Rebecca Ross once again proves herself as my favorite author with Divine Rivals, the first in a new YA historical fantasy series. In a world inspired by WWI Europe, two gods have woken from a long slumber and are luring young men and women to fight in a celestial war they don’t even understand. After her brother enlists, Iris Winnow writes him letters to ease her mind, slipping them under a door where they vanish and end up in the hands of an anonymous stranger who begins to write her back. In a charming, You’ve Got Mail twist, Iris unwittingly forms a magical connection with her handsome and infuriating work rival, Roman Kitt. After a devastating series of events, Iris sets off to the front lines of the war in search of her brother and with the hope of uncovering the truth about why the gods are at war.

While I’ll admit that this book had a bit of a slow start, as soon as I hit Part II, I was utterly captivated. Ross has a lyrical writing style that never fails to enchant me. The addition of epistolary elements into this story was delightful. The letters and articles were woven perfectly into the narrative and added to the immersive atmosphere of the story.

The mythological aspects of the world and plot were very intriguing and kept me flipping pages to learn more. The stories of the gods are revealed slowly throughout the book and I was really invested in figuring out why they were at war. I loved that Ross pulled from various myths and blended them together into her own new tale for readers to discover along with Iris and I can’t wait to find out even more in the sequel.

I am in awe of the way that Rebecca Ross writes romance and Iris and Roman are no exception. Their story is the perfect combination of yearning and friendship. I was routing for them from page one and loved the pacing and progression that their relationship had. While there is one “spicy” scene that would classify this book as more upper YA, Ross depicted it in such a delicate and tasteful way that I really appreciate in a book targeted at younger readers.

Divine Rivals is simply sublime. A romance so tender and pure it makes my heart ache. An ending I’ll never recover from. This book is one I’ll be recommending over and over again.

You really going to leave me off like that??!! I need book 2 NOW!

This book is beautifully designed in 3 parts that feel so different. An enemies to lovers with magical/fantasy elements, yet feels very real and takes place during a time of war.

From the get go, Iris and Roman’s connection is obvious and doesn’t feel forced. They have a great journey of discovery of themselves and each other and I love it! Can I have a magic typewriter and wardrobe please?

I love that this story takes us from typical day to day life and also brings Iris and Roman to the front lines of war. The first 2 parts set up part 3 perfectly! We could’ve seen a little more world building at the start based on how this story ends, however by the time you get to the end that CLIFFHANGER is all you can think about!!

I’m so glad this has been my first Rebecca Ross read!

But can I give it more stars? Hands down my favorite Rebecca book to date and I gave her last three five stars. I loved every minute and every choice she made throughout. The world-building, romance, attention to detail, and twists come together in a completely breathtaking way. I am so excited to see where book two takes us!
I didn't know what to expect when I started this book. While the cover is something special, it doesn't bring to mind anything my imagination could conjure for preconceived notions. When meeting the main characters, their banter and rivalry leapt off the page in a cozy historical setting with a magical realism flair. Iris's letters to her brother mysteriously disappear and, after several sent notes, she begins to receive returned messages from an unknown individual. Ultimately though, Iris's need to find her brother supersedes her career aspirations and interest in continuing the letter exchange with her mysterious pen pal.
This is one of those books that I loved so immediately and thoroughly that I had to pre-order the physical copy even though I wasn't quite finished. The narration by Rebecca Norfolk and Alex Wingfield is perfection. I loved everything about it and highly recommend this format along with buying the book itself because why not own multiple formats for what will surely be a favorite for the year?
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the alc and Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

TW: War, familial death, alcoholism, grief, blood, gore

Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals is the story of two rival journalists competing for the same position but then morphs into a story of love, self discovery, and found family. Iris Winnow is the not so well off girl who's had to drop out of school to help support her mother and herself after he brother has gone off to fight in a war between two gods. She's an excellent writer and is in competition with Roman Kitt for a columnist position at a highly regarded paper in her town. Roman is a well to do man who is feeling the pressure of being his father's heir. His whole life has been mapped out for him and he's still grieving over his sister who drowned under Roman's supervision. Roman and Iris have great banter but it's easy to see there is a deeper connection between them. This story really takes the reader on an emotional ride through everything from loss and grief to love and peace.

The characters of Iris and Roman were great, it was easy to identify with both of them and I thought the side characters of Attie and Marisol were fleshed out just enough. The pacing was good. It started a bit slow for me but at about 20% I really didn't want to put it down. The letters between characters were written so beautifully and with so much emotion that I cried several times! Though this story is set in the 1800s but it's not the 1800s we knew. There's gods on Earth and they are fighting amongst each other in a literal war and there's some magic typewriters thrown in for good measure too. Sounds crazy but it all meshes well together when you read it.

The only gripe I do have is the ending. The whole book was very emotional and really dug into your guts with feeling but then the end comes out of nowhere and it was like a literal bucket of ice water poured over your head. I feel like the author wanted to set up the sequel so bad and didn't really take the time set up as well as she had everything else in the book. This ends on a MAJOR cliffhanger and I'm very distraught for our characters, I'll definitely be reading the next one!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

A wonderfully unique and romantic low fantasy for fans of Joanna Hathaway and Lauren Weymouth. One of my favorite and sadly underused genres is this form of low fantasy, with elements that feel like historical fiction but in a history that isn't ours. Divine Rivals uses this to explore grief, guilt, and war while also providing a slow-burn romance that feels earned. In addition, the writing itself is lovely, evocative, and voicey in the sense that the characters felt genuine, and their words true to them. This genuinely stands out in the crowded YA fantasy market, and is well worth a read. My only complaint would be a slow start, but once it is pushed through the book becomes something very special.

Thank you NetGalley & Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Great War by Taylor Swift is this book’s theme song. My heart hurts. This was an incredibly sweet and heartbreaking fantasy romance (super light fantasy) with rivals to lovers, found family, and pen pals but they don’t know it’s each other. I only took one star off because it’s written in 3rd person, which I personally struggle with, and it moved pretty slow off and on. Other than that, this was a great read and the ending had me audibly saying “WHAT.” So I’ll be here slowly dying until book 2 comes out.

I'm never going to shut up about this book. I LOVED this - couldn't put it down or stop thinking about it loved this book from basically page one.

Everything from the vaguely fantastic background to the very real World War I-esque setting was very much my shit. I mean...magical typewriters that send letters between the two main characters where one character doesn't know the other is their rival from the newspaper where they are battling to be full-time columnists? Perfection

Iris and Roman dual narrate this book and the two of them are just completely magic on the page whether they are exchanging letters or exchanging barbed insults. I adored both of them and felt for them so much as they endured various struggles and tragedies that brought them closer together.

Although the war this book takes place during is between two Gods (or a God and Goddess), the stakes are very familiar and I loved how the book focuses very much on the realistic impacts that war has on the very people forced to fight and deal with the consequences. This book is a fantasy but the impact of magic and monsters feels very remote until the very end. The character work and the romance is at the forefront of this absolutely stunning book I cannot stop thinking about. The ending of the book makes me think that the next book might have more of a focus on the fantastical elements of the world-building, but I am just absolutely on pins and needles waiting to spend more time with Iris and Roman.

Thank you SO much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Divine Rivals

Five Stars
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I found this book very interesting and unique.
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This is basically a fantasy You Got Mail in this enemies-to-lovers romance.
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We enter in the middle of our main characters competing to become a columnist for a prestigious newspaper.
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There is also a war going on but there’s some disbelief on the part of the human population that they are fighting monsters unleashed by a particular god. Because this war is really between the gods. Two gods specifically, and mortals are paying the price.
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The story unfolds as the characters learn new information about what is really going on. There are beautiful moments and tragic ones throughout, but I loved every monstrous moment. Looking forward to book two!
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Thanks to St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an e-book in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

I’ve read a few Rebecca Ross’ books in the last few months, and I love how her writing just feels like a beautiful melody written just for me. Divine Rivals is no different. Full of rich characters and a plot that feels so unique, you won’t want to miss this one.

I very much enjoyed the main character Iris. She dealt with tragedy after tragedy and she kept getting up and kept going while also bearing the mental weight of all that she was dealing with which I think is relatable. The relationship between her and the male character was really sweet, a nice enemies to lovers trope. The magical elements weren’t as fleshed out as I would have liked. There was some backstory on why the war started but it seemed it was more of a backdrop for the romance between Iris and Kitt. It is marketed as a fantasy historical fiction book but it wasn’t disclosed where the story was taking place and the war is obviously fictional. However, I loved the story and the writing. A really great book,

This is probably one of my favorite books of the year so far. I stepped into Rebecca Ross’ world not expecting anything and just coming along for the ride and it was probably one of the best decisions i’ve made! First of all, I’m a sucker for an enemies-to-lovers and this is probably one of the best I’ve seen! She struck a perfect balance of having a slow burn while also remaining grounded to the setting of the story and moving the main relationship along. Every moment feels true to the characters and the world, every choice feels so grounded that I often felt on the edge of my seat to see what would happen. I am in awe of Ross’ writing and world building! She did such a great job of describing the way the cities feel like and how the war moves closer and closer in a creeping, crawling sort of way until it’s too close and too late to escape. I wish I could’ve had a map to place myself in the world but that’s honestly just me being nitpicky. I can’t wait to learn more about the gods too, I’m so curious about the lore and history of this world. Also, the end of the book absolutely broke me, I stared at the page in shock for minutes! 5/5!

Although I thought this was going to be more of a mythological reimagining than a romance novel, I still enjoyed this story. The "magic" system isn't well defined, but you see evidence of the remnants of the various god's powers from long ago, including in the typewriters of Iris and Roman. I thought the pacing of the story was good and there was enough worldbuilding for me to sense what it would be like to live in this world (not easy for anyone who was not in the top 1%). Still, I would have liked more of an explanation of the mythology (as far as I could tell, this was a mythology of the author's imagination). Once I gave up thinking of this more as an older Percy Jackson story, I enjoyed it for what it was. I liked the interplay between Iris and Roman and I liked that the written word helped build the bond between them. The side characters were good as well, and I hope they all play a part in the next book. The ending throws a twist that I was both expecting and not expecting, but it left us with a taste of what the next book will be about. Based on how it ends, I'm wondering if we'll finally get a better idea of what's going on with the two gods (although there were 5). While this is my first book by the author, I'm already looking forward to the next book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Blurb: An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eGalley of this work in exchange for my honest review.

Ross's Divine Rivals absolutely wrecked me, and I already want book two...right this second, not months from now.

Told from the perspective of Iris and Roman, rivals in competition for a position at a local newspaper, this story weaves magic, war, longing, loss, family, and love together into something I was not expecting when seeing the book compared to Shadow and Bone and Lore.

The writing is beautiful most of the time. There were a few times when phrases pulled me out of the story, but those moments were few and far between. Most of the time the writing is exceptionally descriptive, and I felt I was right there in Oath sitting with Iris by candlelight as she types letters to her brother and her mysterious responder or in the trenches reporting on the war.
The characters are well developed for a first book, and the supporting characters and the different settings add to rather than detract from the main plot.

The lore of the gods, Dacre and Enva, is slowly explained via letters and research, and the ending helps to further this lore as something presently happening rather than something mythic and distant. And the conclusion sets up well for the next book.

If you love enemies to lovers, fantasy, stories rooted in family and love, or simply want to try to branch out and read a new genre--Don't skip out on this book!!

I had a suspicion that Rebecca Ross was a new favorite author after reading and loving her Elements of Cadence duology last year. Divine Rivals proved that theory to be incredibly accurate. I adored this book from start to finish. Ross’s prose here is lovely without ever feeling purple, and is incredibly easy to sink into. The voice she gives her central character, and the beautiful writing found in the letters that make up much of the story, were both brilliantly done and charmed me completely.

Iris Winnow and Roman C. Kitt are fighting for the single columnist promotion up for grabs at the Oath Gazette. Eighteen year-old Iris is gifted and tenacious but under tremendous strain. Her brother, who had been fighting on the frontlines of a war between gods, is now missing in action. Their mother is drowning her sorrows and draining their scant funds, meaning that Iris often goes to work and to bed hungry, despite her hard work. Roman Kitt is the nineteen year-old heir-apparent to a new-money family, and is trying to make a name for himself in order to bolster respect from the elite, which is what his father craves above all. Iris and Roman are fiercely competitive and often bump heads, but soon find themselves connected in a very unusual way.

Like The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, this story has elements of You’ve Got Mail, but in a fantasy setting. Our main characters, Iris and Roman, develop an unlikely connection through magical typewriters and heart-baring letters. However, much like You’ve Got Mail, only one knows the identity of the other, and the ways in which that knowledge effects their rivalry is by turns funny and sweet. I’m not a fan of miscommunication as a trope, but this is, for some reason, an exception. Speaking of tropes, this is also one of the best rivals-to-lovers stories I’ve ever experienced. The romance here was just impeccable. It was sweet without being saccharine, and it made my heart ache in the best way.

I love when a fantasy world is not stuck in the magical equivalent of the dark ages. The existence of human progression and technological advancement in a fantastical world is woefully underrepresented in the genre as a whole, and I absolutely adore when a writer bucks that norm. This book did that incredibly well. We have a world that is obviously not our own, with gods and magic coexisting with typewriters and trains. And the war element was also well handled. It was interesting seeing a magical war through the eyes of journalists, those fighting with words instead of taking up arms. There were so many elements about this world and the story setup that I loved.

That being said, there were a few instances were plot progression felt less organic than the rest of the story and more like devices being forced to fit so that the plot would move along as the author dictated. But for the most part, this was a story that felt believable, even in the midst of the fantastic. I will say that the cliffhanger ending made me want to pull my own hair out from sheer frustration, but that also shows how deeply I was invested in the story. I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel. I hope Ross writes quickly!

So far the best book I’ve read this year!! Divine Rivals was poetic and emotional to the point It made me tear up. Despite this being fantasy, there are very little fantasy elements. For most of the book you can take out the Gods aspect and it’d be a touching tale about how war effects the lives of those facing it + a touching love story. Looking forward to reading the second book when it comes out!!

Thanks you publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An entrancing and beautiful story of love, trust, and becoming, set against a heartrending backdrop of war and loss.

The gods have woken, and they have gone to war.
Iris’ brother left to fight for Enva months ago, and she hasn’t heard from him since. She promised him she would finish school, but her mother has turned to drink and someone needs to make sure their bills get paid.
Roman’s father has a plan for how his life must look to society, regardless of what his son wants. Appearance is all that matters to the elder Kitt.
They both work for the Oath Gazette, and are vying for the same columnist position. Iris for survival, Roman for his family’s pride. But they share a connection that only one of them is yet aware of.

I need to put this book into the personal context that I am a teacher days away from the spring holiday, so I am utterly exhausted, and yet I stayed up late two nights in a row because I could not put this down. I laughed. I cried. I tried desperately not to wake my husband while I squealed.

Iris and Roman’s story is adorable. The loss, grief, and horror in this novel is visceral, and yet somehow it was still an enjoyable and quick read. I was entranced by the main characters from their first introduction, and loved the dynamic of the two POVs which allowed us to see what each character knew and was feeling. And what wonderful characters they are: deep, relatable, well-rounded, realistic. I didn’t always agree with their decisions, but they always felt true to who the characters were as people and what we knew of their histories.

Setting a book against a backdrop of war, violence, and loss without it becoming a dark and harrowing read is a skill. Rebecca Ross has perfectly balanced the realities of a war zone with fast pacing and lighthearted interludes which stopped me from dwelling overly on the less pleasant aspects of the book.

The magic of the world was subtle in this novel. I hope, and suspect, that we may see more of the gods magic in the sequel, but within Divine Rivals it is mostly contained to magic typewriters, myths, and anecdotes. I would love to see more of and learn more about the world’s magic in the next book.

Overall, I absolutely adored Divine Rivals, and cannot wait for the sequel already! Another wonderful book by Rebecca Ross.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The gods were supposed to be sleeping, but two rival gods wake and pull humanity into a war. Iris Winnow’s goal is to win the columnist position at a local newspaper, when her brother enlists in the war and is not heard from again. Iris strikes up a friendship with a mysterious correspondent, and is forced to rethink her priorities.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this one, but I ended up loving it so much! It is magical realism in a setting loosely based on the WWI era. I’m fascinated by time period, but it does make the warfare difficult to read. I also really liked the mythology aspect, how we hear some of the myths about the origins of the conflict between the gods. I hope to hear even more about that as the series continues. It has what I like to call the Cyrano trope, where one correspondent doesn’t know the other’s identity, and I thought it was done well in this book. The characters were brave and endearing, and I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers romance. I can’t wait to see where these characters go next!

This book takes time to set things up and pull you in but once it does you won’t be able to get enough. I’m familiar with the author’s last book so I knew I had to check this book out and it did not disappoint. Iris and Roman are rival reporters vying for the same position. The author does a great job of showing both their lives and motivations while revealing the growing bond between them. Then the magical typewriters get tossed in and you’re left wondering how it all connects. I loved this story and the way the two MCs fall for each other. It was written well and had me completely immersed in their world. Ngl, I didn’t get the whole Dacre/Enva thing at all and I still enjoyed the story. I would definitely recommend this to others who want to read a romance about two people who write magical love letters to each other. I’m definitely interested in the next book!


Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

3.5 stars

This is one of those fantasies that shouldn’t have been high fantasy; it should have been historical romance with magical realism. The world building was erractic, confusing, and overall lacking. In a world where the Roman Empire never existed, how is there a character named Roman? The author said this was a World War I inspired world—and while I can see the influences, I think this would have been better as a romance set in World War I without the gods. The gods were virtually irrelevant for the whole of the book, and the story isn’t really a fantasy. It’s a romance between two journalists during a war.

I will say, the romance was easily the best part of the book. I did enjoy it—although there were times I felt the romance moved too fast. Especially at the end, after Iris found out who she was writing. I always enjoy a good secret identities trope where they know (and hate) each other in real life, and I felt like it was well executed. I found Iris to be, at times, a somewhat irksome protagonist who wallowed in self-pity and felt inactive, but Roman felt like a Mr. Darcy type of love interest and I did really appreciate his character. The side characters all kind of blurred together.

Overall, I think this was a better romance than it was fantasy. I did have a good time reading it, especially when Roman and Iris were on the page together. If it were a historical romance with magical realism, it probably would have been a 5 star read. But I just can’t overlook the world building issues. I do think fans of A Far Wilder Magic will really enjoy this one!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the ARC! All views reflected are my own.

Listen if you like:
🔱 Stories of Gods
🗡️ War Time Stories
✨ Fantasy
⚔️ Enemies to Lovers
💕 Slow Burn Romances
😘 He Falls First
⌨️ Magical Typewriters

This one was such a great start to the series and I truly can’t wait for the next book after finishing this one!

If you are looking for a YA fantasy, I’d highly recommend checking this one out as it was such a sweet story of two people falling in love in two different ways, through the magical typewriters they are connected through and as enemies to lovers in the workplace. This one also is great for those that love Greek mythology or stories of gods interfering with human lives.

This truly has the sweetest love story and the ending that will definitely make me come back for the next book in the series!

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for this spectacular ARC in exchange for my honest review!