Not many books have me staying up way past my bedtime on a Sunday night but boy did this one do that for me. The fake marriage had me in a chokehold - I loved Matilda and Vincent’s story! It’s entirely separate from the Divine Rivals and can easily be read without having read that duology.

I don’t have the words, nor the skill, to properly explain how beautiful this book is. Just an aching in my heart that it’s over. From page one, it reads like a lullaby: soft, melodic, and utterly immersive. There are no sharp corners here - nothing that snags or rubs the wrong way. Just a gentle path winding from one scene to the next, each chapter in perfect harmony with the last. I’m not even religious, but I couldn’t help thinking of 1 Corinthians 13 - the kind of love that’s patient, kind, and eternal.

Wild Reverence is a river. It rushes with emotion, curves with grace, and carries you so completely that you forget where the current ends and you begin.

Objectively, I’m in awe of Ross’s impeccable pacing, her wondrous imagination, the layered themes she weaves so effortlessly, and the aching beauty of every single page. Her prose is incandescent. Her storytelling feels divine.

Better reviewers than me have tried to capture the magic of this book. I’m simply humbled to lend my voice to the ocean of readers who are madly, deeply in love with it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Rebecca Ross for trusting me with this ARC. These honest, rambling ravings are all my own.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Saturday Books for the eARC of Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I didn’t really know what to expect going in. I just knew it was set in the same universe as the Letters of Enchantment series. A magical tale was woven here, and now I want to reread Letters of Enchantment all over again.

Ross’s writing is beautiful and poetic, and she paints the most incredible world. Even though this is a prequel to the series, I would recommend reading it after Divine Rivals but before Ruthless Vows.

Matilda and Vincent will always hold a special place in my heart, and I didn’t realize how much I wanted to return to this world until I was back in it. If you enjoyed the Letters of Enchantment series at all, I highly recommend picking this up and immersing yourself again in this magical, mystical world.

*****Thank you Net Galley for supplying this book in exchange for my honest review*****
Obviously anything set in the Divine Rivals world was going to be a “must read” for me. Thoroughly enjoyed Divine Rivals, but was less impressed by Ruthless Vows. With Wild Reverence, I continue the trend of being less impressed. That’s not to say I disliked the book. I simply felt this was average.

I could not wait to get back to the world of The Letters of Enchantment and Rebecca did not disappoint! It did have a slightly slow start but Ross’ writing keeps your attention and draws you in to a beautiful story.
I did love that this felt a little more like a prequel and we learned even more about a world I already loved. The romance was a little more “sub plot” in my opinion and I would have enjoyed seeing more interactions between Vincent and Matilda.
Overall, I thought this was a captivating read!
-slow burn
-found family
-a love that spans decades
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

I want to preface this by saying I picked up the arc when i was in a reading slump so it took me a bit of time to get into it, but not the book's fault!

WOW holy shit this was incredible. I really enjoyed the Letters of Enchantment Duology so I just knew I was going to enjoy this book too. I devoured it once I got my hands on the audiobook. Ross's writing is extremely lyrical, and I honestly believe the best way to consume her stories is via audiobook.

This is my favorite Rebecca Ross book so far. I loved Matilda and Vincent, their love was so pure and overcame so much. I just - ugh i loved it.

Oh Matilda and Vincent… this story is set in the same realm as Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows. And I so love it. This story has so much emotional depth and begs the reader to circle back and read it again. I really enjoyed the mortal and immortal juxtaposition. Girl, Rebecca, stop it’s too good!! I plan on rereading this over again and really soaking it all up again. Her writing is so beautiful!!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing me this arc!

Rebecca, what can i say...
At this point, i'll read your grocery list, your yelp reviews. I'll read anything you write.
This was one of my most anticipated releases of this year, so I was really nervous to read it...and it did not disappoint!! I already loved this world, it felt so nice to be back in it but with new characters this time.
Talking about them, I ADORED Matilda and Vincent! Their story was just so beautifully written, it was breathtaking and devastating, all at the same time.
Also, THE YEARNING?!?! THE LETTER?!?!? No words. What did we ever do to deserve this gift? I'll never know.
I hope everyone enjoys this as much as i did!

I absolutely adore Rebecca Ross’s writing and her ability to weave such beautifully rich stories with characters I feel that I know. This was a beautiful love story and human story that was centered around a God. The prose was so rich and vibrant and the character studies were remarkable.

I began reading this and then switched to the audiobook which was a fantastic production. I feel so very lucky to have gotten an arc of this story and would spend years in this world if I could. I love Matilda and Vincent as much as Iris and Roman.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. I loved it so much I purchased the beautiful hardcover as well.

Rebecca Ross always delivers a beautiful and romantic story. I absolutely loved Wild Reverence. Her writing is always lyrical. She has a way of being able to sweep her readers away with her beautiful prose and epic story. She’s easily one of my favorites.

Matilda is born a goddess, with messenger magic. She lives in a realm where there is much unrest between gods, with fighting and killing in order to steal powers. Matilda meets Vincent, a mortal, in his dreams, and saves him from the recurring nightmare of drowning. Years later, fate would bring them together again.

Well, this is a book I didn’t know I needed. The Letters of Enchantment duology (divine rivals & ruthless vows) is my favorite favorite favorite and I was SO excited to hear this was the prequel! (This can be absolutely read without reading the other books but you should read them anyway). There was so much action and drama, and of course romance, happening on every page I felt like I was getting whiplash (in a great way). I combined my print version with the audio because I didn’t want to stop reading! Highly recommend!

That was such a typical Rebecca ending. Like sweet, not overly sensationalized, not on some massive climax or assumed HEA, like it had heart and a delicate tension but still gave you resolution, and one that felt more authentic. It never fails that whatever Rebecca ends up writing has beautiful prose, imagery that draws you in, the mundane feels mystical if not magical at times, and even the settings (despite being in war or battle times) if filled with descriptions that just give me peace. I know what to expect when I pick up her books, and I know I will never be dissapointed by the ways she chooses to portray love and family and duty and hardship and ultimately the magic of life. I was hesitate to pick up the book when I first heard about it because I don't love prequel books, but WR truly is a standalone. You don't need the context of DR and Matilda and Vincent's story is worth the read.

“Wild Reverence” by Rebecca Ross is a stunning prequel that is just so immersive and magical.

Matilda is a child of the gods with humble, messenger magic. Growing up she learns to strengthen her body and her resolve, but she has one weak point - a mortal boy named Vincent whom she visits in dreams.

She loses contact with the mortal boy of her youth as she grows, until one day when their paths cross again and their fates are wound so tightly that they are destined to save - or ruin - each other.

I absolutely loved being back in this world. As a prequel, it felt more far away from the Divine Rivals duology than I was expecting, but the world and characters were still wonderful. This book was a good balance of romance, action, and magic, even if the pacing of the book fluctuated a bit. If you enjoyed Divine Rivals, you absolutely have to read this.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 ⭐️ 10/10

Set in the distant past of the Divine Rivals universe, the last born goddess is raised in the Underling realm. The gods who surround her bolster to be hard of heart and cautious of all others, gods and humans alike.

Her prose in this novel specifically echoes that of Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. A sorrowful stroking of metaphors and allegories of her own creation.

The gods and goddesses of the Divine Rivals universe have gleaned some inspiration from Earth’s Greek/Roman Gods. They are polytheistic and give a way for mortals to describe the world around them. But the rules are different between gods and mortals and especially between the gods themselves.

While advertised as a standalone novel in the Divine Rivals Universe, I would recommend this be read after Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows.

Thank you @Netgalley and Saturday Books for letting me read this early!!

While it did take me an embarrassingly long time (at the epilogue lol) to realize this was a "Divine Rivals" prequel, I have an excuse: I'll read anything Rebecca Ross writes and LOVE IT. The fantasy elements are always engaging and the romance is always languid and swoonworthy. The speed with which I'll request a Ross ARC defies calculation.

In "Wild Reverence" the reader follows Matilda, the first half-Underling, half-Skyward divine to ever be born, as she takes up her role as Herald, a sort of lady Hermes tasked with delivering message between realms. As she navigates the brutal politics in the divine realms, Matilda begins to learn more about the mortal realm when she enters Vincent's dreams and becomes good friends with the boy. When they both are much older, separated by time, secrets, and betrayal, they meet once again and their fates become once again entwined by something deeper than fate.

The story started out slow for me--the first-person narrator for young Matilda's underling years felt stiff. With the shift to her older self and the introduction of Vincent's POV, this changed and I became hooked. I saw this as an intentional choice: Vincent, who is human, has a much more descriptive, poetic style, and as Matilda learns to empathize more Vincent's people, her language shifts to the more emotional language of humans. As typical of Ross's books, there are some beautiful correspondences and some gut-wrenching one liners. The plot could be predictable at times and some events seemed too convenient (is it deus ex machina or divine intervention?), but overall the main aspects of the narrative structure were surprising and interesting to read.

By far my favorite part of the book was the relationships that Matilda forges, and not all necessarily romantic. Obviously Matilda and Vincent's storyline was adorable and enjoyable to read (with a potential nod to a Mr. Darcy hand flex?). But the best relationships in the book involved moody Bade, god of war. He deserves his own book, and I wouldn't be surprised, if Ross wanted to keep writing in this universe, if the next book was Bade and Adria's origin story (or is that just wishful thinking?). Their relationship is likely too similar to that of Vincent and Matilda's to make it worth a full novel, but I'd pay a lot of money to read even a novella or an internet exclusive of how grumpy Bade was able to persuade Adria into caring for him! Bade was my favorite character, particularly for the moments toward the end of the book.

If you haven't read Ross's other books in the "Divine Rivals" series, you don't need to wait to pick up this prequel. There was a nod to the magic of the series in the epilogue, but it only served to enhance the experience of the first book in the series. If anything, it'll make you want to read more of Rebecca Ross's book. Pick this one up if you're a romantasy fan or you're into mythologically-inspired fantasy fiction!

This was a 5star read for me. I made the mistake of trying to connect this to the rest of the series early on. Do not do that. Don’t go in thinking this is going to be perfectly connected to the other books. Once I got past that, I couldn’t stop thinking about this book and wanting to read what happened next. The chapters were a LITTLE long otherwise I would’ve been reading more each night (just how I function). I genuinely loved the characters in this story and felt like I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen next. Incredible book big fan and I hope to see these characters more because I really think this could turn into more.

Fabulous book. The only comment I have is It seems like it'll be a play, but it's still very much written like a novel which was a bit bothersome to me. I enjoy plays and novels and I was confused with what she was trying to do here.

Let me start off by thanking Netgalley for this ARC. I was absolutely overjoyed to receive it ahead of the publishing day!

Five stars, Rebecca Ross can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes. This has everything I love: medieval timeframe, lyrical language, petty and vindictive gods, yearning, etc.
this prequel to Divine Rivals delves into the story of the goddess Matilda and follows her from beginning of life to the afterlife and how her tapestry is intertwined with a Lord named Vincent through dreams.

My only critique with this story is that the dreams and how they made Vincent and Matilda become such close companions was told not shown,l except for one dream sequence. I think that did a disservice to their relationship because I did not witness what connected them so deeply!

However this is five stars and a book I’ll likely return to again!

I loved this book. I may be biased as I love this author also. All her books I read, I just fall in love with. It's like she speaks to the soul. I will always read anything she puts out. Matilda was my favorite of course. Even named a sourdough starter after her.. Matildough. Haha anyway, I recommend this books to everyone.

I’ve been putting off writing this review because I officially decided to DNF this book, which makes me sad. I read the Letters of Enchantment duology beforehand to prepare, and I really enjoyed that. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t connect with the plot or characters in Wild Reverence, and I ended up stopping around the 20% mark. Although this book wasn't the right fit for me, I will still continue to read books by Rebecca Ross. I truly hope this book resonated with you more than it did with me!