Thank you, NetGalley, for this arc.
I need more and thankfully from the way this story ended...I'm pretty sure there's going to be a sequel. I loved the rivaly between these two headstrong,work obsessed individuals who find ways to nit pick and outshine each other on a daily basis. Add in a war led by gods, a missing brother, amazing side characters, magical typewriters, ley lines, and enemies turned to lovers; I couldn't put it down. You feel with your whole body for Iris and how her story has unfolded. You're rooting for Kitt to finally lead his own life. This story was bloody magical, and I highly recommend it.

Set in a time that resembles the 1940’s, Iris Winnow and her brother Forest part when he volunteers to fight in the war. But this isn’t a WWII story; it’s a war between the mythological gods of the underground and the sky.

Despondent over her brother leaving, Iris uses a typewriter that her grandmother gave her to compose letters to her brother. She leaves these letters in her wardrobe and then finds replies in their place. She learns that it isn’t her sibling corresponding, but still she finds the mysterious missives soothing and comforting.

No word from her brother compounds Iris’ stress over their mother’s oblivion as she drinks away her misery. Quitting school to earn money as a reporter seems like the only alternative to support her and her mom, but there’s another novice reporter who is her nemesis. Roman Kitt is vying for the same promotion she needs and he is a really good writer. Their interactions are filled with taunts and snide remarks. Iris likes to mess with him, just to irritate him. He likes to tease her about her tardiness and messiness. It’s the perfect setup for sparks to fly.

When Iris decides to head toward the front to report on the war and search for Forest, the action takes a turn. The conditions at the front are described just as one might expect for a real warzone. It has the feel of a real-world conflict, rather than one between fantastic beings.

Ross has created a mythological landscape that closely resembles our world but with monsters and gods leading the battle. The relationship of Iris and Roman is the central storyline. They are the heart of the book. Iris is delightful and the women she meets near the front are further examples of strong, courageous ladies. Roman is also memorable; he’s funny and dedicated. When the two are together, the banter is sparkling and the tension is high.

The world of the gods is explored in terms of their historic rivalry but little is shown of their machinations in the current conflict. Future installments in the series will hopefully explore the gods and their role more fully. Overall, the book is intense and will leave readers gasping at the end, setting them up to anxiously await the next book.

Divine Rivals wasn’t what I expected, but it swept me off my feet nonetheless. Rebecca Ross crafted a beautiful story full of spellbinding prose and a lovely cast of characters.

I was so excited to read this book! I love Rebecca Ross’s writing, and this book is no exception to that. She has crafted a beautiful story and I’m so glad I got to read it. The epistolary elements really gave us a look at the characters’ writing style, and as reporters I think that was a really important element of the book.

I loved Iris. She really took it upon herself to do what she thought was right, and do what she needed for herself. I really appreciated her strong sense of self, and how much she was willing to step out of her comfort zone.

Roman was also lovely, and the growth of their relationship was so adorable. I do think his POV sections felt a little bit unnecessary at times, but there are bits and pieces that definitely added to the very end of the book. I know that she added his POV later in the writing process, but this definition feels like Iris’s story and his sections didn’t feel as important or as necessary.

There were a couple of things that didn’t quite work for me. I don’t think all of the side characters were flushed out enough for me to care about them individually, especially Attie. I also think that sometimes the book suffered from too much exposition and tell vs show. This was especially true in the first half, but improved later on. This last one is a tiny nitpick, but the time period of this fantasy world is definitely based on WWI, and at one point Iris mentions wearing a bra, but bras didn’t exist yet. This is a fantasy world so it’s not the biggest issue, but she would definitely be wearing a corset.

Even with those few complaints, this really was a beautiful book. I appreciate the fact that wow this book definitely had historical inspiration from World War I, Ross created a world without patriarchy, and it felt more queernormative than our own. It was so refreshing to read a book taking place in a time that feels familiar without the usual trappings of historical fantasy and misogyny.

I am definitely excited to read book two when it comes out! This was an adorable fantasy romance, and I’m looking forward to learning more about the gods. 4 stars.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me a review copy. All thoughts are my own.

A bit of a slow starter, but this book has an interesting premise based on rival journalists who both want to get a the big scoop about the ongoing war. More to follow.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have never read anything by Rebecca Ross, but I should probably start now. I loved Divine Rivals. I loved the combination of realistic fiction and fantasy. We have Iris who is a journalist and wants to write about the war that is happening on behalf of two gods. Enva and Dacre. She is searching for her brother who went to fight on behalf of Enva. She is also trying to get a promotion and is competing against the infuriatingly handsome Kitt. When two magical typewriters anonymously bring them together, they find themselves as war correspondences out on the front.

I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers aspect. I loved the incorporation of the gods and the history between how this war came to be. The ending left me wanting so desperately for the next book. This is one of those books I couldn't put down.

I am so thankful to have been selected as an advance reader. I don’t think I’ll be able to shut up about this one for a long time to come. Rebecca Ross blew me away in the Elements of Cadence so I was ravenous for this one, and it did not disappoint. I could not put it down and got no laundry folded, as the baskets piled up. I think I spent 70% of the book in a dead swoon.

In summary, this was one of the sweetest, most romantic, and most gripping books I’ve read in years. It was just about perfect, from the slow, steady build, to the sweetness and delight, to the agonizing emotion of holding your breath to see if fate would bring them together after all. The side characters were wonderful as well. Nuanced, interesting, distinct, multi faceted. The descriptions of grief, addiction, war, ptsd, and fear were so visceral, and juxtaposed with unbearable clarity against the sweetness of the power of love and of choosing someone despite your fear. Ross is excellent at character development, subtlety, and descriptiveness. Each book of hers that I’ve read seriously sinks you into a sense of place that is so magical and enchanted it feels like you’re standing in a spring rain, in the lush, misty mountains of some magical land. Take me there, please.

Dying for the second book.

I throughly loved this book. I enjoyed the way it was told, the characters, the world building - although I will admit, I don't really understand the war - however I didnt care because I just loved the romance that was blooming between Roman and Iris.

It was a slow burn in the best possible way, because just reading about them slowing opening up to each other and sharing their innermost thoughts was just so good. I loved the idea of the magical typewriters - genius idea.

I couldn't put it down, and cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press/Wednesday Books for the ARC.

Ugh! Did I mention I dislike cliffhangers? Well I should have known being that the Goodreads description indicates Divine Rivals as Iris at the Front #1. All cliffhangers aside, Divine Rivals really grabbed me and left me wanting more and more.

Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are competing for a prestigious columnist position at a local newspaper publishing company — the Oath Gazette. Iris and Roman are like oil and water and the competition for the promotion just exacerbated their rivalry. But Iris needed the position a lot more than she let on. She was struggling financially. And Roman, who came from a wealthy family, needed the position the least.

As Iris navigates adulthood during a tumultuous war between the gods, she loses the ones she loves most in her life — her brother who went missing in the war, and her mother in a tragic accident.

Desperate to reconnect with her brother, Iris types letters to her brother, slips them into her closet where they magically disappear. And unbeknownst to Iris, her letters land into the closet of her rival, Roman Kitt who writes back anonymously. Thus forging an invisible bond that will carry them through the ravages of war, losses of loved one and more.

Divine Rivals is the first book in the Iris at the Front series and it is sure to be a hit with the Teen & YA fanbase. I certainly loved it regardless of its genre.

The story follows and enemies to lovers trope that slowly develops over time through correspondence. The plot is reminiscent of the Griffin & Sabine trilogy where pen pals become so much more than acquaintances, But what is unique is the fantasy and magical aspects of the story.

I loved all of the characters in this novel. From the backstory of the gods to the front story of the war and soldiers, each character possessed a distinctive personality that is sure to please discriminating palates.

Overall, Divine Rivals is right up there as one of my favorite reads for 2023. I can’t wait for the sequel. Five stunning stars.

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

NOTE: Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy of the book!


As far as I'm aware, Rebecca Ross had written books before and it's the first time I read her work, but I remember when this book popped up on my feed via a friend who was excited to read this book and the idea of Divine Rivals being the intense version of enemies to lovers...


Well, sign me up. So imagine my excitement when I finally get to be able to read this book and OH IT HAS BEEN A RIDE so far that I can't wait for more!


Short Summary: Two rivals competing for a position at a newspaper send anonymous letters through a magical closet as they deal with war... and some unwelcome feelings of love.


Long Summary: Iris Minnow is an aspiring journalist at the Gazette, struggling to make ends meet with an alcoholic mother who is still grieving for her son who has gone to the war against the Gods Enva and Dacre. Unsure of whether or not her brother is still alive, she writes letters to him in hopes that he receives them, but the only thing pushing her are two things now:



The promotion at the Gazette and Roman Kitt.


Roman hates the visceral, emotional writing that Iris creates, and by extension, her and as the two fight for the position, all he needs is a reason to keep going after all the mistakes he has done in the past. With a rich family who wishes to expand the dynasty, Roman is thrust onto an arranged marriage as he tries to fight for something he can get without depending on the family name.


But everything changes when he gets a letter that peeks out of his wardrobe. What is first mere curiosity becomes the discovery that he is receiving the letters Iris sends to her brother. And as he learns more about his rival, the more strategies he has to steal the promotion from her... the less he wants to and the more he starts to realize that perhaps there is more to life than just war.


There could even be... love.



Honestly, it seems so rare nowadays to have Historical Fantasy books and learning a lot more about the mythology of the gods, about the fear to reveal all facets of the truth and dealing with these rivals who hate each other's guts into slowly falling in love was such a beautiful story and it made for a great train read (Because of course this book was mostly read while on the train to and from school!) It is part of a bigger series so I am definitely waiting to see where it goes but I LOVED this one and I definitely recommend you all adding this one to your shelves!


Overall: 5/5 stars

Wow what a GREAT book!! I can’t believe I have to wait a year for the sequel 😭😭. A river enchanted was my favourite book of January and this hands-down was my favourite book of February (technically I finished it in March but was over 50% complete in February so I’m counting it there!(.

I wasn’t quite sure what to think of the book at the beginning, even though like always I was immediately drawn in by the beautiful prose, imagery, setting and of course the characters. Naturally I fell in love with Iris and Ronan and the magical story being weaved, but i didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I did. While there was a small slump in the middle of the book or 2/3 through (hello calm before storm), the end was jam packed with action, intrigue and a great setup for a sequel!

I have all kinds of theories about who-is-who and what will happen next and am positive I will be ready and waiting preorder in hand for book two. Can’t wait! Highly highly recommend although check out the trigger warnings as it’s a more serious novel.

Rebecca Ross is one of my favorite authors, and this book does not disappoint! It’s so vividly raw and beautiful and I was rooting for Roman and Iris from page one. I’m desperate for the sequel RIGHT NOW and am probably going to go cry and decompress for a bit because THAT ENDING.

I had no idea what to expect with this book and now I can’t stop thinking about how good it was! It involves a secret correspondence via magical typewriters, an enemies to lovers romance (but in the best way) a war between Gods and an action packed ending with the biggest cliffhanger. This book was written so beautifully and I can’t wait to see where the next book takes me. And it better take me exactly where I need it to BTW. 😉 I definitely recommend this gem of a book and I can’t wait to read more of Ross’ work!

📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖

✨ Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross ✨

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

Where do I even start. This book is now one of my favorite reads of all time. ONE OF THE GOATS! I fell in love with the story + the characters so deeply that the cliffhanger ripped my heart from my chest and now I’m trying to put all the pieces back together because it was just 👏 that 👏 good 👏

Here’s what to expect:
✨ Fantasy world but with historical atmospheric vibes circa WWI
✨ War between 2 gods who compel mortals to fight for them
✨ Rivals to lovers + newspaper workplace romance
✨ Secret identities
✨ He falls first
✨ Dual POV
✨ Painfully romantic (I cried lots)
✨ Gut-wrenching ending with lots of promise for the next book (this is the first of a duology)

I need the sequel like I need air. I cannot even begin to describe how much I loved this story, but I will say that it is forever engrained in my soul.

Beautiful story about a young woman trying to survive in a war ridden world. I absolutely loved this story. From the beginning the main character had a lot of trauma and heartache and you felt it while reading. You felt the loss and heartache and happiness and eventually love. The ending left me speechless and wanting more!

Wow. This is fantasy, but the historical feels are SO real - the World War I vibes are hard to miss. The writing is beautiful and the enemies to lovers is so exquisitely done. It's built on class differences and competition where they still respect each other and the other's talent - which just makes them more competitive. And if you love an enemies to lovers where He Falls First and He Falls Hardest, this is absolutely up your alley.

This is primarily a romance, but the world is so well crafted and thickens the plot. This war isn't built on politics, but it's built on gods. And as you're following the characters at first, the war seems like an afterthought because that's what it is for them - they're so removed from the war and what's happening. But as the characters get closer to the war, the reasons for it and the reality of it grow in intensity to the point where the book ends and you know exactly how important all of it is going into book two. It was realistic to how war is for a lot of us, these days, though probably not as realistic as it would've been in WWI.

The backstories for both characters was well structured and built up, but Iris's was definitely stronger than Roman's. I can see that focus changing a little in book two and there are still some holes to fill in, but Iris and Roman were both clearly flawed humans with complex backgrounds and it was delightful to get to know them.

I loved Rebecca Ross's debut duology and got off reading her books for a while but wow am I happy to return. She's probably one of the greatest authors we have in YA right now.

1.) How dare this be a first book in a series without me knowing until I am halfway through and Goodreads has a series name next to the title that I don’t believe was there before!

2.) This book wasn’t what I was expecting but in a good way!

3.) How dare Ross make me feel so much for these characters! My heart can’t take it!

The book is told from two point-of-views that come from Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt. They are both working at the same newspaper and vying for the same job. Their relationship definitely has enemies-to-lovers vibes and with that comes some very humorous banter.

I guess because the blurb mentions it I can talk about their letters to one another. Although I will keep it brief! The letters between them were filled with a lot of heart and grief but also hope and understanding when it’s time to be your person and not let others dictate your life. They make both Iris and Roman vulnerable and I loved seeing that side of them. They always have a hard exterior or armor and it’s not easy to let people in. Even though they had their differences they still had much in common like family issues and grief, and it does help to build a bridge across their gap.

The romance was slow and sweet. It took time to culminate the events leading up to the massive whoa moment and I couldn’t be happier with how everything went down. In the midst of all the war and the destruction that comes with it there was still hope and a promise for a better day.

Now, this book obviously deals with the horrible effects and war as mentioned previously. It’s sad and had me tearing up. War also means that everything doesn’t go according to plan either and those plot twists were BRUTAL. That word needs to be in caps. The last half of the book never quits once it gets going and I finished a good chunk of it in one sitting! I needed to know what would happen next to these characters that I grew fond of.

There are many other characters besides Roman and Iris. I pretty much liked them all, even if some had smaller parts. Roman’s family though? Total dillweeds. I feel like they could have a larger role in the next book though. It just might cause a lot of strife! They each had a different story to tell about why they were fighting, reporting on the war, or just helping where they could. They showed a different side to everything.

Throughout the book we learn bits and pieces about the two gods that declared war against one another. I love mythology and this was a nice touch! I still have a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to the gods but I am sure that more will be revealed in the sequel. It was also a nice touch to see things discussed (usually an item) be used in a later part of the book and then have that ah-ha moment when it all comes

Overall, I am very pleased with this book even if my heart is shattered from all the feelings that came over me while reading. Ross did a fantastic job yet again!

Enemies to lovers is a trope we can all get behind. ACADEMIC RIVALS to lovers? *chef’s kiss*

This is deemed an upper YA/adult romance, Ross’ first in this genre… and she knocks it out of the park. The tension. The angst. It’s, *magical*. Just like this story.

Ross writes with such passion and attention to detail, you can’t help but fall in love with her worlds and her characters. Everything is mysterious and dazzling and charming, and you are just happy to be along for the ride.

While discussing war, violence, addiction, and the bleaker sides of life, Ross manages to have a lens of looking toward the light in the darkness, of hope. It is a breath of fresh air.

Iris and Roman’s story is one I know I will continue to revisit again and again.

Congratulations on this beautiful book, Rebecca.

Thank you Netgalley for this exceptional ARC in exchange for my honest review.

first time reader of miss ross' work and I can positively say this woman is gonna be an auto buy author. the story-telling was so masterfully done that it honestly made me question my wit and intelligence. it took a little bit for me to fully grasp the story's nuances because I was enraptured by the way the words came together to create a world filled with adventure, war, love and loss and a lot of bad-assery from the leads.

the book has a lot of great commentary on important topics which I will mute because it may be a spoiler. however, I will say that it painted a diverse portrait of how fucked up reality is, and the immorality of humans as they are flawed. i also loved the war aspect of this novel quite a bit. the road it took was unexpected, i honestly went in with little expectations but, to this book's favor, it soared really high. this was not so much as a plot driven book as it was a tale of two characters' navigating their lives in a world so dangerous. iris and roman take the prize for most thought out characters. i just think they each have so much depth and layers to their independence, and it takes a while for both of them to come to terms with how each other's presence is truly what drives the hardest bargain. the push and pull, angst and rivalry really set them up as one hell of a team in the end.

the finale was chaotic to say the least. there were a lot of info dump which is presumably to set up the next installment of the series-- it was quite confusing because 0-100 was reached really quick but i cannot wait to see it play out.

A huge shout-out to netgalley and the author for kindly providing an arc!! all opinions are my own :)

I don't know how i felt about this book to be honest. I fee a bit conflicted. I think the marketig of this book was a bit off and that colored my thoughts. I think if you enjoy war based story with a publishing and reporting element. I think this book had a minor magical element but not enough to push the story forward, I really did liked both characters, i noramally struggle with war based novel and the back half of this novel fell falt for me!!

I discovered Rebecca Ross's books last year and instantly fell in love with her writting and storytelling. So i was very excited to read this one, and let me tell you, i loved this.
Divine Rivals broke my heart, mended it and broke it again. This books made me cheer and cry several times and left me waiting for more (that cliffhanger!! When is the sequel coming?!? Can't wait!)
Iris was an awesome protagonist, she was really strong and always after what she believed in. Roman was delightful, too. I loved how whipped he was with Iris 😂😂, but also how she also stood up for what he believed.
All the side characters were amazing, too! (Big found family vibes).

Secrets pen-pals who dislike each other irl is one of my favorite tropes so i loved that aspect of the book, too. They relationship was so cute and i loved how it progressed as the story went.

Really, really enjoyed this one. I highly recommend checking it out when it comes out. Can't wait for the sequel!