I was enthralled with this book from the beginning. It was perfect!!! The writing really kept me captivated throughout and very interested in the characters. It’s hard for me to put into words exactly how this story made me feel, but I can say I cannot wait for the next part!!! This isn’t my usual type of read and I’ve never read a book by this author before but it won’t be my last.

Ross’s writing captivates you and never let’s you go. I was immediately interested in this premise, young rivals, enemies to lovers, fl fighting gods but wow was this book even BETTER than I could have imagined. The characters felt so real, their hardships, pain, love and experiences truly make this book stand out and I can so easily see how well Ross writes characters. This book has a very unique setting, and the plot intermingled perfectly with these characters and what they’re going through. I loved this and am highly anticipating the second.

This book has immediately risen to the list of my top five books read in 2023 so far.

I ADORE this book. A war torned fantasy land battling over the wills of God’s with World War 2 1940’s vibes???

This shouldn’t work. It should sound off the wall as typically dragons and the 1940’s don’t vibe BUT Y’all. This works.

And it works so well!

Iris is an aspiring journalist rivaling for the columnist spot at a local paper against Roman Kitt, her arch nemesis. Roman’s family comes from money, Iris is struggling to survive, and immediately these two have a tension that goes above that of a simple rivalry.

When Iris starts corresponding with someone who absolutely is NOT her brother fighting at war, things get interesting!

I just loved this book. I adore every moment I had between Roman and Iris. I loved the true depiction of the ugly side of war, and I enjoyed the lore surrounding the origins of the war itself.

What I was NOT anticipating was the ending leaving me scrambling for book two, but I need it, I want it, and I can’t have it fast enough.

I listened to this one on audio and read via ebook, I greatly enjoyed the audio voice actors so if you’re an audio lover check this one out!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Rebecca Ross is easily becoming one of my favorite authors! Her beautiful writing style and storytelling had me captivated from start to finish! Iris and Roman were so well written and very relatable at timed. I absolutely loved their journey from rivals to love interests. Their romance was so sweet and pure. The fantasy aspects of this world the author created we’re so unique. This book had me on the edge of my seat and also on the verge of tears many times. The ending was heart wrenching and I can’t wait to see where the next book leads!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Where to start??

Rebecca Ross is a QUEEN. I am 100% convinced that everything she write is golden. And this? A historic fantasy romance about a JOURNALIST?? YES. PLEASE.

The concept of this book is so interesting—mysterious gods that convince humans to fight their wars for them (think Lovely War, but not?)—and I can’t wait to read more about this mysterious world.

(Also, Roman Kitt could look at me with a raised eyebrow, and I would marry him on. the. spot. Hello, ultimate heart throb. What a man.)

I can’t even put into words how much I enjoyed this book. I can’t describe it. It’s just amazing.

10/5 stars. Everybody who loves fantasy and history and mythology and romance should read this book

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫/5

#divinerivals
#rebeccaross
#NetGalley published 4/4/23
#wednesdaybooks
#yascififantasy

For 92% of this book I was totally smitten. AND I MEAN TOTALLY SMITTEN! Then it took a left turn and I #hatedtheending.
I had been having many discussions with my also book loving adult son telling him how much I loved this book. I told him it is was an #urbanfantasy with #romance. He asked, does the romance drive the story or does the #fantasy? I do think the romance takes a back seat. But it is a close call. When I told him how much I loved it his comment was, "well, I hope you don't hate the ending" 😂. Well thanks for jinxing me kid! SMH.

Not current day technology, typewriters. Where does it take place? Took me a bit to figure that out. But it was written by an American author with some British terms. Lift (elevator). Lorry (truck/bus). There is a war between long quite gods. The main characters work at a newspaper of which there are several in town. They are competing for the columnist position. The FMC has been writing to her brother away at war only to find out that someone else has been receiving those letters. So this book can also be called an #epistolary novel though not fully. But there are many. And they definitely enhance the story!

IF YOU DO READ THIS BOOK HAVE TO COME BACK AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, ESPECIALLY OF THE ENDING! OR TAG ME!

#ya
#YAromance
#fantasy
#bookrecommendation
#bookreview
#bookstagram #booknerds #bookworm #booklover #bookdragon #readalot #ilovereading #inkdrinker #librarymouse #bookaddict #bookaholic

This book hooked me with magical typewriters and rival journalists set in a fantastical mid-20th-century world with warring gods.

Divine Rivals is about the young woman who writes letters to her brother at war and the young man who inadvertently reads them. Their rivals-to-lovers storyline is steeped in magic with haunting lyrical prose. It made me forget I was reading while also reminding me why I love reading and books and journalism so much.

Iris's and Roman's lives couldn't be more different but are equally devastating, beautiful, and hopeful. Their story put me in the trenches alongside them, in the garden, and in the newsroom. I laughed and cheered and cried along with them.

Divine Rivals is an all-consuming book and one that I won't ever forget. I'm so sad it's over, but I cannot wait for the next book in the new series by Rebecca Ross.

𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚁𝚎𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚌𝚊 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚜,

𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 [𝚁𝙴𝙳𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝙳]. 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚍𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝙴𝚗𝚟𝚊 & 𝙳𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚜.
𝙴𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝙶𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕,
𝙼.𝙰. 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝙿.𝚂. 𝙷𝙾𝚆 𝙳𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝚈𝙾𝚄!
𝙿.𝙿.𝚂. 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎?

Two rival journalists, Iris & Roman, are battling in the newsroom for a promotion while two gods are warring hundreds of miles away. Iris’ brother is missing on the front lines & her mother is battling her own demons. At night she writes letters to her long-lost brother and slips them under the wardrobe, where they vanish…into Roman’s hands. He anonymously writes her back and they continue to send missives back and forth, kindling a connection.

This book blew me away. This is a YA that reads like an adult fantasy with WWI vibes set in a light fantasy world with a unique mythology. The writing is stunning & smart as Ross balances the historical time period, the world-building & mythology, the economics & politics, the frontlines of the war, the emotional rollercoaster with flawless grace. The enemies-to-lovers situation will have your eyeballs glued to the page instead of rolling away. I was rooting for every character, except for Dacre, cause he’s the pits, of course. Its genre blending is so well-orchestrated that it’ll appeal to many different readers. Historical fiction, fantasy, and romance readers will unite to call out: “WHERE IS BOOK TWO?!”

𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚛 @𝚠𝚎𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜
𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 & 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔.
𝚇𝙾𝚇𝙾,
𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏-𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙻𝚘𝙴 𝚏𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚋

This is everything and some that I love in a fantasy. It is a must read whether you’re into fantasy or not. The world and characters are captivating to the point where you are transported into a different world and you forget your even reading. To me it felt like I was playing a movie in my mind and loved every moment of it

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: April 4, 2023

Devine Rivals is the first book in a new duology by Rebecca Ross. This is a fantasy novel categorized as YA but I would consider this more of a NA.

Iris Winnow has just seen her brother off to the gods war, her mother has delved deeper into her depression and she is barely hanging on to her reporting job at the Gazette.

Roman Kitt works with Iris at the Gazette and is her main rival for the coveted columnist job they are competing for. Although they are rivals and competing for the same job, Iris can’t deny there is a connection between them.

There is a historic connection between Iris and Roman’s families and they each have rare typewriters with magical properties. Iris and Roman unknowingly start to open up to each other and share their deepest fears and greatest dreams.

I didn’t really like either of these characters at the beginning of the story but as they started to share more of themselves with each other, they really developed into wonderful characters and I loved seeing their personalities and relationship progress together.

I’m really impressed with this authors ability to tell a story! I’m going to be looking into her other books and cannot wait to see how this one ends (she left quite a cliff hanger for us)! This is a surprising 5 stars for me and I highly recommend for any fantasy, romantasy lovers out there!

#NetGalley #devinerivals #rebeccaross

The advice i get most often as a writer is to write what you want to read. Rebecca Ross proves that you can infuse a story with all the things you love and it will show, and ve what others love too.
A rivals to lovers story that captivates, a war between gods, magical letters through a wardrobe, monsters both real and metaphorical. I especially enjoyed how Iris and Roman were rival journalists as I myself come from a journalism background. But they secretly admire and respect the others' writing and work ethic. Told from both their POVs, Ross gives them both a unique voice and even specific writing style shown through the exchange of letters we see through epistolary storytelling. The book was both historical and fantastical, a fun blend of both. But it does pull on the heartstrings too and leave you breathless by the end, eager for book 2! Easily one of the best books read this year!

A gorgeous read -- I utterly adored the characters and loved their dynamic/chemistry. The setting of the newspaper room was wonderful too, as was the WW1-inspired time period. Loved the writing and the epistolatory nature of the story as well was really special and unique.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
3 stars!
Release Date: April 4, 2023

I’m always excited every time I get the opportunity to pick up a Rebecca Ross book. Her writing is very approachable and lyrical, and her worlds are immersive. They make me feel like I’m sinking into a hot bath, with all the time in the world to enjoy the romance of the story.

Divine Rivals lives up to that expectation.

Iris and Roman come from vastly different backgrounds and almost immediately get on each other’s bad side. Both are reporters and competitors in their field, but they’re more connected than they realize. Mysterious anonymous letters are shared between them which leads to a growing affection, but they don’t know who they’re writing to. Meanwhile, in their professional lives, their respect for each other’s integrity is what really starts to bridge the gap between them, which I loved. Meanwhile, a terrible war rages around them, threatening to tear them and everything else apart. It feels like a fantastical version of World War I, with gas bombs and masks, typewriters and gods.

With a little bit of “You’ve Got Mail” mixed in, Divine Rivals is a charming fantasy book. While at times I felt the story did linger too long before getting to the action, it was still a beautifully written story about love, loss, and the brutal nature of war.

And I desperately want one of their typewriters.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy for review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

I really enjoyed this.. also would like the next one now after that ending lol.

First off, I really enjoyed the setting. It felt like a WWII piece, but the most intriguing part is it’s in a world where Gods are present and active. The only thing I would have liked is the introduction to the God’s stories earlier on. I thought the love story was charming and the realism of some of the scenes were done fantastically in this fantasy.

Iris wants to write - to be a journalist, to put her words on paper. Her publisher has her in competition with Roman Kitt for a columnists position, but more is going on. Their country is going to war because of fighting gods pulling people to their armies, and Iris' mother is drowning her sorrows in alcohol since her brother joined up.

This sets up a fantastic fantasy/romance/war novel with a love for words and letter writing, interesting mythology, and characters a reader can root for.

This reader cannot wait for the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy.

oooooooh man that ending!!!!

I fell in love with Rebecca Ross when I read her utterly enchanting book A River Enchanted. I fell in love with how she writes people and characters and entwines a glorious story that keeps you riveted to the book.

I looooved the story of Iris and Kitt, their total dislike for each other and their banter back and forth. I loved Iris and who she is as well as Kitt who is just swoon worthy and amazing.

The writing was amazing, I loved the WWII feel and setting of the book (maybe it was more WWI since it talks about trenches) the just wasn't your typical setting but it just worked for this book, that's how amazing Ross is as meshing 2 unlikely ideas and settings and making the perfect story.

Having 2 POV I think has to be difficult but again Ross made it seem so effortless, they deep separation of POV and able to maintain their voices has to be difficult but it was just perfect and I couldn't have asked for a better book.

Overall if you're craving something unique and different then I highly recommend this book and any book this author writes.

Sexual Content: moderate
Language: mild
Violence: mild/moderate
Drugs/Alcohol: mild
LGBTQ: yes

*A HUGE THANK YOU to Netgalley & Wednesday Books for this ARC*

THIS BOOK! I don’t have words for how amazing this book is. The writing is so incredibly beautiful. The characters are well developed and make you care for them and root for their happy ending. The world is immersive and intriguing. The cover? She’s a beauty! The UK cover? Absolutely stunning, love! Did I order a copy of both? We don’t need to get into that.

I adored the magical elements of the world Ross created. They were both whimsical and terrifying. The war going on between the gods, and Iris and Roman being in the front lines is so well written. The historical aspects, which fame me WW1 historical fiction vibes, incorporated with the magic and lore of the world were fantastic and added so much depth to the world!

The epistolary elements? Swoon. I’m a sucker for a good epistolary romance, add in a magical typewriter and secret identities, and you’ve got me. I did get frustrated with the secret identity aspect at times, but that’s expected with this type of trope.

There is a cliffhanger ending, and while I’d normally deduct points for that, Divine Rivals is so amazing that I don’t care. I cannot wait until the final installment is released!! It’s going to be so hard waiting.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary e-arc. All opinions are my own.

I will forever read everything by Rebecca Ross!
Divine Rivals is set in a historical/wartime setting where two Gods have awoke from their centuries long sleep and their ensuing feud soon envelopes the world around them as war breaks out and - as two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection - they also must face the depths of hell, in the war among gods, to seal their fate forever.
I loved the rivalry between Iris and Roman, and the romance. I adore how brave and fierce Iris is and how she seemed to become even stronger once she arrived at the frontlines of the war. Excited for book two!

Where to even begin writing a review of this poignant, beautiful, and heart wrenching novel? It is one of those rarest gifts - a story dropped into a world that is compelling but not arduous to enter, a story that moves quickly but isn't rushed, and a love story that is joyous but not saccharine. In short, this is the best novel I have read so far in 2023 and I cannot recommend it enough.

Iris is an aspiring writer, dreaming of using her words to tell stories that compel action. Unfortunately, her plans are derailed when her brother is called to fight in a war of the gods, leaving her adrift with her alcoholic mother and a battle for a columnist position for the infuriating and fascinating Roman. After striving for success during the day, Iris pours her heart out to a mysterious pen pal whose letters appear through magic in her wardrobe. Things quickly come to a head as Iris must decide what her priority is and examine her heart, all while facing the reality of war as the conflict creeps ever closer.

This book is just utter perfection. The balance is perfect, the prose is poetic, and the characters are fantastic. Even side characters are well-rounded; it would be so easy to brush them off but Ms. Ross chooses instead to make their arcs just as engaging as those of Iris and Roman. The tension leaps off the page and I found myself longing to leap back in as soon as possible.

I cannot recommend this enough. GO. BUY IT. READ IT. I will eagerly be waiting to preorder the second book as soon as it is announced and hope you'll join me.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.