4 stars. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

WOWWWW. This book was so beautiful! As someone who tried Divine Rivals, but couldn’t finish it, I loved this book and it is making me want to try Divine Rivals again!! (Definitely going to) Rebecca’s writing is absolutely beautiful and the story was utterly captivating. Her descriptions of the realms and landscapes really put the story into a better perspective and I ate that up!

We follow Matilda, a goddess, and Vincent, a mere mortal, and their journey throughout their lives and their entwined fates. Our FMC, Matilda, is WONDERFUL. I really enjoyed her and loved getting to see different time periods of her life and how she changed and grew as a goddess. Vincent, ugh, he was precious. The moments of him blushing were so cute and I loved how he yearned for Matilda for so long.

Their love story was so beautiful !!!! It was full of lovable moments and heartbreaking moments, which I LOVE! I will say, the book did start off pretty slow, but once you hit about halfway, it really starts to pick up more!

✨ARC review. Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press✨

Why is it always: “wyd?”

and never:

“I collect each moment that you’ve been away, and I feel them gather in my bones like winter. I long for you. …There was a moment when I watched you depart, and I wanted to fall to my knees.”

*Swoon* 🫠

I’m beyond hungover. How perfectly ironic that we choose to rate books with “stars” as that’s exactly the system this story deserves.

A solid ✨14 stars✨ to be precise 😉

Ross’s writing style is magically transportive. This world sucks you in, in a kind of nostalgic way. Much the same as when I first read about Narnia or Elfhame, this story was almost touchable through the pages.

I would call this “Greek Mythology meets Arthurian Romance” in the most divine way. All the tragedy, all the romance, all adventure, all the court intrigue you could want. And when the gods aren’t vying for power, they’re partaking in forbidden dalliances. Sometimes with mortals, and sometimes with their opposing clan…which is how our FMC got her start.

Matilda of Underling is born a seemingly unremarkable god-child, but The Fates see something powerful hidden within her that’s woven throughout their divine tapestries.

Meanwhile, young Matilda’s top priorities are: Coming into her full power, solving the mystery of her parentage and discovering how a young mortal boy is calling to her with his dreams…

Matilda is everything I love in an FMC: A bit reckless, strong, intelligent, loyal and brave. Watching her come into her full potential and overcome her reluctance to form genuine relationships with those who care most for her, kept me on the edge of my seat. The dynamic between Matilda and Bade was my favorite from the very beginning and I do ✨not✨ regret my emotional investment in them 🥲

The romance here is exactly my cup of tea. While it doesn’t necessarily take center stage throughout the entire book, the pay off is well worth it. Second chance, slow burn, who did this to you, yearning, mortal/immortal, forbidden love. What more could you ask for???

I also love that there are multiple love stories being told along the way. Some are touched on more than others, but they are all swoon-worthy in their own right. The main love story is definitely a slow burn. While I would not categorize it as being “spicy” there is definite heat. I would also describe it as more of a “veiled window” as opposed to “closed door”.

In conclusion, I can guarantee you I’ll be re reading this story. Likely sooner than later. I miss these characters already and I’m sure a second or third round will offer new perspective on things I’ve missed and I’m excited for them!

I was excited to read this since it was labeled as an adult novel but I really did not resonate with this one either. I previously thought that maybe I didn't connect with this writer because DR & RV were labeled as young adult, but I think this author just might not be for me.

Thank you to St. Martins Press | Saturday Books, NetGalley & Rebecca Ross for this eARC copy of Wild Reverence 🥰

I should preface this review with a note that I read Divine Rivals but not Ruthless Vows - I enjoyed Divine Rivals but not enough to continue the duo, and had wanted to try another Rebecca Ross title.

The first half of this book was a little hard for me to get into and took me some time, I had a short attention span for it. Lots of info and things happening that I didn’t much care for.
The last 40% however really got me invested. Once I finished the ending really made me sad I hadn’t continued the Letters of Enchantment as I feel the emotional impact would have been more profound.

So - I think if you really loved Letters of Enchantment this would hit hard. I loved how this all wound up - Epilogue was a great end for this too.

I've finally figured out Rebecca Ross' books are not for me. A bit over written, and I could never connect with the characters.

Rebecca Ross has done it again. A well crafted and plotted epic fantasy set in the same world as her NYT Bestselling Letters of Enchantment duology, Wild Reverence brings the same incredible prose, beautifully setting, and well rounded characters found in her previous works while expanding the world, and giving us insight into both the Skywards and Underlings realm.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Thank you Netgalley and  St Martins Press for the opportunity to read this story early. Wild Reverence was a beautiful story. It was so nice to be back in this world. I am a huge fan of Divine Rivals and it was really cool to learn about the gods and the different magic that we didn't see in that book. I was hooked from the very beginning. Rebecca Ross's writing was poetically beautiful as always. In my opinion if you enjoyed Divine Rivals you'll love Wild Reverence!

I will say that I have not read the Divine Rivals duology but since this is an adult book, not YA, I wanted to read it. It starts off with Matilda and Vincent at 12 years old which did not seem very adult book to me. That is about a third of the book. They see each other in dreams. The book then jumps 13 years, I think, and they meet again. Matilda is a herald of the gods and she can jump into different realms. I just did not feel the connection of Matilda and Vincent so I would not consider this a romance and I feel like people are throwing around romantasy just because there is a couple in a fantasy book. I need romance if it is considered a romantasy and Vincent and Matilda were barely in the same room together for most of the book. As a fantasy, it was good, and I think anyone that read Divine Rivals will like this one too.

-Love amongst immortals is a weakness.

-"Sometimes it is good to laugh, even on terrible days."

-I liked how we were both dreaming side by side, this time with our eyes open.

-I had no qualms about lying, or playing a part, in order to win or survive. But I had also seen this before: how difficult, how tangled life became when emotions surged higher than expected.

-I would prefer to face the terror alone than to have someone in my shadow who was only there out of obligation.

This book is set in the same world of Divine Rivals but years in the past. This is the story of Matilda who is a lesser god in the under realm. I loved the setting but it was just a bit too drawn out for me. Slow at times but I did want to continue reading. I really enjoyed the ending. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Slogging until the last 20%.

Set in the same world as Divine Rivals, Wild Reverence follows the herald goddess Matilda and her human lover Vincent as they come together to defeat Vincent's defecting uncle from overtaking his land. Taking place many decades prior to Iris and Roman, I was intrigued to see how Ross' adult outing in this world would differ from the original duology.

You first meet Matilda and Vincent as children, navigating their respective worlds separately and only meeting one another through dreams. This part of the story is so dull I initially DNF'd it. I didn't know nor care enough about the characters to take interest in their internal court politics. The Underling Realm is described so blandly – is it really just a hundred underground burrows? – and the writing style, though beautiful in a vacuum, struggled to keep me invested in the multiple characters and their relationships with one another. The pace only picks up when we return to Matilda and Vincent as adults, and even then the book stagnates.

But when I say the last 20% had me HOOKED, I mean it. The meticulous nature of the storytelling finally makes good on its promise to see all its plot buds come to bloom. I actually gasped at some of the twists.

So, I'm conflicted. If you liked Divine Rivals, consider whether you'd still like it if the length of the book was doubled. For me, whilst this is not the best paced novel, the story does come to a satisfying conclusion and I can see this being popular for those who love slow-paced romantasies with minimal spice. The tie-in to the duology was small, but satisfying as well.

WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR? Depends.

DNF @ 63%
---------------------
This one wasn't for me. I was excited to read my first Rebecca Ross book because I've heard so many good things about her work. Unfortunately, I wasn't vibing with this book. The plot felt unnecessarily dragged out, even when they were in the middle of battle. But then at the same time, there were times I felt like Ross just skips over the details like it was an unimportant event, when it was a life altering moment. I would have liked to see more chapters from Vincent's POV in the beginning. I quit because I found myself just skimming the pages to get through the book faster.

I haven't read Diving Rivals/Ruthless Vows, so I don't know if having read those helps you get into this story more. Let me know what you think!

Plot spoilers:
I felt like the fake marriage plot line was very forced and I also just got annoyed with Matilda and Vincent's relationship in general, they refused to communicate absolutely anything and when they did communicate they would instantly regret it.

Review goes live September 15

I loved the *Divine Rivals* universe and was so happy to receive an early copy of *Wild Reverence* ; the author’s writing impresses me so much every time I read her work - it’s gorgeous and lyrical and imbued with magic.

The story pulled me in within the first pages and kept me wanting to keep turning the pages. Perfection; the ending tied so perfectly with the duology, and the longing, the longing was both immense and intense to the point where I’m not entirely sure how to put into words just how much I loved this one ❤️

Strongly recommended for fans of Rebecca Ross, and romantasy lovers.



Thank you to Saturday Books and NetGalley for the DRC

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is not the review I imagined myself writing for this book. I've read several books from Rebecca Ross before and was enchanted by each one. Her writing is uniquely beautiful and her stories are always ones I find myself getting lost in. With Wild Reverence, I was immediately drawn in by the idea of exploring the gods in this world and the love story between a goddess and a mortal. Unfortunately, I never felt myself falling in love with this story.

With several pages of characters and courts preceding the actual start of the story, you know you're getting into a book with heavy worldbuilding. I didn't know, though, that so much of that worldbuilding would be rushed through at the very beginning. So many of the characters and dynamics are introduced so quickly that you don't get a chance to focus on any of them. They're brought up briefly and then you immediately move on to a new character or piece of the world. For the majority of the book, it felt like there was no real development because everything was thrown at you right when you started. I feel as though learning about the world and characters as the story went on rather than being introduced to them all so fast would have given them more time to become more meaningful to the story as a whole.

The romance also moved at a shockingly quick pace. Less than 100 pages into a 500+ page book, the two main characters are already in love and having their first kiss. In fact, it's hard to find a portion of this book where they aren't already in love with each other. I'm actually a fan of the 'insta-love' trope, which I know is not the case for a lot of people. But the relationship in this book hardly developed at all. They're just in love with nothing to convince you of their chemistry. Perhaps this is due to the idea in the synopsis that says they're destined for each other, but I never felt that.

My other big issue with this book, other than the pacing, was the distance I felt from the main characters. This is a dual POV story, letting readers into the heads of both main characters. Usually when I have an issue with first-person POV, it's because I feel too close to the characters and want a wider view of the world and/or story. In this book, however, the characters felt so far away, even though we were in their heads. I can't explain why I felt that way, but I know it made the book much harder to enjoy.

I struggled with the worldbuilding in the beginning of the book and the slow-moving story in the middle, but I think the last 25% was actually rather interesting. Everything began to feel more developed and it felt like the story was finally going somewhere. The twists were incredible and I could appreciate the more emotional moments. I was just so disconnected from the book at this point that nothing could save it for me.

The ending was sweet and I had fun seeing how the epilogue connected this book to the Letters of Enchantment duology. Even though I didn't enjoy my time with this, I can acknowledge that it is just as unique and magical as the other books I've read from Rebecca Ross. Unfortunately, the pacing and lack of connection to the characters took me out of the story and made it hard for me to enjoy the good elements that did exist in this story. I would still recommend giving this book a try, especially because it has been an incredible, five-star experience for countless readers. This book just wasn't the one for me.

Review on Goodreads (sophreadingbooks https://www.goodreads.com/sophreadingbooks) as of 7/27/2025

OMG! Rebecca Ross knows how to write the most delicious, yearning fantasy romance! Separated by worlds these two first meet in his dreams (Vincent’s). Matilda is only aware of him and her presence in his dreams due to Alva, goddess of nightmares and dreams gives her the dream scrolls and allows her to read them as a young goddess.

They meet as she is fleeing a situation and they recognize one another immediately. The connection is magnetic! But she’s a teenage goddess and immortal and he’s a teenage human.

Ugh! They yearn for the other for years but through distance and pain Vincent finally gives up on ever reconnecting with Matilda. Until she, as herald for the gods/goddesses, is asked to deliver a message to a mortal by death herself. And that mortal is Vincent, Lord of his land, big, broad, handsome. 🤭 He’s swore off marriage since knowing and losing Matilda. This letter brings them back together and causes a multitude of dominos to be pushed over! 🥰🥰🥰 The constant battles these two face to be together! ❤️❤️❤️🤦🏻‍♀️

There is nothing I didn’t LOVE about this page turning, swoon worthy book!

Tropes!!!! (Ignore if you don’t want to know!)

We’ve got meet cutes, long lost yearning loves, second chances, forced proximity, fake marriage!

THANK YOU 💕to the Author, NetGalley, and St. Martins Press for allowing me to be one of your ARC readers!

Have really enjoyed the author’s previous work. I think this one is good. Reminds me of greek mythology. It’s a bit of a slow burn and takes a while to get going, but once it does, it’s great. Intriguing world building. Compelling characters and character arcs. Wish the action/plot was expanded on a bit more, but overall a solid fantasy read.

I loved Rebecca Ross’s Letters of Enchantment duology and was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of the prequel. Wild Reverence is perfect for those of us who wanted to hear more of the stories of the gods of Skyward and the Underworld. Wild Reverence tells the story of Matilda, a goddess who can move between the realms to deliver messages and Vincent, the mortal boy who dreams of her. They meet as adults in the mortal world and their fates are intertwined as they fight battles together. Full of unforgettable side characters and antagonists and told with Rebecca Ross’s beautiful way with words, Wild Reverence is a must read for fans of Divine Rivals or anyone who like fantasy or mythology.

I got so excited when I realized this was set in the same would as divine rivals it made it just that much more magical. Also it’s getting me to dive into the other duology of yours river enchanted on my shelf. This was so beautifully written as is all your writing. Thank you so much for this arc!

Rebecca Ross never disappoints! Her writing style will always be my favorite. I really loved the new characters in the world we all know and love was just the best!

Wild reverence was such a good read! I loved the world and how fleshed out it was. The romance in this book also gave me all the feels. It stretched across worlds at times, and I love that it also stretched across time and death even. I loved all the characters and how well they were filled out. All in all it reads like a high fantasy romance and I loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book. I loved this book. I loved that it was about the gods who are barely non existent in the Divine Rivals duology. This story of Matilda and Vincent was so beautiful and the it was well written. This author has always been a favorite of mine and this work by her just solidifies that she is a master weaver of words and tales. This book not only stands on its own, but if one has read the Divine Rivals duology, it expands on that world so much more. Fantastic read.