This book is one of my most anticipated releases in 2023, I pulled an all nighter reading it, I couldn't stop reading, it was that gooooood! Ross prose is so beautiful it compliments the setting and situation perfectly. I could feel their grief, hesitation and fear. I even felt Iris's sadness towards certain side characters, those scenes were really heartbreaking. Iris and Kitt now became one of my favorite couples. I always looked forward to that moment when they exchanged letters. They motivated each other and became each other's strength. They’re each other’s comfort and safe place. I love them so much.

Just a small request please, I hope that in the next book Ross will explain more about the gods and the creatures, because until the end of the book I couldn't grasp how they look like, how long they have been in a war, why the human got divided between two gods when all the myths were quite clear who the bad god was. Even though I have so many questions, but those didn't stop me from devouring this book!

After that devastating chapter and twists I badly need the physical copy and I can't wait to read the second book. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all fantasy readers. Please read! HAHA

Please look up the trigger warning before hand!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

An absolute five star read.
I don’t usually go for books with war settings, but I’m glad I took a chance. This story was absolutely dazzling, and I have not doubt it’s one that will stay with me for a good long while.
The rivalry, and tension of The Hating Game, but in a world much like that of Violet Evergarden. It’s such a unique blend, and definitely unlike anything I’ve ever read.
Rebecca Ross has the power to pull you right into the story and connect you so deeply to the characters. I felt everything while reading. The tension, the heartbreak, the anger, the loss, and the small ray of sunshine on a dark cloudy day in the form of a few kind words from a stranger.
I look forward to having this book on my shelf, and I will definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good romance.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE REBECCA ROSS BOOK!!

Okay, anyways. I absolutely ADORED this book and read it in just one sitting. The You’ve Got Mail vibes had me hooked from the first minute! I loved the workplace enemies, snarky banter, independent FMC, passionate MMC, wartime vibes, lore of gods and goddesses, gorgeous writing style, fast paced plot, perfect side characters, sweet romance… I mean do I need to keep going?!

Iris and Roman are absolutely perfect for each other and are the best romance that Rebecca Ross has ever written. It’s such a slow burn but is so worth it in the end. The World War I vibes mixed with sleeping gods and goddesses at war with each other was so unique, but worked really well in the world that Ross creates. The ending is a bit cliffhanger-y, but at the same time I also thought it wrapped up a lot of things from book 1 so I’m weirdly okay with anxiously awaiting book 2 in this duology. Gah I cannot recommend this book enough to everyone I know!

A slow burn enemies to lovers, historical fiction, a little bit of fantasy thrown in including magical typewriters? I think this book is going to be a big freaking deal when it releases. People are going to fall in madly in love with Iris and Roman. This is definitely not a fast paced story (until about 65% of the way through), but I appreciated the build up of the story and also the relationship between Iris and Roman. Both were such great characters with different family struggles and upbringings, but who ended up being perfect soulmates. I loved seeing them go from rivals as journalists to two people who could not live without each other. One thing I hope is done a bit more in the next book is more background on the gods and the actual reason for the war. I felt like that part of the story was a little vague. I think fans of WWII historical fiction will really enjoy the vibes of this one. I’m very excited to see everyone’s reactions to this book and also very excited about book two!
TW: death, descriptions of war and injuries

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced digital readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having read the Elements of Cadence I was expecting a little more fantasy and a little less traditional war epic. I really enjoyed the format of all the letters and it is a sweeping yet sad war story. Set in a fictional world it's a little timeless but gives a WWI/WWII feel. Honestly with the fantasy bits it felt very similar (in tone/not plot) to Wonder Woman. Dacre is definitely giving me Ares vibes. Overall, this was a little too sad (especially that ending!) for me but that is totally a me issue. I read to escape real life sadness, and while this is fantasy, the horrors of war in it are all too real.

Iris and Roman are rivals vying for the same columnist job at the Oath Gazette. There are magic letters, secret correspondence, and a war between gods.
This book grabbed my interest from the start and held it all the way through. At this point, my only complaint is that I have to wait to find out what happens! My heart can’t take it! I seriously cannot wait!
All the relationships that develop in this book are beautiful and pulled at my heartstrings. Ross really did a beautiful job weaving together the relationships and describing the settings and emotions so poignantly that you can feel them and see them.

Thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books and St Martins Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had no idea how much I would end up loving this! Rebecca Ross has created such an enchanting and passionate story here. (And, the romance is just out of this world!)

Iris Winnow is vying for the role of columnist at the Gazette. She is trying to win this title over her rival, Roman Kitt. (Yes!! Enemies to lovers!! And it is amazing!)

At this time, there is a war being fought between a god and goddess. Men and women are being called to fight for either side, including Iris's brother, Forest. After 6 months of him missing, Iris makes it her goal to find him. After her mother's sudden death, she signs up to be a war correspondent and makes her way to the war zone.

This story has magical typewriters, stories on the lore of the god and goddess, and seamlessly throughout all of this, the most romantic couple I've read about in a while.

Out April 4, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Wednesday Books, for this Arc!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Rebecca Ross always delivers fantasy stories with concepts that stand out, and Divine Rivals is no different. The World War I-esque setting, with elements of trench warfare and the overall impacts of the loss through war, come through beautifully, especially as the characters take us into their lives as people working for a newspaper covering the war and competing for a promotion in this cutthroat environment. There’s an otherworldly quality, with the war being between gods, and there being a magical presence, but it’s generally more on the whimsical side in spite of the heavy themes.

Iris is an easy protagonist to root for, as she’s hoping to locate her missing brother during the war, leading her to write the letters that become a major plot driver. She’s on her own, and not expecting these letters to get a response, except slipping them in her wardrobe magically sends them to Roman Carver Kitt, her office rival, and they develop the sweetest pen-pal relationship, initially unbeknownst to either of them of who the other is.

Roman’s life is the opposite of Iris’; while she left school and is working to make her living to support her mother, he’s had a pretty privileged upbringing. However, he’s not without his own baggage, as his parents continue to guilt-trip him about something from his past, and is confined by his lack of options due to his status. It’s a classic example of two people who are seemingly opposites at first who ultimately have very similar outlooks on life at heart coming together in an unexpected way.

Because of the more insular story, with the major characters being observers of the action around them for the most part, this isn’t a super-fast-paced, high action fantasy. But it allows for a deeper look at the characters and the issues that impact them.

This is a solid first installment in a series, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys more character-focused fantasy.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! It keeps me entertained and I didn’t want to stop reading! I can’t wait to see what’s next!

I’m once again swooning over Rebecca Ross’s writing! This historical fantasy was wonderfully written and I was left to anxiously await for the sequel!

It took a minute to hook me - some of the fantasy elements just weren't for me.
But the plot - UM YES!
The character development of Winnow and Kitt - so well done, complex, relatable and so heart wrenching. The use of a typewriter - the story behind its creation as well as the magical ability to communicate between them. Creative and lovely.
Rivals to friendship - again complex and so well done.
Family issues. Feisty grandmothers. Siblings.
I cannot wait for the next!

I really love Rebecca Ross as an author. I recently discovered her after reading a River Enchanted and A Fire Endless. She’s so masterful at creating beautiful magic worlds that blend with worlds we know. Her writing is very prosaic and I lover her characters. I will say for this book I felt like the main focus was on the two main characters and their relationship and the plot seemed almost like a background. Despite that I really enjoyed the book. I am curious about where the next book will lead especially after that ending. Worth a read!

Oh man, this was such an amazing read! I love Rebecca Ross's writing, her stories are just so compelling, and I had such a great time with this book! Enemies to lovers is a favourite trope of mine, and I loved watching it play out in this book!

Rebecca Ross has written some really fantastic books in the past, and with this book's synopsis, I knew that this book would be just as good. And boy, it was, I loved learning about the magic, as well as the enemies to lovers romance!

I utterly adored their romance. They both work at the paper, but they don't get along.When he magical gets the letter that she wrote to her brother, and replies, it's the start of something more, and watching them from this connection through their letters to one another was just fantastic!

The supernatural stakes of this book, with dealing with this war, it was a pretty huge task. I loved watching Iris undertake it, with the horrors and traumas of war, which Rebeca Ross dealt with excellently. The way things ended, yeah, I'm glad this is (I think) a duology so I can have more, and see where it goes from here!

This was such a great read, and I can't wait for the sequel!

“Divine Rivals” by Rebecca Ross is a book that blends elements of WWI and fantasy together to create a stunning story. I loved Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, and their story together just made my heart melt. The romance between them was allowed to slowly burn throughout the book and it just felt natural. The magic and WWI elements are melded very well together and it’s obvious that Ross did her research. There are some plot points of this book that I wanted to unfold a bit more gradually, but there was nothing that really hindered my reading experience and enjoyment of the book. I would happily recommend “Divine Rivals” to anyone who loves bantering rivals to lovers, magic typewriters, and a beautiful story that will both warm your heart and leave you waiting for the sequel.

I DEVOURED this book - it was so good. I absolutely loved the newsroom/journalist vibes & the chemistry between Roman and Iris. Everything about this worked. Now I can't believe I have to wait for book 2 :0

Review posted on Goodreads - March 6th 2023 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5393441239
Review will be posted on Amazon- April 13th 2023
Review posted on Waterstones- March 6th 2023 https://www.waterstones.com/reviews/divine-rivals/rebecca-ross/9780008588151/286445#review-286445

4.5 stars

• Rivals to lovers
• Found Family
• Secret Identity
• Magical Realism
• Upper YA (due to heavy themes, see TW below)

Divine Rivals is my favourite read of the year so far, it’s a book I couldn’t wait to continue reading! Ross’ writing was easy to read and enjoyable and the characters were lovable and the relationships intriguing. She created an atmospheric world full of magical realism, myth, and mystery.
Divine Rivals follows Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, who are both competing for the open columnist position at The Gazette. While Iris is trying to make ends meet and look after her mother, she is also writing to her brother, whom she lost contact with when he left for the war front months ago. Roman, on the other hand, leads a vastly different life– one controlled by his father and haunted by grief and regret. The letters he mistakenly receives from Iris are beacons of light, a connection he would call fate if he believed in fate. The more they communicate the more their lives intertwine.

While Divine Rivals is a romantic fantasy, there was also a focus on many different relationships. Found family, friendships, and strong side characters are highlights of this novel. Another positive is Ross doesn’t romanticise war, instead, the war is devastating and has a lasting impact on everyone involved in different ways.
Although this story was dual POV it mainly followed Iris and I would’ve liked more of Roman’s POV– at times, his POV felt like an afterthought. The mythology of the world could also be richer, at the end of the novel I still don’t know a lot about the gods or the reasons behind the war. As Divine Rivals is the first in a series, hopefully, these questions will be answered. I can’t wait to continue this series!

Content warnings were hard to locate, I found them in an author update on Goodreads. Hopefully, they can be added to the blurb.
TW: War, death, injury, loss of a sibling, loss of a parent, drowning, alcoholism, grief. The second half of this book focuses heavily on the action of war and doesn’t pull its punches. Ross used writings about WWI as a reference. Read only if you are comfortable with this content.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

A big thanks to Bethany @illstoptheworldandreadwithyou for sharing about this book. As soon as I read her review I was like SOLD & I ended up finding a fantasy with kissing book that was so good!

But also now I am INVESTED & there’s a cliffie.

But let’s focus on the positive ;) .

Rebecca Ross’s Divine Rivals has an enemies to lovers, workplace romance, class difference romance arc with a bit of a you’ve got mail correspondence situation—Iris, the FMC, has been writing letters & magically sending them to her beloved brother who’s at war, without knowing that they are actually traveling to her workplace rival Roman Kitt instead.

He does know that Iris is sending them. That won’t cause any problems, right? ;)

I basically thought everything about this book is so well done. Those elements, how war experiences are incorporated, both of the leads’ writing experiences, how they come to mean more to each other.

I love how they came together & the closing scenes left me with my heart in my throat. Not to mention the sweetness of various moments throughout the novel, like how Roman is willing to ride on the side of a truck FOR HOURS into a war zone because he can’t bear for Iris to go without him…& this is before they’re even together.

Highly recommend this one & really need the second kthankyoubye.

5⭐️. Out 04/04.

CWs: previous death of mother. Previous death of sister. War references.

[ID: Jess’s white hand holds the book in front of a brownish-green branch. A blue sky, a green field, & a chandelier are in the background.]

I received this advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. What a whirlwind of a novel! I genuinely enjoyed both of our main characters and the natural, snappy dialogue, filled with attempts to draw irritation in one another. I genuinely found this world to be very interesting, well developed, and it proposes stark choices that each character has to make for their own reasons. Although the romantic entanglement might come across slightly simplistic, I think it was charming and overall a worthwhile twist in this story.

Around 70% of the way through this novel I realized it was likely our characters were going to be separated by either the war, or some other circumstances. Despite that, I couldn't help but read all of the rest of the story and enjoy every last detail. Of course the plot twist at the very end is something that leaves the reader with a slight sense of dissatisfaction, but only because you are so engaged with your characters and hoping for it all to turn out well for them. Unfortunately we will have to find out more in our next installment!

If you are interested in any type of witty, class-differences story, set in a steampunk type of world with limited magic, and a raging war on a distant frontline, this is the novel for you!

This book definitely stepped me out of my comfort zone in the best way possible. There is magic. Enemies to lovers. War. I grew to really pull for the characters, Iris and Rowan, to figure things out. I also love the secondary characters and how they banded together to create this new family.

Fantasy is not my typical genre and I was a bit confused in parts but overall I really enjoyed Divine Rivals. Thank you to McMillan and NetGalley for providing the ARC to review this fantastic book.

I had such an emotional reaction to this book in October that I felt like I needed to wait a couple of months, read it again, and then form my thoughts into a coherent review… It didn’t work. I’m going to leave a couple of jumbled thoughts below but mostly I just want you to read it.

Things I loved:
- Impeccable writing that has burrowed into my heart and lives there now. Somehow Ross’s books get better and better with each reread and this one is no exception.
- The love story - the transition from rivals to lovers feels natural and fitting for the story.
- The characters. Ross never fails on this.
- It feels a lot like historical fiction but there are fantasy elements perfectly blended in.
- The love story - I could feel the two of them falling in love through their letters. This was my favorite thing about the book Last Christmas in Paris and I loved feeling that again here. So, if you liked that, read this.
- The way Ross handles the topic of grief. Especially in this particular scenario. Even when things feel devastating there is a constant thread of hope.
- The love story - this ends with a lot of unanswered questions that have me desperate for book two but the love story goes full circle in book one and I love that this particular question is not one we have to wait to have answered.
- Ross is SO good at world building and making the setting feel real. I feel wrapped in it, like it’s a real place, every time. If you can, definitely consider listening to the playlist that Ross made for it on Spotify while you read. I did it for my reread and it made it even more immersive.
- The love story - Yes, there is a theme here 🥰

A huge thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Content: romance is one very vague open door scene, alcoholism, war related violence, death of close family member