Iris is trying her hardest in her family life. Her brothers gone missing and her mother is an addict, so she’s doing her best to not let it fall in to more despair. So she starts to write letters to her brother in hopes he’ll reappear. She sticks these letters under her closet door where they magically disappear. But they somehow end up in the hands of Roman, her rival at the newspaper they work at. So he decides to write her back and thus beings a connection either of them knew they needed.

Give me rivals and give me magic… and bam you have another awesome story Rebecca has written. It’s full of heartbreak and comedy. And I love a good enemies-lovers stories, and that’s what this delivers.

Like any book Rebecca writes, it’s moving and lyrical and dreamy. I can’t wait for her next book!

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
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During the day Iris works hard as a journalist at the Gazette, trying to best her rival. But at night she mourns her brothers decision to enlist in the war. She types him letters every night. One night she gets a letter back, but not from her brother.
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What I Liked:
-I enjoyed the rivalry between Iris and Roman. It was obvious that they were fighting their attraction, and I was enjoying their little jabs at each other.
-The story about the alouette typewriters was wonderfully magical! I hope the typewriters can come back in book two!
-I am thoroughly intrigued by this war of the Gods and want to know everything. Book one didn’t give me all the details and I have already added book two to my TBR.
-I have to admit that the end of this book did not end the way I thought it would! 😳😅 And I am a bit anxious to see where things go from here.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first Rebecca Ross book that ultimately wasn’t five stars. I thoroughly enjoyed Divine Rivals, but I didn’t think it lived up to her prior novels

Rebecca Ross is my favorite author of all time. I've loved everything she's written, yet Divine Rivals completely blew me away. I have never been so excited while reading a book in my life. My heart was in my throat and my stomach was in knots all the way through.

While Divine Rivals didn't seem quite as magical to me compared to Ross's other books, it was still the best Ross offering so far. The idea of the magical typewriters made my writer's heart soar. I would love to know a bit more about the mythology of the gods that Rebecca writes about in this tome, but the love story is superb.

I've never been happier in all my life to award a book five out of five stars, but this one really got to me. My tears were both happy and sad and even though I cried for these characters, I had a smile on my face the whole time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“A war with the gods is not what you expect it to be.”

DIVINE RIVALS is many things. It is a love story, a tale of great wars and resurrected gods, a representation of female love and friendship, and a beautifully written, heart-wrenching, hopeful novel filled with words that will love your soul.

What I Loved:
✉️ The Book Thief x You’ve Got Mail x Greek Mythology vibes
✉️ rivals to lovers
✉️ WWI inspired with fantasy elements
✉️ so many strong female characters
✉️ powerful prose
✉️ opposites attract romance
✉️ strong magic system with deep lore and unexpected plot twists

Iris and Roman are rivals, both rising in their careers as journalists — but Roman has been receiving Iris’s letters she writes to her missing brother and eventually begins to respond. As the war in the west looms, Iris leaves to report on the fight and hopes to find out what happened to her brother… and Roman follows her. With secrets, yearning, and life or death stakes, they’ll have to learn to trust one another for any hope of survival, and maybe even love.

Rebecca Ross has gifted us with a historical fantasy masterpiece and I will be counting down the days until book two is released!

I loved Divine Rivals! It was a perfect mix of fantasy and romance with a depth to the characters that was exceptional. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

This book surprised me. Other than the war of the gods in the far ar background it could have been set in present day. It was 90% a romance and about family. The fantasy did not really kick in until the last 10% of the book. I am interested to see where the next book goes. I expect that one will be much more fantasy now that the stage has been set.

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt like home. It was just so comfy, even in the darkness. I love Rebecca Ross' lyrical writing. I just absolutely loved this story. If you're a fan of enemies to lovers, this if definitely for you.

5/5 ⭐

This book was like a warm hug for me and completely what I needed to read right now. I don't believe Rebecca Ross can write a bad book and this just proves to me again that her writting is my favorite. This story is absolutely beautiful and romantic, the characters are so well written. I really don't have the words to describe what this book made me feel. I know I will need to re-read it as soon as I get myself a physical copy, and it's going to become a favorite of mine. Iris was a delight and I loved how brave she was, but Roman?? SWOON. He was the CUTEST. If you love romance and fantasy set in the 1800's, you will fall in love with this book in the first chapter. I need the sequel NOW.

A big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I am highly jealous of the gorgeous cover UK readers got. But secondly, I still love this book regardless of what it looks like.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross is a YA fantasy novel that is highly complicated and convoluted to explain. Basically, two rival journalists find love against the backdrop of war between gods. Iris just wants her family back, with her mother suffering from an addiction and her brother trapped on the front lines, she starts to write letter to her brother and put them in her wardrobe. Only for them to magically land in the hands of her rival, Roman. Who, in turn, starts to write back.

I absolutely loved the enemies to lovers in this book. I found myself falling head over heels for Roman, and I am overjoyed that we get more in a book two.
Divine Rivals also works a perfect hangover recovery from watching Shadow and Bone season 2. I couldn't have asked for this book at a better time.

Also look the other way, if you see me reading this one over and over and over again. You saw nothing.

The premise sounded so promising, but it unfortunately didn’t deliver at all.

It took me weeks to get through this. I honestly should have DNFed it. I kept holding out hope that it would get better considering all of the amazing reviews that were coming out from early readers.

If it had focused on Iris’s brother or the war between the Gods, it would have actually been interesting. Instead it focused on an extremely toxic enemies-to-lovers relationship between two people that should not be together.

Disappointed.

I loved every single thing about this book. I’ve been a big fan of Ross’s work for a while and, honestly, I didn’t think it could get better than the Cadence duology. And yet, somehow, Divine Rivals was everything I wanted in a story and more.

The characters are fascinating the whole way through, instantly relatable and wonderfully complex. I loved both Iris and Roman and thought there was just enough of Roman’s POV to create more tension and depth in the story which is hard to juggle if it’s not a one-for-one switch. Their love story is beautiful, timeless and heartbreakingly sweet. Absolutely it’s one of the best romances in a fantasy book I’ve read in a long time and this is my preferred genre so I’ve read a *lot* of them.

Then with the magic and the fantasy side, Ross has created a really interesting world where gods are still present and wrecking havoc and typewriters that bend time and space but you also have really relatable touchstones like newspapers that are easily recognizable from our world. It was a really neat mash-up and it blended together masterfully, not being totally of our world but not totally unfamiliar. I’m so intrigued by it and I’m looking forward to more in book two.

I will not lie: this book will put you in a chokehold. You won’t be able to put it down. The pacing is truly fantastic and there was one point (when you get there you’ll know) where I blazed through over a hundred pages without breathing, or at least it felt like it. I would’ve finished the book right then if sleep wasn’t necessary.

I cannot praise this book enough. It’s thrilling and lovely, harsh and gentle, it’s everything and it’s divine. I am already waiting (painfully) for book two because that ending, goodness, it’ll leave you breathless and begging for more.


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley (but I bought a physical copy because I loved it so much) in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Divine Rivals!

I am genuinely at a loss for words with this book. I was about 10 pages in before deciding I need to read every book Rebecca has ever written because her writing is that incredible. I was absolutely in love with this book from the very start.

I absolutely devoured this unique story. I loved the magical elements, and I truly connected with the characters. I think Rebecca found a perfect balance between romance and plot, and the side-characters added so much depth to the story as well. From page 1, I genuinely felt like I was inside of Iris's mind, and I was able to feel each emotion she experienced throughout the course of the book.

I am anxiously awaiting the sequel to Divine Rivals, and I will absolutely be reading every book on Rebecca's backlist while I wait. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fantasy novel featuring enemies-to-lovers, heartache, hope, and romance.

This was my first book by Rebecca Ross and I was pretty surprised,. I'm not typically drawn to war stories but the fantastical elements of active gods and goddesses at the head of the war? And magical typewriters? Now that was interesting enough to get me hooked. I wish we were able to spend a little bit more time with the letters sent between our main characters because I feel like most of the relationship's development happened off the page so it was a little difficult to root for it to come to fruition. But boy the stakes were high! War correspondents in the trenches?? In a YA book?? That was new and very nerve wrecking. I'm not sure I loved the final plot twist/character reveal but I think many will enjoy it or at least be surprised. I am also entirely surprised to find out this will be a series! This is one to pick up if you get the chance and the audiobook was fantastic.
Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Wein (Code Name Verity) and Julie Berry (Lovely War).

First off, the cover is beautiful. Second, Iris and Roman's story is so sweet and sad and exciting and all the things. The ending really got me and I so hope there is a second book in the works soon. I love the mix of magic, war, and gods. The writing style is well done and the action scenes really make you feel like you are there.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Divine Rivals
by Rebecca Ross
Pub Date: 04 Apr 2023

This book was pure magic! There were so many avenues the book took...all were perfect. Historical fiction mixed with fantasy aspect. Work rivals who both have a special typewriter (unknown to the other) which allows messages to be sent through a cupboard leading them to a pen pal relationship (though our heroine doesn't know who she is corresponding with!) Gah!! I loved the relationship between Ivy and Roman (Carter), both the one in person and the one on paper. So many strong characters and great storytelling all around. And that ending...how am I going to wait for the next book?!

5 stars

It was a very unique and interesting read especially as I wouldn't have picked up this one if not for netgalley. It was a very different world where this historical romance between two journalists whose letters end up with each other mysteriously. It concentrated more on world building by including a variety of aspects that add character to the world itself. It includes some fantasy elements with warring gods and how these writers Iris and Roman get involved in this war. I knew it was supposed to have an epic love story with the title Divine Rivals so that is definitely why I picked it up and it was definitely intriguing! It was more of a 3.5 stars read for me!

OKAY listen!!!! I love Rebecca Ross so much! She has never wrote a book that I didnt like. Her writing style is so unique and captivating. This was another book that I read in 3 sittings because I could not put it down! I dont even wanna write about what I read in this book because I want everyone to be just as surprised and have the rush of emotions just like I did!!!

Rebecca Ross is one of my favorite authors and I was excited to see that she was writing a new series. I found this book engrossing, and loved the main characters. The author's prose is beautiful and she has become an automatic buy for me. I'm excited for the next book in the series.

In the past few monthes I have re-read A Rvier Enchanted, then read A Fire Endless, followed by Divine Rivals. I feel like a Rebecca Ross junkie because they are all just so good! I have to say, I didn't she could top A River Enchanted, but I loved Divine Rivals even more! Her atmospheric and wonderfully descriptive writing style is such a gift. And she has a way of making the fantasy genre accessible to non-fantasy readers. I am buying the hard cover and counting down the days to the sequel!