Rebecca Ross just has a gift for sweeping me away into a story full of beautiful prose and engaging stories. I adored both Iris and Roman. I loved the setting - Rebecca doesn't seem to explicitly world build, which works for me because it lets my imagination go wherever it wants to.

So many tab-able lines in this one - plot points, romantic moments, and lots of favorite quotes.

Pick this one up if you love:
-enemies to lovers
-typewriters
-fantastical myths
-gods and goddesses
-epistolic format

Rebecca Ross is a queen. These main characters are soooo good that it felt like they were real. I love a good enemies to lovers and everything fell into place at the right time. I’m so excited for the next one and I already bought a copy for my mom!

After loving Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross I definitely had to read Divine Rivals! A fantasy war epic with a romance woven in seamlessly creates this dark, twisty, yet somehow lighthearted read. I adored the characters and the world building as well - the atmosphere was something else entirely and I found myself not wanting to leave the world. I cannot wait for the sequel.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of Divine Rivals! I’ve really enjoyed all of the books I’ve read that have been written by Rebeca Ross, so I was the most excited to read this one.
Divine Rivals 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.
Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.
Ooo this was such an interesting book! Divine Rivals had such interesting lore behind it and I really enjoyed getting to know Iris and Roman as characters. The war effort was so interesting- it made me think of the Hades/Persephone myth, which is definitely my favorite one. I really liked the letter writing between Iris and Roman- it was super cute that Roman always knew who Iris was, but Iris didn’t know for a long time. I also really liked the competition between the two of them when they were at the paper. Their boss at the paper was the worst and Roman’s family was also the worst, but overall, I’m glad that all the things that Iris had to go through made her go to the front lines. The battle that was being waged at those front lines was so intense, but I loved that Iris was able to become a better journalist through writing about what she saw first hand. And then that ending- man! That felt like it came out of nowhere in the best way and now I cannot wait for the next book to see where Rebecca Ross takes things! For sure pick up Divine Rivals today!

Absolutely obsessed with the novel. You can sometimes start a book and you just know you’re gonna love it. I had to pace myself on this read because I didn’t want it to end faster than necessary. I love both of the main characters and can’t wait for the second book. The atmosphere, the supporting characters, and their unique connections was just perfect! I cannot wait for the second in the series. I need to know that they will find each other!

Ross writes beautifully, almost poetically and that makes reading her work pleasant.

Unfortunately, her beautiful prose does not make up for all the things that didn't happen in this story but we were told would happen.

The fantasy elements, in this fantasy novel, are barely there. It's clear that we are suppose to wait for book 2 in the hopes that those may be explored a bit more, but they should've been present in this first novel of the series as well. The blurb quite literally leads the reader to believe that the fantasy elements are important to THIS book. The romance is the main story, and there are some odds and ends that may not tie up for some readers: we are told enemies to lovers, but we don't really get that. The display of chemistry is not really there, mostly due to the amount of telling and not showing by Ross. Hate to insta-love just does not make sense.

This may work for some readers, but for more nitpicky ones this will frustrate them.

This was an interesting book, a bit of fantasy, a dash of romance, and a war. I love the idea of the typewriters and their ability to send letters to each other. The ending of the book definitely makes you look forwrd to reading the second book. I can't wait to see what happens with Iris, Kit, and their friends.

This is going to be in my top five books of the year.
It has some of my favorite tropes. It has enemies-to-lovers, it has slow burn, it has he falls first. It has the trope where characters are writing letters back and forth but they don't know they're writing to each other. This is Ross' best book, which shocked me because consider some of her other books to be among my all-time favorites.
This book is so beautifully written, it's so well crafted and plotted. The ending.... I need book two immediately.
If you're a fan of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Jane and Mr. Rochester, you will LOVE this book.

This is a story of Iris and Roman fighting for the same columnist position at a newspaper. Iris comes from a poor family because her brother has gone to fight in the current war and her mother has developed an alcohol addiction. Roman comes from a family that is wealthy because Roman's father was a self-made man.
These two's bickering was comical at the beginning, but as the story progresses and you find out how they are connected in another way, the characters begin to really make you feel the attraction.
I enjoyed reading this story it definitely kept my attention and when I would have to put it down it was always calling to me to pick it back up. I think that the fantasy elements of this book were so subtle that it feels almost magical realism, but the historical fiction elements are where my enjoyment wained a little because I went into this thinking it was going to be more actual historical fiction instead of a made-up war. I am interested in the way the story ended to pick up the next book in this series and see where our characters go from here.
I appreciate NetGalley and Wednesday Books for giving me a free E-ARC of this book and I cannot wait to read more from this author

A novel about a pair of rival journalists who fall in love in the shadow of a devastating war with the aid of a pair of magical typewriters, Divine Rivals, like many of Ross’s previous books, takes well-worn character types and narrative tropes and mixes them together into something that feels remarkably new and fresh. From gods eager to use humans as pawns in their ancient conflict to the trauma their seemingly neverending battles inflict on average people, Ross deftly explores the impact of war on everything from relationships and professional opportunities to class struggles and family strife. That she does so through a You’ve Got Mail-style enemies-to-lovers romance is just the icing on the cake. (This book is real good, y’all, is what I’m saying.)

This book was everything. Rebecca Ross is a genius.

I was so invested with Iris and Roman.I couldn’t wait for these two to get together. Their love was so romantic.

The world Ross created was so unique with the mythical gods who are at war and the people who fight for them.

The book was so rich and detailed. The ending packed such an emotional punch. I can’t wait for the next book!

This one definitely took me by surprise. I haven’t read anything by this author before so I didn’t really know what to expect. I loved this book though. I loved the letters and the relationships between the correspondents and Marisol. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the war aspect but I loved the lore aspect and the magical typewriters.

Absolutely enchanting and immersive, Ross weaves together an atmospheric experience for readers that’s pitch perfect with Divine Rivals.

Blending a stark and gritty London circa 1930’s-40’s vibe with lush fantasy elements, Divine Rivals has something for every reader.

Tropes found and done well:
- enemies to lovers
- quest
- war amongst gods
- found family
- star-crossed lovers

Oh my gosh, I think everything Rebecca Ross touches is gold. I could not put this book down once I started it.

Iris and Roman are both journalists competing for a promotion. Iris is from a poor family that is struggling after her brother leaves to fight in the war. Roman is rich and trapped doing whatever his father tells him to.

It’s like a fantasy guided age war story and it’s pitch perfect. Iris is tough and layered and Roman is a darling.

In a time when gods are waring, and people are their pawns, times are tough for Winnow. Her brother is lost at war, and her mother is struggling with addiction. It’s up to her to try and save her family, and the writing position at the Oath Gazette is her only way to do that. Too bad her rival Roman is also going after the same job -- only one person can get the role. Through a little bit of magic, all of Winnow’s letters to her brother somehow end up in Roman's hands, creating an unbreakable connection between them, eventually sending them to the front lines.

Rebecca Ross is an incredible and whimsical writer. It’s a story about love, war, and magic. I would you read A River Enchanted Duology first if you haven’t read anything by this author.

Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me a copy of this book. While I did not read this book in its entirety, due to limited time to read as of late thanks to my job unfortunately, I still loved it.

The premise, and also the beautiful book cover, caught my eye on Net Galley so I wanted to take a peek at the world that is to come. And there is so much promise held within the first few chapters I was able to read, that I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

The world we enter is war torn. A sister is separated from her brother and lives in poverty. She works at a newspaper to afford to stay alive, but works with someone who she considers a rival. Her mother is an alcoholic and their place is absolutely littered with different types of bottles. Her current reality is absolute hell.

Her rival Roman works at the same press that she does. They fight for the main article and main page. What makes their path more interconnected is a magical cupboard that sends her letters to him. She has absolutely no idea that he’s on the receiving end, but he knows it’s her who sends the letters to her brother.

And this is where I was left. We hear of monsters and possible sightings of them on the war front and now I’m left wanting to know if there are monsters. And what does it mean for the world that these two live in if those monsters were to come in and uproot chaos upon them?

All I know is that I cannot wait to read more! I wish I had more time on my hands to fully read everything on my NetGalley shelf. Yet I’m afraid reality has asked me to take a rain check on the reading for a small while. I’ll update when I can.

Much love,
Tirzah

As a book promoted as Shadow and Bone meets Lore, I found this to be misleading. In this world, a war is being fought for the gods in a WW2-esque timeline, but the focus is mainly on the romance between the lead characters. I find the title to be misleading as well as the only rivalry between the characters is a short competition for a job that they both leave early on in the book. Iris and Kitt are from the same region, and such, the same side of the war.

The fantasy aspect of this book was also lacking a bit: the world-building felt very much like our own complete with similar technology and mannerisms of the 1930s, but there are gods (that rarely come into play) and a magical connection between the main characters that allow them to communicate magically.

While not a bad book, the pacing did not feel consistent and the romance was quite sudden so it did not feel like there was a chance for it to develop. The writing did feel atmospheric, and reminded me of a Narnia setting so I suppose that's one thing I liked.

This book is typically not one I'd read but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Once I did get into it, it captured and kept my attention. I loved the rivals dynamic and the angst but the plot itself felt slow at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross in exchange for an honest review.

This book checks a lot of boxes: enemies-to-lovers, magic, a quest, war, found family, mythical Gods and creatures. Somehow it all just works. The Gods have been asleep for centuries and have woken and war has broken out with sides being taken. Iris has a newspaper job and dreams of being a star reporter. Trouble is, Roman is after the same position and manages to excel while she is struggling. With her Brother off fighting in the war, and her Mother struggling with her addictions, Iris has a lot on her plate. Iris writes to her brother and places her letters in her wardrobe and every morning they are gone. She never hears back from her brother, until one night she receives a reply. The person receiving the letters is not him. Through the exchange of letters, we learn that the typewriters possess magic and one of the writers knows the identity of the other. When fate leads Iris to another newspaper, she is sent closer to the front. Her brother still hasn’t written and she fears the worse. She is hoping that she might be able to find him if she reports from the war. Iris finds success and is published, and is joined by her formal rival Roman who isn’t what he seemed.

I found myself often thinking that this book could easily have been taking place during World War II during the bombings and in the trenches, only the bombings were from mythical creatures. The letters in the wardrobe gives the story Narnia vibes as well. I look forward to the next installment in this series.

I’m at a loss for words because of how good this was. Genuinely shook to my core and want to now read anything and everything Rebecca Ross has written.

LOVED everything about this. Rivals-to-lovers perfection, interspersed with mystery, a high stakes war setting (that was presented in such a believable, emotional, and gritty way), found family, and allll the emotions. As someone who ruins every book for myself by overthinking and guessing every plot point, this one genuinely surprised me so many times!

The ending was incredibly stressful though and this is moving close to the top of my “need the sequel immediately” list.