary one to understand this book. It was also nice that this was a standalone and not a new series. The story follows the young goddess Matilda as she grows up and achieves her powers. Vincent, a mortal, dreams of her as a young boy and then eventually receives it at his most dire moment. This book was classified as new adult, but I think it could also be young adult. Finally, I liked how the story did not conform to the happily ever after that most readers expect, but really a more realistic one. I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

OH. MY. GODS. I absolutely LOVED this book - Rebecca Ross has 100% done it again. I adored Divine Rivals/Ruthless Vows, and this prequel did NOT disappoint at all. It has all the same vibes and amazing writing as DR/RV, a soul-scorching slow burn romance, and the feels of a classical tragedy woven with a love story that spans the ages. And I loved all the bits and pieces of how this story linked back to DR/RV, helping to fill in some of the knowledge gaps from the original duology while still weaving its own tale that is amazing in its own right.
I absolutely cannot get enough of this book, and I know I'm going to just as obsessed about this book as I am the original duology.
And the way I SQUEALED at those last few pages (IYKYK), and I am still vibrating a bit from that ending. There are SO MANY FEELING, all of them good.

This book was admittedly a slow start for me, but at about the time the “future” love interest was introduced I was hooked. The story is intricate and sweet, spanning through childhood and aging with their characters. I absolutely adored how they were connected.
As I read, there were definitely times I felt the slowness of the story, but I think that’s more about my particular preferences when it comes to pacing. I think a lot of people will enjoy the slow build of this story and the extreme care taking in weaving the details of this world. Could this book have been a little shorter for me? Probably, but the details were really rich when it came to the divines and their interactions. I wish that same richness was provided to the romance, but it was a little too distant for my taste.
All in all, fans of epic fantasy will probably love this one! Especially fans of gods and divines. Even as a predominant romance reader, I was totally sucked into this world.
Thank you so much to Rebecca Ross and St. Martins press for an eARC of Wild Reverence!

I loved the Letters of Enchantment and the Elements of Cadence series by Rebecca Ross, and Wild Reverence is a perfect blend of the two storylines. Set in the Divine Rivals universe, Wild Reverence tells the story of a young goddess Matilda and the human boy Vincent she meets in his dreams.
If you’ve only read the Letters of Enchantment series, you may be expecting a more “urban fantasy” type of storyline, with cities, newspapers, trains, and typewriters. This book is more in line with the fantasy of the Elements of Cadence series, with gods who control seasons and earthly elements, as well as war, music, fate, and many other elements. Also in line with the Elements of Cadence series, this is set in a fairytale-esque timeline, with lords and knights, castles, travel by horseback, and worship of gods.
Like any good Ross fantasy, this has a deep and cutting romance spun into the story’s very essence. Matilda and Vincent face a series of challenges that left me with my heart ripped out. As if their difficult choices weren’t sad enough, Ross writes so poetically and deeply that every sentiment was a nail in my emotional coffin. And as the final act ended, the tie-in to Divine Rivals was almost too much for me to handle.
Suffice to say, I loved this book, and highly recommend it to anyone. If you’ve read either of Ross’s other series I mentioned, this is an immediate yes in a “why are you even asking?” kind of way. And if this is your first Ross book, perfect! I hope you like it, and you should immediately get your hands on the other four books I mentioned!
Thanks to Netgalley and Saturday Books for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

where do i even begin? this story was beautiful. the way Rebecca writes is so incredibly eloquent, emotional, driven, and more. i couldn’t get enough. i yearned for these characters and felt so stressed at times — i quite literally had my heart racing at some parts and melting at others 🥹 i whole heartedly love this story and i love matilda and vincent. i’ve said this before but the song matilda by harry styles truly encapsulates who matilda is and what she found in her story. i really want to keep yapping about this book but Rebecca Ross will always have me crying over her fictional characters (BUT THEY ARE REAL TO ME).
thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for sending me this digital ARC!🩷

Wild Reverence was one of the best books I've read in a very long time, and I'm in such a book hangover. The world building and political intrigue were gripping, and I was deeply invested in the complex characters. This story was so full of love, both romantic and familial. Matilda's strength yet vulnerability were woven so beautifully together into her character. The love story between Matilda and Vincent was so gentle, and the fake marriage trope was done so perfectly. I loved every second of it. My only comment is we were robbed of a Matilda/Bade reunion scene! I would love to see a bonus scene! Their father/daughter dynamic was so beautifully done, and I sobbed when she guided his soul. Rebecca Ross is quickly becoming of my favorite authors with her poetic writing style. This will definitely be one of my top reads of 2025!

Wild Reverence is a sonnet that takes hold of your heart and keeps it captive for its entirety. The silence and ache of my heart after reading this masterpiece is unmatched and Ross has done it again… she weaves pure magic from the gods into her stories.
A tale of love beyond measure, we are brought back into the land of Underlings and Skywards to understand what truly happens between gods and mortals. Dacre and Enva are only pieces of the much larger puzzle that engulfs the magical realms of eithrals and typewriters.
Being blind to the path Rebecca leads us on, the first 20% feels like a whimsical and removed take from both her duologies, Letters of Enchantment and Elements of Cadence, BUT she takes you by the hand and says “trust me, see where this leads”
Needless to say, I was sobbing by 60% through the rest of the story and haven’t stopped since.
This book will live in my brain forever and with haunt me endlessly.

This was truly a beautiful story, but I expected nothing less from Rebecca!
I felt every emotion while reading this, and even had tears at one point. This was one of those beautiful stories that stay with you for a long time after.
The world-building and imagery were beautiful and truly kept me invested throughout, and honestly, I did not want it to end. Rebecca has such a way with words, and her talent never fails to amaze me. The YEARNING in this story? WOW. Give me 14 more of them right now.

What a beautiful, lyrical story. Rebecca Ross has been an auto buy author for me for several years, and she has once again proven why. She builds on the foundation of the world building of the Letters of Enchantment duology, while creating an entirely new cast of characters for readers to love. This story dives deep into the lore that underlies Letters of Enchantment, and reads like a mythology retelling - except that this is an entirely new pantheon. I so enjoyed diving back into this world and seeing the origins of the magic I came to love.
It is also a story that can be easily enjoyed if you haven't read Letters of Enchantment. Matilda and Vincents story stands perfectly on its own. There is so much character growth from Matilda's childhood and teen years til the end of the book. You will get to watch her make clumsy mistakes and impulse decisions, as well as bargains that come back to haunt her. I so look forward to reading this again when the physical copy hits my hands in September.
Thank you to Netgalley and Saturday Books for my eARC.

I think I fell for the hype of the Divine Rivals Duology and that's why I felt compelled to pickup this book. Sadly I didn't really enjoy this one and I think this was the final nail in the coffin for me. I know many will eat this book up, but I didn't really enjoy my time.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the digital arc.

Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows are two books which will always have a place in my heart. When I learned there was a prequel, I was excited to say the least. And when I obtained an advanced copy to read and review, I was honoured.
As someone who doesn't typically read fantasy, I was surprised by how much I loved the Letters of Enchantment series and from the very first page, Wild Reverence did not disappoint. I was magically brought into the fantasy realm with beautiful writing, vivid scenery, mythology, astrology and into a world where mortals and immortals collide. The romance between Matilda and Vincent, who first met in dreams at 13 and reunited 13 years later, stole my heart and the epilogue had me smiling ear to ear. Perfect.
Absolutely, without a doubt, an exceptional fantasy read. The descriptive writing will take your breath away and it will be tough to put this book down once you start.

This is the prequel to the Letters of Enchantment duology, and while it took me a dash of time to get interested in Divine Rivals, I was incredibly invested about halfway through and assumed that it may feel the same for this story.
Sadly, I found Wild Reverence to be slow and a bit disjointed. It felt like the story could've benefitted from another POV, perhaps that of one of the Gods, as we often missed details as a result of Matilda being out running between places as critical events are happening. I wanted to know more of what was transpiring as she was in the opposite realm, and I wanted to hear about it from the other POV.
I also found the love story between Matilda and Vincent to be lacking – the setup was there (in the meeting in dreams so many years prior to actually meeting in person), but when they were actually together, I felt very little chemistry between them. I wanted a more epic love story that developed more, but the characters spent so little time together physically that there really wasn't an opportunity for that to happen.
Two stars because there were many elements that set up what could've been a great story, but sadly this was a miss for me.

First off, Thank you to Rebecca Ross, publisher, and Net Galley for this ARC!! Getting an ARC related to one of my favorite series is every reader’s dream!
Wild Reverence is a prequel story set before Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows. I read this book before finishing Ruthless Vows, and I’m didn’t get any spoilers for the series!
This book was hauntingly beautiful. I was immediately pulled into the story. Rebecca Ross’s writing drew me into this fantasy world instantly. In terms of writing, if you enjoyed Stephanie Garber’s writing style and TOG’s pacing, you will love reading this book.
Matilda and Vincent stole my heart.
Vincent: This man is the Lord of Yearning. Throughout the book, whenever he thought of Matilda or spoke to or of her, there was so much longing and pining that seeped through his words.
Matilda: She was a well written character and complex. Everything she did had a reason, whether it was known to the reader at first or not.
Vincent and Matilda are wrapped in pain, yearning, the ghosts of the past, and the warmth of love. It was hauntingly beautiful and devastatingly magical.
If you loved any of Rebecca Ross’s other books, you’ll enjoy this one! This book is definitely for my fantasy lovers.
Most of all, if you love Love, you’ll love this book.

I really enjoyed the book! The writing was beautiful. I loved how it tied into Divine Rivals at the end. It did go a bit long in my opinion, but I still read it pretty quickly. Matilda is a great character.

Wild Reverence was a 5/5 read for me and has become one of my favorites of the year. Thanks to St. Martins Press, I was able to receive this book as an ARC. Having read the Elements of Cadence duology, my expectations were high for another book by Rebecca Ross. I can definitely say that Wild Reverence did not disappoint.
I do tend to gravitate towards Greek myths and retellings, such as Circe, and while this book reminded me of them it was also completely unique. Matilda’s story was so fun to read and she was a breath of fresh air as a main character. She was cunning, brave, and strong. Even though she was a goddess, she felt very human all the same. I loved watching her evolve and learn to accept love in different forms from both Vincent and Bade.
Rebecca Ross creates such rich worlds and lore, which makes it easy to immerse yourself into the book. I definitely recommend this book and can’t wait to read more by her!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of Wild Reverence.
Wild Reverence is like a YA/NA answer to Greek mythology. I felt like I was reading the Odyssey or the Iliad, except it was focused on a young girl/goddess coming into her own, working out what family and friendship means in a world where even her parents are a danger to her, and falling in love.
When I compare it to the Odyssey and the Iliad, that's not just because of the relationships between gods and mortals. The story goes from the protagonist Matilda's birth until her...30s? And there are plenty of times that Matilda gets whisked off on side-quests or that we see some incredible epic story happen to a side-character.
I adored the mythology that Rebecca Ross created, with the different worlds that the gods live in and their various types of magic. I also really enjoyed reading about her relationship with parental figures and how that developed.
On the other hand, I found most of the sections from the love interest's POV to be dull (especially the earlier ones), and some of the main villains to be a little 2D. But I can forgive the villains being 2D because of the type of mythology we were dealing with.

Rebecca Ross has such a gift for weaving magic, mythology, and emotion into her stories, and Wild Reverence is no exception. This is a beautifully written story where divine magic and mortal hearts intertwine. I loved the gods and goddesses, the rich mythology, and the humans who brought soul and depth to the tale. The slow-burn romance was tender and earned—one that quietly steals your breath. This book is for anyone who loves lyrical writing, stories of power and sacrifice, and love that grows in quiet, tender moments. I highly recommend!
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing this eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

•𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰•
{𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆}
“𝚆𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚍, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸. 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.”
✨Release Date: September 2, 2025 ✨
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With how much I loved Divine Rivals, I had a feeling I would enjoy this book—a prequel to Divine Rivals—and I really did! The vibes were spectacular and the characters were highly intriguing, making for an immensely enjoyable story! The writing style that was used in this book was the type that immediately pulls you into the story and keeps you entertained for the entirety of the narrative. While I did find the pacing of the story a bit slow at times, and there was some content I disliked (see content notes below), the lyrical prose stole the show and helped temper the issues.
It all began with a dream—a young boy saved from his nightmares by a girl with fiery red hair. From that dream blossomed the relationship of Matilda & Vincent—a timeless love destined to span the ages. In a time when relationships between divines and mortals were doomed to failure, two hearts entwined, daring to defy fate and test the endurance of their love. I loved how Rebecca Ross took the time to portray Matilda’s young life in the beginning because it did wonders in giving her character so much depth and made her relationship with Vincent so much more intense!
I loved how we got to see a bit of background on Enva and Dacre’s doomed relationship in this book. I was especially fond of the scene where Matilda escorted Enva down from Skyward—it was such a touching moment, in my opinion, watching Enva’s last moments before being bound in matrimony to the lord of the Underlings.
The setting of this book was PHENOMENAL and visually STUNNING in my mind’s eye! I loved being in the depths of the earth with the Underlings—the foggy passageways and the jewel studded archways made for a gorgeous locale! And then there was the Skyward…filled with light, airy clouds; fruit-laden trees; and resplendent with color—it was definitely one of my favorite locations!
Content Notes:
• slight open door scenes (Chapters 67, 68, 84)
• some lgbtq content
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I received a complimentary arc from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All opinions expressed are my own.

Rebecca how do you do it?! She is the queen of heart wrenching fantasies!
I absolutely loved the last half of the book (especially the end 30%). The way everything tied together was truly a masterpiece + her writing was just incredibly detailed and stunning. The world building hurt my brain and the first part WAS slow ok but it’s so worth it, if you just hold tight. I loved the descriptive writing this book has, truly transports you to another world. The last chapter and epilogue had me in tears!!!! TEARS. I just loved Matilda and Vincent’s story. It was beautiful. I did want a tiny bit more tension and build up than there was but nonetheless