did I read the same book as everyone else??? 😭😭 I came with high expectations because the rating was fairly high and some of my bookish friends loved it. I really tried to enjoy it but the story just not appealing whatsoever. I couldn't wrap around the concept of war between god of underground and goddess of sky on the surface of earth AND involved humans. And those human soldiers has ranks and stations just like regular war. like what😭 I mean can't these "gods" just settle their bad blood somewhere else????

The divinity aspect was hardly explained, I still don't know much about these gods and why are they should be called gods on the first place if they only brought chaos to humankind. It's not that they're worshipped either.

Now let's talk about the characters. First I want to point out how Rebecca named her characters, she's sure use a lot of twin consonants for whatever reason. Sarah & Attie seem like a same person from the way they act. Both Iris & Roman weren't interesting, save for a sorry backstory for Roman & a harsh life for Iris. Their romance was weak and cliche to the point that I skipped their intimate scenes because I couldn't bear them.

Overall it's not bad but nothing stood out either, for me. That's all I guess. Not sure if I'll read the sequel but that's for next-year me to decide.

This book is so intriguing and has so many facets to it that it is really unique. Two rival journalists that are struggling in their own lives find comfort in exchanging letters magically. The magic element was unique and a great element of the book. As each journalist makes decisions that will change their lives forever they also come together in the midst of war between mythological gods battling each other on Earth. Will their decisions lead them to each other in the end? This is a must read to find out. I can't wait to share this book with others. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Divine Rivals is a book that screams character and art. With rival journalists, magical letters to each other, and the grief of loss, it's rooted in the connection we have to Iris and Roman. Immediately I became so attached to Iris, to the ways she's trying to prove herself, but also to the pain of her loss. At the same time, I loved Roman from the beginning not only in their banter, but in the ways it stems from a respect, an admiration of their talents.

Thank you to Rebecca Ross for including so many of my favorite things in one book!

Rivals to Lovers. ✔
Fantasy setting. ✔
Historical fiction. ✔
Found family. ✔

It was hard to resist the spell binding craft of this novel. I found the city of Oath to be charming, and the characters I found within in it even more so. The banter between Kitt and Winnow (or Roman and Iris) was excellent and I found myself attached to both of them and their relationship immediately.

While I typically don't read historical fiction, I do think Ross does a great job straddling the genre while including great bits of fantasy and enchantment. I am excited for the next book and look forward to learning more about the Gods and their realms!

I had initially requested the e book ARC of this book and then decided to request the audiobook as well. The narrators of the audiobook were FANTASTIC. Their inflection, their accents, the POV switches... I highly recommend it if you are an audiobook fan. It kept me so invested in the story and added a lot to it in my opinion!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and the author!

Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment Book 1) is a captivating start to a new series that promises to be both beautiful and romantic. Ross has a unique style of weaving her stories with vulnerability and delicacy. The story is set in a world rich in mythology, and Iris's journey to the front is both fascinating and emotional. The ending is sure to leave readers yearning for the next book in the series. The writing is deeply romantic and exquisitely crafted.

I was SO excited to get this ARC because I loved Rebecca Ross’ storytelling in A River Enchanted. I'm glad to say that this book did not disappoint, and Ross has become an auto-buy author for me.

Although Divine Rivals has a very different setting (modern-era wartime vs. a magical isle), the story still had all of my favorite aspects of this author’s writing style - evocative language, endearing characters, and sweet moments. There were also some incredible scenes when the two main characters were on the front lines, but I won't say more to prevent spoilers. Suffice it to say that Ross chose just the right details to bring a scene to life and hammer your emotions.

The one aspect of this book that feels a bit underdeveloped to me is the warring gods story arc. This whole piece sits in the distant background and feels like an unnecessary aspect of the world-building until we get one god’s POV in the epilogue. I’m guessing this might be a set-up for the gods to have a more prominent role in the sequel, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

Thank you for the ARC! This review has been cross-posted on Goodreads and Instagram.

I loved the world that was built in this book! I also LOVED our main character! I really like seeing into the world of a journalist, especially in this particular instance because it seemed like a bit of “old school” going on. And the RIVALRY!! Amazing, so well done, the tension was THERE. Will absolutely highly recommend!! (And I can’t wait to get a copy for myself!!)

Divine Rivals is a story about a girl who writes letters to her brother at war via a magic typewriter - but her brother is not actually the one receiving them.

As a fan of Ross's previous work, I was really excited to read this one, and it ended up being my absolute favorite of her books. I love the writing theme throughout, and I love that the magic system, while present, is not quite thoroughly explained yet. I like when a story builds the world slowly, rather than bombarding you with an info-dump right away, and this book did that perfectly. It made me really excited to know more about it in the next book!

I also absolutely loved Iris & Roman's relationship. Some books about war really shove characters together too fast for me to accept it, but the build up before leaving for the war really helped in that aspect.

Also, THAT ENDING!!!

I'm really just excited to see where the next book goes!!

I need book two ASP! 🥺

🥰When I started reading this story I felt that there were certain things that reminded me of An Enchanted River by this same author, but they have only been a little on the subject of gods, because later we began to know and live the day to day of Iris and Roman, a couple of fledgling journalists who are competing for a position at the newspaper where they work. This will make them rivals and that will make them mess with each other constantly.

😕But a war between the gods will make them wonder who they are and what they really want, especially who they want. Iris and Kitt have made me cry at very sad moments in their lives, and they are the kind of characters that deserve a happily ever after for all they will have to suffer and lose. The grief that each one carries and the way certain people use it to control them has made me very angry.

🥺When this pair of journalists are hit by the war, they will leave us heartbroken and wanting to read the second book, because the author leaves us with a cliffhanger that will make it very difficult for us to wait to find out the end of the story of this pair of characters and the rest that won our hearts during this journey.

😍I couldn't be happier to have read this story where tragedy strikes without warning, love is built little by little and magic will have an important place in the path of these two beautiful characters.

🥹This was a very emotional, gripping and lovely book to read, and can’t recommend enough.

Thank you so much to the author, St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC on exchange of my house review.

The characters are so well developed, and I thought the pacing of their relationship was good, if not a little slow at the beginning. The rivals to lover’s trope did remind me of You've Got Mail. I found myself completely in love with both Iris and Roman. The magic of the typewriters and letters gives me all the warm and fuzzy feelings.
I completely immersed myself into the story. I could not stop once I started reading.
Even though the story did cover some serious topics such alcoholism, grief, loss of a loved one, violence, they story itself is ultimately about hope, love, and acceptance. While I would like to see a bit more world building, it did not take anything away from the story line. I am sure I will get more of that in the next book.

Divine Rivals is an amazing YA fantasy, with strong romantic elements, that feels like WWI-era historical fiction with a touch of magic thrown in. It's actually set in a fictitious world but seemed a bit like England to me based on some of the vocabulary (lorry and wardrobe as two examples).

Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, the two main characters, are rival writers vying for the columnist job at a local newspaper. Iris writes for the paper and then walks home and pours out her feelings in typewritten letters to her older brother Forrest. He's gone off to fight in a war whose front is 600 kilometers away, and she hasn't heard from him since he left. Her mother has taken to drinking away her sorrow and fear, and Iris is struggling to support them both. The electricity has been shut off, Iris goes hungry, and her mother spends precious coins on alcohol instead of food. Iris is scared and essentially alone. She slides her letters to Forrest under her wardrobe door. When they magically disappear, she hopes that somehow they're making their way to him across the kilometers.

Roman is a rich boy whose life path is dictated by his father. Roman wanted to go to university to study literature, but his father made him take a job at the paper, a career that affords him a good reputation in that day and age. Roman thought he would get the job without any obstacles, but then Iris arrives as his talented competition. They are workplace rivals with a spark of *something* going on behind the banter: is that scorn or attraction? (Think Clark Kent and Lois Lane.)

I was gripped by this book and could not wait to get back to it when I had to put it down. These characters made me FEEL so many feelings. I shared in their fear, grief, longing, and heartache. I was terrified when they were in danger. I rejoiced at their happiness. Many of the scenes throughout the book felt sweepingly cinematic to me -- I could clearly picture in my mind what was happening, the scenery, and the drama of it.

Divine Rivals does contain fantasy, particularly the magic involved in the transportation of the letters. There are also gods and mythology in this world. One of the gods, Dacre, was enraged when he awoke after a long, forced slumber. He's out for revenge and is the cause of the ongoing war. There are air raids that send everyone scurrying to close curtains and turn off lights, but instead of bomber planes, there are terrifying creatures who fly over and drop the bombs. This book is grounded in human experiences and emotions though, and you can almost forget that this isn't historical fiction set in a slightly alternate world.

I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys emotional, romantic stories about humans left behind when others go to war, about love, longing, and moving forward from grief. About found family, vulnerability, taking chances, bravery in the face of fear and danger. (And for anyone who is prepared to be left craving the next book in the series because this ends in a way that made me desperate to find out what happens next!)

If you're someone who doesn't normally read YA, give this a try. The main characters are 18 and 19, but in an era where that age held a lot of maturity and responsibility. Think of 18 and 19-year-olds in our world back in 1920s when teens were sent off to war and couples got married and had children at a younger age than they do now.

I loved this book and can't wait until the next one comes out!

I received an ARC from St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books & NetGalley

Genre: Fantasy, Alternate Historical Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Historical Romance
Spice Level: Med (not overly detailed but on the page)
Wow Level: Maximum
Tropes: Rivals/Lovers Poor/Rich

I couldn't wait to read another book by Rebecca Ross. DIVINE RIVALS isn't anything like the last one of hers that I read, except for the fact that I loved it!

There are two levels to this story.
1. The war between the gods
2. The journalistic war between Iris Winnow and Roman C. Kitt

Holy-moly, I was invested in Iris immediately. I wanted her to beat out that posh turkey Roman "Cantankerous" Kitt. But then I got to know Roman. Now I was in big trouble because I loved both characters for different reasons. She's resilient. He's downtrodden. They're both amazingly driven and great writers.

Cue the typewriters.
Iris has been writing letters to her brother but never received a reply.
Then one day she does. But it's not quite what she expected. Who on earth is answering her?
We as the reader know the answer, but she is fully stumped.
Why is it easier to write a faceless person than have a genuine conversation face-to-face? I'm not sure of the answer, but we see it all the time on social media.

Thus starts the heart (pun intended) of the story. I was willing to suspend disbelief for anything the author wanted to throw my way.

I also loved seeing the war from a different, semi-outside perspective. The mythology was awesome too. I felt both You've Got Mail and Persephone & Hades vibes at different times, but if you aren't familiar with those stories, go ahead and read. I promise you won't get lost for a minute. This book stands on its own "legs" but it's not a standalone.

This book wrapped me up in the most delicious way, and now I'm on edge waiting for the next one. Seriously? Can't she have them both come out at the same time?

I highly recommend this book. (I think it will appeal to adult readers more than the YA audience, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the fan base.)

Happy reading!

What an incredible start to a new series. And what a breath of fresh air as this was unlike any fantasy I've read in recent years and I had a really good time with it.

To start with I really like epistolary aspects in books and so I loved the letter writing parts of this book. And I liked the backstory and magic woven around it with the story of the typewriter's and how these two characters came to be able to exchange these magically transported letters.

Looking at our characters I really loved both Iris and Roman as main characters. We get both of their POVs throughout the novel and I was equally as happy to be reading in either of their heads. They both felt like well fleshed out characters to me and I was rooting for them each and rooting for them together. Their romance was very well done and I was totally hooked on them as a couple.

The setting of this fantasy world that felt like it was pulling on World War historical novels was really well done as well. It was an incredibly immersive atmosphere and especially once we moved the story to the war front it really felt like you were there with the characters.

Where this book really shines and elevates it from just really good to one of my favorite YA books of recent years was the emotion in it. Rebecca Ross knows how to reach into your chest, grab ahold of your heart and just absolutely tug on it. From falling in love with the characters as they fell for each other to the emotional gut punch that comes with being on the front lines of a deadly war emotion was seeped into every scene and it was a phenomenal read. I'm writing this review a couple weeks after reading and even just writing this out is making me want to reread and surround myself with this story again already.

After this book and her Elements of Cadence duology Rebecca Ross has found herself a top spot on my list of authors whose backlist I need to read all of immediately

In a world driven by warring gods, Iris sees her brother go off to serve in the army and her mother descend into depression. So when the opportunity arises to become employed and support her and her mother, Iris quits school to work. In an attempt to balance a missing brother, distant mother and stressful job, Iris finds herself writing letters to her brother for his return home. When leaving them for him in their shared wardrobe, a mysterious thing happens — they disappear! Everything changes though when her wardrobe provides her a letter in response.

This slightly magical world lines up with a WWI era type world of battle fronts with trenches, new types of bombs, medical aid and support from back home. The incorporation of war correspondents offers a unique angle into a war story. The magic of the gods also adds a unique twist to the story. The love interest is also a fun treat. An enjoyable read. 4 stars.

Review based on an Uncorrected Digital Galley provided by St. Martin’s Press - Wednesday Books and NetGalley. Thank you!

after loving the isle of cadence series, i was so excited to get an ARC of divine rivals, as i loved the lush writing and setting as well as the mature romances in the author's previous series. unfortunately, i was a bit disappointed by this one.

it's a historical fantasy that takes place during a world war I type setting but with warring gods as the two sides of the war instead of world powers, with the main characters working as newspaper reporters/writers. and of course, the main characters are rivals at their newspaper who end up falling in love, partially via a letter-writing correspondence where one of them knows who they're writing to and the other doesn't.

so on paper it should've been super good, but the characters and world just fell a bit flat for me. the pining was a bit drawn out, and i wasn't that invested because i didn't care for the characters as much as i had in the author's other series i read.

just because it wasn't my cup of tea, this does not mean i think it was poorly written or that others shouldn't read it! if you love the rivals to lovers trope or historical fantasy, you should definitely give it a try! i just didn't connect with the characters as much as i usually like to, and so that made reading this book a bit of a slog for me.

big thanks to the author and publisher (and NetGalley) for an eARC!

I was given an Arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow! I had a hard time getting into this book but by 20% I couldn’t put it down.

The gods are at war and the humans are suffering for it. Iris Winnows brother has left for war and hasn’t been heard from since. So she gets a job at a local paper to make ends meet. Here she meets her biggest rival (or so she thinks) Roman Kitt, and they are both vying for the same position.

Meanwhile back at home Iris starts writing letters to her brother and putting them in her wardrobe only for them to disappear…until one day someone writes her back.

Only After she leaves the newspaper and heads to the front lines to be a war correspondent does she learn that it wasn’t the wardrobe magically delivering her letters to her “friend” but it was their set of magical typewriters.

I absolutely loved this book and have already told several people they MUST add it to their TBR.
5/5 stars for me.

On par with how I feel about a lot of Rebecca Ross' work. While this was one of my most anticipated books of 2023, I don't think it hit the notes I wanted. Like all her work, it's well-written and solid. but there's just something that, despite its engaging premise, didn't draw me in enough. Still, I always want to see what the author will do next. Her adult debut was one of m favorites and I hope she gears more of her work that way in the future.

Thanks St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books/Netgalley for the ARC!

Has a book ever taken your breath away?

Where you’re not sure you’ll ever be the same again after reading it? The author takes your soul and dips it into the ink of the story and finding, once you’ve read the last words, you’ve been washed ashore on a deserted island, watching the horizon for a ship that will take you home, wondering all the while if you’ll ever find something as lush and heartbreaking as the pages you were completely absorbed in?

Sublime, Divine Rivals will pull you into an adventure of a lifetime, holding you captive from the opening pages to the very end. I was enthralled.

There are so many reasons to pick up a copy of this brilliantly written book.

I devoured each chapter, my emotional state in a tangle of heartbreak, awe, and joy. I ugly cried in this one friends and it has been a while since I’ve needed an entire box of tissues.

And the ending!!!

I need the next book. 😭

Rebecca Ross is beyond talented who is capable of transporting readers into a world fully envisioned, your senses transfixed on every lush and heartbreaking detail, and characters you want to bundle up into your heart and never let them go.

I want Iris and Carver to have their happy ending. Please Rebecca make that happen. 🤞

Run, don’t walk, to grab a copy of this one.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Divine Rivals follows Iris and Roman, two rival journalists fighting for the columnist position at their newspaper publication. Iris is also writing letters to her missing brother on an old typewriter, and unbeknownst to her, they arrive at her enemy’s door. Soon, Iris is sent to the front lines to report on the fighting there, and she begins to rethink her opinions of Roman when he shows up by her side a little while later.

This is a high fantasy novel about family, love, and the realities of warfare. Both Iris and Roman have complicated relationships with their families, and it was incredibly fascinating to get to explore this. Especially Iris’s relationship with her brother, Forest.

This is a hate to love romance with tons of angst and pining. I loved how the romance was such a big part of this story, without taking away from other important aspects of it. I need Ruthless Vows ASAP so that I can see them get their HEA (and if they don’t Rebecca istg imma throw hands) (jk ily) (I’m not joking) ❤️

I wasn’t expecting the themes of war in this book to hit so hard, but they are *heavy*. I absolutely loved how realistic it was as it totally raised the stakes, but I l still urge everyone to read the TWs to find out if this book is right for you.

Rebecca Ross is one of my all time favorite authors thanks to her Elements of Cadence duology, and I am very glad that her other books are just as incredibly written.

Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Writing: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Divine Rivals follows Iris and Roman, two rival journalists fighting for the columnist position at their newspaper publication. Iris is also writing letters to her missing brother on an old typewriter, and unbeknownst to her, they arrive at her enemy’s door. Soon, Iris is sent to the front lines to report on the fighting there, and she begins to rethink her opinions of Roman when he shows up by her side a little while later.

This is a high fantasy novel about family, love, and the realities of warfare. Both Iris and Roman have complicated relationships with their families, and it was incredibly fascinating to get to explore this. Especially Iris’s relationship with her brother, Forest.

This is a hate to love romance with tons of angst and pining. I loved how the romance was such a big part of this story, without taking away from other important aspects of it. I need Ruthless Vows ASAP so that I can see them get their HEA (and if they don’t Rebecca istg imma throw hands) (jk ily) (I’m not joking) ❤️

I wasn’t expecting the themes of war in this book to hit so hard, but they are *heavy*. I absolutely loved how realistic it was as it totally raised the stakes, but I l still urge everyone to read the TWs to find out if this book is right for you.

Rebecca Ross is one of my all time favorite authors thanks to her Elements of Cadence duology, and I am very glad that her other books are just as incredibly written.