I honestly wish I could give this book 6 ⭐. Rebecca's writing is just so beautiful and magical, and the characters and world she builds with it are exquisite. Matilda, Vincent, AND Bade's character growth along with other side characters, was perfect. As soon as I started reading I felt like I was transported into the underworld, skyworld, and mortal realm of hers. the magic system and claiming of other gods powers is brilliant, and kept me on the edge of my seat, like who do you trust!? I cannot wait for this to be released and have a physical copy for my trophy shelf.

What a gift it was to experience another book in the world of Divine Rivals. Rebecca Ross once again blew me away with her beautiful prose. So many lines in this book took my breath away.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the advanced copy in exchange of an honest review!

Wild Reverence: by: Rebecca Ross
Pages: 544
Genre: Fantasy/ Romantasy

Summary: (thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the eARC)
This book is set in the same world as the Divine Rivals/ Ruthless Vows Duology

This book was so good, I don’t have words. This story follows Matilda, a goddess, but also the herald of the underworld, skyward world, and mortal realm, and Vincent, a mortal Lord. It follows them both from when they’re in their teens, to their adulthood. Vincent sees Matilda in his dreams as a teenager, and when he reaches adulthood, he needs her help, and she answers.
I can’t give a proper summary without spoiling the entire book.

I loved being immersed back into the world of DR, and there is something about the way that Rebecca writes. Time slips away, and you find yourself completely immersed in the story. This book was completely perfect from start to finish. Not only was the writing style perfect, but the story between Matilda and Vincent was so beautiful, I didn’t ever want this book to end. It was really interesting to learn more about the gods and goddesses that Rebecca has created. I’ll say this with my whole chest- this is what fairytale loves are made of. This is the reason why people read, and believe in love, because Vincent and Matilda will live rent free in my head forever. The chemistry and love between these two fictional characters made me want a love like that (disclaimer: I am very happily married, but their love was SO SWEET, I was a little jealous.)
This book is easily one of my top reads for 2025, and I don’t think anything will have me feeling quite the way that this book has. The magic, the world, the ease of understanding and being able to follow along, the pace, everything about this book was glorious.

If you liked Divine rivals, this book answers so many questions that you didn’t know you had.
If you like fast paced romantasy that goes super fast and doesn’t leave you with a bunch of questions, pick up this book, you won’t regret it.
Lastly, thank you again to NetGalley and St. Martins press for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. I’m grateful and honored.

(I'll be posting this same review on my GoodReads today, and a review on my instagram @taras.book.corner when Wild Reverence has its release day!)

"I am yours, Red. I will always be yours. Not even Death can change that.”

You know in some books that feature gods and fate, how in the prologue they give us a lil backstory or historically significant info and then chapter one comes in and we meet the main characters? Well, that’s how this book felt. A giant prologue. Full of description and flowery language, but not the actual story.

"I should have known that one day she would return to me, unexpected and unceremoniously, as only a divine could do."

I know it’s actually a prequel to Divine Rivals, that’s very clear throughout the book and the ending (!), but it reads so literally like a prologue to Divine Rivals, so much so that I was kinda bored, waiting for the story to start. I was kinda bored and it took 4-ish chapters for me to realize that Matilda was actually the main character and not just the prologue character (can you tell I didn’t read the synopsis first? This was an auto-approved ARC, I never read the blurbs lmao). By 25% I was still kinda waiting for the story to start, even though I'd read the synopsis by then. I dunno how to describe this feeling, but it was weird 😅

"Dear Matilda.
I buried my prayers in the garden, letting the soil cover my inked words.
Dear Matilda.
The parchment disappeared, and I imagined it reaching her somewhere far beneath my feet, in a world I could marvel over but never fully know, never fully see.
Dear Matilda."

All that said, it did pick up at the, like, 70% mark, and it felt more like Matilda and Vincent’s story, and while I found it did drag on a bit, I still enjoyed it enough. Not to the same calibre as Divine Rivals, but enough.

“He may be irreverent toward all of us, save for you. I think he desires to worship you.”

I loved that letter writing was featured in here a little again, and it was full of heartbreak and wanting and whimsy, just like Letters of Enchantment. I know, logically, I shouldn't keep comparing it, but alas. Rebecca knows how to set the mood with her storytelling, and this was adult, so there was a little spice pepper 🌶️

"She was not mine by spoken vow but something deeper. Something that felt older, stronger, darker, like a language that had been sung centuries ago but had now been forgotten. Something that simmered in the blood, calling to me, calling to her."

I really liked both Matilda and Vincenet, I thought they were great characters, and I really loved Bade too (and I wanted more of him in the end!). Matilda was strong, independent, brave, loving, empathetic (which, for a goddess, says something, even Enva wasn’t that caring), and devoted to Vincent. Vincent was someone who appeared to be soft and tender-hearted, but still fought in the wars and ruled his land. A great mix really. There was also a highly anticipated “who did this to you” and I was living for it!

“Because she is yours, as you are hers,” Bade replied quietly. “And she is precious to me.”

I did wish there was more of Bade because I liked him, even though he had a rocky start, and I loved his personality. Enva and Dacre were obviously in this, you get to meet them at the beginning of the issue that leads to Divine Rivals, and you find out that Dacre was always a piece of shit and Enva is clever af.

Dedication: For anyone who has ever had to let go of someone they love

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Saturday Books, Netgalley, and the author for this ARC!

"Some stories claim that humans are beholden to the gods. But that is also not true. The divine is nothing without mortal hearts. And should we love them, we should not be punished for it."

This was one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. Rebecca Ross writes the most soul-aching, eloquent stories. This, much like Divine Rivals, was very character-driven. Although, I appreciated that more of the world was revealed in this prequel. It made the book feel so necessary, and only enhanced my love for the whole series. The decades of yearning between Matilda and Vincent was executed so painstakingly well. The way she felt safe with him, when she’d never felt safe before. His letter…I was sobbing. Another standout part of this book was Bade. I want to buy him a #1 Dad mug. This whole story was just so tender. Some loves go beyond words, beyond worlds, and beyond time.

As a huge fan of Divine Rivals & Ruthless Vows, I was ecstatic to receive this ARC, unfortunately my excitement was short lived. It took me a really long time to get into this book because the plot felt like it was dragging so much. I found it hard to follow the plot and the new(ish) characters because it felt so different than the previous books in this world. However, once I was into it I did end up enjoying it. For me that meant I needed to stop thinking about DR&RV and see this as a standalone. Once I got to know the characters more, I started to get attached. The last part of the book was very high stakes, with some plot curveballs thrown in which I enjoyed. I hope we get to return to Matilda & Vincent’s story again!

Born ​in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met in the waking world.

Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.

As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.

First off, thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress #saturdaybooks for an eARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Oh my God guys, I cannot WAIT for this book to publish and to watch everyone swoon over it! I absolutely LOVED this story. I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end! It was a huge crash back to earth, let me tell you, and I was in a reading slump for MONTHS afterwards. This is the kind of story that sticks with you and I thought about it for a long time afterwards. The world is so vibrant and full of magic, I loved learning more about the Underlings and Skywards and the history and magic behind the gods of this world. It also had me on the edge of my seat, gripping my book, praying that things turned out all right. If you love soft romance, forced proximity, magic, she's stronger, and a plot that you can't stop trying to unravel the secrets of as you read it, this is the book for you! Fans of Rebecca's Letter's of Enchantment series are not going to be disappointed in this! 10/5 stars!

This was such a magical story. It reads old and lived in like something passed down faithfully for a long, long time. I know I will dream of the mythical and strange world she created often and fondly.

I can't wait to hold a physical copy of this in my hands.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eArc!

I wouldn't expect anything less from Rebecca Ross and this book solidifies why she will continue to be an automatic buy author for me. This is such a beautiful, immersive story with plenty of heartbreak, longing, action, jealousy, and love.

It's been a minute since I've read Divine Rivals but it was interesting getting another perspective from Matilda of the several gods and goddesses and Matilda's relationships (or lack of) among all of them. I went in thinking that Bade was going to disappoint me but found myself on the verge of tears because of him.

Both Matilda and Vincent are AMAZING characters.

Matilda is such a strong character, caring, and selfless. She was so quick to sacrifice anything and everything to help Vincent. No hesitation and she loves him immensely. I love her growth and that fear never stopped her. Also, she was booked and busy!!! Always on the move to complete different tasks or to help others. Because of this, she was traveling from one location to another constantly but I surprisingly had no issues with following along and not feeling lost. It only pulled me in more.

My sweet baby Vincent. The moment we’re introduced to him, I just wanted to hug him. The YEARNING he has for Matilda, I can’t get over. Don’t get me wrong, Matilda is the same way with him but something about Vincent just felt different. He’s been through a lot especially with his family. He’s a Lord of a place he doesn’t want to be part of but he still fights for his people and does his best to protect them.

One of the many things that Rebecca Ross does so well is her ability to write loneliness. I remember thinking this even reading Divine Rivals and A River Enchanted. You can just feel the heartbreak, the want, and the defeat that Matilda and Vincent experience. The love that they so desperately want and have wanted from others and from each other had me so emotional. There are so many moments that I was on the verge of tears or fully crying because of the sadness I felt for them.

If I could add anything to this story, it’s that I wish Vincent and Matilda had more moments together, even just a few. It does make sense once we learn of Matilda’s role in the different worlds and that it requires her to constantly be on the move so it kind of makes sense that they find themselves apart most of the time. It oddly made their time together feel very precious and I found myself salivating for the moment they would reunite again.

Beautiful story. I enjoyed getting to revisit the world from Divine Rivals. Rebecca’s writing is always beautiful, and this is no exception, but I do think there was something lacking here. At times it felt like a lot of pretty words that weren’t really helping the story along.

I really enjoy Rebecca Ross’ stories and writing style. I find that it reads very poetically. Some thoughts I had while reading:

- That seemed a little too easy.
- *Gasp!* What!?
- Oooo that’s a smart plan.
- UGH I hate this guy.
- That came outta left field.

The last part of the book dragged just a bit, but overall, a rich story with interesting characters! The romance is a slow burn and took time to develop and blossom. While there are some intimate scenes in this story, I wouldn’t really call them explicit, so it gets two peppers. The world is very unique and honestly I would love to see more stories come out of it. I know Divine Rivals is set in this world too, but more historical, god filled, stories would be so cool! Now excuse me while I lookup the different editions that will be coming out……

Incredible writing, This book was extraordinary. The characters and their incredible yearning and Vincent’s POV was fantastic. This book Had me on the edge of my seat it was absolutely beautiful i want to read it again And again.

I will admit that I was a little worried that this wouldn’t live up to the divine rivals duology for me. But boy was I wrong. I absolutely loved this, The plot, the story, the characters, and the writing were all phenomenal. So beautifully written. Rebecca Ross has done it again with Vincent and Matilda in this book. And I loved the epilogue, how it all tied in the end to divine rivals and the typewriters. Especially because I could not remember what they said about who made them only that a God did. I will definitely need the physical copy when this comes out. Thank you so much for this arc!

In the wise words of Chappell Roan, “Godddddd what have you done?” But no seriously. The gods and goddesses in this book were NEXT level.

Knowing this book takes place in the same universe as Divine Rivals had my heart all happy. I really enjoyed seeing the complex relationships between all the divines and how the fight for power is not a mere mortal issue. Matilda being a goddess with so much empathy and compassion in a world of jealousy and betrayal honestly gives that feeling of hope ya know? Especially with today’s political climate.

I loved all the relationships in this book, both good and bad. Matilda and Vincent with their slow-burn romance, Matilda and daddy BADE <3 love you king. Vincent with his brother. Although there were SO many characters which did have me stressing for a bit trying to remember everyone’s names and powers, character and relationship development were done very well.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for a honest review. Only 2 more months till this baby is OUT. 9/2/2025 <3

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-ARC!

The first chapter had such a weird pov that was difficult for me to understand but I notice that’s sometimes how a prologue or first chapter will be and it didn’t continue so that’s good.

I definitely feel like there was a lot more magic explained in this compared to Divine Rivals which made it feel slower for awhile and a little more difficult to digest but eventually I was very invested, and that was the point obviously to give context to the gods and their magic. I’d really like to reread Divine Rivals after having read this now and having more context/information on the gods/the past.

I didn’t expect the FMC’s pov as a child to last as long as it did and for a while it felt kind of slow, but I also think that living through that with her really made everything else later make more sense and during that time, the way the magic worked was explained as well.

The romance was nice and the connection built with them was pretty, just a warm feeling kind of love. I do kind of wish there was more shown after certain events happened at the end instead of just kind of ending there. I wanted to know more.

I think if some things were explained more/elaborated on, there was just a little more depth to some things and other things came around full circle, this could’ve been a 5 stars, but because those things didn’t happen, i’m sticking with a 4.

I plan to pick up a physical copy of this when it comes out though, because I really did start to feel very immersed regardless of some things I felt should’ve been elaborated further. I was able to picture a lot of this book very well and it felt vivid in my mind. I really liked this.

Gods and mortals alongside Ross’ gorgeous prose? I knew I was a gonner.

The YEARNING. Vincent’s POV?

“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.”

Ross is an all time favorite author, and I think this one just topped my list. BRAVO

I really wanted to like this, because Divine Rivals is such a good duology, but this was just not it. There was so much background and history that it made it hard to follow (yes, it is a prequel of some sorts) but I also couldn’t get behind the two main characters, they didn’t have anything that made me really connect and sympathize with them until about 80% of the way through and by then it was too late. Also, I wanted more of Dacre and Enva from DR, because they are interesting to me and I feel like they were hardly there. While I love her writing usually, this one felt flat and too wordy for no reason. Typewriter tie in was cool. 85 chapters seemed a bit excessive.

4.75 stars. Thank you to Wednesday and Netgalley for the eARC opportunity. Spoilers below!! I adore Rebecca Ross’s writing style. I can picture the scenes so clearly and am immediately transported to the world of her characters. I loved Elements of Cadence and this book was reminiscent of that for me. I loved Matilda and Vincent’s story, how their love unfolded across their lives and the realms. The yearning, the love, the devotion, the joy, the sorrow. As a reader I went through all of that with them and loved seeing them grow as people throughout the book. The side characters were also not only important to both Vincent and Matilda’s story and development, but, they also shine in their own way. I was rooting for Bade, Adria and Nathaniel throughout as well. The lore and relationship between the gods was set up and explained perfectly. The pacing of the story was great - there was no point where I felt the story dragged, I wanted to keep reading to finish it in one sitting. Overall, this was a deeply romantic story that made me smile, laugh and cry and has stuck with me since finishing. What more can you want from a great read? I only wish we got more of Vincent and Matilda’s peaceful life together at the end.

“And I knew the stars that belonged to her. I had memorized them. I could close my eyes and point in their direction. I could trace them on my palm.”

Goodness, where to begin? Rebecca Ross has such an amazingly poetic way of writing. Wild Reverence was simply beautiful. Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows fans will love this introduction to the gods and goddesses that make up the Underling and Skyward Realm's. Matilda was born a Herald in the Underling Realm destined to carry words between realms. Until she comes into her power, her mother enlists the help of the god of war, Bade, to train her to be strong. You can never be too careful when other divines are concerned, they will take your life to gain your power for themselves. You cannot trust many, even potential allies. Matilda begins to visit the dreams of a boy named Vincent. Through these dreams she is able to help him overcome them, growing their connection from childhood. He trusts in Matilda so much that he prays to her in a very dark time in his life. Unfortunately, giving up after not being answered, Vincent tries to move on. One day, Matilda is reunited with Vincent, this time, it was not in a dream. Matilda has always feared being vulnerable, but she feels safe with Vincent. She is also not used to feeling loved and learns to open up to the only two she can truly trust. It is a story of longing, love and a true definition of soul mates. When souls long for one another and even the passing of time can not break a bond that is formed.

"You are dreaming. Anything is possible here. It is yours to Command."

"She had an uncanny way of making one feel like he was the only one in the world, as if she saw the deeper layers of a soul that no one else could see."

"When one of our kind love something that is mortal...there is always a sacrifice that must be made."

"We are 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."

"I would wait a thousand years for you...if you asked me, I would wait for you until only my bones remained upon an altar...but if you must leave again...then let me follow you."


Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books and Rebecca Ross for allowing me the immense opportunity at an eARC for this beautiful book.

Many thanks to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The tropes consist of:
Forbidden romance
Friends to lovers
Fake dating
Gods and mortals
Found family
Slow burn

This is a standalone adult fantasy prequel set long before the events of The Letters of Enchantment duology. I appreciated the nods and references to characters in the previous books although this prior knowledge is not required to follow Matilda and Vincent’s story in Wild Reverence.

The basic plot is very simple: a child goddess forms a friendship with a mortal child, they become estranged and years later they are reunited as adults when they become allies against a common enemy. We spend quite a bit of time with them as children so when the time jump happens, I felt their friendship had been well developed and I sensed their deep connection.

The romance is the main focus of the story and this is where the writing evoked pleasure and sorrow in equal measure, most effective because it’s dual POV. I am not ashamed to admit that I did become teary eyed a few times.

I found the opening slow and rather exposition heavy, especially with all the gods to keep track of, and this bogged down the pacing somewhat, but once I got past this, the middle section of the book is where the story finds its rhythm. The worldbuilding was strong and the different realms were distinct and unique from each other. I was invested in Matilda and Vincent outwitting their adversary and the interesting use of various god magics juxtaposed against human limitations in warfare.

There is very little spice or graphic violence, but it still felt like a sweeping and epic romantic fantasy.

4 stars.