18-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to keep her family together. But the gods are at war again and her beloved brother is fighting at the frontlines, leaving behind Iris and their mother, who suffers from addiction. Iris feels the only thing to do is win the columnist position at the local newspaper, the Oath Gazette. But there she is rivaled by snarky and handsome Roman Kitt who is competing for the same position. By night, Iris grieves the absence of her brother by writing him letters with her beloved typewriter, slipping them beneath her wardrobe, only to find that they vanish—and little does she know where they are vanishing—into the hands of rival journalist Roman Kitt. Keeping his identity hidden, he returns her letters and they write back and forth, forging a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the frontlines of the Gods’ battle. Will two rival journalists’ love, found through a magical connection, survive in a war among Gods?

I was enamored by Divine Rivals from start to finish. Rebecca Ross effortlessly interweaves themes of war, grief, traces of magic, and guilt, especially in the form of Iris Winnow’s strong, selfless, and unrelenting character. Everything begins when she meets handsome, stubborn, and witty Roman Kitt, and the unique path they take together throughout the book surpassed my expectations and subverted my expectation of the usual events of an enemies-to-lovers trope, making for a heart-wrenching cliffhanger and intense need for closure that will only come with the book’s sequel. The thing I cherished most about this book was its atmosphere and love story (if that’s what you want to call it). It is not a love story in the way you may think, in part because of the multi-faceted qualities and multiple layers to Iris and Roman both as individuals and as love interests. Beyond these two characters that I came to adore, at its heart, Divine Rivals is a deeply moving love letter to the craft of writing and the magic of words.

What an excellent story. Rebecca Ross has created such a wonderful world that was easy to immerse myself in. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next and now I'm anxious for the sequel to complete the story.

The feelings of pure happiness I felt while listening to this book! This is a deeply emotional and heartfelt read about two rivals brought together by magic and circumstance.

Iris and her rival Roman are both vying for the same spot as a credited writer on the paper they work for. The two couldn’t be more different. He is a wealthy and pampered young man and she is dealing with an alcoholic mother and missing her brother who has gone to fight in the war.

Iris, writing magical letters and leaving them in her closet only for them to disappear when she opens the door, longs for word of her brother… but he isn’t the one getting her letters. Instead, it’s another young man and the two begin a beautiful correspondence. Roman is the receiver of these letters, though he refuses to tell her the truth.

Set against the backdrop of war and devastation, this is the beautiful story of love and desperation in a terrible time. I cannot wait for more in this series! Roman and Iris kept me falling in love with their story from beginning to end!

Once again, Rebecca Ross’s exquisite prose has taken my breath away. I had tears threatening to spill over from page one and there were times I was so immersed in this story, I found myself holding my breath. I could not put this book down and it will take some time for my heart to recover because this story wrecked me in the best way.

I enjoyed the mythology and found it well balanced with the present day storyline and twists. I didn’t mind there wasn’t more world building and rather enjoyed that Ross focused more on character development.

I am firmly convinced Rebecca Ross has stardust and magic coursing through her veins and will happily write any and everything she writes. Her writing is unbelievably special and there is an insanely gorgeous, romantic feel to her fantasy and the deeply emotional stories she weaves. Iris and Roman have my whole heart and I will be counting down the days until we are reunited in book two!

Firstly, Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this read!

I had my eye on this ARC for awhile. The premise of journalists competing with each other to win a prized columnist position, a little rivalry and a little competition, turning into more, sounded amazing. I also loved the magical element of angry Gods and magical items.This book sounded wonderful and promised a lot. Unfortunately, there were some key elements that I think really needed to be addressed in the summary, if not at least in the Trigger Warnings for all potential readers to be aware of. But I will start with things I enjoyed first.

Rebecca Ross is an excellent writer, her prose is beautiful but not simple. When she writes about places, you’re truly there. The writing is elevated without making it complicated and I appreciated that immensely. I think the world building in this was decent, as in descriptions of places, people and jobs. I loved the MC’s time at the newspaper office, and the dynamic there. I would’ve definitely liked more exploration when it came to magical places/houses. It was such an intriguing idea but barely got mentioned more than one time, and seeing as how this is supposed to have magical elements as part of the plot, I feel like there should’ve been more emphasis placed on this. It’s also what ties our two MC’s together. I did like that the romance finally developed into something. It took a LOT of time, and when the FMC found out about the identity of the MMC, the reaction was a little off to me, but I was just happy to see them together.

Now what I didn’t love…. MORE EXPLICIT TRIGGER WARNINGS PLEASE! As someone who gets extremely distressed by WWI/WWII type era wars/settings, trench warfare, bombs, guns, dying soldiers, heavy casualties, stepping over bodies, people so heavily injured that there’s nothing anyone is able to do, like this entire atmosphere was violent and upsetting. I was going to DNF, but I didn’t expect that this writer, for the other books she’s written, would go into as much upset and detail as she did. I also REALLY dislike the fact that the war is such a major plot point and it’s barely even addressed in the summary. The time period/era of this piece is barely addressed, so you go in trying to figure out what style era you’re even in to try and figure out the technology around the characters and what this world even looks like. The book felt extremely slow, and I felt there were so many bits that could have been left out. I remember notating that I felt the book actually started at 25% into it. I felt like the different plots (the romance, the war, finding her brother, being a journalist) were just too mixed together and felt like everything was just very bland and watered down. Like potentially the book was being prolonged to try and get all the different pieces of the plot in to come to a decent stopping point, but it made those plots just feel a bit unnatural—a bit stiff. It also felt like this should have turned into a standalone, up until about 85% in, I was sure that it would be.

Overall, I was very uncomfortable with the book, but setting aside my personal discomfort with the subject matter, I’m giving it a 3 stars and I truly hope the publisher and author with change the summary and the trigger warnings so other readers like me are knowledgeable about the content and subject matter before going into this novel.

Content Warning: violence, death, alcoholism, war, wounds, grief

I requested this book because it said Rebecca Ross wrote it and I was not disappointed. Here is what I thought:

+ I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this story and I was so surprised at what I got. This is a historical fantasy, set in a time similar to the 1950’s – the main characters are reporters who use typewriters to write their article for the newspaper. The fascinating thing in this story is the war wasn’t started by humans that we know of, but gods. And the gods have used humans to fight their war. We get a bit of the lore between the gods Dacre and Enva and why they started fighting. There is even magic in this world, magic typewriters, enchanted houses, which I thought was really fun.

+ Because this is basically a war drama – there is sweeping rivals to lovers romance, there is loved ones missing on the front lines, the horrors of war, the strength of love and character and I experienced so many emotions in this one book alone. I think I teared up three times. And I wasn’t expecting this book to do that to me.

+ The romance is a big part of this story and I love it. It’s the type of romance I would expect in a war drama actually and fits so beautifully. I’m a sucker for written letters (I am old enough to have done this back in my day lol), two people who love the written word – falling for one another because of the words they are writing to one another. It grabbed the romantic in me by the heart and I was rooting for their love from beginning to end!

+ There is more to the story especially when it comes to Iris trying to find her brother. My heart felt for both Iris and Roman. Mostly Iris because she was so all alone in the world. But what a tough young lady to keep on going even when it seems she has nothing left. She’s determined to find her brother and know if he was dead or alive. And Roman for overcoming an accident in his past that has ruined his family forever. I commend both of them for trying to love again even when they’ve both been so hurt.

~ There is a cliffhanger at the end and this book is a series. The ending broke my heart for Iris and her crew at the end of this book.

~ I do want more back story about the Gods because other Gods are mentioned besides Dacre and Enva, but I’m hoping that information comes in book two.

Tropes: magical correspondence, rival journalists

Why you should read it:
*fan of Rebecca Ross
*it’s got a little bit of everything: war, drama, gods, romance
*I love Iris and Roman

Why you might not want to read it:
*some readers might the story lacking in world-building especially in the mythology department but I’m hoping there is more of it in book two – the Dacre/Enva story kind of reminds me of Hades and Persephone but different

My Thoughts:

Where does Rebecca Ross come up with these stories? She is becoming my new must-read author only because she tries different things, different time periods, different settings and I always enjoy what she creates. I went with 5 stars for this book because the way this story took me for a ride, an emotional one at that, it even though it made me cry. I was caught up in the heartbreak for Iris, the horrors of war and the sweeping love story between Iris and Roman. I am so excited for book two, I’m just sad I have to wait awhile for it.

WOW I had such a good time with this one–Rebecca Ross really has an individual style that gets stronger with each book. My only complaint is that I assumed this was a standalone novel for some reason and now I'm sad I'll have to wait for the sequel. Even though this is a wartime book, it still somehow feels nostalgic, cozy, and deeply romantic. Rivals to lovers, hidden identities, forced proximity, secret pen pals, hurt x comfort, and mythology tropes combined with Rebecca Ross' signature whimsy and gorgeous prose??? Incredible.

A beautifully written, heart-wrenching story about a war between two gods that has strong WWI elements.

While we have the trenches and entire towns of young people signing up to fight in the war, the magical elements make this story fascinating even for someone who has read their share of WWI fiction in the last year.

The story centers around rival reporters whose typewriters have a magical connection. Wherever they are, letters pass between then through the typewriters, which were originally owned by their grandmothers. The female lead, Iris, doesn’t know she’s writing to her rival and instead hopes her letters are getting to her brother on the front.

When Iris losing a promotion to the male lead, Roman, she decides to take a job as a war correspondent. He follows. The rest of the story is from the front lines as they grow closer and face peril.

The writing here is beautiful. The pace is fast. Secondary characters aren’t developed all that much, but this is wartime and there’s another book on the way. Even though there are moments that had me in tears, there is joy and happiness as well.

My one regret is that the ending didn’t really serve as a good pause point, nor is it really a strong cliffhanger. I’ll be looking for the sequel, though!

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I just want to say that going in I had no idea that this was going to be romance heavy. Which is not my cup of tea at all. Honestly I don't mind a little romance. But when it takes over the plot then you have lost me. I wish there had been more development and focus on the gods and her brothers story. But there was more focus on the main characters relationship and fixing said drama. I really also wish that the world building hadn't been so superficial and there had been a clear focus. I lost interest in this one fast and ended up skim reading it just to finish. I'm not sure if the next installment will be better but I think I won't be reading it.

I read this book in a day. And I'm a super busy working mom. So yeah, I loved it.

It was different for me than A RIVER ENCHANTED and A FIRE ENDLESS. Those were like works of literary art. I had to read them slowly, to savor the world building and the mastery of the words.

With DIVINE RIVALS, it was a cozier, closer read. The chemistry of Iris and Roman is what really drew me in. It was palpable, and I so wanted them to be together and just couldn't put it down. This is a love story to its core. The world and the lore felt like more distant backdrops to the romance and the chemistry of these characters at the center. So it was a different experience than Rebecca's prior books, but I loved this one in its own way. It is the sort of book you want to drop everything and wrap yourself in a blanket and finish with a cup of tea at your side.

Divine Rivals is Rebecca Ross' newest fantasy series debut. Set during a war of the Gods, it follows Iris and Kitt who are rivals at the local newspaper. When Iris' brother goes missing while fighting in the war, Iris begins to write him letters, which magically disappear and, unbeknownst to her, end up in the hands of Kitt. When he starts to write back, they start to forge a connection.

When I read Ross' A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless last year, I fell in love with her ability craft a story, set the atmosphere, and develop lovable characters. That series cemented her as a top fantasy writer and gave me high expectations for future works. That, coupled with a synopsis that sounded right up my alley, made me super excited to dive in to this one. I'm happy to say, Rebecca Ross has further cemented her standing as one of my auto-buy authors.

What I loved:
- Enemies to Rivals: I love the enemies-to-rivals trope! It's one of my favorite! But the presence of this trope is not an automatic score for me. I've read several novels recently that didn't strike the appropriate balance between those two standings, so it was refreshing to read a novel that did such a fine job of it. Iris and Kitt's relationship development was top notch and I couldn't help but root for them!
- The tension: This book had me so anxious! While anxious might not sound like a good thing, it was in the best way, the way only a well written book can do. I was on the edge of my seat from the point where Iris went off to war onwards. It made this a very fast and easy read!
- The ending: Ugggghhhhh! Do I really have to wait for the next book! I am so excited to see where this story goes, especially for Kitt! I can see Rebecca writing the heck out of book two and I am here for it!!

What I would have seen differently:
- The secondary characters: Honestly, there's VERY little I would alter about this book. The only thing I could possibly come up with is that I wish the secondary characters, especially Attie, were a little more developed. I try not to compare books, though it's often hard, so my context is comparing Attie to Torin and Sidra from A River Enchanted. Those two were so deeply developed, which is what I would have liked to see more of for Attie. I recognize the Torin and Sidra were really more like main characters, but I still wanted more for Attie.

This was a strong series debut for Rebecca Ross and I CANNOT WAIT FOR BOOK 2!! As far as series debut endings, definitely one of the best. Top notch cliffhanger!

This was a quick, lovely read.

I wasn't so interested in the Gods and mythology and at times the writing felt a little too straightforward even for YA, but Iris and Roman's stories, their romance, the magical typewriters, and the secret letters were all incredibly fun. Maybe these references are too obscure, but this book was like Shop Around the Corner meets the Kdrama Chicago Typewriter. In some ways cozy and romantic but with war and action threaded in. Looking forward to the sequel!

Divine Rivals is the slow-burn historical fantasy romance I needed! The prose is hauntingly beautiful, and the characters are well-developed and thought out. I loved the pacing of the love story, and how it made me ache for them to get together. And as much as I crave a good fantasy, I actually really enjoyed how understated (for the most part) the magic is in this book. For me, it made the story feel that much more 'real'. And OMG THE ENDING! I won't give spoilers, but book 2 can't come fast enough.

Rebecca Ross's A River Enchanted was a top read for me last year and as this was my first peak into her YA books, I was naturally excited and nervous to pick this one up. In exchange for my review, I was gifted both the ebook and audiobook by Wednesday Books via netgalley.

DIVINE RIVALS has so many different hats. From RR's own posts about what to expect with rival journalists, celestials, magic, war, and secret pen pals. It is an ambitious book to bring all these little details together. The beginning of the book left me a bit confused about what precisely this world was supposed to be: it feels like historical WWII vibes: there are typewriters, candles, and Iris' brother had just enlisted in a war and was saying goodbye. There is talk about the gods but it is talked about in a way that we are dumped straight into the story. Thankfully, the pieces slowly come together throughout the first 30% of the book, but I wish the prologue made better use of setting that stage.

The worldbuilding takes a backseat, in the beginning, to get us straight into this rivalry between Iris and Roman. Roman is from a wealthy family and was placed at The Gazette with the assumption he would be a columnist. Then, when Iris's brother joins the war and she needs to start earning a paycheck she drops out of school and joins The Gazette as Roman's competitor for the columnist spot. Their dynamic feels natural (they both have pressure to get the job and don't necessarily understand the other's situation) but they also push each other to be better and with that have deep comradery. It reminds me a bit of The Atlas Six where they are two magnets just circling each other. It was incredibly fun to read. THEN we add this additional layer to their dynamic where Iris has been sending magical letters to her brother but they've ended up going to Roman and they begin this unlikely pen pal friendship. Now, I really truly deeply dislike this trope specifically WHEN only one person knows who the other is while a relationship is building in real life (yes, I realize this is a very specific situation, but it just ruins it for me) so I got a bit nervous but I think RR did this impeccably and really made this trope bring the best out of these two characters. I think some of my favorite parts of these letters are the vulnerability, especially around grief and insecurity, and that this is the medium used to give us more context on the god mythology (which I loved and hope we get even more more more in Book 2).

OK, so that is all a third of the book (yes, there is EVEN MORE PLOT). As the series suggests, Iris goes to the front to start writing about the war. At this point, the story becomes less about their rivalry (don't worry, Roman does not go anywhere) and more about the role of journalism and words to bring the world to life and give people hope and connection. It was very heartbreaking and beautiful. We are introduced to a lot of new characters but never felt that they were fleshed out enough as full people and I was disappointed by that because I could see a lot of potential there.

By the last 20% of the book, I was stressed because I knew this book wasn't going to end well. It was well balanced between teasing a stressful ending, actually having dangerous situations, and lots of sweet, heartwarming moments. Again, RR is balancing so many plates with this one and while I acknowledged it had a lot going on, it was done well and I loved every moment. The ending had me screaming and there were some tears. But mostly I am desperately excited to see what happens next from Iris and Roman.

✨ARC Review✨

“Because that was the hardest part-sharing the words she wrote. Words that could splinter steel, exposing the soft places she preferred to hide.”

“I don’t want to wake up when I’m seventy-four only to realize I haven’t lived.”

“He is mine, she thought, the words a pleasant shock to her soul. I am his.”

This book is magical realism, wartime, pen pals, and a beautiful romance all wrapped up into one! Iris finds herself at odds. Her brother is off to war, and she is up against her rival, Roman for a columnist promotion at the newspaper they work for. Iris types out letters to her brother on her typewriter, but once she slides them under the door, they go to a different recipient, her secret pen pal, aka Roman. Roman knows pretty early on that his “pen pal” is Iris, but this information is unbeknownst to her.

What is thought to be an enchanted portal for the exchange of the letters, ends up being magical typewriters of sorts, three to be exact, connected through previous generations, previous friends. Iris ends up going on the front lines as a war correspondent for a different paper and meets new faces along the way, and maybe an old one too…

This book took me by complete surprise! I loved the vulnerability of Iris and Roman, as they write back and forth. There are some moments of loneliness and grief, and a bit of feeling misunderstood, but there is also so much love. Although they are deemed “rivals”, Roman and Iris actually have a lot in common, and share high regard for one another respectively. Their love story within these pages is absolutely poetic. The book is also sad, simply due to the harsh reality of war, and how it has affected those close to Iris, namely her brother. I loved this book so very much, and will be shouting it as a recommendation to anyone who will listen!

What’s On The Pages:
-part one of a duet
-rivals to lovers
-pen pals
-gods/goddesses myths
-romantasy
-he falls first
-war frontlines
-enchanted buildings
-magical typewriters
-found family
-a cliffhanger

✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Steam:🔥/5

A special thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC! Divine Rivals is out April 4th!

After centuries of sleep the gods are awaking and war has started.  Iris is trying to hold her family together but her mom is fighting an addiction and her brother is missing from the frontlines in the war. She's desperate for a promotion to columnist at her job, Oath Gazete. She finds solace in writing letters to her brother and slipping them under her wardrobe door where they disappear. Someone begins to write back and it's not her brother.  Iris forms a connection with this person who turns out to be her arch nemesis, Roman at the Oath Gazete.  The two end up heading closer to the frontlines to report on the war where their connection deepens. 
I thought this was such a cute enemies to lovers story.  I adored the letters that went back and forth between Roman and Iris. The romance was central to the story and I would have liked more background on the gods that were at war as well as what was going on with the war.  At the same time this IS a series and I think the storyline is building to that.

Overall I really liked the story and look forward to continuing the series. We were left with a bit of a cliffhanger which makes me excited for future books.  This book isn't super fantasy heavy which I think will appeal to those who like fantasy but sometimes struggle with the complexity that fantasy can have sometimes.  

Not only am I looking forward to continuing this series but I am looking forward to reading this author's other novels.

What a beautiful, beautiful story. A fun twist toward the end too! I loved the world and the romance and the sweet little bits of magic that felt as if they could be real.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read Divine Rivals as an ARC! I recently fell in love with Rebecca Ross's writing and I was so excited to be approved for this title. This story begins as a sort of workplace rivals-to-lovers, but dives into a much more intricate fantasy story; there's magic, journalism, secret letters, found family-ish, grieving, love, looming war between divine powers.. what's not to love? This flows really nicely as a young adult novel and sets up the storyline BEAUTIFULLY in preparation for the second book. I really enjoyed the relationship building between Iris and Roman (although I do wish their love story was drawn out a bit more, but it definitely makes sense for a YA book!). Overall, I found this to be a really enjoyable read and look forward to seeing where the sequel eventually takes us. Rebecca Ross, as always, has done a beautiful job.

That ending destroyed me!! Rebecca, no rush, but I need book 2 ASAP!

I don’t like to repeat the synopsis because you can read that yourself. This book is highly character driven with less plot movement, however, I suspect things will pick up in book 2. The character development and pacing was wonderful! I loved loved our FMC and MMC! The romance was *chefs kiss* everything I want in an enemies to lovers trope. This book truly made me feel things, and I really appreciate that in a book. I cried, had butterflies, and wanted to throw the book from anger.

There are a few TW:
Violent images/War/PTSD
Death/Grief/Heavy subject matter

I’ll end with my favorite quote:
“because sometimes strength isn't swords and steel and fire, as we are so often made to believe. Sometimes it's. found in quiet, gentle places. The way you hold someone's hand as they grieve.
The way you listen to others. The way you show up, day after day, even when you are weary or afraid or simply uncertain. That is strength.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't expect "Divine Rivals" to impact me as much as it did. In fact, I thought that I might enjoy it. That was not the case. I loved this book. It was romantic, haunting and heart-wrenching. It was filled with genuine relationships, a wealth of emotion, great characters and magic. It starts off with a rivalry between two opposing forces at a newspaper: Iris and Kitt. That is all you think this novel will be, but it turns into so much more. I couldn't put this book down as I learned more about Iris and Kitt through their letters and the places they go. This book to me was a what-if "The Hating Game" was centered in a magical environment with gods, feuds and war. It was everything I didn't realize I needed. After reading this I hunger for its sequel and other titles written by this author. This book was perfection.