YES, I NEED MORE! I would've liked to skip the star rating because I need to finish the whole thing, but so far, THIS IS AMAZING! Rebecca Ross is a masterful writer, which adds value to the audiobook, that has an amazing production and voice actors.

I thoroughly enjoyed Divine Rivals so I was thrilled to be granted a sneak peek at the audiobook for Wild Reverence. The audio sneak peak provided me with the first four hours of the audiobook. The pacing and intonation was perfect, making for a completely immersive experience. Although I just got a preview of the first 18 chapters, this can be read as a standalone without reading Divine Rivals. Just as with her pervious works, this has wonderful world building and beautiful language. I’ll be eager to finish the book when it is published in September.
Thank you to NetGallery and Macmillan Audio and for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Im so so thankfully I got to listen to this sneak peak! It was phenominal. It changed how I view audiobooks. I was reading along and I felt so immersed into the story. Rebecca has written something so beautiful and magical and the narrator really brought that alive.

While the first 18 chapters (roughly 25% of the book) was an extremely gracious gift from MacMillan Audio, it simply wasn't enough! MacMillan Audio, you have ruined reading this book now because the audiobook was so phenomenal. I simply need to continue in this medium. The narrators were perfectly cast. Even though the female narrator was more prominently featured, I did really enjoy the male narrator as well and can't wait to hear more of both of their voices.

Long story short, I love that I got to listen to this much but hate that I have to wait until 9/2 for the rest of the book because this was nothing short of addictive. This is the book of the fall and I will not have anyone or any other book change my mind.

I'm so thankful to the publisher for providing this sneak peek of such an anticipated read! I listened to the narration on 2x speed and it was easy to follow along with the narrator and their accent. The characters had easily distinguishable voices that also made listening to the story feel seamless. The story itself was also engaging and I'm looking forward to reading the entire book once it publishes! Now that I've listened to a bit of the audiobook, I know I'll want to immersive read this story so I can reference the mapping of people and their roles. There were also so many quotable lines that I wanted to highlight.
Highly recommend picking up both this sneak peek and the final book itself!

Matilda is initially born in secret into the under realm. Right from the beginning the world is built and established quickly. Her mom vows to never say her father’s name but it is understood that he’s not from the under realm. This means Matilda is not under the protection of any clan.

She navigates the dangers of going through different realms as she carries words and letters. She does not know who she can truly trust as her ally.

I really enjoyed the author's Divine Rivals series and I’ve been looking forward to this one.

Her writing is always captivating and her world building is fast and complex.

Another enjoyable read for me.

This made me even more excited and I can’t wait to finish the rest of the story.

Reading this feels like listening to a song with how intentional and beautiful it is

Oh I am soo excited to continue this story! The audio sneak peak was everything I wanted and more! I adore the duet style narration between Matilda and Vincent! The narrators just bring life to the story.

I will admit that “Divine Rivals” has been languishing on my bookshelf screaming “read me, read me” for more than a couple of years. I know that I’ll eventually enjoy the Letters of Enchantment universe, so when offered a chance to read a prequel book that establishes the mythology and atmosphere of the romantasy duology, I jumped at the chance, hoping I’d also be able to remove my forlorn shelved book from my TBR sooner.

This is a prequel that does not include Iris or Roman; it’s a different story of divine Matilda and mortal Vincent. Only at the very end is a whisper of how Matilda’s magic carries forward to affect Iris and Roman (but never named in “Wild Reverence”).

Matilda, was the last divine being born to either the Underlings or Skywards, named but not sired by Bade, the god of war. Her mother Zenia is an Underling; her secret father (oblivious to her existence) is a Skyward; their child was conceived in the land of mortals. Matilda’s magic is that of a lowly herald, a messenger between realms, and she is allied with her Underling mother’s clan members, hopefully protected enough to stop others from stealing her magic and eventually withstand discovery by her real father.

A young mortal boy, Vincent, has envisioned her in his dreams and writes to her for help (of course, since the overarching theme is still letter-writing), but his entreaties go unanswered. Not to say that the disappointment turned him into the sulking lord of the river he is as an adult, but he survives and has forgotten her. Of course, Matilda comes tumbling back into his real life.

The writing is vivid and lyrical and it delivers a romance that I assume fans of “Divine Rivals” and “Ruthless Vows” have been aching for. I was fortunate enough to be able to alternate between advanced copies of the ebook and audiobook. Author Ross has succumbed to the trend of creating longer installments each time. Great if you’ve read and adored her two books first; not so great if you start with “Wild Reverence.” Yes, this is long, long, long. “DR” 10 hours/356 pages; “RV” 14 hours/419 pages; new book “WR” 22 hours/526 pages — doubling the audio book time. Although Hannah van der Westhuysen is a delightful narrator with a magical voice that suits this romantasy, I felt that the story was too stretched out and might not attract new fans. Also, audiobooks that begin with long lists of characters (meant to be bookmarked and helpful in books) are a drudge when listening. Yet, I expect the previous readers of Ross’s stories will be enchanted. Book: 4 stars. Audiobook: 3.5 stars.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Bade has a shade of green eyes that “rival the emeralds that grew in the darkest reaches of the under realm”.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO But it’s a fantasy, so magical poisonous flowers are thriving.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

OF COURSE the sneak peek to my most anticipated read of 2025 is undoubtedly EXCEPTIONAL. Counting down the days/hours until I can continue to thrive in the world of Matilda & Vincent.

*infinity stars loading…….*

Rebecca Ross never fails at writing beautiful whimsical prose. The narrator for Matilda did a beautiful job.

I will definitely have to start this over from the beginning when the physical copy arrives though. There seemed to be so much going on with all the gods and deities that I fear I wasn't able to keep up with when it came to the audiobook.

Looking forward to seeing how the story concludes! Thank you so much for this sneak peek NetGalley!

Thank you MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC!

Wow, this one is so amazing! I have the ebook copy of the ARC as well, and my goodness I am so excited to keep reading! The audio was breathtaking and deeply engaging. I think this is going to be a massive hit when it is published. The narration had me completely gripped and I listened to it so quickly. Can't wait for the release!

Thank you again for the ARC!

Okay I'm HOOKED!! Gimme more STAT please!! This teaser was just long enough to get me fully invested in Rebecca Ross's new dark romantasy book (the first in a new series). The narrators were excellent and it gives perfect Stephanie Garber vibes. I need the full length audio book pronto now though!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early audio excerpt!

✨ Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the sneak peek of Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross! ✨ I was completely enchanted by the first 18 chapters and cannot wait to dive back in when the full audiobook releases on September 2nd.

Hannah van der Westhuysen’s narration is absolutely divine - her delivery of the lyrical, poetic prose was spellbinding. And I always love a dual POV: George Weightman brought such richness and depth to Vincent’s voice, making the story even more immersive.

The audiobook opens with a fairly extensive list of characters, roles, and realms, which at first felt a little intimidating. I worried I might get lost without a visual guide, but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to follow along. Still, I’m excited to grab a physical copy when it releases so I can see the details on the page and revisit the dynamics between Matilda, Vincent, and the skyward and underling gods.

I was utterly captivated by the whimsical yet brutal world of the gods that Ross took her time weaving at the beginning of this story. The prose is enchanting as usual, and I love the story of a soft-hearted girl who craves love in a power-hungry world of gods. I can’t wait to see how Matilda’s character develops.

This sneak peek only made me hungry for the rest of the book!

The narrators are fantastic, and the world Rebecca Ross has pulled us into once again is rich and layered. I love how the story has been set up and cannot wait to read more.

This sneak peek wasn’t enough for me to understand what this book is about or to want to learn more. It jumped around between gods and mortals in a way that was difficult to follow. And there were just too many deities to track. The narrators were excellent in this excerpt and the mythology and magical system seemed unique. Even so, there just wasn’t enough to catch my interest here.

Thanks to Rebecca Ross, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with a sneak peek ALC, which allowed me to listen the first 18 chapters and voluntarily provide an unbiased review.

I was so excited to see a sneak peak audiobook for one of my most anticipated books!! The narrators are so lovely in this one and make for such a beautiful listening experience. I’m so eager to continue reading/listening!! The first 18 chapters weren’t enough!!

As expected, Ross’ prose is beautiful!! I love that this has her lovely writing but includes her own mythology that gives me Circe vibes. I am gutted I don’t have the rest of this audiobook but I look forward to continuing on the E arc.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audio sneak peek in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I cannot wait to read the rest of this book. The narrators brought Ross' prose to life. I was drawn in immediately. I'm really enjoying reading in this world from a divine's perspective. I can't wait to finish!